Hello! I'm new... Help me buy a car please!

[CrabDan]

Hi there!

I'm having to ged rid of my awesomely reliable and nicely drivable Hyundai Coupe V6 owing, essentially, to the price of petrol these days. I do an awful lot of miles either side of the weekend and it's just gotten too expensive, so I'm looking at downsizing, engine-wise. Budget is fairly low at 7k... I was THINKING about getting an oil burner, but I'm only in my 20s and without a wife and kids and a mortgage it just feels fundamentally wrong, however, The Passat, the 159 and the 9-3 do have their appeal. I'm mostly looking at hot hatches and the like at the moment, but I'm worried they'll still be too thirsty. The Integra Type R is the car I'd like most, but finding one with a decent mileage now seems impossible and reliability is a primary concern (which probably rules out the 159)! I just wondered if anyone had any suggestions?

I guess what it comes down to is a performance/economy trade off, with looks coming in to the equation too.

[mike9009]

How many miles are you doing?

It sometimes makes no economic sense to change your car for fuel consumption reasons. How much is the hyundai worth?

However, if you are like me and need a change of car, i would suggest a smart roadster brabus, vx220 or could you get a MCS R56 for that money?

Have fun looking......

Mike

[sparks_E39]

How many miles do you do? I was recently talked out of selling my 2.8 litre petrol in favour of a 1.6 of the same value, as when I weighed it up I would profit very little.

[CrabDan]

It's 136 miles home and 136 miles back again at the moment! I spent over £300 on petrol last month which on my current salary is insane. The Hyundai will be worth next to chuff all now. It still runs great but the bodywork is pretty knackered.

[Zed 44]

I recently looked at a Renaultsport 197 which gave the combined mileage at just over 33 mpg.

[mike9009]

CrabDan said:

It's 136 miles home and 136 miles back again at the moment! I spent over £300 on petrol last month which on my current salary is insane. The Hyundai will be worth next to chuff all now. It still runs great but the bodywork is pretty knackered.

So assuming the main/ only motivation is to save money..... And you find a car which uses half the fuel, saving £150 per month. Lets assume it costs an extra five grand to change cars, it will take almost three years to realise a saving in fuel.

Any reason why a single twenty something wouldn't consider a two seater?

Mike

[CrabDan]

That is true, Mike, but it's the small, regular outgoings that need to come down. I've got money stashed for a car, but saving month-to-month is tricky. I've even started drinking less to try and save a bit more cash! As for the two-seater idea, I'm up for that. I really wouldn't mind an Integra Type R (DC2... Essentially a two seater given the leg room!) but finding one with a decent mileage is very difficult, and there are insurance costs to consider.