What car? A3/120d/GTI/VXR

[the-photographer]

frosted said:

You seriously think any of those petrol cars would give you 30+ mpg ?

Edited by frosted on Sunday 2nd January 01:06

I get a regular 35mpg from my MK5 GTI (manual) used for regular commuting (around 18k miles annum)

[lunchbox]

Ozzie Osmond said:

You've got a fun car for the weekends, why waste thousands on insurance premium for any of those daily hacks? Just get a snotter and do something more fun with your money.

+1

http://pistonheads.com/sales/list.asp?s=578

[Crafty_]

frosted said:

You seriously think any of those petrol cars would give you 30+ mpg ?

Edited by frosted on Sunday 2nd January 01:06

Yep.

Far as the astra and power delivery goes, there is little lag - they are responsive and hold a strong torque curve, moreso than the golf or its variants. You'll hear clarkson-esque whining about torque steer, but provided you can actually hold the steering wheel you'll be fine.
What I would say is the stock car throttle pedal mapping is too sensitive, but a decent remap sorts that out and makes it infinitely more driveable. I've driven most of them and the Courtenay/Klassen setup is by far the best.
£300 gives you springs and a rear anti roll bar which improves handling no end.

I drove the Golf/ST/Leon when I was looking for mine and it was the best overall I think. The golf was simply boring, the ST sounded great but the torque drops off to quickly, Leon (Cupra, fastest at the time, 265hp one I think?) was interesting, excellent brakes, pulled well but had lag and the interior is utterly woeful and it was a bit.. wooden ?didn't really involve you. Didn't bother with A3, its just a golf.

What I would say is given the mileage you will do and the insurance cost I think I'd be looking at diesel.

[kentmotorcompany]

I'd drop the Astra because its crap, and the A3 because its the oldest car of the four and is about to be replaced (although I do like the 3.2 quattro).

The Golf GTi is a good all rounder, and a fair balance between economy and performance. If it running costs are more important then the 1 Series gets my vote. Smallest in the back, and slowest, but very sweet handling, most modern, a bit more special in my humble opinion compared to the others too.

I would also consider a Golf 2.0 TDi GT. Plenty to choose from, and somewhere between the Golf GTi and the 118d, most are 140bhp, but there is a 170 model too, bit rarer and more expensive, but with a good spec, could be worth finding.

There is also a Golf 2.0 TDi GT 4motion, same system as the A3 Quattro/Golf R32, but with cheap running costs. Quite rare though.

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

I'd drop off the Beemer. Have you ever seen one of those in the snow!

[CTS86]

martin mrt said:

Just don't expect 62mpg from it, ours never managed it, and it wasn't driven hard.

I was going to comment on that. Think they've been tweaked over the last couple of years so economy has improved but the early 1 series diesels were crap on fuel.

I was set on getting a 2006 120d before buying my car but it was the real world mpg that killed it for me (not very PH I know). I drove one of our fleet cars extensively & struggled to average over 40mpg. Even in the hands of the resident Captain Sensible (traded down from his 306 GTI-6 for a bog standard Yaris to save the pennies!) it wouldn't get more than 44mpg.

That being said, if I was the OP I'd still go with the 1 series purely for the huge difference in insurance costs. £3k on insurance is mental!

[Crafty_]

kentmotorcompany said:

I'd drop the Astra because its crap

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRyA-QkbPgQ

[Mastodon2]

No two ways about it, the Astra VXR is savagely quick for a FWD car. I was totally caught off guard by it. It does get a bit of torque and bump steer, but as mentioned earlier if you can hold a steering wheel, then whats the problem? It only does this when you are mashing your foot to the carpet in lower gears too, so it's not like you will be fighting the car as you drive through inner-city traffic.

It is definitely an old skool hatch with a short lag and then a huge slug of power that just keeps going and going until you reach the next gear, and it is a bumpy and crashy, but very involving ride. It's not as smooth or sanitised as a VAG offering; it's like hanging onto the back of a wild horse that tears across the countryside rather than trotting a tame horse along. In my opinion, the high thrill delivery and the fact it's a demanding drive when you want it to be, make it a great car.

The interior is not incredible, but then neither are any of the interiors of the cars on the list. The big Recaros are very comfortable and while it does look a bit "familiar Astra interior" the newer ones with the piano-black trim look very smart. If I was looking for a fast and fun FWD car, an AStra VXR would most definitely be on my list.

[martin mrt]

CTS86 said:

martin mrt said:

Just don't expect 62mpg from it, ours never managed it, and it wasn't driven hard.

I was going to comment on that. Think they've been tweaked over the last couple of years so economy has improved but the early 1 series diesels were crap on fuel.

Ours was a 2007 Efficient dynamics model and it very rarely bettered 45mpg, flipside was it never went below 40mpg the entire time we had it

[dave9]

BMW for fuel prices, BMW For RWD, BMW for quality.

It's also not that slow.

BMW all the way it will do over TWICE as much MPG in the real world as the GTI and the VXR - I had a 2.0T engine in an A3 that averaged about 25mpg and I know a 118d does about 55mpg so think of it this way.

for every £40 you spend in the BMW you will be spending about £85 in the GTi or VXR.

or for each tankful of fuel in the BMW you go through you will go through another tank in the GTi or VXR!

[dave9]

oh, personally i'd go for a black golf bluemotion - 74mpg and £0 road tax. this will have by far the best residuals i think over the next few years as fuel gets more expensive.

[dave9]

plus you must be nuts to consider paying over £2k for insurance - the beemer will save you a couple of grand there alone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BMW from your list - it's too hard to argue anything other than that.

why you spending so much money on cars?! a VX220 Turbo and a VXR is just madness - too similar.

[Steameh]

Crafty_ said:

kentmotorcompany said:

I'd drop the Astra because its crap

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRyA-QkbPgQ

There is no denying the VXR is a fast car, but that looks rather fettled.

I just couldnt get on with it, the throttle control felt alien to the car and didnt suit it.

Never really had a chance to test its handling to the limits, but I was mainly disappointed with the interior, it felt dark and the roof line was incredibly low. The switch gear seemed nice though although I never understood the indicators (neither did the salesman though), and it is a fantastic car to look at.

Edited by Steameh on Sunday 2nd January 12:59

[dave9]

if you got a golf bluemotion you would prob save £1500 on insurance compared to the Golf GTi.
You would probably save £1500 per year on fuel if not more.
You would probably save £250 ish on road tax per year.

Therefore that's a saving of £3250 per year on having it.

OK so it's not as quick but that will help you keep your licence and will keep your VX220 still feeling special and essentially you can't really drive quickly in today's commuter traffic anyway. They still have the same stereo and all other bits and bobs.

I'm guessing here mate and obviously don't say but if you are thinking of a second hand car and so on then you aren't likely to be earning a million a year so £3250 net per year is a big chunk of money each year to save, pay off the mortgage, go on holidays with and so on all for the sake of a car that's a bit quicker?

Bluemotion every day of the week - ESPECIALLY as you have a vx220 turbo.

[Vic Cooper]

martin mrt said:

What utter codste, the VAG PD lump in 1.9 Guise is a cracking engine, and one of the most reliable 4 pot diesels in it's class(es).
The PD was dropped predominantly for CR technology as the emission regulations get tighter, and the 1.9 being of an aged design was going to struggle to meet the criteria. Hence the current crop of 1.6 and 2.0tdi engines ...

Look, the older bulletproof 90 HP and 110 HP Tdi engines have been extremely reliable and long lasting pieces, I used an Octavia (90 HP) as a company car with the mileage of 250k + and it was just as fine as a new one (and my next door neighbour also had a 90 HP Tdi with insane mileage in a B4 Passat). But heard several problems (like listed) about the PD-TDI engines from friends, car dealers, etc. We have a site called like "judge Your car", with some very intresting reviews.

Otherwise, I agree the emission regulation thing. That PD technology was a dead end in any ways...

-costs
-reliability
-emission
-...

[sebhaque]

Sorry about the lack of response from me - went out today to have a look at a couple of cars. First dealer was shut - but I went to Cooper Thames Ditton and laid eyes on a very tidy 120d. One once-over, test drive, and cup of tea later, I came home with the papers for this in my pocket:



Linky

07 reg, 18000 miles, SE trim with a few extras (heated seats, cruise, armrest etc). Paid £13000 for the priviledge with road tax thrown in. Now I'm off to find someone who wants a Frontera!

Thanks for the help chaps. I decided in the end that the head wins over the heart so I got something sensible that I'll enjoy driving for the next few years.

[randomman]

Golf GTI, I like the Mk5 about 1 Trillion Times more for having driven one then on looks alone. How a car that big/heavy can bring a big smile to the face is beyond me.

[Vic Cooper]

So, You've decided to have the economical solution. Outtaboy! (so from now You can save loads of money to enjoy the sunday VX turbo)

[dave9]

good car, good price, warranty etc. should be some cheap motoring for you, you won't regret it.

insurance premium tax goes up 1% on tuesday so you have saved an additional 1% on the insurance premiums too which would have been about £34 on that A3.
you have probably saved a lot of money in fuel just driving it home so all in around £50 or a meal out with your other half saved already.

road tax time will probably be better too

what are your thoughts on the car?

[MondeoMan1981]

I often get a lift in a 120d, nice cars and far better decision than an A3, Golf or a crazy hot hatch when you have what you have in the garage at home.

120d will give you a nice balance of fun (rwd, plenty torque), economy (decent mpg and insurance) and decent residuals.