Coupe that fits 4.

[TotalControl]

I've been somewhat in limbo at the moment in decisions to what car to move to next. Having recently had my personal situation change, the need for a family car is out of the window. Some practicality is still required.

I've decided to purchase something that will give me a bit more driver involvement but not break the bank. Not really wanting to spend too much either. Maybe 1-2k tops. Odd weekend jobs treating the car like an ongoing project isn't too bad a prospect either.

I have 3 kids (16/15/6) that'll be needing lifts but a majority of the time it'll just be me to be honest. I'll need space in the boot for some kit for work when things pick up again (WiFi and cabling stuff mainly) but not too heavy a requirement. If things pick up with work, I can always go down the van route if need be.

Looking at the pros and cons of owning either of the following at circa 12-15k miles per annum:

Toyota Celica 190
BMW E46 325ci

I've had a 325i E46 saloon before but that was a 7 month ownership experience as my commute changed so needed an auto at the time. Not driven a Celica 190 but owned an ST202 Celica 2.0 many moons ago which, being young and naive, didn't end too well with maintenance.

What's the worst case scenario of each and which would fit my uses better? Cheaper parts and running costs will be a massive pro.

[sociopath]

Spending 1-2k on a bmw and then looking for cheap parts/service doesnt sound like a quest I'd want to undertake

[ChrisH72]

I’ve had a Celica and an e92 325i. Both were bought because I wanted a coupe but did need a bit of practicality and rear seats.

The Celica is a great car, I’d say out of everything I’ve owned it was the car I enjoyed most. The boot is a good size, if a bit shallow, but it has a hatchback for easy access and folding rear seats if you need to carry larger items. The rear seats are just about big enough for small adults although you can’t put you feet under the front seats.

My BMW was the later e92. Again, great car. I’d say it was a better all rounder than the Celica but then it cost a lot more. Lovely engine but a little on the heavy side and certainly not as much fun as the Toyota. Much more grown up though. Practicality was excellent with a huge boot, again it had folding seats, and more room in the back seats than the Celica.

I always thought that I would never have anything other than a coupe, they’re just so stylish. But having recently bought my first hot hatch I can really see the appeal. Performance and practicality rolled in to one with no real compromise. Maybe worth considering?

[ZX10R NIN]

Now a coupe you can have fun with but is comfortable when your doing your 15k a year also the rear seats fold down & with a little fettling they can become more enjoyable. I am bias as I've had a few & still own one.

CLK 270 a remap & replacement air filter will make it come alive

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009173...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202008102...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202011065...

320 Haggle

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202011116...

240

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202011065...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202011146...

200

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202007081...

Hyundai Coupe

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202011266...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202011306...

[anonymous-user]

I bought a £1500 Alfa GT a few years ago, one of the best cars I've ever had

[The_Nugget]

Good 190 Celica’s without rust issues underneath are getting rare.
Expect to pay £3k for a decent one without intergalactic miles and not rusty.
Strong engines though and very reliable.

I’m on my second one.

[The_Nugget]

MonkeyMatt said:

I bought a £1500 Alfa GT a few years ago, one of the best cars I've ever had

Worst car I ever had! Seats were incredibly uncomfortable and had a host of electrical issues. Lasted about 9 months before I got shot of it.

[anonymous-user]

The_Nugget said:

MonkeyMatt said:

I bought a £1500 Alfa GT a few years ago, one of the best cars I've ever had

Worst car I ever had! Seats were incredibly uncomfortable and had a host of electrical issues. Lasted about 9 months before I got shot of it.

Seats in mine were fantastic, only issue was some underside rust! guess thats Alfas for you

[The_Nugget]

MonkeyMatt said:

Seats in mine were fantastic, only issue was some underside rust! guess thats Alfas for you

Found the side bolsters really tight on me and dug in my lower back. I’m not big really probably weighted about 12st at the time and 5,11

[TotalControl]

Thank you for the info guys, especially Simon who's commitment on here is fantastic with regards to left field choice cars.

Alfa GT - not really appealing enough to be honest. The rust issues would forever worry me and maintenance also, if that's still a thing with these cars.

Hyundai Coupe - Looks good and wasn't really a choice but I'm liking the style. Isn't the 2.0 a bit of an asthmatic engine, thought the 2.7 was the one to go for? Probably a bit juicy from just looking at the type of engine and performance it offers.

Mercs - Not bad and one I hadn't considered, but diesel puts me right off in a coupe.

My preference is a manual, auto isn't really needed as my driving is quite limited at present. Also considering the type of cars I'm looking at an auto may be more problematic if issues occur. Trying to keep it simple etc.

I'd be looking at larger coupes but don't want anything too long, stuff like the e92 etc would be a much nicer prospect but are unfortunately out of my price range.

I have no idea what the Mercedes coupes reliability is like as I've never owned one. Everyone I know that owns one has theirs on lease from new. I haven't seen any manual coupes either, from the ads posted.

I liked the e46/Celica as their size is favourable towards parking and standard roads yet they still offer decent space (from what I can see).

Any more help is much appreciated. I'll probably be looking to buy in the new year so still have some time yet for more posts to read.

[ZX10R NIN]

The E46/CLK are similar in size the only diesel listed was the 270 the rest are petrol's, now reliability wise the Mercedes are bulletproof the gearboxes are well proven as long as you have the fluid & filter (£250-300) changed every 40k, you can get the CLK in a manual but they work better with the auto.

Now if you prefer a manual then the 325i is a good pick rust on the wings is the thing to lookout for there's a potential oil pump issue but I wouldn't worry about it to much as only a small number of engines have suffered with this. Auto boxes are okay but BMW said these were sealed for life so a lot of owners never touched them so there could be some bork factor there.

The Hyundai has a good chassis & is a decent steer finding a 2.7 within your budget (even with some haggling) & most are auto's but as you can see you can get a nice 2.0 for your budget:

Now there are another couple of options that may work for you:

Saab 93 Aero

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202011246...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202012016...

Manual C180 Coupe a very practical car with lots of boot space.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202011246...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202007081...

Auto C320 Coupe a bit of a sleeper

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202007231...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202011166...

C230

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202011276...

C200

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010235...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202011045...

BMW 325ti Auto haggle hard & this is a good pick

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-325TI-M-SPORT-COMPA...

The one below will need some work:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/bmw-325ti-compact-sport...

318ti

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2002-BMW-318-ti-SE-Comp...

2.5 Cougar Manual

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010255...

Volvo C70

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009033...

C30

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202011306...

[irocfan]

I was just going to suggest a C70 Volvo - easy 4 seats with good safety.

Other ideas (but rare these days): Ford Probe, Ford Cougar, Mazda MX6, Mazda RX8 (not rare but delicate)

[anonymous-user]

TotalControl said:

Alfa GT - not really appealing enough to be honest. The rust issues would forever worry me and maintenance also, if that's still a thing with these cars.

Rust no more of an issue on an Alfa anymore than any other car of its age. I had cheap one nearly 3 years and it cost me a pair of front tyres and some new bulbs, more than can be said than some of the German cars I've owned! only cars I've had that have been more reliable are a couple of Hondas, a Grande Punto and my current Alfa.

[BritishBlitz87]

TotalControl said:

Thank you for the info guys, especially Simon who's commitment on here is fantastic with regards to left field choice cars.

Hyundai Coupe - Looks good and wasn't really a choice but I'm liking the style. Isn't the 2.0 a bit of an asthmatic engine, thought the 2.7 was the one to go for? Probably a bit juicy from just looking at the type of engine and performance it offers.

I've had one of these for three years as my first car, and I'd whole heartedly recommend it as a daily.

The boot's absolutely massive, Its got a great sound system to mask the many unfixable boot rattles and the drivetrain's as solid as a rock.

You said that you were looking for something a bit more involving though and that's where the Hyundai falls down a bit for me. The clutch is an absolute bd to move off with thanks to a ridiculously high biting point, but it's great when your pressing on since you can change gear with the clutch pedal two-thirds of the way up! There is a fix, but it involves cutting the a chunk out of the slave rod and welding it back together. Steering wise it just goes where you point it. It's never surprised me yet and I've pushed it pretty hard, but I can't honestly say much since it's the only car I have ever properly driven

Performance wise the power of the 2.0 hits the sweet spot for me, slow enough to keep you out of trouble but fast enough to have a bit of fun coming out of the corners. The 2.7 isn't a great deal faster, weighs a ton and drinks much more fuel than it's output would suggest. It also has a more complicated service schedule which could be an issue if you're on a tight budget. The general consensus the 2.0 is the way to go.

Haven't had anything go wrong in the three years I've had it except for new callipers, discs and pads on the rear after I drove 30 miles with them locked on like a complete tool. Best of all, you can do all the servicing yourself. Parts can tend to be slightly on the pricey side, particularly anything unique to the last (and best looking ) generation.

[BritishBlitz87]

I forgot to mention, headroom in the rear is pretty much non-existent if your above about 5'8". My younger brothers has to sit with his head touching the rear window! Could be a consideration depending on how tall your kids are.

[TotalControl]

BritishBlitz87 said:

I forgot to mention, headroom in the rear is pretty much non-existent if your above about 5'8". My younger brothers has to sit with his head touching the rear window! Could be a consideration depending on how tall your kids are.

Ah. My elder 2 are at/passing that height now, so may be a problem for the next couple of years as they'll sprout even more.