Size matters (a what car thread)
Discussion
I'm looking for advice on a new car, and yes I'm the fool that buys new from the dealer...
The problem I've got is that cars seem to have gotten bigger whilst I wasn't watching. I live in a listed building with access to a rear yard through a gateway in an old stone wall that we're not allowed to mess around with. Other than that, the house is perfect and I'm not planning on leaving any time soon, so now I have a problem.
I've driven an RS Clio 182 which I've had since new and which surprisingly has been very reliable as well as great fun to drive. It is however getting a bit long in the tooth and for peace of mind I need a replacement. I had been planning on buying the new RS Clio 200 as being the obvious choice, but I've just driven home in a courtesy Clio whilst mine is getting serviced. I thought it seemed a bit big, and sure enough I'd be very hard pushed to get it through the gateway without scraping the mirrors. I'm guessing the bodykit on the RS version wouldn't help matters. So I've been looking at alternatives whilst paying a great deal of attention to widths.
I'm looking for something that would at least match the 182 in terms of performance. The two that seem to fit (pun intended) are the Mini Cooper S (possibly a works edition) or the Corsa VXR (looking at the Nurburgring edition). The Cooper S options list looks far to much like a multi choice exam for my liking, and I'm not sure you're allowed to drive the Corsa without wearing a baseball hat. I've looked at the 500 Abarth SS but the power is down and reviewers don't seem to think much of the handling. The handling on the RS Twingo seems much better but the power loss is even worse. Is there anything else worth looking at? The price isn't really an issue, though I reckon £25K should be enough for a decent small hothatch.
The problem I've got is that cars seem to have gotten bigger whilst I wasn't watching. I live in a listed building with access to a rear yard through a gateway in an old stone wall that we're not allowed to mess around with. Other than that, the house is perfect and I'm not planning on leaving any time soon, so now I have a problem.
I've driven an RS Clio 182 which I've had since new and which surprisingly has been very reliable as well as great fun to drive. It is however getting a bit long in the tooth and for peace of mind I need a replacement. I had been planning on buying the new RS Clio 200 as being the obvious choice, but I've just driven home in a courtesy Clio whilst mine is getting serviced. I thought it seemed a bit big, and sure enough I'd be very hard pushed to get it through the gateway without scraping the mirrors. I'm guessing the bodykit on the RS version wouldn't help matters. So I've been looking at alternatives whilst paying a great deal of attention to widths.
I'm looking for something that would at least match the 182 in terms of performance. The two that seem to fit (pun intended) are the Mini Cooper S (possibly a works edition) or the Corsa VXR (looking at the Nurburgring edition). The Cooper S options list looks far to much like a multi choice exam for my liking, and I'm not sure you're allowed to drive the Corsa without wearing a baseball hat. I've looked at the 500 Abarth SS but the power is down and reviewers don't seem to think much of the handling. The handling on the RS Twingo seems much better but the power loss is even worse. Is there anything else worth looking at? The price isn't really an issue, though I reckon £25K should be enough for a decent small hothatch.
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