£4k - 4 seats - fun

[skinny]

So my honda prelude vti looks like it might be getting written off - it's worth £2k and i can probably spend up to another £2k on top.

Looking for a reasonably comfy quiet - and reliable - car. Needs to be fun too but i also have an mx5 turbo for raw driving. Don't do huge miles so don't need 50 mpg but 30's would be good.

am thinking either
1) Mondeo ST220
2) Renaultsport Megane 225
3) BMW E46 330

any more to add - or avoid!?

[billzeebub]

Corrado VR6 or BMW. E36 M3 would, and have been , my choices

[MrFrodo]

Depends what you want. The Mondeo ST is criminally underrated, but it's quite a big car (not really a B-road blaster) and quite thirsty.

While the latter RS Meganes are mighty the earlier ones were less well regarded and I'd be tempted to broaden the search to other hot hatches if that appeals. Civic Type R, a really nice 306 GTi-6 or maybe even an Impreza or one of the earlier 5-cylinder Focus STs if budget and fuel funds allow.

Can't go wrong with a 3-Series, but I'd probably be more inclined to go for a nice E36 328i with a couple of mechanical mods than an E46 330i of similar value.

[jay140285]

RX8?

[MartinM]

You could get an nice early Evo for that money. Night-and-day quicker than anything already mentioned.

[ImpossiblyDaft]

Alfa 156 V6? Pretty natural ST220 rival, I'd have thought and in non-GTA versions about £1.5-2k.

[anonymous-user]

Mazda 6 MPS

Mazda 3 MPS

Focus ST (are these that low yet)

Subaru Impreza

I own the 6 MPS and its very good. I do think a 330ci could have been a better bet though and why I'll be going back to a BMW in July

[300bhp/ton]

skinny said:

So my honda prelude vti looks like it might be getting written off - it's worth £2k and i can probably spend up to another £2k on top.

Looking for a reasonably comfy quiet - and reliable - car. Needs to be fun too but i also have an mx5 turbo for raw driving. Don't do huge miles so don't need 50 mpg but 30's would be good.

am thinking either
1) Mondeo ST220
2) Renaultsport Megane 225
3) BMW E46 330

any more to add - or avoid!?

Can't help thinking they are all a bit "meh".

e36 M3, I see no reason to buy a lesser 330i.

Audi B5 S4 2.7TT, 400-500hp not too far away with a few bits. Although probably more mid 20's than 30mpg.

[SiRoberts]

Alfa 159

Has the added benefit of putting a smile on your face every time you walk up to it.

[skinny]

cheers all - E36's, corrado's, 306's might be a bit too old to be reliable? or sans rust at least...

focus ST has been disapproved of by the OH. I'd imagine any Civic to go the same way.

Mazda 6 is worth a little look.

300bhp - yeah a little meh but i think that's kinda what i want. just something reliable that will cruise along with a few creature comforts. but also if i put my foot down or fancy a little a-road blat (rather than b-road) doesn't leave me completely cold

[300bhp/ton]

skinny said:

cheers all - E36's, corrado's, 306's might be a bit too old to be reliable? or sans rust at least...

How do you define reliable?

Personally I'm not sure on this, ok an older car might need more maintenance and more bits might need refreshing. But that isn't the same as being unreliable.

Also is an e36 M3 really significantly older than a 330? Not too mention e46's rust too.

However only you can really answer these questions based on what you are comfortable with.

skinny said:

300bhp - yeah a little meh but i think that's kinda what i want. just something reliable that will cruise along with a few creature comforts. but also if i put my foot down or fancy a little a-road blat (rather than b-road) doesn't leave me completely cold

Accord Type R?

[GreatGranny]

Cupra R?

http://classifieds.pistonheads.com/classifieds/use...

Low mileage, 2005 so not too old and pretty quick. Sure they must return 30mpg ish.

[skinny]

300bhp/ton said:

Accord Type R?

not a bad shout - basically a 4 door version of my prelude but with all the better bits on it!

GreatGranny said:

Cupra R?

Low mileage, 2005 so not too old and pretty quick. Sure they must return 30mpg ish.

not entirely convinced of VAG handling - tho not driven a cupra R...

Edited by skinny on Tuesday 6th November 16:41

[aka_kerrly]

skinny said:

not entirely convinced of VAG handling - tho not driven a cupra R...

Edited by skinny on Tuesday 6th November 16:41

Maybe you should try then before writing it off.

More to the point though, when someone asks for 4 seats , why all the suggestions of 4 door saloons?

If you manage fine with a prelude (which has next to no rear legroom) I'd look for another coupe.

The E46 330 is pretty much the benchmark for me in less you are brave + mechanically minded in which case a E36 M3 is a possibility within your budget but you really need to do your research.

[a_bread]

I would dismiss the Megane if you want to be able to cover long distances in comfort, the other two are better at that.

Between the others, I'd take the Ford. When I had the 330, It was a shock when a mate bought an ST220 and I found out how good they are. I bought one about a year later, for about the same as I sold the older, higher mileage BMW for.

http://www.fastestlaps.com/comparisons/bmw_330i-vs...

[Jonc]

Alfa 156 GTA's can now be had for £4k. Clarkson did say you have to at least own one Alfa in your life time!

[RockDoctor]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

I think you probably need to give it another year before you can get a Focus ST/3 MPS for £4k. Looking forward to that day though!

[torqueofthedevil]

The Crack Fox said:

My two car line up is an E46 330ci and a mk1 MX-5. Works for me

Me and the missus' cars - does work very well. Mine is actually a 330d tho

[the stigs dad]

Leon cupra r, audi s3, golf r32 all fit the bill IMO. Don't write them off in the handling stakes without driving them first; a few mods and they are very capable. I'd also say the civic type r, the focus st or st170. If you can afford a scooby (insurance, fuel and maintence) that would be a great choice too.

The 306 gti's are well past their best now, and I'm a former owner.

Edited by the stigs dad on Tuesday 6th November 22:20

[300bhp/ton]

the stigs dad said:

Leon cupra r, audi s3, golf r32 all fit the bill IMO. Don't write them off in the handling stakes without driving them first; a few mods and they are very capable.

Edited by the stigs dad on Tuesday 6th November 22:20

Grip and handling aren't really the same thing though.