Mrs has nicked the e91, I'm left with old corsa + £4k

[hotchilidamo]

So with the mrs heavily pregnant, discussions have turned to what happens when the baby arrives and to my dismay it appears that the plan is to swap cars. She can't fit the buggy in the boot and "well there's just more room isn't there".

So I've got the old 1.2 corsa which is worth about 800 on trade in value plus approx £3-4k budget.

I need a daily commuter to do around 16 miles A & B roads. We'll keep the e91 as the family car and I'll claim it back for long journeys and weekends.

So this is my opportunity to get something a bit fun, but which is comfortable enough for a daily commuter.

Criteria so far is:
- Reasonable mpg but not worried too much at the distance I'm doing
- good reliability - I hate the side of the dual carriageway and unexpected bills
- fun to drive (0-60 in under 8s and chuck able round corners)
- small or family car sized
- room for buggy when required
- room for little one in the back
- ideally 5 door but could do 3
- petrol
- still comfortable and reasonable economy if my miles increase in future
- will keep for 2-3 years
- reasonable tax (£260 or less)
- not too hard or crashy in the ride

On my radar at the mo:
- seat leon fr
- clio 182/197
- megane 225
- mk4 golf Gti

Any thoughts or suggestions very welcome

Recent car history if it helps:
E91 m sport - really nice drive if not lacking some fun
Mazda 3 mps mk1 - great fun let down by high tax and sketchy build quality
Saab 93 - reliable, capable but really not what I would call fun
Seat Ibiza cupra - fun but lots of reliability issues

Edited by hotchilidamo on Sunday 9th March 22:06

[DonkeyApple]

Keep the Corsa. Perfect for a mere 8 mile commute. Save the money for the kid. Congratulations.

You'll also enjoy the BMW far more if you're driving a Corsa during the week.

[Backtobasics]

Buy her an £800 golf or similar, you keep the e91.

[aspirated]

4k should get you a pretty decent Accord Type R, screaming Vtec and a sorted chassis, that's what id be looking for

Edited by aspirated on Sunday 9th March 22:30

[Actus Reus]

Forget the Mk.IV GTi is my only advice - dull cars at the end of the day and enough niggly faults to annoy.

[Jonnas]

Exactly the same thing happened to me apart from it was a Polo not a Corsa. Currently saving for a more interesting third car but that seems to be taking a lot longer than I'd hoped. Congratulations.......

[jacksparrow11]

hotchilidamo said:

So with the mrs heavily pregnant, discussions have turned to what happens when the baby arrives and to my dismay it appears that the plan is to swap cars. She can't fit the buggy in the boot and "well there's just more room isn't there".

So I've got the old 1.2 corsa which is worth about 800 on trade in value plus approx £3-4k budget.

Edited by hotchilidamo on Sunday 9th March 22:06

who would've seen that one coming. Tell her you are a feminist and believe she has the same opportunity and rights as you do to drive an old banger with a small boot.

[NadiR]

aspirated said:

4k should get you a pretty decent Accord Type R, screaming Vtec and a sorted chassis, that's what id be looking for

Edited by aspirated on Sunday 9th March 22:30

+1

This. Fantastic cars.

Failing that, a Focus ST.

[150bhp]

Scrap the Clio idea, we had a 172 when our first was born and it quickly dawned on us that the boot was just too small for the buggy and a bit of shopping. Great cars but too small for your needs. What about a Focus ST, Impreza waggon, Honda Civic type R or an Audi s3? Or what about a Octavia VRS?

[LukeDM]

Mk4 Golf R32? It's not THAT bad on fuel and the sound

[aspirated]

LukeDM said:

Mk4 Golf R32? It's not THAT bad on fuel and the sound

For 4k? It'd be completely shagged, also i think it's more suited to long distance driving rather than spirited A and B roads IMO

[Diderot]

Divorce?

[matthias73]

Diderot said:

Divorce?

So she can keep the e91 for good?

[ferrariF50lover]

Why does your commuter-mobile need to be able to accommodate the nipper and it's crap? Surely you use the Beamer if you take Jr anywhere and you buy a car for your commute? If we take out the necessity for a car which has a boot/NCAP rating/rear suitable for ferrying the fruit of your loins about, we end up at some much more interesting metal. It only needs two seats, for a start, and can be much smaller, which leads us to the inevitable PH conclusion...


Buy an MX-5.

Simon.

[hotchilidamo]

I wondered how long it would take before the mx5 popped up

The reason why I don't see this as an option is because when I do need the e91 I don't want it to be an issue because she can't practically use my daily runner.

Anyway, some interesting suggestions here. This £4k budget is not offering up much so far. ST is doable but only just. Accord type r are very limited in choice too

[ManOpener]

Push the budget out a bit and you could get a Mk5 GTI. They ride much better than the Leon FR.
But in all honesty I agree with the above, buy an MX-5 and use the E91 for all little-one-related events.

[Crusoe]

buy a smaller buggy problem solved HTH

[HaloGen8]

DonkeyApple said:

Keep the Corsa. Perfect for a mere 8 mile commute. Save the money for the kid. Congratulations.

You'll also enjoy the BMW far more if you're driving a Corsa during the week.

^^^ This

[anonymous-user]

Actus Reus said:

Forget the Mk.IV GTi is my only advice - dull cars at the end of the day and enough niggly faults to annoy.

This. Unless its an R32.

1st Gen Fiesta ST too small?

Focus ST if its in budget? Mondeo ST220?

Mazda 3 or 6 MPS?

Civic Type-R?

E46 330i?

E36 M3?

[Matt_N]

E46 325/330i