What car on a student budget? £3K
Discussion
Evening all,
I'm currently in the market for a new motor as my A3 is costing me a fortune to maintain. Budget of £3000 max, but anything under £2000 would be a welcome bonus. I currently commute 300 miles a week from Surrey to London for Uni, so an auto (or or something with a light enough clutch) would be preferred.
Criteria is as follows:
Must have 5 seats
Must be capable on ropey country lanes (I live in the middle of nowhere)
Must be reliable, and not cost the earth to maintain.
Should be relatively comfortable
Be large enough to fit my drum kit in it
Return over 30 MPG on the motorway
Current thoughts - Impreza Wagon or a W203 C-Class estate (or am i asking for trouble with the latter?)
All suggestions welcome!
Cheers!
I'm currently in the market for a new motor as my A3 is costing me a fortune to maintain. Budget of £3000 max, but anything under £2000 would be a welcome bonus. I currently commute 300 miles a week from Surrey to London for Uni, so an auto (or or something with a light enough clutch) would be preferred.
Criteria is as follows:
Must have 5 seats
Must be capable on ropey country lanes (I live in the middle of nowhere)
Must be reliable, and not cost the earth to maintain.
Should be relatively comfortable
Be large enough to fit my drum kit in it
Return over 30 MPG on the motorway
Current thoughts - Impreza Wagon or a W203 C-Class estate (or am i asking for trouble with the latter?)
All suggestions welcome!
Cheers!
If you think that replacing a 2005 Audi A3 with a £3000 Impreza is a good money saving idea, think again. EP3 Civic Type R however should be fun while meeting the rest of your criteria. Ride comfort might not be great however.
Edit: or how about a Suzuki Ignis Sport? Supple, brisk, and fun.
Edit: or how about a Suzuki Ignis Sport? Supple, brisk, and fun.
Edited by Codswallop on Sunday 15th December 19:12
Codswallop said:
If you think that replacing a 2005 Audi A3 with a £3000 Impreza is a good money saving idea, think again. EP3 Civic Type R however should be fun while meeting the rest of your criteria. Ride comfort might not be great however.
Edit: or how about a Suzuki Ignis Sport? Supple, brisk, and fun.
EP3 is a good shout, hadn't considered an Ignis either, cheers! Edit: or how about a Suzuki Ignis Sport? Supple, brisk, and fun.
Edited by Codswallop on Sunday 15th December 19:12
Janesy B said:
If you really want to save money just spend £1500 on a mk1 focus.
sawman said:
why not just get a Mondeo estate for less than £1k
My Girlfriends brother had a mk1 focus that he had nothing but problems with, and sold it for a Mondeo estate which he has had even more problems with. His continuous ranting about them had put me off a little, but perhaps he was just unlucky. vrsmxtb said:
What exactly is proving so expensive on the A3?
I can verify the Mk1 Focus idea - I often used to fit a full band backline and three band members in one.
In the past 2 months it's had a new radiator, shocks, top mounts, CV joints and a new headlight. I saved a lot of money for routine maintenance over the summer, major service + DSG service, tyres and new brake discs, but the rest was a bit of a surprise. I'm pretty sure the car is mechanically perfect now, but I simply can't afford anything else to go wrong with it. Also I have to spend a fortune keeping the paintwork in good condition owing to hedges and very narrow roads near me, I think something I care less about the look of would be good thing. I can verify the Mk1 Focus idea - I often used to fit a full band backline and three band members in one.
Drums said:
vrsmxtb said:
What exactly is proving so expensive on the A3?
I can verify the Mk1 Focus idea - I often used to fit a full band backline and three band members in one.
In the past 2 months it's had a new radiator, shocks, top mounts, CV joints and a new headlight. I saved a lot of money for routine maintenance over the summer, major service + DSG service, tyres and new brake discs, but the rest was a bit of a surprise. I'm pretty sure the car is mechanically perfect now, but I simply can't afford anything else to go wrong with it. Also I have to spend a fortune keeping the paintwork in good condition owing to hedges and very narrow roads near me, I think something I care less about the look of would be good thing. I can verify the Mk1 Focus idea - I often used to fit a full band backline and three band members in one.
IMO, keep the Audi. You've sunk a decent wedge of cash into it and it's running well. Better the devil you know.
I'm a student, drive an E36 328i saloon. It cost be £350.
Must have 5 seats = Yes
Must be capable on ropey country lanes = Yes, but not the driver's car people make out
Must be reliable, and not cost the earth to maintain = Well made and parts are reasonable, so yes
Should be relatively comfortable = Quiet on the motorway and softly sprung, so yes
Be large enough to fit my drum kit in it = Debatable. Get the tourer
Return over 30 MPG on the motorway = Gets 35-38 mpg at 80 mph, so yes
Must have 5 seats = Yes
Must be capable on ropey country lanes = Yes, but not the driver's car people make out
Must be reliable, and not cost the earth to maintain = Well made and parts are reasonable, so yes
Should be relatively comfortable = Quiet on the motorway and softly sprung, so yes
Be large enough to fit my drum kit in it = Debatable. Get the tourer
Return over 30 MPG on the motorway = Gets 35-38 mpg at 80 mph, so yes
Drums said:
In the past 2 months it's had a new radiator, shocks, top mounts, CV joints and a new headlight. I saved a lot of money for routine maintenance over the summer, major service + DSG service, tyres and new brake discs, but the rest was a bit of a surprise. I'm pretty sure the car is mechanically perfect now, but I simply can't afford anything else to go wrong with it. Also I have to spend a fortune keeping the paintwork in good condition owing to hedges and very narrow roads near me, I think something I care less about the look of would be good thing.
I'd say just keep it, you've spent lots on parts that could need replacing on any high millage car. Could end up having to do all of that again on the 'new' car!Drums said:
fuchsiasteve said:
54 plate Honda Accord 2.0 I Vtec auto. Will easily cover both rural lanes and motorway work. 35 mpg no probs and with bullet proof reliability. Ignore the 0-60 times the in gear performance is good.
Good shout, thanks. Does it need to be auto? Would have thought the manual would be more fun.
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