Suggestions for a more entertaining daily?
Discussion
I was hoping to pick the brains of the PH collective in consideration of a replacement for my current daily. At the moment my fleet consists of:
2001 BMW 525d SE
1989 MR2 Mk1 Supercharger
The MR2 I’ve had for about 18 months and in that time it’s done a couple of road trips, a handful of track days and lots of fair-weather fun driving to shows etc plus the occasional commute when I’m in the office (my commute is about 15 miles each way of mostly clear A- and B-roads). It’s a fantastic little car but I’m starting to hanker after something that can do more track-days and the occasional sprint event and in all honesty the ‘2 is far too good to turn into a track slag. It looks like it’s going to have a Westfield-shaped replacement in the next month or so, which will be perfect for the track/sprint angle but will also mean it’ll get less day-to-day use than the MR2 (currently about 5k a year or so).
The BMW is a full-on motorway warrior in super-comfy-but-not-very-dynamic SE trim. I’ve had it for a year and a half and over 30k and it has been utterly, utterly dependable. It’s a proper workhorse, does commuting when the weather’s a bit grotty, general day-to-day stuff plus all my work mileage. I guess the split is about 10k a year for ‘normal’ driving and 10k a year for ‘work’ driving, which tends to involve long (as in 2-5 hours) motorway journeys once a week or so. Average fuel economy is 40mpg for the daily stuff, and 50mpg on a run. It’s perfect for this kind of thing but in all honesty the inner petrolhead in me is crying out for something more fun, and taking ownership of a track-prepped Westfield means my daily will also need to take on road-trip duties and more of the ‘fun’ day-to-day driving.
A conveniently-placed family member means I can get a very alluring finance deal on a brand new Focus ST, and the petrol model is very tempting. The Recaro seats are super-comfy for long journeys, the fuel economy is acceptable (about 40mpg on a run, which I’m more than happy with considering I know a petrol daily will be more expensive to run). But before I sign my life away on a three year finance deal I thought I’d see if there’s anything obvious I’m missing on the second-hand market.
My general requirements are as follows:
- Must be petrol – I realise diesel will be cheaper but I’m so bored with them I’ve decided I don't care!
- Needs to have a decent amount of poke without breaking the bank. I considered a cheaper Mk2 Focus ST but they’re just to thirsty.
- Ideally needs to be able to achieve around 40mpg on a steady run. I usually cruise at 70ish on the motorway.
- Manual gearbox (I do very little city driving)
- Must look vaguely presentable, as I spend a lot of time on customers’ sites (basically, if I got an ST it wouldn’t be orange)
- 4 seats are a must, it’ll be the only practical car in our fleet of three. Doesn't need to be an estate or anything though.
- Needs to be comfortable enough for a 5-hour drive without breaking my back, but fun enough to enjoy in the twisties and during day-to-day driving. I don’t mind a firm ride, but decent seats are a must.
For a second-hand car I’d set a budget of around £10k.
Any suggestions are very welcome
2001 BMW 525d SE
1989 MR2 Mk1 Supercharger
The MR2 I’ve had for about 18 months and in that time it’s done a couple of road trips, a handful of track days and lots of fair-weather fun driving to shows etc plus the occasional commute when I’m in the office (my commute is about 15 miles each way of mostly clear A- and B-roads). It’s a fantastic little car but I’m starting to hanker after something that can do more track-days and the occasional sprint event and in all honesty the ‘2 is far too good to turn into a track slag. It looks like it’s going to have a Westfield-shaped replacement in the next month or so, which will be perfect for the track/sprint angle but will also mean it’ll get less day-to-day use than the MR2 (currently about 5k a year or so).
The BMW is a full-on motorway warrior in super-comfy-but-not-very-dynamic SE trim. I’ve had it for a year and a half and over 30k and it has been utterly, utterly dependable. It’s a proper workhorse, does commuting when the weather’s a bit grotty, general day-to-day stuff plus all my work mileage. I guess the split is about 10k a year for ‘normal’ driving and 10k a year for ‘work’ driving, which tends to involve long (as in 2-5 hours) motorway journeys once a week or so. Average fuel economy is 40mpg for the daily stuff, and 50mpg on a run. It’s perfect for this kind of thing but in all honesty the inner petrolhead in me is crying out for something more fun, and taking ownership of a track-prepped Westfield means my daily will also need to take on road-trip duties and more of the ‘fun’ day-to-day driving.
A conveniently-placed family member means I can get a very alluring finance deal on a brand new Focus ST, and the petrol model is very tempting. The Recaro seats are super-comfy for long journeys, the fuel economy is acceptable (about 40mpg on a run, which I’m more than happy with considering I know a petrol daily will be more expensive to run). But before I sign my life away on a three year finance deal I thought I’d see if there’s anything obvious I’m missing on the second-hand market.
My general requirements are as follows:
- Must be petrol – I realise diesel will be cheaper but I’m so bored with them I’ve decided I don't care!
- Needs to have a decent amount of poke without breaking the bank. I considered a cheaper Mk2 Focus ST but they’re just to thirsty.
- Ideally needs to be able to achieve around 40mpg on a steady run. I usually cruise at 70ish on the motorway.
- Manual gearbox (I do very little city driving)
- Must look vaguely presentable, as I spend a lot of time on customers’ sites (basically, if I got an ST it wouldn’t be orange)
- 4 seats are a must, it’ll be the only practical car in our fleet of three. Doesn't need to be an estate or anything though.
- Needs to be comfortable enough for a 5-hour drive without breaking my back, but fun enough to enjoy in the twisties and during day-to-day driving. I don’t mind a firm ride, but decent seats are a must.
For a second-hand car I’d set a budget of around £10k.
Any suggestions are very welcome
Interesting idea, and not one I'd considered. I think the servicing and maintenance costs might put me off though, but I shall have a look into it. What sort of fuel economy figures would I realistically expect?
And yes, I know 'MPG' isn't normally something you would consider when looking at an M3, but for me it's relevant.
And yes, I know 'MPG' isn't normally something you would consider when looking at an M3, but for me it's relevant.
aka_kerrly said:
In what universe can a M3 average 40mpg, or are we suggesting a £8k m3 and £2k toward fuel & repairs?
OP, I presume since you are considering the Focus ST that hot hatches are fine with you or are you only considering it because of the finance deal ?
I did wonder! OP, I presume since you are considering the Focus ST that hot hatches are fine with you or are you only considering it because of the finance deal ?
Yes, hot hatches are fine by me.
An E9X 330i? You'd have plenty of choice from at your budget, you could either go coupe or saloon depending on practicality needs, auto or manual, colours, specs etc etc and performance is enough to near match a Focus ST. Economy, it's said to hit 40mpg on a steady run and will average around 30mpg if driven sensibly 
A quick search threw this one, I am a fan, you may not be, but as I said you can get pretty much any spec for your budget http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2014...
A quick search threw this one, I am a fan, you may not be, but as I said you can get pretty much any spec for your budget http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2014...
Megane sport DCI 175.
yes I am biased, but its a really good PHer's compromise. great chassis, and capable of 45+ MPG on a run.
not the quickest but mine still amazes me how fast an A to B car it is. have a look at my previous cars, if you think I am one of these diesel warrior types its my first.
also its a Nissan derived engine so its reliable from that point of view. and doesn't give the full tractor on start up.
ADV
yes I am biased, but its a really good PHer's compromise. great chassis, and capable of 45+ MPG on a run.
not the quickest but mine still amazes me how fast an A to B car it is. have a look at my previous cars, if you think I am one of these diesel warrior types its my first.
also its a Nissan derived engine so its reliable from that point of view. and doesn't give the full tractor on start up.
ADV
330 is a solid choice, but it doesn't strike me as hugely exciting tbh. I think I'd have to drive one.
That Megane is a curious machine though, I had no idea they existed! I'd have to drive one to see if I could cope with the derv, but given how cheap they are it's pretty tempting. Previous experience with Renaults puts me off a tad though - how's the reliability these days?
That Megane is a curious machine though, I had no idea they existed! I'd have to drive one to see if I could cope with the derv, but given how cheap they are it's pretty tempting. Previous experience with Renaults puts me off a tad though - how's the reliability these days?
- Must be petrol – I realise diesel will be cheaper but I’m so bored with them I’ve decided I don't care!
What about the 535D? 35mpg(ish) and approx 280-300bhp to play with.
It should not be underestimated - I had one for over two years before moving to my F10 M5. Fantastic car.
It's a subtle and surprising car - i.e. you wont get the boy racer t1ts wanting to race you at the lights, but will give them a run for their money if every now and then you do...
It unfortunately sounds like a tractor which has a bag of spanners attached to it when stopped at the lights.
What about the 535D? 35mpg(ish) and approx 280-300bhp to play with.
It should not be underestimated - I had one for over two years before moving to my F10 M5. Fantastic car.
It's a subtle and surprising car - i.e. you wont get the boy racer t1ts wanting to race you at the lights, but will give them a run for their money if every now and then you do...
It unfortunately sounds like a tractor which has a bag of spanners attached to it when stopped at the lights.
Edited by MattStorey on Wednesday 2nd July 13:44
sjc said:
In fairness,how "entertaining" do you think some of these cars will be on a 2-5hour hour motorway stint as per your original post?
It doesn't need to be entertaining then, it needs to be entertaining for the other 10k miles a year that are 'everyday' driving and for the occasional euro-trip. All it needs to do on the motorway stints is cruise along in relative comfort without deafening me or giving me back-ache. The current beemer does that part perfectly, but trying to have some fun hustling it along the back-roads quickly reveals its limitations.aka_kerrly said:
Perhaps an antidote to a diesel BMW is a hot hatch, you could have the pick of the best Civic Type Rs (FN2 or perhaps a FD2 4 door if you are really lucky!) the best mk5 Golf GTIs (edition 30?), Mini JCW/GP models , as well as the Focus ST
This is kind of what I've been thinking. Personally I dislike the VTEC engine so the Civic is a no-no, and the Cooper is too small really. I've never been too enamoured with the Golf GTI but then I've never been in one and I understand they're supposed to be pretty capable. My brother has a Mk5 R32 which I'm rather fond of, but I couldn't cope with the running costs!Thanks for all your help so far people, plenty of stuff to think about
Edited by benedwards64 on Wednesday 2nd July 14:15
Garett said:
If I was in your position I'd be looking at a VW Golf GTi Mk5 (or poss an Octavia VRS). They just seem to be very good at most things if not outstanding at any one thing.
Yeah, bit of a jack-of-all-trades but then anything I get will be a compromise between comfort/handling/power/economy. I just need to find the right balance Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff