My car doesn't like city driving! Replacement required...
Discussion
I realise this is another 'what car' thread. Sorry! I relocated to a city from the countryside a few months ago. My current car is a Toyota MR2 Roadster (2000) and - although I've enjoyed owning it - the short daily commute is rendering it's abilities useless. I spend most of my time crawling along at a snails pace. So, I need to find a replacement. However, I don't want to buy a mundane family car or super-mini. I still need something with a bit of 'character'. So, what should I get based on the following specifications?
- less than £6k
- economical (35mpg+)
- decent acceleration (0-62mph in 9 seconds or less)
- fun to drive, nippy, agile (when I given the chance!)
- reasonably practical (enough room for the weekly shop and a passenger if possible)
- reliable
- cheap to tax/insure
I think that should just about cover it. Thanks for your help!
- less than £6k
- economical (35mpg+)
- decent acceleration (0-62mph in 9 seconds or less)
- fun to drive, nippy, agile (when I given the chance!)
- reasonably practical (enough room for the weekly shop and a passenger if possible)
- reliable
- cheap to tax/insure
I think that should just about cover it. Thanks for your help!
TheTurbonator said:
Again, this also fits the bill perfectly. Good value for money?Other cars I've considered are the RenaultSport Clio's and Smart Brabus Roadster. The latter provides outstanding economy!
gtwilliams said:
Yes, this is exactly the sort of car I was thinking about. It fits the bill perfectly. Are they any good do you know?
I've had mine for 8 months, not sure I'd suggest it to you...- less than £6k - Yes
- economical (35mpg+)- No, around town you'll see high 20's/low 30's max.
- decent acceleration (0-62mph in 9 seconds or less) - Yes, 7.9 standard.
- fun to drive, nippy, agile (when I given the chance!) - Definitely.
- reasonably practical - Possibly, but it's a 3 door Fiesta so you won't be loading much into it.
- reliable - Yes, although the gearbox is made of cheese it isn't TOO common a problem.
- cheap to tax/insure - Think mine was £220 to tax for this year which isn't cheap, insurance is impossible to say.
The main reason I wouldn't consider it a great town car is the comical turning circle though, you won't be throwing it into parking spaces in ASDA first time for a start, the 17" wheels mean the steering has a very short turn before it locks.
I'd be looking at either a Suzuki Swift Sport or Punto Grande Sporting personally for your requirements.
I had a smart roadster, and it was excellent IMHO. However there are well known issues with them leaking, and the autobox is appalling! (it used to change up at just the wrong moments, eg when entering roundabouts!). However I got round these. Probs by storing it in a carport and using the tiptronix gears all the time! The other advantage of the roadster is that it holds it's value we'll, but if you need a boot you'll want the roadster coupe!
thinfourth2 said:
How about walking or a bike or a scooter if you have a short commute in slow moving traffic
Never thought of that. I used to have a 125cc Honda, which I bought brand new for £1800. I f
king loved the little thing and being able to ride and filter through traffic. You could complete your journey or commute in pretty much the same amount of time no matter what the time or what the traffic was like. None of this having to give yourself double the time to get to work during rush hour or getting pissed off when they set up roadworks without you knowing in advanced. It was cheap too. £35 a month to insure and £10 to fill the tank, which used to last me about 250 miles.The only thing stopping me getting another is that I have no where to store it, as I now live on a 3rd storey flat. I'm that desperate for another, I've considered pushing it up and down the stairs every day or trying to find/build a pulley lift kind of system on my balcony.
nadger said:
I had a smart roadster, and it was excellent IMHO. However there are well known issues with them leaking, and the autobox is appalling! (it used to change up at just the wrong moments, eg when entering roundabouts!). However I got round these. Probs by storing it in a carport and using the tiptronix gears all the time! The other advantage of the roadster is that it holds it's value we'll, but if you need a boot you'll want the roadster coupe!
I also had a smart Roadster I was very lucky as I had one of the good ones, Plus mine was a only a year old when I bought it, the problem now is that the build quality and the parts were of substandard quality, and the oldest ones now are coming up to 10 years old and the engines on average only last to 60000 before needing a rebuild.Also a lot of clutches needed changing at around 30000 miles and any service or repairs means taking the back of the car off so is time consuming and costly, plus the interior plastics are worse quality than tic tac boxes, and say nothing of the Sam issues and the aircon pipes.
I think if anyone bought one now would end up with a real money and would need there head examinined, there was a reason why Mercedes decided to drop them after 3 years, and that was because it was bankrupting them in warranty repairs, I heard somewhere in the region of £3500 per car.
Pints said:
Words of wisdom.
I'd love to be able to cycle to work. Get fit, save money and use the fuel for weekend hooning.
And you'd be able to keep the MR2.
Believe me, I've considered various alternatives to owning a car. However, it just won't fly (drive?). My commute is a 20 mile round trip. The idea of walking/cycling/scootering that distance in the rain (which it does a lot in Bristol) is not at all appealing, especially as winter is just around the corner! I also visit friends and family (120 mile round trip) once or twice a month and I ain't gettin' on no train! I'd love to be able to cycle to work. Get fit, save money and use the fuel for weekend hooning.
And you'd be able to keep the MR2.
patmahe said:
Off topic post, but a question to the OP how do you find your MR2's ride comfort on very poor road surfaces, do you feel every jolt and bump or is it relatively smooth?
The ride quality is pretty stiff so I try to avoid as many pot holes and ironworks as I can. When I do hit a bump the jolt is quite severe. Not to the extremes of an Elise, but the ride is certainly not smooth!Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff