What car for 3K?
Discussion
In need of new car (to me). I have a budget of £3000 and want something fun and fast-ish. Needs to be no more than 10 years old and not have too many miles (no more than 80,000). I so far have been looking at RX8's (heard about lots of problems though) and Clio 172's. Any other suggests/experiences with these cars?
Krikkit said:
Clio 172 for practicality if needed, MX5 for all other cases.
/PH thread.
Do not want an MX-5, needs to have 4 seats./PH thread.
Chrisw666 said:
Would spending £3k leave you without any real budget to service/repair bits on any car you buy?
No - I would still have money left to service the car, and hopefully I won't have to spend too much repairing the car, hence something not too old/not too many miles.bicycleshorts said:
Why? I can understand the mileage, but you can get some great >10 year old cars 
Just want something fairly modern/above reason!
underdosed said:
I haven't seen any BMW 330's that meet my age/mileage requirements in my budget, to be fair haven't looked at 328's, are they much cheaper?
You'd probably have to move a bit on mileage or age. The 325 still has around 180bhp so not 'slow'.FWIW: I agree with the other poster about buying on condition rather than age/mileage.
ETA: What about other hot hatches? http://pistonheads.com/classifieds/3699629.htm
mnkiboy said:
Focus ST170.
Good call, definitely a nice little warm hatch. I'd advise also lookin at MR2's. You could get a nice MR2 Turbo for that sort of money, and if you can insure it you won't find much faster for the cash. They are also hardy and reliable too, I used mine as a daily driver and it never let me down.It depends what you want it for really - Clios are an excellent all rounder, quick as you really need on the road, great handling, strong brakes. I have a 172 as a run-around/occasional track car and it's been really good, with added bonus of toys like air-con, auto lights/wipers, electric everything etc. 182s are falling into the c.£3k bracket now as well.
RX-8 prices seem to be in pretty sharp decline at the moment, and by all accounts they're very good to drive, albeit pricey to run. Clios aren't that cheap either though - I get 30-35mpg on super unleaded, and servicing isn't that cheap.
IMO E46 BMW 325s are okay, but dull. 330i is outside your price range, and E36 328i is getting on a bit now - some mod cons, but will feel dated, also rust-prone. No point getting an ST170 over a 172/182 Clio IMO unless you need the extra space, although they are by all accounts decent cars. Civic Type-R is a good call if you can find a decent one for £3k.
Leon Cupra?
Impreza Turbo like this http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3664538.htm ?
Fiat Coupe 20v Turbo (slightly left-field - but you can get a superb example for £3k, and they're great cars)
RX-8 prices seem to be in pretty sharp decline at the moment, and by all accounts they're very good to drive, albeit pricey to run. Clios aren't that cheap either though - I get 30-35mpg on super unleaded, and servicing isn't that cheap.
IMO E46 BMW 325s are okay, but dull. 330i is outside your price range, and E36 328i is getting on a bit now - some mod cons, but will feel dated, also rust-prone. No point getting an ST170 over a 172/182 Clio IMO unless you need the extra space, although they are by all accounts decent cars. Civic Type-R is a good call if you can find a decent one for £3k.
Leon Cupra?
Impreza Turbo like this http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3664538.htm ?
Fiat Coupe 20v Turbo (slightly left-field - but you can get a superb example for £3k, and they're great cars)
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