Yes, another what car thread!

[JulesB]

Right chaps, I am moving the RX8 on due to the ridiculous running costs. Fantastic car but my budget can not support it any longer.. £250 insurance a month and £70 a week on fuel is killing me, not to mention the constant repair/maintenance bills each month.

My budget is £2000, no preferece on RWD or FWD. I need something which will do no less than 25mpg when driven normally but still pacey enough to be relatively enjoyable!

What are the suggestions? Currently looking at old Focus ST's and Clio 172's but struggling to stretch the imagination further than that. Other than the answer to all questions, the MX-5, can PH suggest??

[kiethton]

BMW 330i? Or if not a 325i?

Will do the MPG, be reliable (if the right one is chosen) and RWD

[sandman77]

You are paying £250 a month for insurance yet only have a budget of £2000 for a car?

[M4cruiser]

If you like Mazdas then try a V6 323 from about 1996.

[CoolHands]

Golf gti? Just over for 2k




www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/volkswag...

[ajb85]

Alfa GTV?

[sparks_E39]

E36 328 Sport. £2000 will buy a minter, if you can find one. And it's engine is far less likely to explode....

[clarkey540i]

sparks_E39 said:

E36 328 Sport. £2000 will buy a minter, if you can find one. And it's engine is far less likely to explode....

This, they're fantastic cars and will get around 35mpg over a wide range of driving. Make sure the cooling system is in perfect condition at all times and check thoroughly for rust. Cheaper than an M3 to maintain as they share most of their parts with the rest of the E36 range so you can find all sorts of bits in scrapyards and on Ebay. Plenty of scope for upgrades too if that tickles your fancy.

[RobM77]

clarkey540i said:

sparks_E39 said:

E36 328 Sport. £2000 will buy a minter, if you can find one. And it's engine is far less likely to explode....

This, they're fantastic cars and will get around 35mpg over a wide range of driving. Make sure the cooling system is in perfect condition at all times and check thoroughly for rust. Cheaper than an M3 to maintain as they share most of their parts with the rest of the E36 range so you can find all sorts of bits in scrapyards and on Ebay. Plenty of scope for upgrades too if that tickles your fancy.

I've owned one, and they're fantastic, but I'd worry about the running costs as they're getting quite old now.

[K321]

saab aero
volvo t5 c70 coupe
bmw 330
honda type R
impreza

[Froomee]

Save the £500 a month for a few months and extend the budget. Then by a more expensive car (purcahse price) but cheaper car to run. Win/win better car and lower monthly outgoings long term.

I did this last year although it depends if you really need a car or can manage without for a few months, I managed 6/7 months.

[furrywoolyhatuk]

Honda prelude, integra or perhaps a legend (not sure of the mpg though).

[clarkey540i]

RobM77 said:

clarkey540i said:

sparks_E39 said:

E36 328 Sport. £2000 will buy a minter, if you can find one. And it's engine is far less likely to explode....

This, they're fantastic cars and will get around 35mpg over a wide range of driving. Make sure the cooling system is in perfect condition at all times and check thoroughly for rust. Cheaper than an M3 to maintain as they share most of their parts with the rest of the E36 range so you can find all sorts of bits in scrapyards and on Ebay. Plenty of scope for upgrades too if that tickles your fancy.

I've owned one, and they're fantastic, but I'd worry about the running costs as they're getting quite old now.

New parts are pretty cheap, I decided to replace all the bushes on mine and it cost me 150 quid, and they were polybushes. I don't think they would cost any more to run than a newer model, there are far fewer electrical systems to go wrong, for instance.

[RobM77]

clarkey540i said:

RobM77 said:

clarkey540i said:

sparks_E39 said:

E36 328 Sport. £2000 will buy a minter, if you can find one. And it's engine is far less likely to explode....

This, they're fantastic cars and will get around 35mpg over a wide range of driving. Make sure the cooling system is in perfect condition at all times and check thoroughly for rust. Cheaper than an M3 to maintain as they share most of their parts with the rest of the E36 range so you can find all sorts of bits in scrapyards and on Ebay. Plenty of scope for upgrades too if that tickles your fancy.

I've owned one, and they're fantastic, but I'd worry about the running costs as they're getting quite old now.

New parts are pretty cheap, I decided to replace all the bushes on mine and it cost me 150 quid, and they were polybushes. I don't think they would cost any more to run than a newer model, there are far fewer electrical systems to go wrong, for instance.

Mine cost me a lot more to run than my E46 or current E90, but then again it would do as it had 70k on the clock when I get it rather than 45k for the E90 or 30k for the E46. For a fixed budget though, you've probably got a point - I'd rather go for a very good E36 than a long in the tooth E46.