Not driven for 3 years - second car advice

[ZX10R NIN]

Stallzy said:

Fair points here, and as far as age and reliability, that's not so much what I mean. I mean the MK5 GTI for example being what I've been researching a bit over the last few days, there's quite a few things you need to keep on top of as opposed to say a Honda or Ford.

In terms of power, I think 200-250 hp is the max I'd want to go at least stock because that is, from a lot of reading over the last 5 years or so and watching reviews etc or seeing how higher power cars perform, perhaps the best power for B oad driving etc / British roads. Any higher then you're doing silly speeds or too much power for just FWD unless you don't mind

As a side bar an Astra GTC VXR/Megane RS250/265/275 Cup/PS 308 GTI will all put their respective bhp on the road better than a regular Golf GTI.

[Stallzy]

ZX10R NIN said:

As a side bar an Astra GTC VXR/Megane RS250/265/275 Cup/PS 308 GTI will all put their respective bhp on the road better than a regular Golf GTI.

Hi, that's good to know. One of the local car markets has both a PS 308 GTI and a lower spec Astra GTC (don't think they have the VXR), plus a MK7 Fiesta ST with MP215. I don't know too much about the Meganes, not looked at them at all tbh, but maybe shouldn't overlook. Perhaps Clio 200 should also be considered? Thanks. Heading to sleep now

[Stallzy]

Hi everyone, been a little while since the last posts here and not much activity so just keeping the thread alive. Had a couple hours of a driving refresher lesson today and was pretty amazed at how quick most things came back, and only thing that took some getting used to was the layout of the gearbox again and also how sensitive the brakes are on my instructor's newer car (very strong initial bite).

I'm really thinking perhaps I should get something quite tame but at the same time safe and with decent options etc, but finding it so difficult to find anything below say 6 or 7k in the market... Prices really do feel high and it makes this older Golf GTI I was looking at before actually seem not too bad value. I had mostly ruled out an Up GTI, but maybe it's not a bad option but definitely would be trying to negotiate a good finance plan I guess at the price of those.

Any suggestions, do let me know. Something like a older 2010-2015 Fiesta with either the older engines or a 1.0 seems to be anywhere in the £4-7.5k range ish, depending on whether they include nav, parking sensors etc. I don't know if I want the potential hassle of using my phone for navigation, and also parking sensors on the rear would be neat, but maybe not a must have. I don't think my instructors car had heated seats and it didn't seem an issue but they were cloth, and I've only had experience with cloth seats to be honest as a driver, so don't know what leather feels like.

Going to maybe try go on a few trips this week to some dealers but just wondering what you guys had recommendation wise in the under 7k area. The place that has that Golf GTI I keep mentioning has a few fairly okay mileage "sheds" but a lot of them have random tyres on, and that means an additional expense. An older Fiesta can be had for maybe around £3k but you can get a mk7 PFL with parking sensors for £4.5-5k. Maybe Zetec S of these generations also isn't a bad shout.

Hopefully this reads okay and just a bit of an update for the thread in general. Also, something I was reading through other posts on here from searching is the issues with documented service history through dealers now since GDPR has become such a big thing. Such a sad thing to read someone traded in an old M car I heard with 13 years history fully documented and the dealer literally put it in the shredder... Not really thought too much about buying privately for many reasons, but it seems nowadays you're more likely to get an actual "full service history" i.e. with documentation and invoices privately because of all of this.

Also that Fiesta ST mk7 I mentioned at a local dealer with MP215 was also described as having different exhaust tips, which I'm sure isn't standard on a MP215, so maybe it had a Mountune exhaust which would've probably added £1000 ish to the value Looks like it's sold though as it's disappeared off the stock list. There's still a few things there but it seems the Abarth isn't really worth considering because the suspension is so harsh from what I've heard, and also not sure the interior has really kept up with the times. It's not something I'd usually go to, like the UP GTI too, but thought it may be worth giving it a chance.

Also trying to figure out if there's any bonus in "reserving" cars from dealerships or just turning up, but I guess it varies dealer to dealer and can ring up. Perhaps someone can't buy it if you reserve, but that FIesta ST disappeared because the reservation is only around 24hrs for free, and then it's maybe possible for a longer time at a refundable cost, but I didn't get the information over the phone as to how much that was.

(edit, and I didn't do any reservation, as was saving it until later in this week before I may go)

Also MK5 Golf GTI wise, the Edition 30 looks really catch my eye more than the base GTI, but may not be as good for keeping it lowkey, and also it's a few thousand extra, but so many people say it's worth it. Maybe it's worth trying both a base GTI and a edition 30, but I don't even know if an older car is what I want until I look around, plus just feels like there's a lot of work involved with MK5 GTI ownership, but it'd keep me busy. Might have to wait a couple months to make sure I've got enough back to cover things that need changing, and also for the right examples to come up. Having expanded my search a bit further across the country, and I think this is probably a thing people have heard before, but there is likely another example out there and that I shouldn't be forced to buy based on "You won't find another like this", "find me another", or something to that effect. It's just a case of how long we as buyers can wait, I guess, and how far we're willing to travel.

Edited by Stallzy on Monday 5th December 15:41

[ZX10R NIN]

You really need to workout your budget is & if you want a hot hatch or a well spec'd warm hatch or a nice high spec normal hatch.

With a decent Edition 30 starting from around 8k you're a bit all over the place, you've had lots of good suggestions now you need to lock down the direction you want to go in.

[Stallzy]

ZX10R NIN said:

You really need to workout your budget is & if you want a hot hatch or a well spec'd warm hatch or a nice high spec normal hatch.

You're all over the place, you've had lots of good suggestions now you need to lock down the direction you want to go.

Hey dude, appreciate you dropping a reply and see you around in other sections of the forum too or in old threads that I was reading the other day.

Complete hot hatch is most likely not for me, need something more under the radar tbh or something with a bit of power that's unassuming, not a Fiesta ST or Abarth for example.

Perhaps I need to go back through the suggestions but it's quite difficult to find many examples of stuff within either 20 or 35 miles from me. There may be some things which I could travel further out for, but maybe that will have to be saved until the next car down the line or I need to have a sit / test drive in a closer example or similar car.

I'm still not completely sure about the finance side of things and like whether I need to shop around for finance packages / providers or look at a loan as someone said near the beginning, or just go with what the dealer offers and try and get the best rates possible. It's sort of personal circumstances, like so I may be able to get some help, but I guess I'm also at the same time just looking at if I have no support at all, then what can I actually get if that makes sense.

It's actually the initial / first few months of maintenance and changing tyres etc on purchase if they're not a good type for example that's worrying me more cost wise perhaps, as that could be more expensiive than at least one or two months of if you combined monthly payments + insurance if you get what I mean? So maybe I got to just hold fire but I think I'm doing the right thing trying to educate myself about the process and also what my options may be, and having a browse in person.

[ZX10R NIN]

If you're looking to spend around 8k (the price of an Edition 30) I'd look to go down the personal finance route as you'll probably get a better APR.

If you want a regular car with nice spec for 8k then you really have a wealth of options, if there's preventative maintenance you want to carry out then you can space this out over 6 months.

1.0T Kia Ceed GT Line: This should still have some of the 7 year warranty left

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202210100...

1.4T Hyundai i30 SE Nav:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202207067...

1.4T Astra GTC SRI:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202211211...

1.0T Focus Titanium X:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202211041...

1.4 Fiat Tipo Lounge:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202210070...

Leftfield.

Vauxhall Adam Grand Slam:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202211302...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202203243...

Suzuki Swift Sport:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202211111...

[Stallzy]

ZX10R NIN said:

If you're looking to spend around 8k (the price of an Edition 30) I'd look to go down the personal finance route as you'll probably get a better APR.

If you want a regular car with nice spec for 8k then you really have a wealth of options, if there's preventative maintenance you want to carry out then you can space this out over 6 months.

1.0T Kia Ceed GT Line: This should still have some of the 7 year warranty left

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202210100...

1.4T Hyundai i30 SE Nav:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202207067...

1.4T Astra GTC SRI:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202211211...

1.0T Focus Titanium X:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202211041...

1.4 Fiat Tipo Lounge:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202210070...

Leftfield.

Vauxhall Adam Grand Slam:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202211302...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202203243...

Suzuki Swift Sport:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202211111...

Some really interesting and solid recommendations here, some I hadn't thought of at all. Grey might be a colour I'm trying to avoid after my last car was grey and would like something different. EP3 cosmic grey or the non-Magnetic greys that Ford do are cool though.

Man, if I could find a solid ED30 for 8k then I wouldn't be so lost but it's closer to 10, if not 11k. Not sure if that's what I totally want or need right now though. Even a more standard spec EP3 would be cool but not sure how it would be treated on the road still plus just safety from a crash perspective, I know modern cars hold up well and I don't know for sure with an EP3, and also not done enough research into what can go wrong, but I think it's just keeping oil topped up and maybe gearbox.

Fiat Tipo a new reg car I don't think I've ever heard of, but 94 bhp and lb/ft torque? That sounds basically equivalent to a 60 reg 1.4 Fiesta I was looking at lol, and wasn't sure that's enough.

I was looking through dealer stock of one place on AutoTrader and found another car which may be similar to the MK5 GTI but maybe cheaper for a lower mileage example, A3 S line 2.0 TFSI. Not sure it's as easy to add a aftermarket head unit in some though, but got heated seats etc and I'm sure I saw some with nav.

The i30 and Focus are really sensible too but just about finding the right example I guess spec wise. That i30 doesn't have much infotainment wise perhaps but the Focus is loaded.

Thanks again for your contributions, means a lot, and personal loan actually may offer the best rates but I guess won't know for sure as a lot of these calcuators don't take credit score into consideration, and I think mine's rated as Good, but not in Excellent yet as I'm still pretty young and not built up a ton.

[ZX10R NIN]

It's very easy to change the headunit on one.

[Stallzy]

ZX10R NIN said:

It's very easy to change the headunit on one.

I mean that it doesn't look like there's a large enough space for one to go in some examples I saw for some reason like it's a thin gap

[ZX10R NIN]

If you're happy to change the headunit & want a smart swift set of wheels for not a lot of money then the Alfa Mito in Veloce 140/155 form is a nice robust set of wheels.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202211201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202211091...

I got one for my son (abliet in 95bhp form) I added this Pioneer SPH360 DAB unit to the car:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/125403462189?epid=15053...

[jam_up]

Stallzy said:

Complete hot hatch is most likely not for me, need something more under the radar tbh or something with a bit of power that's unassuming, not a Fiesta ST or Abarth for example.

Bit confused again as you're still considering ED30's and now EP3's despite not wanting a hot hatch?

I think you've budgeted yourself sensibly though - £8k is a good mark. It's not worth pushing to £15k for something like a UP GTI as you may as well get a mk7 Golf GTI at that price (can't believe they're similarly priced!). Equally, I suggested a new-ish Suzuki Swift Sport or mk3 Leon 1.8 TSI before, but both of them are around the £12k mark too. On the plus side they should come with modern infotainment with CarPlay etc built in, but there's so many aftermarket options available for most cars now anyway.

I'd get something at least as powerful as your old 140 ecoboost Fiesta. I mean, you could get another and modify it? There's a plethora of options from Mountune for example, including the MR165 tune to make it more spritely. Prices seem strong though - for a few hundred more you can get into a ST.

[Stallzy]

jam_up said:

Bit confused again as you're still considering ED30's and now EP3's despite not wanting a hot hatch?

I think you've budgeted yourself sensibly though - £8k is a good mark. It's not worth pushing to £15k for something like a UP GTI as you may as well get a mk7 Golf GTI at that price (can't believe they're similarly priced!). Equally, I suggested a new-ish Suzuki Swift Sport or mk3 Leon 1.8 TSI before, but both of them are around the £12k mark too. On the plus side they should come with modern infotainment with CarPlay etc built in, but there's so many aftermarket options available for most cars now anyway.

I'd get something at least as powerful as your old 140 ecoboost Fiesta. I mean, you could get another and modify it? There's a plethora of options from Mountune for example, including the MR165 tune to make it more spritely. Prices seem strong though - for a few hundred more you can get into a ST.

Hey there. I'm still quite all over the place. I'm just trying to consider all the different options and still juggling a stock MK5 GTI perhaps, and there was a 60 plate Fiesta Titanium with rear sensors, cruise control, bluetooth, so basically perfect minus heated seats which maybe isn't make or break and that was around 5k. (It's now sold...) There's newer 2014 examples with the 1.0 platform for around 7.5-8k, and yeah, I'm still not completely sure where the top of my budget is as may be able to go a bit further but also don't want to go too far.

Not really checked the 140 Fiestas too much, besides to see if my old car had popped up on the classifieds, but there's some very similar but I don't think I could have one again at least in the same colour. I am sort of aware of the modding things, and my parents weren't too happy with those ideas on my original car as basically had it from factory, and back then new and even the used prices when it was written off, the ST-Line and ST were basically equal. Revo and other tuners do a stage 1 also which pushes to around 160 with no hardware required which I know well.

The new Fiesta ST could be worth having a test drive of, but I think that's probably out of my bracket to fully finance myself. That being said, if it was a different time of year, like if I leave this purchase until the spring then I think my folks would be happier to support me if that's what I really wanted. I'm just trying to do my research lol and it really is confusing for me, idk why. I appreciate everyone who still posts a comment here as it seems many don't bother now we're at like 70+ replies.

I don't know much about SEATs at all, and the new Suzuki Swift may be good, but just feels poor value. A lot of the cars on the market do to me for some reason. It's bobbins that I swear the VW Up GTI 71 plate that was on for £17999 at a local dealer has actually sold it seems... Plus two different Fiestas I was looking at. Some people tell me no one is buying cars at this time of year, and so why am I, but yet there are clearly some who are

You mentioned me looking at ED30s and EP3s. The EP3 VTEC noise is so good but I don't know how it is if you're not driving it in that power band all the time. Also I think the ED30 styling and platform seems much better than the base GTI, but both cars and also the Fiesta ST may attract the wrong kind of attention and I don't know whether I can deal with that right now

I can't wait to come to a final decision here, but it really is confusing to me lol... plus I need to account for getting a front+rear dashcam setup but could probably do that if I have extra from a personal loan or just my own savings. I think it's a must to get that sorted early on, whatever I get, as I consider it pretty essential, plus it's nice to document / have records of some things you encounter on your drives

I should be working now but not had any jobs come through to complete, so I'm just typing here instead

[LightningBlue]

Sort of reminds me of when I was younger and had some money in the bank, wanted something new but didn’t have any major inklings as to what to buy. I did know I wanted decent power and either a petrol coupe or saloon. I drew up a shortlist of all kinds of things, the reality is the Toyota Celica I went to see wasn’t there when I arrived, I drove a 2000 Volvo C70 which I liked but where the independent dealer was a prat and didn’t believe I could afford it or was serious, then a 2001 Volvo S60 from a main dealer where I was treated well and the car looked great. The latter is the one I bought and didn’t regret it, even though I didn’t test drive other cars I intended to. Sometimes you can have all these cars in your head but you can try something left field and like it, and if the deal feels right go for it. If I were you I wouldn’t be worried about extra power, you’ll get bored of 140bhp very quickly - it’s not a lot in most modern heavy cars. 200bhp is often a sweet spot where you can use the power on the road while revving it out and it’s quick enough to be interesting. I had a Scirocco 2.0GT which is the same engine as the Golf GTI mk 5 you keep referencing and that was superb, economical but gave a shove in the back when you wanted to use the performance. It needed servicing every 10,000 miles but other than that had no major issues. I did once have an engine management light that turned out to be the inlet manifold - the local VW dealer was very good and paid for the part while I paid for the labour even though it had been sold to me by an unrelated non VW dealer. Never had any more issues so I wouldn’t worry as long as the car has been serviced. I’d recommend a Scirocco by the way if you’re considering the mk5 GTI, they’re basically the same car but the Scirocco looks sleeker. Just don’t put your money into something slow and you’ll get bored of, you’ll soon get more confidence behind the wheel

[Stallzy]

LightningBlue said:

Sort of reminds me of when I was younger and had some money in the bank, wanted something new but didn’t have any major inklings as to what to buy. I did know I wanted decent power and either a petrol coupe or saloon. I drew up a shortlist of all kinds of things, the reality is the Toyota Celica I went to see wasn’t there when I arrived, I drove a 2000 Volvo C70 which I liked but where the independent dealer was a prat and didn’t believe I could afford it or was serious, then a 2001 Volvo S60 from a main dealer where I was treated well and the car looked great. The latter is the one I bought and didn’t regret it, even though I didn’t test drive other cars I intended to. Sometimes you can have all these cars in your head but you can try something left field and like it, and if the deal feels right go for it. If I were you I wouldn’t be worried about extra power, you’ll get bored of 140bhp very quickly - it’s not a lot in most modern heavy cars. 200bhp is often a sweet spot where you can use the power on the road while revving it out and it’s quick enough to be interesting. I had a Scirocco 2.0GT which is the same engine as the Golf GTI mk 5 you keep referencing and that was superb, economical but gave a shove in the back when you wanted to use the performance. It needed servicing every 10,000 miles but other than that had no major issues. I did once have an engine management light that turned out to be the inlet manifold - the local VW dealer was very good and paid for the part while I paid for the labour even though it had been sold to me by an unrelated non VW dealer. Never had any more issues so I wouldn’t worry as long as the car has been serviced. I’d recommend a Scirocco by the way if you’re considering the mk5 GTI, they’re basically the same car but the Scirocco looks sleeker. Just don’t put your money into something slow and you’ll get bored of, you’ll soon get more confidence behind the wheel

Hey, thank you for your comment and I really appreciate you sharing your story. I don't have the full amount outright in cash right now myself but I may be able to get some support with that or finance is probably affordable up to 10k ish on my own. The thing with a lot of the 2.0 TFSI cars it seems is there are a few things which can go wrong, and you don't necessarily know when they were last done unless you buy from an enthusiast privately, but I don't think many are parting ways with them right now. Did find a guy in Wales who has had a MK5 GTI from new, with all of the previous paperwork etc being included in the sale, but it comes with its faults and the price point is around 9k with no leather seats (not sure if I want leather seats or fabric though, but fabric don't seem to come heated usually outside of the edition 30).

A few people I know actually have Sciroccos or used to own one, so I guess it's not a bad shout. Just thought the prices were high for the sporty models, but it hasn't been something I've looked into too much. Still not sure about auto vs manual either, not driven an auto but might get an experience in the next couple days if I go round some dealers, but manual may be better once I get used to it and the particular car I end up with.

I don't really want to get something slow or boring either, but maybe it's for the best given I don't have much experience right now and better to stay lowkey than having people try and race me or egg me on or not give me enough distance because I'm in something blatantly sporty. I am not someone to chop and change technology or cars or anything, so again, that may work to what you said. I have been using the same phone for nearly six years and picked up a refurb one to transition over to, but at the moment it's just been used for filming concerts and stuff because of the much better battery and camera, because it's going to take a couple days to fully transition over and don't want to do it in the middle of a working month / week. Probably do that at the end of this month so new year, new phone ready to go. Also I used the same gaming PC from 2011 to 2020, but that was while I was a student and similarly with my phone I guess, but I've had the funds a few times over to replace my phone and spent it on other things that seemed more important to replace, like the chair I sit in most of the day for work.

I think that's all I've got to add for now lol, having a little break from searching classifieds continuously for a bit and I'm meant to be working now, but there's still nothing for me to do apparently :/

[GreatGranny]

OP, I'm a big fan of GTI's but if you're not sure of finances and affordability then maybe wait a few years until you are more secure, older so insurance is cheaper and have more driving experience.

MINI Cooper is a great car for the interim.

Cheap to run (£20 tax, 18E insurance group and 50+ mpg).

It's great fun to drive if not the quickest but handling is superb.

Look great IMO and it should hold its value well when you decide to upgrade.

Example

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202212022...

[Stallzy]

GreatGranny said:

OP, I'm a big fan of GTI's but if you're not sure of finances and affordability then maybe wait a few years until you are more secure, older so insurance is cheaper and have more driving experience.

MINI Cooper is a great car for the interim.

Cheap to run (£20 tax, 18E insurance group and 50+ mpg).

It's great fun to drive if not the quickest but handling is superb.

Look great IMO and it should hold its value well when you decide to upgrade.

Example

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202212022...

Hey, good morning and thanks for the suggestion. It's actually something on my list to sit in when I go around. Where I'm based, seriously if you go in one direction for 15 miles or so, there are hardly any dealers offering older cars like older than 2014, but if I head towards central Manchester, there's quite a lot but that's a journey I'll have to make on my own.

Was going to go have a browse today and booked the time off work but might have to make a U turn on that based on the outdoor temperature being -2 like an hour ago, kind of knew it was possibly gonna happen because of the weather warnings and doesn't make sense to brave it, especially as we'd likely be travelling to the dealers in an older car.

In my more local area, that same spec / age mini is going for £9k-10.5k and yet it's 7500 there in Leeds, which is a bit of a way out but not impossible. I swear the prices are marked up purely because of where we are geographically lol and some dealer's having quite a solid reputation...

Finances for the GTI are probably okay as I said insurance is around 1000-1100 for the year but it's more having the slush fund for maintenance built up, but I guess I don't know how far I'll drive until say late January to February even if I made any moves before Christmas, so that means I'll probably have near two months worth of work between then.

[Stallzy]

Regrettably, rang up the dealer which had the MK5 GTI for sale to enquire more and mention that I may be visiting in a couple days or next week (if I can manage around the train strikes or arrange other transport the full way), and it's only gone and been sold yesterday... Did ask whether they got the full price just for curiosity and market history reasons, and it had apparently. Part of me wonders if it was someone who came across my posts lol or just coincidence.
While being sort of highly priced for a GTI with an unknown service history in the last 5 years for the key things prone to go wrong, it did come on Eagle F1s all round and had been prepared well in the pictures compared to other examples. (Shiny steering wheels are a big turn off to me)

A bit gutted because would have been good to see it in person and maybe have a test drive just to see what they're about, as I still don't know whether to go for something older or newer. Literally over half the cars (more like every single one nearly) that I think is actually a decent option and I wouldn't mind going to see in the next week disappears... The man above might be telling me something, or I just have a good eye for what is desirable in this market, even when we're at 1 degree weather or -2 this morning. It did warm up to about 4 degrees by 1 or 2pm, but bit late to start travelling around by that time and I've got some work to do instead.

The Alfa Romeo examples mentioned before seem good value for the engine spec you get, but I'm not sure how good the infotainment is and how easy it is to swap out, again especially where it's a very thin unit, but I suppose there are Pioneer and Sony units of that sort of spec from what I remember seeing about. I don't know too well what goes wrong on those, so it's a whole lot more research to do. I had done a lot of research on the MK5s!

I actually had a dream where I had a black MK5 Golf and then I lost it or something and then was walking around and saw three more of the same car, so maybe it's a sign (signal before I even knew the GTI had sold) or confirmation that there's more out there. My mum reckons more cars will come to market by the spring because of cost of living or even other people talking about the yearly cycle when new registrations come round and people part-ex or more will be transitioning to electric, so could be some well kept examples coming through that wouldn't appear privately.

It'll be the dealers who get to buy the part ex from main dealer who get the best deals I suppose, but that's how the chain works.

Hope you enjoy my rambles and I'm sort of back at the drawing board. May look at a newer Mini Cooper or i30 (non N) or a Fiesta/Focus with lots of options, but I still don't know how boring I want to go. MK2 Focus ST could be on the list but would have to be a stock or near stock example lol because of image and to be honest it's probably too thirsty in terms of fuel. I don't do hella miles though, like as I say it'd be a miracle if I do more than 5k in a year.

[ZX10R NIN]

The infotainment in the Mito isn't the best but you have to remember you're looking at a car that's 13 years old, on my sons car it took them 40 minutes (this included fitting the DAB Aerial on the roof & running the leads) to install the Pioneer unit.

The Mito has space for a double din unit as standard across all models, this was because you could opt for the full face touchscreen (take a look at the second QV) at an extra cost.

Here's the fitting kit I used:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/175239334871?epid=70475...

You can get the earlier SPH 230 DAB which is just as (if not as intuitive as the 360) good as the 360 but it'll be a fair bit less:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/225283275072?hash=item3...

As well as the Veloce's you can get full fat Quadrifoglio's for around 4k:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202210090...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202211272...

[Stallzy]

ZX10R NIN said:

The infotainment in the Mito isn't the best but you have to remember you're looking at a car that's 13 years old, on my sons car it took them 40 minutes (this included fitting the DAB Aerial on the roof & running the leads) to install the Pioneer unit.

The Mito has space for a double din unit as standard across all models, this was because you could opt for the full face touchscreen (take a look at the second QV) at an extra cost.

Here's the fitting kit I used:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/175239334871?epid=70475...

You can get the earlier SPH 230 DAB which is just as (if not as intuitive as the 360) good as the 360 but it'll be a fair bit less:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/225283275072?hash=item3...

As well as the Veloce's you can get full fat Quadrifoglio's for around 4k:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202210090...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202211272...

Hey again, really appreciate your engagement with this thread. To be honest, I'd probably get a local garage to install new infotainment etc as they've done it for another of the family cars which is much older, but when I question it, it's because I didn't know if it's possible or what's involved, so I appreciate the information you've given here. Still definitely unsure of what I'm looking for as I haven't sat in any of these, but maybe I'm not super picky as long as the ride isn't crashy. Those Quadrifoglio examples you linked are 120 miles+ away from me.

I was keeping my searches to 40 miles away max, but maybe I'd be willing to travel further if the example is really, really special. It may be the case that I'm just stalking the classifieds for weeks or months into the new year, but I don't know.

[ZX10R NIN]

Stallzy said:

Hey again, really appreciate your engagement with this thread. To be honest, I'd probably get a local garage to install new infotainment etc as they've done it for another of the family cars which is much older, but when I question it, it's because I didn't know if it's possible or what's involved, so I appreciate the information you've given here. Still definitely unsure of what I'm looking for as I haven't sat in any of these, but maybe I'm not super picky as long as the ride isn't crashy. Those Quadrifoglio examples you linked are 120 miles+ away from me.

I was keeping my searches to 40 miles away max, but maybe I'd be willing to travel further if the example is really, really special. It may be the case that I'm just stalking the classifieds for weeks or months into the new year, but I don't know.

No problem, they were just to give you an idea of what they were & looked like.

I'm not sure where about's in the UK you are but I'd say widen your search to 80 miles/around an hour away & see what comes up.