Car dilemmas and an introduction!
Discussion
Well i'll start with a bit of an introduction and some history of my (sometimes iffy) car history...
Started out at 17 with an uber rare Golf Citi golf (mk1/mk2 SA import)... I was desperate for a mk1 but this was a bargain... until I got hit with a bill for insuring an import at 17 - I didn't quite think that one through!
Soon I wanted something more modern in feel and looks (manual choke is wearing!) so I headed in the direction of a nice, black, x-reg skoda Fabia which I took much abuse for but it was a great little car.
I promptly did the done thing for any 18 year old at the time and binned it in to a tree on a local roundabout one evening. 3rd party F+F insurance and a bent chassis leg meant a collection from the scrappy entailed along with £2k down the drain... something about learning lessons the hard way?
Next was a horrible choice... In desperation for something with 4 wheels to be back in my life I bought a (albeit a good-buy) Peugeot 206. This was a bad move. It was sold 3 months later and was replaced with my current and much loved mk1 MX-5!
The MX-5 is great... It's a UK spec 1.6 Monza in BRG (little slower than earlier cars but the difference is slight). I was desperate for something that handled well and was an involving drive after the drivel that was the 206. This certainly fits the bill and I have had hours of grinning in it! Nothing exciting done to it as I think it's pretty perfect the way it is - it's just been looked after well and I added some Rota Grid wheels in bronze with some decent Toyos.
This brings me on to my dilemma... I have loved the Mx5 but with my placement year coming up, (3rd year of uni) i'll be having some decent money coming in which is completely disposable as I'll be living at home FOC.
I'm after something slightly more practical than the 5 (2 more seats sort of practicality... it's more the girlfriend with the practicality issues...) and something that's still great fun to drive.
My heart is pretty set on a Mini Cooper S. I've got a £5k budget and obviously want the best condition, lowest millage, best maintained car I can get.
I have however been considering other cars - first one to my mind was a Fabia VRS. Would be great to get some high MPG (although not really vital) and I love the look of these, but I can't help feel it's just a lumpy diesel with some grunt - nothing exciting like the cooper S? Other thoughts have taken me along the lines of Megane R26's but I know nothing about them...
So that's it in a round a bout way... Suggest something to me for around the 5k budget which will put a smile on my face and 2 of my mates in the back!
Started out at 17 with an uber rare Golf Citi golf (mk1/mk2 SA import)... I was desperate for a mk1 but this was a bargain... until I got hit with a bill for insuring an import at 17 - I didn't quite think that one through!
Soon I wanted something more modern in feel and looks (manual choke is wearing!) so I headed in the direction of a nice, black, x-reg skoda Fabia which I took much abuse for but it was a great little car.
I promptly did the done thing for any 18 year old at the time and binned it in to a tree on a local roundabout one evening. 3rd party F+F insurance and a bent chassis leg meant a collection from the scrappy entailed along with £2k down the drain... something about learning lessons the hard way?
Next was a horrible choice... In desperation for something with 4 wheels to be back in my life I bought a (albeit a good-buy) Peugeot 206. This was a bad move. It was sold 3 months later and was replaced with my current and much loved mk1 MX-5!
The MX-5 is great... It's a UK spec 1.6 Monza in BRG (little slower than earlier cars but the difference is slight). I was desperate for something that handled well and was an involving drive after the drivel that was the 206. This certainly fits the bill and I have had hours of grinning in it! Nothing exciting done to it as I think it's pretty perfect the way it is - it's just been looked after well and I added some Rota Grid wheels in bronze with some decent Toyos.
This brings me on to my dilemma... I have loved the Mx5 but with my placement year coming up, (3rd year of uni) i'll be having some decent money coming in which is completely disposable as I'll be living at home FOC.
I'm after something slightly more practical than the 5 (2 more seats sort of practicality... it's more the girlfriend with the practicality issues...) and something that's still great fun to drive.
My heart is pretty set on a Mini Cooper S. I've got a £5k budget and obviously want the best condition, lowest millage, best maintained car I can get.
I have however been considering other cars - first one to my mind was a Fabia VRS. Would be great to get some high MPG (although not really vital) and I love the look of these, but I can't help feel it's just a lumpy diesel with some grunt - nothing exciting like the cooper S? Other thoughts have taken me along the lines of Megane R26's but I know nothing about them...
So that's it in a round a bout way... Suggest something to me for around the 5k budget which will put a smile on my face and 2 of my mates in the back!
Niall0tdi said:
I'm after something slightly more practical than the 5 (2 more seats sort of practicality... it's more the girlfriend with the practicality issues...)
Curious but why 2 more seats? What do you actually need them for? If it's carrying people, then while a Cooper S can be used, it's a pretty piss poor way of doing it. And the boot is tiny, even compared to the MX-5.In truth I actually like the Cooper S, so wouldn't want to put you off it. But it just seems a weird reason to want to get one for. Fitting 2 people in the back will mean uncomfortable for them and likely the front passengers too, also squeezing in and out of it like that only scuffs and damages trim after a while. And despite the gutsy engine, 4 up will really hamper performance. If it's only "occasional" use, then I'd say sod it and stick with the 2 seater. If it's really to carry more people on a regular basis, then a proper 4 door saloon would be 100x better. And if it's to fit a mattress in...
get a van/4x4 
I completely understand that the back seats are minimal and that "seats" is a fairly over-exaggerated word to use. However it's just for the odd Occassion taking mates about.
I'm also hugely in to cycling so need to get my bikes to races often so something with Folding seats would be great.
So any other reccomendations aside from the copper S but along the same lines?
I'm also hugely in to cycling so need to get my bikes to races often so something with Folding seats would be great.
So any other reccomendations aside from the copper S but along the same lines?
Niall0tdi said:
I completely understand that the back seats are minimal and that "seats" is a fairly over-exaggerated word to use. However it's just for the odd Occassion taking mates about.
f
k your mates... jk
Niall0tdi said:
I'm also hugely in to cycling so need to get my bikes to races often so something with Folding seats would be great.
How about a cycle rack/carrier? In fact I'd probably suggest this even if you had a hatch like a Cooper. Shoving a bike in the back would only lead to messing up the interior.Niall0tdi said:
So any other reccomendations aside from the copper S but along the same lines?
The R53 Cooper S is a lovely looking and good performing car. I also quite like the Brabus ForFour which offers up similar performance and tunability and is also a bit funky too.Guess it depends what you want though. I don't think the Cooper S is a bad choice at all, so on that basis I doubt you'll find anything better - just alternatives. But it depends how practical, how different, how fast, how niche, how new you want to go and if insurance and such are going to be issues.
For example:
-Mitsubishi RalliArt Colt. 1.5 turbo and 1000kg's, not the nicest interior, but pretty fast with a 1.5 turbo and tunable. But £5k will get you a much much newer one, maybe even one with warranty. 3 and 5 door available.
-Integra Tyre R DC2. Probably the best FWD performance car money can buy.
-Nissan 200SX. A bigger softer, faster MX-5 in many respects, but has 4 seats and a good boot.
-Ford Puma Racing. Not as speedy as a MINI CS, but look and handle fantastically. Rare car and rock solid residuals too.
-Celica ST205 GT-Four, proper rally pedigree and performance. AWD and turbo charged.
-Impreza, lots of choice from UK Turbo 2000's to imported WRX STI's. Certainly more practical in the seating department.
-Porsche 944/Lotus Excel. 2+2 coupes, not quite as speedy maybe, although no slouches. But pretty cool, good residuals and cheaper insurance. They also retain RWD handling.
-Clio, I've not been in one. But they seem to be a performance hot hatch bench mark on PH. I suspect your £5k would buy you a newer tidier Clio than a MINI though, although unlikely to hold it's money as well.
-Mondeo ST220. Much bigger and more practical, but still a nice motor.
-Alfa 156GTA, much like the ST220, but even better looking.
Niall0tdi said:
Mmm nice ideas! I Do want to keep it down the Hatch route though and yeah - a bike rack is most likely to be my best option...
Fabia VRS just plain dull then compared to the likes of a copper S?
Not driven a vRS so can't really comment. That said I think there's only two reasons to consider it:Fabia VRS just plain dull then compared to the likes of a copper S?
-mpg. A Cooper S isn't good on fuel despite it's small engine, est 28-32mpg tops and maybe less. So a diesel vRS will certainly make it lighter on your wallet, but if you aren't doing the miles, will it really matter?
-power delivery. Some people prefer how a diesel offers up it's power. If it appeals to you then consider it. If not, then aesthetically, dynamically or handling wise I don't see why it'd be on the radar at all.
In this class the MINI CS would be an easy win for me or one of these (as stated above).
SMART FORFOUR 1.5 BRABUS 5DR 175BHP (2005/05)
72,000 miles £4,290
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3954087.htm
Why do you need space for friends? You take taxis back from a night out drinking, you don't need to go for a romantic weekend away with 4 friends, they can take their own sodding cars if they need to go somewhere. 2 seats is plenty practical enough if you've not got kids.
For £5k you could get into a 2 litre mk3 mx5, will be miiiiiiiles faster than your 90bhp effort (160)
For £5k you could get into a 2 litre mk3 mx5, will be miiiiiiiles faster than your 90bhp effort (160)
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