Recommend me a new commuter (something fun)

[pi_sjo]

Morning all,

I'm one of those chaps who likes to change cars frequently. The longest i've ever owned something for was two years. I'm looking for a new daily commuter for next year and am a bit stuck. I do about 40 miles a day, usually dual carriageway but sometimes B-roads if the roads are stuffed.

Here's where i'm up to so far, in order of price, highest first :-

Jaguar XKR 2010-
Pro's - Awesome car, good handling, enough power, nice seating position, plenty of room, warranty
Con's - Not cheap, £38k+ at the moment, < 20 mpg fuel economy

Porsche 996 C4S
Pro's - It's a 911. I've always wanted one. Yes I know I should get the turbo, but ideally for commuting i'd have an auto. 4wd.
Con's - Internet reckons engine problems, potentially expensive to get a warranty, i'd need to lose a few (dozen) kilos to comfortably fit in one

Audi RS6 Avant (v8)
Pro's - 4wd, quick, plenty of room (I do miss not having an estate car in the household)
Con's - Potentially very expensive to maintain, fairly poor fuel economy, not that pretty (compared to an RS4 for example), getting on a bit now


Now I know the above three cars are completely different beasts, which should show just what a hole i'm in with my decision. All three cater for different wants of mine, but none do all. The porker is just a case of "i've always wanted one". I've always been lead to believe that Porsche's are pretty reliable (vs a Ferrari, for example), but i've heard a lot of bad press about the non-turbo ones of this era.

I'm sure the sensible thing to do is get a modern diesel powered something, but is there anything out that's really fun to drive? I'm not sure i'd want a 535d (or estate). I think i'd get bored very quickly.

So my wants.. in order of most wanted..

1) Fun
2) Handles well
3) Low cost to maintain (with or without a warranty)
4) Fits a lard-arse
5) Reasonable fuel economy

I haven't listed outlay. I can afford the Jag in the top one, but I am a bit tight and the sensible part of me reckons I shouldn't spend/waste that amount of money.

I fully expect to get ripped a new one with this thread with it being so random and vague, but i'm ready, give it to me.

[contracttor]

how about http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3844039.htm

[LuS1fer]

Mustang 5.0 GT. Every drive is an event, low depreciation and more importantly, very reliable and costs beans (in a relative sense to your choices) to run.

The 4.6 with mods is also worth it but mods complicate the insurance in my experience.

[pi_sjo]

I had a quick look at 535d estates, and even the 520d (177bhp) but the latter not having the option of flappy paddles, i'd always feel like I was missing out (supposed faster-shifts too).

[em177]

Hmm..... if your looking at everything from 520d's to RS6's thats a big range of running costs!

[pi_sjo]

em177 said:

Hmm..... if your looking at everything from 520d's to RS6's thats a big range of running costs!

I think this is my problem. If i'm being tight, then I want to be as tight as possible. If I want to splash out, i'll accept it and enjoy the luxury of a new'ish car and the associated costs. The problem then is the mine-field of the mid-range market and trying to find the best compromise is the hardest thing.