Bad weather daily driver?
Discussion
Budget preferably up to around 22k, but can flex depending on the car.
Day to day I cycle to work - but in poorer weather the option to drive would be welcome! Route is through town mainly so start/stop along with a few less regular longer trips. I don’t mind paying out on proper maintenance, or some reasonable depreciation - but preferably not both!
Current thoughts are:
Golf R - I’ve had a test drive, left me a bit cold. Very quick/capable though. Looking at a mk7.
Golf GTi - prefer the look of these to the R, but think the R is objectively the better car. Could get a mk7.5 for same cash as the R above.
M140i - not driven one, apprehensive about buying something which isn’t a “proper” performance car. Will it shed value at an alarming rate? Quite like the look of the interior, and performance looks surprisingly strong for a non-M. Exterior not a classic.
Cayman 987.2 - probably a 2.9. Bit slow? Lack of rear seats not a deal breaker, but definitely makes it less useful. I’ve generally preferred older cars that depreciate a bit less so this sits a bit more in my comfort zone. Under budget.
I’m pretty open to other ideas as well - I’ve got a whole host of other cars I have or am considering - TT-RS, Mini GP, RS4, etc etc. Options seem endless without anything jumping off the page as the clear choice!
Any thoughts or suggestions?
Day to day I cycle to work - but in poorer weather the option to drive would be welcome! Route is through town mainly so start/stop along with a few less regular longer trips. I don’t mind paying out on proper maintenance, or some reasonable depreciation - but preferably not both!
Current thoughts are:
Golf R - I’ve had a test drive, left me a bit cold. Very quick/capable though. Looking at a mk7.
Golf GTi - prefer the look of these to the R, but think the R is objectively the better car. Could get a mk7.5 for same cash as the R above.
M140i - not driven one, apprehensive about buying something which isn’t a “proper” performance car. Will it shed value at an alarming rate? Quite like the look of the interior, and performance looks surprisingly strong for a non-M. Exterior not a classic.
Cayman 987.2 - probably a 2.9. Bit slow? Lack of rear seats not a deal breaker, but definitely makes it less useful. I’ve generally preferred older cars that depreciate a bit less so this sits a bit more in my comfort zone. Under budget.
I’m pretty open to other ideas as well - I’ve got a whole host of other cars I have or am considering - TT-RS, Mini GP, RS4, etc etc. Options seem endless without anything jumping off the page as the clear choice!
Any thoughts or suggestions?
Yes, I wouldn't think of a 1 Series if looking for a daily driver for bad weather!
I had an E87 123d in 2010 and it was borderline hopeless in the snow even on fairly narrow 205 Pirelli run-flats. It probably only worked at all because they were virtually new!
But I'm not too sure how much better a Golf GTi or R would be given the sort of size tyres that come as standard on "hotter" models these days.
For the last 5 years I've just found a set of 2nd hand wheels with winter tyres on them for my RWD BMWs and swap twice a year. I never really found out how good they were until last year when the Beast from the East arrived - my 3 Series on winters was just amazing. Almost as good as summer tyres in the wet.
The only other option might be to fit something like Michelin Cross-Climates if you don't want the hassle of swapping wheels.
I had an E87 123d in 2010 and it was borderline hopeless in the snow even on fairly narrow 205 Pirelli run-flats. It probably only worked at all because they were virtually new!
But I'm not too sure how much better a Golf GTi or R would be given the sort of size tyres that come as standard on "hotter" models these days.
For the last 5 years I've just found a set of 2nd hand wheels with winter tyres on them for my RWD BMWs and swap twice a year. I never really found out how good they were until last year when the Beast from the East arrived - my 3 Series on winters was just amazing. Almost as good as summer tyres in the wet.
The only other option might be to fit something like Michelin Cross-Climates if you don't want the hassle of swapping wheels.
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