What car to move on to

[Steameh]

Having just sold my Monaro I find myself carless, which is pretty annoying. I am, or should be, getting a job in the next 2 or 3 weeks so I am looking for something I can use daily to commute.

I won't be doing much more than 10-13k miles per annum so I want something that is relatively enjoyable, whilst still being comfortable on the motorway, returning 30's on a run and mid 20's combined. I have around £6k budget.

I have been looking at what cars to go for and was hoping for some input from previous owners on reliability, day to day use and overall experience of 147 GTA and Mk1 Leon Cupra R.

Obviously a GTA would be pretty leggy, as always it is a case of head vs heart.

Any other suggestions welcome, in the same style of car, although I wouldn't want something I have already owned so that rules out Civic Type R, BMW 330Ci and Golf R32.

[Cemesis]

Octavia VRS?

Having run M5's for years, I have got very bored of paying so much for fuel so now find myself seeking out cars that are more ecconomical (or can be when you need it).

[Chicane-UK]

Octavia VRS is a good shout and well within your budget. They do certainly go pretty well and you can get a much better equipped / lower mileage VRS than equivalent Golf GTI for the same money. I've got a 2006 petrol estate VRS and I love it! Fuel economy does vary wildly - I've had it high 20's on some drives where I've cruised above 70MPH but then had it at nearly 40MPG on a very sedate 50-60MPH drive home once.

[jon_80]

ST220? They are supposed to be high 20s on a run, around 230bhp, you get a prime example in your budget, and they are said to be a better drive than the 330ci and VRS

[MattGTA]

147 GTA !

But then I would say that.

Would you like to buy mine - 31k miles, FSH, excellent condition, PH Special @ £6k !

[MattGTA]

To add to that (and not as a sales pitch) the 147 is great as a daily driver - I use mine quite infrequently, but have previously commuted in a 156 GTA which was fun, comfortable and reliable.

For that kind of use, I'd personally look for one with std suspension and ARBs - make sure you service regularly and then grin your way to work every day !

Edited by MattGTA on Wednesday 26th September 19:19

[deltashad]

Definatey Octavia VRS or MX5

[MattGTA]

deltashad said:

Definatey Octavia VRS or MX5

Octy is a good shout too - great cars and pretty bulletproof but I'm not sure it has quite the sense of fun or occasion the OP seems to be looking for.

[NiceCupOfTea]

Decent e36 M3? Entertaining and comfortable, and a different animal to the 330. Do you need 4 seats? How about a Z4 3.0?

[VinceFox]

M3

[Steameh]

Chicane-UK said:

Octavia VRS is a good shout and well within your budget. They do certainly go pretty well and you can get a much better equipped / lower mileage VRS than equivalent Golf GTI for the same money. I've got a 2006 petrol estate VRS and I love it! Fuel economy does vary wildly - I've had it high 20's on some drives where I've cruised above 70MPH but then had it at nearly 40MPG on a very sedate 50-60MPH drive home once.

Thanks for the suggestion, been looking about and seen a few mk1 and higher mileage mk2's around my budget, there is one locally with 117k on the clocks, what are these like for high miles (the later mk2)? Any major service items that should be done? Would I be better off looking at an earlier 1.8turbo?

[Steameh]

MattGTA said:

To add to that (and not as a sales pitch) the 147 is great as a daily driver - I use mine quite infrequently, but have previously commuted in a 156 GTA which was fun, comfortable and reliable.

For that kind of use, I'd personally look for one with std suspension and ARBs - make sure you service regularly and then grin your way to work every day !

Edited by MattGTA on Wednesday 26th September 19:19

It might be a pass with the GTA there are only a couple around my budget and I don't really want to have to wait too long to get in a car, and two of them are silly cheap (one being at an infamous garage). The suggestion further down of an E36 M3 is interesting, I might have a look around and see if there are any about locally.

[Chicane-UK]

Steameh said:

Thanks for the suggestion, been looking about and seen a few mk1 and higher mileage mk2's around my budget, there is one locally with 117k on the clocks, what are these like for high miles (the later mk2)? Any major service items that should be done? Would I be better off looking at an earlier 1.8turbo?

There was a discussion on Briskoda (a good forum worth reading for good info on all things Skoda) about high mileage on the petrol ones and general consensus was that they're good and reliable.. it is after all the exact same engine as the MK5 Golf GTI has so I'd hope it was strong

You should be able to find a good MK2 Octavia VRS saloon for your budget - I spent £7,000 on mine from a Skoda dealer and that was a 2006 estate with 50k and some good options like climate control, cruise, and CD changer.. looking around at the time I felt I paid fair or maybe over the price for what was around but I preferred the thought of buying from a main dealer.

Service wise, I've not read about anything specific - the only thing is the cam belt interval which is, I think, every 40k or 4 years. So make sure that's been done!

If you live anywhere near / around Warwickshire I'm more than happy to take you out in my motor to give you an idea of what they're like.

[300bhp/ton]

Steameh said:

Having just sold my Monaro I find myself carless, which is pretty annoying. I am, or should be, getting a job in the next 2 or 3 weeks so I am looking for something I can use daily to commute.

I won't be doing much more than 10-13k miles per annum so I want something that is relatively enjoyable, whilst still being comfortable on the motorway, returning 30's on a run and mid 20's combined. I have around £6k budget.

I have been looking at what cars to go for and was hoping for some input from previous owners on reliability, day to day use and overall experience of 147 GTA and Mk1 Leon Cupra R.

Obviously a GTA would be pretty leggy, as always it is a case of head vs heart.

Any other suggestions welcome, in the same style of car, although I wouldn't want something I have already owned so that rules out Civic Type R, BMW 330Ci and Golf R32.

I guess it's worth asking. Did you like your Monaro? If yes, do you not feel that something like a Leon would be a massive let down? Even a 147 GTA as great as it is won't sound better than a Monaro, won't be as fast and likely use as much or more fuel and still be a FWD hatchback.


I reckon £6k can get you a lot of nice car. But what do you actually want/need from it? Do you really need a 5 seat family hatchback, or would something more tailored be a better bet?

[kambites]

Steameh said:

Chicane-UK said:

Octavia VRS is a good shout and well within your budget. They do certainly go pretty well and you can get a much better equipped / lower mileage VRS than equivalent Golf GTI for the same money. I've got a 2006 petrol estate VRS and I love it! Fuel economy does vary wildly - I've had it high 20's on some drives where I've cruised above 70MPH but then had it at nearly 40MPG on a very sedate 50-60MPH drive home once.

Thanks for the suggestion, been looking about and seen a few mk1 and higher mileage mk2's around my budget, there is one locally with 117k on the clocks, what are these like for high miles (the later mk2)? Any major service items that should be done? Would I be better off looking at an earlier 1.8turbo?

We bought an 80k mile mk2 for £5700 just before Christmas. So far we've averaged 31mpg overall - 28ish on short trips around town up to 38ish on the motorway. I believe the mk1 is considerably more efficient than the mk2.

The two common issues that I found were the ESP module failing, and the air-con compressor dying. Both common to most VAG products of that era.

Edited by kambites on Thursday 27th September 11:45

[kambites]

Chicane-UK said:

You should be able to find a good MK2 Octavia VRS saloon for your budget -

I didn't even know such a thing existed!

[Steameh]

300bhp/ton said:

I guess it's worth asking. Did you like your Monaro? If yes, do you not feel that something like a Leon would be a massive let down? Even a 147 GTA as great as it is won't sound better than a Monaro, won't be as fast and likely use as much or more fuel and still be a FWD hatchback.


I reckon £6k can get you a lot of nice car. But what do you actually want/need from it? Do you really need a 5 seat family hatchback, or would something more tailored be a better bet?

I appreciate that nothing will come close to the monaro in terms of allround experience for this budget. I know that anything else will be a let down too, but this will just be a stopgap for a year or two until I get myself established in a new career and get earning (Just finished Uni and needed to free up some cash from the Monaro).

As for specific requirements, I am open to anything that has 4 seats and doors, can get mid 20s combined and 30's on a run. Insurance hasnt proven to be too much of an issue on most things (excluding M3's, WRX's and Evo's, I'm only 26 after all!), Budget is 6k, less is better of course.

As a note on what else I have been considering; Vectra VXR, Saab 9-3 2.0t, Volvo S40 T5, Focus ST, V6 Skyline and anything else that popped in to my head whilst searching. I like the idea of an Octavia vRS, but finding something relatively local has been challenging (Doncaster is hardly a used car Mecca), and without transport, viewing cars hundreds of miles away isn't really an option.

[300bhp/ton]

Steameh said:

I appreciate that nothing will come close to the monaro in terms of allround experience for this budget. I know that anything else will be a let down too, but this will just be a stopgap for a year or two until I get myself established in a new career and get earning (Just finished Uni and needed to free up some cash from the Monaro).

As for specific requirements, I am open to anything that has 4 seats and doors, can get mid 20s combined and 30's on a run. Insurance hasnt proven to be too much of an issue on most things (excluding M3's, WRX's and Evo's, I'm only 26 after all!), Budget is 6k, less is better of course.

As a note on what else I have been considering; Vectra VXR, Saab 9-3 2.0t, Volvo S40 T5, Focus ST, V6 Skyline and anything else that popped in to my head whilst searching. I like the idea of an Octavia vRS, but finding something relatively local has been challenging (Doncaster is hardly a used car Mecca), and without transport, viewing cars hundreds of miles away isn't really an option.

TBH if it's about saving a few £££ I'd go a lot cheaper than £6k. A BMW e36 323i or 328i will go well enough and offer up pretty good mpg and you'd only need £1200-1800 to get a nice one.

The real advantage here is in a years time you'll lose a lot less money. Spank £6k on a Leon today and you'll lose a fair bit on it this time next year.


If you really want to spend £6k my advice would be to either:

-buy something niche that again will hold it's value well
-buy something truly awesome and worthwhile. That way if it loses money at least it won't have been wasted

[Otispunkmeyer]

kambites said:

Steameh said:

Chicane-UK said:

Octavia VRS is a good shout and well within your budget. They do certainly go pretty well and you can get a much better equipped / lower mileage VRS than equivalent Golf GTI for the same money. I've got a 2006 petrol estate VRS and I love it! Fuel economy does vary wildly - I've had it high 20's on some drives where I've cruised above 70MPH but then had it at nearly 40MPG on a very sedate 50-60MPH drive home once.

Thanks for the suggestion, been looking about and seen a few mk1 and higher mileage mk2's around my budget, there is one locally with 117k on the clocks, what are these like for high miles (the later mk2)? Any major service items that should be done? Would I be better off looking at an earlier 1.8turbo?

We bought an 80k mile mk2 for £5700 just before Christmas. So far we've averaged 31mpg overall - 28ish on short trips around town up to 38ish on the motorway. I believe the mk1 is considerably more efficient than the mk2.

The two common issues that I found were the ESP module failing, and the air-con compressor dying. Both common to most VAG products of that era.

Edited by kambites on Thursday 27th September 11:45

Would rather have the Mk 2 for cruising the M way though. More refined and you can get arm rests!

[Jasandjules]

I was going to say a Passat 170bhp sport but a VRS will do the job.... Or a Golf Tdi if you want smaller.