5k do everything car?
Discussion
Long time lurker here and i wondered if anyone has some input on the conundrum i'm trying to solve!
After moving to a home with only one parking space and loosing my workshop space i've decided to go from running 3 cars that fulfill most of my needs to go down to one that will do most things quite well.
I've just sold my mk3 mr2 track/weekend car so i now have a A5 3.0 tdi auto and a mk1 honda Jazz auto, whilst those two do fulfill my practical needs (the audi is a great mile muncher and the Jazz is like a small van with the seats down) neither of them are particularly engaging or fun plus parking is an issue so one or both need to go.
One advantage of the recent move is that my commute has dropped to 20 miles a day total mostly motorway so i dont really need a car that does more than 30MPG (although its always nice) or an auto box because i wont be sitting in traffic.
So i'm on the lookout for something a bit more fun but still somewhat comfortable and capable of doing the odd tip run to use as my only car (my days of sitting in a fixed bucket seat every day are over), most days i'm just on the motorway but i do end up going down b roads most weekends. this took me down two schools of thought.
a larger hot hatch or a smaller (more chuckable) estate. I'm quite happy to do a few mods to whatever car i get so something that comes alive with some suspension work is fine by me.
Budget is quite tight at £5k but i can probably stretch that up to 7k for the right car if it needs less fettling to be a hoot
mileage doesn't bother me whatsoever so something that nips into the budget for a leggy example is okay.
initially im thinking either
-mk5 gti or
- Renault sport megane 225 (or 250 if a ropey one nips into budget) or
- a manual 6 cylinder e36 touring, i have considered an e46 touring too but ive had e36 and e46s before and i've always preferred the drive and looks of the e36.
ULEZ is not an issue for me as i only drive into clean air cities about once a month so i'm happy to pay the daily charge
Any input or suggestions welcomed!
After moving to a home with only one parking space and loosing my workshop space i've decided to go from running 3 cars that fulfill most of my needs to go down to one that will do most things quite well.
I've just sold my mk3 mr2 track/weekend car so i now have a A5 3.0 tdi auto and a mk1 honda Jazz auto, whilst those two do fulfill my practical needs (the audi is a great mile muncher and the Jazz is like a small van with the seats down) neither of them are particularly engaging or fun plus parking is an issue so one or both need to go.
One advantage of the recent move is that my commute has dropped to 20 miles a day total mostly motorway so i dont really need a car that does more than 30MPG (although its always nice) or an auto box because i wont be sitting in traffic.
So i'm on the lookout for something a bit more fun but still somewhat comfortable and capable of doing the odd tip run to use as my only car (my days of sitting in a fixed bucket seat every day are over), most days i'm just on the motorway but i do end up going down b roads most weekends. this took me down two schools of thought.
a larger hot hatch or a smaller (more chuckable) estate. I'm quite happy to do a few mods to whatever car i get so something that comes alive with some suspension work is fine by me.
Budget is quite tight at £5k but i can probably stretch that up to 7k for the right car if it needs less fettling to be a hoot
mileage doesn't bother me whatsoever so something that nips into the budget for a leggy example is okay.
initially im thinking either
-mk5 gti or
- Renault sport megane 225 (or 250 if a ropey one nips into budget) or
- a manual 6 cylinder e36 touring, i have considered an e46 touring too but ive had e36 and e46s before and i've always preferred the drive and looks of the e36.
ULEZ is not an issue for me as i only drive into clean air cities about once a month so i'm happy to pay the daily charge
Any input or suggestions welcomed!
Olibitofawally said:
Long time lurker here and i wondered if anyone has some input on the conundrum i'm trying to solve!
After moving to a home with only one parking space and loosing my workshop space i've decided to go from running 3 cars that fulfill most of my needs to go down to one that will do most things quite well.
I've just sold my mk3 mr2 track/weekend car so i now have a A5 3.0 tdi auto and a mk1 honda Jazz auto, whilst those two do fulfill my practical needs (the audi is a great mile muncher and the Jazz is like a small van with the seats down) neither of them are particularly engaging or fun plus parking is an issue so one or both need to go.
One advantage of the recent move is that my commute has dropped to 20 miles a day total mostly motorway so i dont really need a car that does more than 30MPG (although its always nice) or an auto box because i wont be sitting in traffic.
So i'm on the lookout for something a bit more fun but still somewhat comfortable and capable of doing the odd tip run to use as my only car (my days of sitting in a fixed bucket seat every day are over), most days i'm just on the motorway but i do end up going down b roads most weekends. this took me down two schools of thought.
a larger hot hatch or a smaller (more chuckable) estate. I'm quite happy to do a few mods to whatever car i get so something that comes alive with some suspension work is fine by me.
Budget is quite tight at £5k but i can probably stretch that up to 7k for the right car if it needs less fettling to be a hoot
mileage doesn't bother me whatsoever so something that nips into the budget for a leggy example is okay.
initially im thinking either
-mk5 gti or
- Renault sport megane 225 (or 250 if a ropey one nips into budget) or
- a manual 6 cylinder e36 touring, i have considered an e46 touring too but ive had e36 and e46s before and i've always preferred the drive and looks of the e36.
ULEZ is not an issue for me as i only drive into clean air cities about once a month so i'm happy to pay the daily charge
Any input or suggestions welcomed!
No experience of the Renualts I'm afraid though I imagine those are by far the most exciting of your options listed but maybe at the expense of some livability compared with the other two. After moving to a home with only one parking space and loosing my workshop space i've decided to go from running 3 cars that fulfill most of my needs to go down to one that will do most things quite well.
I've just sold my mk3 mr2 track/weekend car so i now have a A5 3.0 tdi auto and a mk1 honda Jazz auto, whilst those two do fulfill my practical needs (the audi is a great mile muncher and the Jazz is like a small van with the seats down) neither of them are particularly engaging or fun plus parking is an issue so one or both need to go.
One advantage of the recent move is that my commute has dropped to 20 miles a day total mostly motorway so i dont really need a car that does more than 30MPG (although its always nice) or an auto box because i wont be sitting in traffic.
So i'm on the lookout for something a bit more fun but still somewhat comfortable and capable of doing the odd tip run to use as my only car (my days of sitting in a fixed bucket seat every day are over), most days i'm just on the motorway but i do end up going down b roads most weekends. this took me down two schools of thought.
a larger hot hatch or a smaller (more chuckable) estate. I'm quite happy to do a few mods to whatever car i get so something that comes alive with some suspension work is fine by me.
Budget is quite tight at £5k but i can probably stretch that up to 7k for the right car if it needs less fettling to be a hoot
mileage doesn't bother me whatsoever so something that nips into the budget for a leggy example is okay.
initially im thinking either
-mk5 gti or
- Renault sport megane 225 (or 250 if a ropey one nips into budget) or
- a manual 6 cylinder e36 touring, i have considered an e46 touring too but ive had e36 and e46s before and i've always preferred the drive and looks of the e36.
ULEZ is not an issue for me as i only drive into clean air cities about once a month so i'm happy to pay the daily charge
Any input or suggestions welcomed!
I had a MK5 GTi for a little while. It was very much a car I'd fancied for ages and finally got round to it a couple of years ago. In all honesty, I didn't find it that great to drive but our's did have quite an aggressive map on so it felt like you were always managing traction and torque steer. I wish we'd bought a standard one and I also wish we'd bought a 5 door. They're really nice cars though but you need to watch out for some common issues and corrosion can be a problem nowadays too. I keep thinking I should try another one sometime but this time it will be completely standard.
I've had loads of BMW including an E36 328i Coupe and an E46 330i manual Touring. I agree with you about the E36 being better to drive. But it's bloody hard to find a decent one now. They were pretty poorly protected from corrosion from new so a good car now has almost certainly either been exceptionally pampered all of it's life or has had extensive restoration at some point. Either way, they aren't likely to be cheap as these are now largely in the hands of enthusiasts. That might be considered a good thing if you're happy to pay a bit for the right car. There is a manual E46 330i Touring on ebay at the moment for £2k. It sounds like it could use some minor TLC but sounds like quite a decent car if you budgeted £1-2k to get it tip top. I think you'd pay double that for a good E36. There is also the odd E91 330i in this price bracket. I picked up a manual 335i Touring for £5k as well a few weeks ago but admittedly I have now spent another £2k sorting bits and bobs out on it.
Maybe also consider a Subaru Legacy 3.0?
When I was in a similar position to yourself, I ended up buying an FN2 Type R. Very big boot, same folding seats as your Jazz, and an absolute scream on B roads (assuming you've put good tyres and pads on it). It does decent MPG too when needed, I saw 44mpg on a run down to London one early morning, and my ownership lifetime average was 38mpg.
I only sold it as the firm finally saw fit to give me a van, and I was left only using it to commute 140 miles at the weekend to see my partner, and the suspension was too fidgety for a long distance cruiser job. Consequently I now drive a 2009 XK, but I really do love that FN2. Massively overlooked B road blaster that I am certain I'm going to miss and probably end up owning again at some point
I only sold it as the firm finally saw fit to give me a van, and I was left only using it to commute 140 miles at the weekend to see my partner, and the suspension was too fidgety for a long distance cruiser job. Consequently I now drive a 2009 XK, but I really do love that FN2. Massively overlooked B road blaster that I am certain I'm going to miss and probably end up owning again at some point
2006 era Volvo S60 T5 can be brought up to 300bhp with a cheap remap
Total costing 3-4k.
Similarly, a more sort after Volvo S60 R can be had for £5-6k, comes from factory with 300bhp, brembo brakes etc.
Has a fan base/following, so shouldnt lose you much if any when you need to sell it on
Total costing 3-4k.
Similarly, a more sort after Volvo S60 R can be had for £5-6k, comes from factory with 300bhp, brembo brakes etc.
Has a fan base/following, so shouldnt lose you much if any when you need to sell it on
When i was in this position I bought my 2006 R53 Mini Cooper S, it ticks all the boxes for me, nippy enough to have a blast on some B roads, and with cruise control and enough power to be comfortable enough on the motorways, i travel 150-200 miles once a month for sports games and have driven it to the south of France.
The seats fold flat so I've used it as a tip car many a time, and mine has a pano sunroof so I've had wood and pipes and all sorts sticking out the top from trips to B&Q.
The only main downside for me is the MPG, it'll get 27-30mpg on the motorways cruising at 75 but if blasting about round town on on B roads I can easily get sub 20MPG, I think I averaged 17MPG on the NC500
A really tidy stock one with all the options and good history can be had for 3K-4K and you can get a modded one for 5k-7k if you want something a bit spicier
The seats fold flat so I've used it as a tip car many a time, and mine has a pano sunroof so I've had wood and pipes and all sorts sticking out the top from trips to B&Q.
The only main downside for me is the MPG, it'll get 27-30mpg on the motorways cruising at 75 but if blasting about round town on on B roads I can easily get sub 20MPG, I think I averaged 17MPG on the NC500
A really tidy stock one with all the options and good history can be had for 3K-4K and you can get a modded one for 5k-7k if you want something a bit spicier
Impreza wagon.
Try and get a Prodrive model.
We had one for 5 years and it was beyond amazing.
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/15069091
At that mileage it would be happy to have a new engine map.
Try and get a Prodrive model.
We had one for 5 years and it was beyond amazing.
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/15069091
At that mileage it would be happy to have a new engine map.
Edited by FastEdd11e on Wednesday 24th May 12:15
With the low emission zones/clean air zones — check the fine print because some of them levy a daily charge (like London) whereas some are an outright ban or fine (the Glasgow and other forthcoming Scottish ones are like this).
Might not affect you at all but worth checking. I’m not against clean air zones per se but all the varying rules are a right pain in the hoop.
Might not affect you at all but worth checking. I’m not against clean air zones per se but all the varying rules are a right pain in the hoop.
Thanks for your replies guys, Much appreciated!
Gad-westy I've seen the advert to that e46 you're reffering to, does seem a bit of a bargain.thanks for your input about the golf I've had a short drive in a MK5 gti a few years ago and did find it a bit torque steer prone but i'd put this down to the ditch finders that it was shod in and hoped theyd be better with half decent rubber. The e90 hadnt even crossed my mind, the n52 is a peach i didnt realise that 330i tipped under budget so i'll keep an eye out for one. A friend suggested a 130i which would probably tick all the boxes and has that great engine.
Vsix and vtec I didnt realise the FN2 had the same seats as the jazz, i'd always written them off based on the reviews when it was new. having previously had a few hondas (dc2,ek and eg civic) i've always loved how they drive and assumed the fn2 would be disappointing in comparison. but i think i ought to look more closely at them before writing them off altogether
Shabaza unfortunately i'm after something with a bit of larger boot/load area opening than the s60 hence the preference for a touring over coupe e36.
WIWs r53 is definately off the list for me, whilst i like the way they drive i've ended being traded a few of them over the years against other vehicles i was selling and each time a gremlin or niggle has reared its head within a week or so and cost me considerable time and/or money so i'm shy of them.
Fasteddie i hadnt even considered a hawk eye, i've heard bad things about that 2.5 engine from friends in the aftermarket/tuning business but maybe that was more to do with what had been done to the cars they dealt with. if theres an easy/ cheap path to reliabliity i think those will be worth looking at thank you
ultimately after mulling it over an e36 touring is what i want, so i should probably try and find a nice one of those. but you've given me a lot to think about guys. i'm going to see if theres an fn2 locally i can test drive as that would be the decider with one of those likewise with the impreza
Gad-westy I've seen the advert to that e46 you're reffering to, does seem a bit of a bargain.thanks for your input about the golf I've had a short drive in a MK5 gti a few years ago and did find it a bit torque steer prone but i'd put this down to the ditch finders that it was shod in and hoped theyd be better with half decent rubber. The e90 hadnt even crossed my mind, the n52 is a peach i didnt realise that 330i tipped under budget so i'll keep an eye out for one. A friend suggested a 130i which would probably tick all the boxes and has that great engine.
Vsix and vtec I didnt realise the FN2 had the same seats as the jazz, i'd always written them off based on the reviews when it was new. having previously had a few hondas (dc2,ek and eg civic) i've always loved how they drive and assumed the fn2 would be disappointing in comparison. but i think i ought to look more closely at them before writing them off altogether
Shabaza unfortunately i'm after something with a bit of larger boot/load area opening than the s60 hence the preference for a touring over coupe e36.
WIWs r53 is definately off the list for me, whilst i like the way they drive i've ended being traded a few of them over the years against other vehicles i was selling and each time a gremlin or niggle has reared its head within a week or so and cost me considerable time and/or money so i'm shy of them.
Fasteddie i hadnt even considered a hawk eye, i've heard bad things about that 2.5 engine from friends in the aftermarket/tuning business but maybe that was more to do with what had been done to the cars they dealt with. if theres an easy/ cheap path to reliabliity i think those will be worth looking at thank you
ultimately after mulling it over an e36 touring is what i want, so i should probably try and find a nice one of those. but you've given me a lot to think about guys. i'm going to see if theres an fn2 locally i can test drive as that would be the decider with one of those likewise with the impreza
If looks and equipment are a priority over performance, then the Kia Optima may be a good shout.
However, I'd make sure it's the '3' specification as that's top spec. A few on Autotrader by way of initial guidance, with plenty of toys and good mileage. Decent amount of boot space and the reviews are always generally positive.
Inflation is a terrible thing though, just looking at used prices!
However, I'd make sure it's the '3' specification as that's top spec. A few on Autotrader by way of initial guidance, with plenty of toys and good mileage. Decent amount of boot space and the reviews are always generally positive.
Inflation is a terrible thing though, just looking at used prices!
FastEdd11e said:
Impreza wagon.
Try and get a Prodrive model.
We had one for 5 years and it was beyond amazing.
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/15069091
At that mileage it would be happy to have a new engine map.
And that definitely won't be a rusty nightmare once you spot the first rust scab, pull off the side skirts and get busy with the proddy screw driver.Try and get a Prodrive model.
We had one for 5 years and it was beyond amazing.
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/15069091
At that mileage it would be happy to have a new engine map.
Edited by FastEdd11e on Wednesday 24th May 12:15
The 2.5T Mondeo is a good steer & has a decent amount of go too:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202304216...
At the top of your budget is the Insignia VXR:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202305157...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202304216...
At the top of your budget is the Insignia VXR:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202305157...
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