Cant decide on my next car :(

[Jdjames13]

Hey Guys,

I am looking for a bit of advise from fellow car lovers.

I have owned my 13 plate Audi A3 2.0 TDI for nearly 2 years now and i feel like i need a change. I initially got the TDI due to doing high motorway miles however i am doing about 11,000 a year and now have hit 42K.

I've come to a point where i need to get the cambelt and other bits of work done costing about a grand and it got me contenting plating trading it in for something a little more sporty and less... boring!?.

Part of me thinks i dont need a TDI since i work relatively close to work and do more short trips than long distance ones.

I owned a Fiesta ST which unfortunately was stolen 2 years ago prior to the Audi.

My budget it is 10K although would like to pay a little less.

Needs:
- to be semi economical obviously wont hit the 50+ MPG now but anything like 30-35 around town would be perfect.
- Want it to be sporty , really into the abarth 500's exhaust and mini JCW pops and crackles even if it is a little childish...
- anything below 7.0 0-62 mph preferably.
- reliable as saving for a house so dont want it to be in the garage every week.
- bluetooth would be ideal but not necessary

I really started to get attached to the JCW R56 engines around 2008-2010 however i have seen lots of info about their poor reliability which has put me off a lot.

Does anyone have some recommendations?

Edited by Jdjames13 on Saturday 1st September 11:37

[ToothbrushMan]

i know short trips where the engine is not reaching peak temp is not great but on what ...is that a petrol or diesel thing im not sure?

if it applies less to diesel then i would stick with diesel.

[Jdjames13]

i've heard it is bad for diesels particularly for the DPF.

[Jim the Sunderer]

MX-5 probably matches most of those requirements.

[MrGTI6]

How about a 208 GTI? Loads of good ones about for well under £10k and it uses pretty much the same engine as the Cooper S JCW you mentioned. Should be a good compromise in terms of being fun but usable.

The only thing I would say is make sure you are comfortable with the driving position. Personally I had no issue with it, but some people do.

[Jdjames13]

Mx5 is lovely but if it was that and a gti I'd be pulled by that due to practicality.

Is the gti a solid performer in terms of reliability? The exhaust notes are not bad and probably even better after a little mod!

How are you finding the gti? I'll always end up comparing it to the ST which may be a bad thing.

[Test driver]

You could buy a good vw mk5 r32 for that budget.

[ZX10R NIN]

The obvious options are the Megane & Clio RS models:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Clio

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Nurburgring Astra these pop & bang at will check to make sure the shift on the box is clean.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

VXR

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Nurburgring Corsa VXR


https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Mito Cloverleaf

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

R32 Lovely engine note & nice drive but get the chain checked

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Giulietta Cloverleaf

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Mazda3 MPS

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

[MrGTI6]

Jdjames13 said:

Mx5 is lovely but if it was that and a gti I'd be pulled by that due to practicality.

Is the gti a solid performer in terms of reliability? The exhaust notes are not bad and probably even better after a little mod!

How are you finding the gti? I'll always end up comparing it to the ST which may be a bad thing.

I've driven both the Fiesta ST and 208 GTI, but not extensively enough to make a comparison of the two.

Below is a recent Pistonheads article pitting the two against one another. The verdict was that the Pug actually came out on top, but as I said make sure you are comfortable with the driving position. I found it fine, but many don't.

https://www.pistonheads.com/features/ph-features/f...

In terms of reliability, I think they're supposed to be pretty good, but definitely worth checking out some owner reviews to make sure. I know some of the earlier THP engines suffered from timing chain problems, but I believe that had been rectified long before the 208 GTI came along.