What to buy - £3-4k - Coupe/'Vert - 220bhp + handling
Discussion
Well, i posted up saying i was looking at the e46 330ci.
However, after hours trolling the internet and looking at cars and seeng a few very bad e46's for sale - does no one realise MOT history is online now?? "No advisories" - "flew through MOT" - "No Issues" - pah!
Anyway. I drove an e46 again recently after an 18month gap and i wasn't blown away. It was nice but i missed how good my old e46 felt and now i'm wondering if its the best pick at my price point.
I want something "sporty" ish. Preferably over 200bhp. Something that isn't just a run of the mill hatchback and feels a little bit "different" or "special" in comparison - i guess thats why i like the e46 vert's - just something a bit nicer for the weekend but still has 4 seats.
So i have max £3500 to spend so maybe looking up to £4000 with some haggling my way. I'm looking for 4 seats. Nice drive. Sporty (ish) at over 220bhp. Preferably a 0-60 time below 7seconds. Something with torque to overtake and good handling enough to really enjoy driving around the b-roads of Wales and beyond.
Not wanting much really - but surely there must be comparitive cars out there for 3-4K that aren't the e46 or is that my best choice?
Cheers all
However, after hours trolling the internet and looking at cars and seeng a few very bad e46's for sale - does no one realise MOT history is online now?? "No advisories" - "flew through MOT" - "No Issues" - pah!
Anyway. I drove an e46 again recently after an 18month gap and i wasn't blown away. It was nice but i missed how good my old e46 felt and now i'm wondering if its the best pick at my price point.
I want something "sporty" ish. Preferably over 200bhp. Something that isn't just a run of the mill hatchback and feels a little bit "different" or "special" in comparison - i guess thats why i like the e46 vert's - just something a bit nicer for the weekend but still has 4 seats.
So i have max £3500 to spend so maybe looking up to £4000 with some haggling my way. I'm looking for 4 seats. Nice drive. Sporty (ish) at over 220bhp. Preferably a 0-60 time below 7seconds. Something with torque to overtake and good handling enough to really enjoy driving around the b-roads of Wales and beyond.
Not wanting much really - but surely there must be comparitive cars out there for 3-4K that aren't the e46 or is that my best choice?
Cheers all
Mr Tidy said:
4 seats? 
Maybe upping budget or lowering expectations may be a plan!
The four seats could be a compromise but would limit this to being my daily and only being able to go away on those rare occassions we don't have the two kids in tow. Maybe upping budget or lowering expectations may be a plan!
Edited by Mr Tidy on Monday 14th May 02:21
So.
To answer your question, i would love to up my budget. However, I have lost about £9k on my last two cars (18 months ago my budget was 12k) but have had a bad ride with issues and resale. So now i'm left with what i've got.
I can compromise on the spec and maybe that it has to have four seats.
That said i'd still have thought there would be a comparitble sporty coupe/convertible for the £4k mark but i'm finding not really. For that money and at that age, the 330 seems to have been the best model on the market.
Comparitable cars at that price point i need and same era aren't much of a comparison. Mercs are slow in comparison. RX8 is just deadly - its so unreliable i couldn't bare to waste the money on it - though could buy two for the budget i have and keep one as a spare??
To me though. I think the 330 is the best so far.
If i go 2 seats = what does that open up? Fun, bit quick, good handling. Not fussed by age so much. I do like the 350z.
If you went with two seats, you could get into a ropey 350z or Z4, or an MX5/MR2.
Four seats, how about the 225bhp Audi TT (the Mk1 is surely going to be a classic in the future too), or the 189bhp 1.8 Toyota Celica T Sport.
If you can compromise on something that is out and out sporty, you can get the 198bhp 2.0l Astra twin turbo convertible or the 198bhp Volkswagen Eos. Maybe the 170bhp Mini?
I think my money would be going on the Audi TT or the Celica.
Four seats, how about the 225bhp Audi TT (the Mk1 is surely going to be a classic in the future too), or the 189bhp 1.8 Toyota Celica T Sport.
If you can compromise on something that is out and out sporty, you can get the 198bhp 2.0l Astra twin turbo convertible or the 198bhp Volkswagen Eos. Maybe the 170bhp Mini?
I think my money would be going on the Audi TT or the Celica.
Thanks all for the helpful tips.
As it stands i can't believe how some of these cars have risen in price recently.
The fiat 20v turbo. Good ones seem to be commanding a fair bit more than i would have expected at about £6k.
The s2000, even in the last 12 to 18 months has started to rise drastically. Prior to buying my 130i last October i could get one for 3500-4500 not right now.
Yet other cars i've been surprised with. Like the TT and for that matter the boxster and most recently the Alfa GTV 3.0 v6 - having never had an alfa i've taken a punt and all being well i will see and buy one Saturday. .
If that doesn't pan out, the boxster can be had in 2.7 form for around the £4k mark and i think in terms of smiles per mile and depreciation they are at a point where i wont lose money.
Alternatively there is a raft of e46's for sale and despite it not being the pick of the bunch, i still think a 330ci is a good all round car. So it remains on the list.
A friend of mine also pointed out that there are numerous hatches in that bracket that would pack a "decent" performance punch and loaned me his FN2 CTR for a week whilst i'm wheeless. I have to admit i was skeptical before driving it given the poor reception of the FN2 online and vs the EP3 (which i have also driven). It certainly isn't as raw as the EP3 but i think it has more of a split personality. The EP3 would tend to want to be a monster all the time where as the FN2 seems to be happy driving around but get the revs high and it starts growling. Pleasantly surprised.
Anyway. thanks again for all the advice. Handy as always guys and girls.
As it stands i can't believe how some of these cars have risen in price recently.
The fiat 20v turbo. Good ones seem to be commanding a fair bit more than i would have expected at about £6k.
The s2000, even in the last 12 to 18 months has started to rise drastically. Prior to buying my 130i last October i could get one for 3500-4500 not right now.
Yet other cars i've been surprised with. Like the TT and for that matter the boxster and most recently the Alfa GTV 3.0 v6 - having never had an alfa i've taken a punt and all being well i will see and buy one Saturday. .
If that doesn't pan out, the boxster can be had in 2.7 form for around the £4k mark and i think in terms of smiles per mile and depreciation they are at a point where i wont lose money.
Alternatively there is a raft of e46's for sale and despite it not being the pick of the bunch, i still think a 330ci is a good all round car. So it remains on the list.
A friend of mine also pointed out that there are numerous hatches in that bracket that would pack a "decent" performance punch and loaned me his FN2 CTR for a week whilst i'm wheeless. I have to admit i was skeptical before driving it given the poor reception of the FN2 online and vs the EP3 (which i have also driven). It certainly isn't as raw as the EP3 but i think it has more of a split personality. The EP3 would tend to want to be a monster all the time where as the FN2 seems to be happy driving around but get the revs high and it starts growling. Pleasantly surprised.
Anyway. thanks again for all the advice. Handy as always guys and girls.
Jonny_gti said:
Alfa GTV sound like what you need or maybe a Corrado VR6 
I love the vr6 corrado and the alfa - both very nice different modern classics IMHO. Both i think are on the verge of a rise in price so a good time to buy a decent one. Both have great engines in quite capable chassis's so yes. I think both are very good shout for that "something different" which was in my original criteria. I'm hopeful on the Alfa but we will see. I certainly go in eyes wide open and have friends including an alfa specialist that can help so thats always good for making sure i keep it reliable as a daily driver.
stevekoz said:
Jonny_gti said:
Alfa GTV sound like what you need or maybe a Corrado VR6
I love the vr6 corrado and the alfa - both very nice different modern classics IMHO. Both i think are on the verge of a rise in price so a good time to buy a decent one. Both have great engines in quite capable chassis's so yes. I think both are very good shout for that "something different" which was in my original criteria. I'm hopeful on the Alfa but we will see. I certainly go in eyes wide open and have friends including an alfa specialist that can help so thats always good for making sure i keep it reliable as a daily driver.
Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff