Yawn! (Sorry!) A what car thread!
Discussion
Hi all.... We have decided to get rid of the Mazda Premacy Sport that my wife drives in favour of something a bit more fun/sporty/economical...
She is a fairly keen driver and the only criteria really are it must accept a child seat and one adult, other than the driver! We would like 30-35mpg on mixed driving and have a big enough boot for a stroller and a bit of shopping...
Budget is £2.5K-£3.5K depending on car - shortlisted so far:
Newer the car and lower the miles the better.
Anyone got any suggestions?
Thanks in advance and sorry for another "What Car" thread!
Reedy
She is a fairly keen driver and the only criteria really are it must accept a child seat and one adult, other than the driver! We would like 30-35mpg on mixed driving and have a big enough boot for a stroller and a bit of shopping...
Budget is £2.5K-£3.5K depending on car - shortlisted so far:
- Renaultsport Clio 182
- Pug 206CC (2.0 petrol)
- Alfa 147 2.0TS or JTDm 16v (Had a bad experience with an Alfa 2.4 diesel, so prefer petrol)
Newer the car and lower the miles the better.
Anyone got any suggestions?
Thanks in advance and sorry for another "What Car" thread!
Reedy
chunkymonkey71 said:
Off topic a bit but how was the Premacy? Did you like it? Was it fairly cheap to run?
To be fair it is a cracking car/MPV... We really did not want to go down the Picasso/Scenic route so opted for the Premacy Sport... Looks great in black with factory tints, big sunroof and body kit - It is low mileage, but the engine chucked a rod last year, so we replaced it with a direct Jap import engine (Guaranteed under 41000 miles) and had the cambelt, clutch and consumables done at the same time! As well as 4 new tyres!It is as practical as the French alternatives, but handles more like a car and goes well... Wife is back at work after the little one, so no need to lugging all that car about for a back road punt to work and back... On a run it will do decent economy - upto 40 odd MPG at steady cruising speeds.
Only downside to them (all of them, as with the 323) is rust - ours is a '53 plate and it is going a bit on the back arches, nothing really that £200 in a body shop could not sort out easily...
The Clios are brilliant. My Nan had a 206cc from new for 8 years, riddled with problems, very cramped inside and wouldn't be suitable for a child seat unless it's in the front. I don't have any experience of Alfas unfortunately.
There are loads of low mileage ZR160's about, including the facelift ones. Everyone will bang on about the head gasket, but keep an eye on water in the oil or oil in the coolant to catch it early. It may be a £300 odd fix but any car can throw those bills out including the Clio. Plenty of power and they handle great returning more than 30mpg.
There are loads of low mileage ZR160's about, including the facelift ones. Everyone will bang on about the head gasket, but keep an eye on water in the oil or oil in the coolant to catch it early. It may be a £300 odd fix but any car can throw those bills out including the Clio. Plenty of power and they handle great returning more than 30mpg.
Spanna said:
The Clios are brilliant. My Nan had a 206cc from new for 8 years, riddled with problems, very cramped inside and wouldn't be suitable for a child seat unless it's in the front. I don't have any experience of Alfas unfortunately.
There are loads of low mileage ZR160's about, including the facelift ones. Everyone will bang on about the head gasket, but keep an eye on water in the oil or oil in the coolant to catch it early. It may be a £300 odd fix but any car can throw those bills out including the Clio. Plenty of power and they handle great returning more than 30mpg.
MG/Rover are off the list as I would have to park it away from my Dad in laws house as he does not like them at all - To the point when I was looking at a ZT 190 he said I could not park it on his drive with his 3 Alfa's! There are loads of low mileage ZR160's about, including the facelift ones. Everyone will bang on about the head gasket, but keep an eye on water in the oil or oil in the coolant to catch it early. It may be a £300 odd fix but any car can throw those bills out including the Clio. Plenty of power and they handle great returning more than 30mpg.
But thanks for the info on the 206.... That was my concern...
Edited by ReedyAero on Wednesday 11th April 14:54
It's not really rounded, I know, and that "bum" ad almost caught the public imagination but I find the more I see the old Megane Sport, especially in black or French blue, the better it looks and I think it will age very well - unlike the new blob. You can also see out of it....a bonus.
LuS1fer said:
It's not really rounded, I know, and that "bum" ad almost caught the public imagination but I find the more I see the old Megane Sport, especially in black or French blue, the better it looks and I think it will age very well - unlike the new blob. You can also see out of it....a bonus.
I like these also and have suggested one - but the bum was a thumbs down I am afraid!I think they are ageing well and a lot of car for the money now...
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