Car needed for career change...
Discussion
I am leaving the public sector after almost 30 years where I have travelled solely by subsidised train to work. Last time I drove to work was when I was 18. My new job takes me to a 4 day working week, including a 25 min drive there and back. I need to consider my options as a result.
Owing to the savings over the years I have managed to run some high performance cars, and a lot of my career has involved extreme driving and motorbike riding, so I am pretty competent on the driving side. The last decent car I had was an M240 tuned to 430bhp, I sold that in 2022 and bought a Toyota IQ as a stop gap (I only do around 5 miles a week to and from Aldi). Owing to the fact the car is bulletproof and virtually free to run, I have kept it since then and done nothing about replacing it. I love the fact it costs me almost nothing and would rather have the cash in the bank to spend on other stuff.
But if I am commuting more regularly I need something a bit better. I don't really have a set requirement other than it needs to be reliable, I can't be late to work under any circumstances so very old cars are out. But I would consider a second hand car of up to around 8 years (plucked that number out the sky). Budget wise, unsure yet, could be flexible.
Cars that interest me and I have considered:
Z4 3.0 Manual - 2015 ish
Audi S3 Saloon - 2016 ish
Audi TTS - 2017 ish
Honda E - Have no means of charging at home and sceptical about electric and range
Suzuki Swift - 2018 ish
Fiesta/Focus ST - 2019 ish
There are loads of cars I would consider. The things that really put me off are high tax and uneconomical fuel usage. I will never buy a diesel.
Ideas?
Owing to the savings over the years I have managed to run some high performance cars, and a lot of my career has involved extreme driving and motorbike riding, so I am pretty competent on the driving side. The last decent car I had was an M240 tuned to 430bhp, I sold that in 2022 and bought a Toyota IQ as a stop gap (I only do around 5 miles a week to and from Aldi). Owing to the fact the car is bulletproof and virtually free to run, I have kept it since then and done nothing about replacing it. I love the fact it costs me almost nothing and would rather have the cash in the bank to spend on other stuff.
But if I am commuting more regularly I need something a bit better. I don't really have a set requirement other than it needs to be reliable, I can't be late to work under any circumstances so very old cars are out. But I would consider a second hand car of up to around 8 years (plucked that number out the sky). Budget wise, unsure yet, could be flexible.
Cars that interest me and I have considered:
Z4 3.0 Manual - 2015 ish
Audi S3 Saloon - 2016 ish
Audi TTS - 2017 ish
Honda E - Have no means of charging at home and sceptical about electric and range
Suzuki Swift - 2018 ish
Fiesta/Focus ST - 2019 ish
There are loads of cars I would consider. The things that really put me off are high tax and uneconomical fuel usage. I will never buy a diesel.
Ideas?
Ubiquitous2024 said:
Cars that interest me and I have considered:
Z4 3.0 Manual - 2015 ish
Audi S3 Saloon - 2016 ish
Audi TTS - 2017 ish
Honda E - Have no means of charging at home and sceptical about electric and range
Suzuki Swift - 2018 ish
Fiesta/Focus ST - 2019 ish
The things that really put me off are high tax and uneconomical fuel usage.
As you have, yourself ruled out the Honda, and surely that final statement rules everything in your list out bar the Suzuki?Z4 3.0 Manual - 2015 ish
Audi S3 Saloon - 2016 ish
Audi TTS - 2017 ish
Honda E - Have no means of charging at home and sceptical about electric and range
Suzuki Swift - 2018 ish
Fiesta/Focus ST - 2019 ish
The things that really put me off are high tax and uneconomical fuel usage.
I would try it a few months in the IQ, then see if you need more power or more torque.
If you want torque, and have ruled out diesel and electric, how about a hybrid?
On the basis that most cars would cope with that commute, want do you want for weekend, pastimes and vacations?
If you want torque, and have ruled out diesel and electric, how about a hybrid?
On the basis that most cars would cope with that commute, want do you want for weekend, pastimes and vacations?
Edited by Pica-Pica on Thursday 30th July 20:35
E-bmw said:
As you have, yourself ruled out the Honda, and surely that final statement rules everything in your list out bar the Suzuki?
Forgot to mention GT86.I would go electric but we had huge hassle getting a charger put in at home and because of that I now will avoid at all costs.
Ubiquitous2024 said:
E-bmw said:
As you have, yourself ruled out the Honda, and surely that final statement rules everything in your list out bar the Suzuki?
Forgot to mention GT86.I would go electric but we had huge hassle getting a charger put in at home and because of that I now will avoid at all costs.
For me it would solely depend on the type or roads you will be commuting on and how lightly/heavily trafficked.
The best commute I’ve ever had was a 5min dawdle along a dual carriageway to warm the engine up, over the Humber bridge and then 30mins of amazing b roads that took me to the ‘back’ entrance to the steelworks. Hardly any cars or houses to be mindful of noise. Hot hatches and 80s manual 6 pot beamers were the order of the day.
My last commute was 5mins of dual carriageway, 30mins of motorway cruising with the rest of the herd and 5 mins on speed checked port roads. Auto barge with double glazing, cruise, and comfy seats please.
The type of commute makes more of a difference than anything else.
The best commute I’ve ever had was a 5min dawdle along a dual carriageway to warm the engine up, over the Humber bridge and then 30mins of amazing b roads that took me to the ‘back’ entrance to the steelworks. Hardly any cars or houses to be mindful of noise. Hot hatches and 80s manual 6 pot beamers were the order of the day.
My last commute was 5mins of dual carriageway, 30mins of motorway cruising with the rest of the herd and 5 mins on speed checked port roads. Auto barge with double glazing, cruise, and comfy seats please.
The type of commute makes more of a difference than anything else.
shirt said:
For me it would solely depend on the type or roads you will be commuting on and how lightly/heavily trafficked.
The best commute I ve ever had was a 5min dawdle along a dual carriageway to warm the engine up, over the Humber bridge and then 30mins of amazing b roads that took me to the back entrance to the steelworks. Hardly any cars or houses to be mindful of noise. Hot hatches and 80s manual 6 pot beamers were the order of the day.
My last commute was 5mins of dual carriageway, 30mins of motorway cruising with the rest of the herd and 5 mins on speed checked port roads. Auto barge with double glazing, cruise, and comfy seats please.
The type of commute makes more of a difference than anything else.
Either DC and Motorway all the way, or the option of some B roads and passing through small towns. So either or. The former would be the simpler most direct way. The latter I am happy to do on occasion.The best commute I ve ever had was a 5min dawdle along a dual carriageway to warm the engine up, over the Humber bridge and then 30mins of amazing b roads that took me to the back entrance to the steelworks. Hardly any cars or houses to be mindful of noise. Hot hatches and 80s manual 6 pot beamers were the order of the day.
My last commute was 5mins of dual carriageway, 30mins of motorway cruising with the rest of the herd and 5 mins on speed checked port roads. Auto barge with double glazing, cruise, and comfy seats please.
The type of commute makes more of a difference than anything else.
Ubiquitous2024 said:
But if I am commuting more regularly I need something a bit better. I don't really have a set requirement other than it needs to be reliable, I can't be late to work under any circumstances so very old cars are out. But I would consider a second hand car of up to around 8 years (plucked that number out the sky). Budget wise, unsure yet, could be flexible.
I think if you're so focussed on the reliability aspect and under no circumstances can you ever be late, you need to have an absolutely rock solid plan B to hand as any car, no matter what it is or it's age, has the potential to fail you at any given point and if / when that happens, you'll need to get to work. Upside is if it's only 25mins away, and Uber or a mate could be the plan B but I'd leave 30mins earlier every day to give yourself a safety zone in case the inevitable happens. That's also a huge pressure on you... not sure if want a job that says I can't be late under any circumstances. Heavy. BMW stopped building the Z4 with an N/A 3 litre engine in about 2011. After that the only 3 litres had the twin-turbo N54 engine which seems prone to pretty expensive injector and High Pressure Fuel Pump issues, and most had a DCT. The 35i had manual as standard, but quite a few were built with DCT like every 35is. The 35is also had Adaptive suspension that is expensive if it needs replacing.
Ubiquitous2024 said:
I am leaving the public sector after almost 30 years where I have travelled solely by subsidised train to work. Last time I drove to work was when I was 18. My new job takes me to a 4 day working week, including a 25 min drive there and back. I need to consider my options as a result.
Owing to the savings over the years I have managed to run some high performance cars, and a lot of my career has involved extreme driving and motorbike riding, so I am pretty competent on the driving side. The last decent car I had was an M240 tuned to 430bhp, I sold that in 2022 and bought a Toyota IQ as a stop gap (I only do around 5 miles a week to and from Aldi). Owing to the fact the car is bulletproof and virtually free to run, I have kept it since then and done nothing about replacing it. I love the fact it costs me almost nothing and would rather have the cash in the bank to spend on other stuff.
But if I am commuting more regularly I need something a bit better. I don't really have a set requirement other than it needs to be reliable, I can't be late to work under any circumstances so very old cars are out. But I would consider a second hand car of up to around 8 years (plucked that number out the sky). Budget wise, unsure yet, could be flexible.
Cars that interest me and I have considered:
Z4 3.0 Manual - 2015 ish
Audi S3 Saloon - 2016 ish
Audi TTS - 2017 ish
Honda E - Have no means of charging at home and sceptical about electric and range
Suzuki Swift - 2018 ish
Fiesta/Focus ST - 2019 ish
There are loads of cars I would consider. The things that really put me off are high tax and uneconomical fuel usage. I will never buy a diesel.
Ideas?
370Z Nismo 2017 onwards means sensible tax:Owing to the savings over the years I have managed to run some high performance cars, and a lot of my career has involved extreme driving and motorbike riding, so I am pretty competent on the driving side. The last decent car I had was an M240 tuned to 430bhp, I sold that in 2022 and bought a Toyota IQ as a stop gap (I only do around 5 miles a week to and from Aldi). Owing to the fact the car is bulletproof and virtually free to run, I have kept it since then and done nothing about replacing it. I love the fact it costs me almost nothing and would rather have the cash in the bank to spend on other stuff.
But if I am commuting more regularly I need something a bit better. I don't really have a set requirement other than it needs to be reliable, I can't be late to work under any circumstances so very old cars are out. But I would consider a second hand car of up to around 8 years (plucked that number out the sky). Budget wise, unsure yet, could be flexible.
Cars that interest me and I have considered:
Z4 3.0 Manual - 2015 ish
Audi S3 Saloon - 2016 ish
Audi TTS - 2017 ish
Honda E - Have no means of charging at home and sceptical about electric and range
Suzuki Swift - 2018 ish
Fiesta/Focus ST - 2019 ish
There are loads of cars I would consider. The things that really put me off are high tax and uneconomical fuel usage. I will never buy a diesel.
Ideas?
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202606042...
Lotus Evora:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202607244...
SLC 400:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202606273...
Abarth 124:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202607023...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202607294...
TT RS:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202606012...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202602170...
M2:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202607114...
Supra:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202607214...
RC 300h:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202607063...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202607284...
Mr Tidy said:
BMW stopped building the Z4 with an N/A 3 litre engine in about 2011. After that the only 3 litres had the twin-turbo N54 engine which seems prone to pretty expensive injector and High Pressure Fuel Pump issues, and most had a DCT. The 35i had manual as standard, but quite a few were built with DCT like every 35is. The 35is also had Adaptive suspension that is expensive if it needs replacing.
Yup, I have a 35i (with the DCT). Yes, the injectors went, and yes, that was not the nicest bill to be landed with.But they're a very pleasant environment to do miles in, and if you tweak the power a bit (the N54 is very undertuned as standard), they have the kind of easy poke on tap that makes for largely stress-free motoring.
The manuals, I've heard/read that the clutch is a bit borderline on longevity even with standard power, and the DCT is pretty good TBH. A DCT is what came along in the spec I wanted, so that's what I bought.
Untuned, the throttle response out of junctions etc suffers from typical emissions-courting lethargy unless you're in sport mode, but once someone's reworked things so it performs as BMW should have built it in the first place, it's fine.
With the wick turned up on the engine and the gearbox shunted across into its own sport setting, there's an authentic amount of "not f
king about" available if you want/need it.The chassis is very much GT/cruiser rather than sports car, though.
It doesn't shy away from a drink, though.
Ubiquitous2024 said:
I am leaving the public sector after almost 30 years where I have travelled solely by subsidised train to work. My new job takes me to a 4 day working week, including a 25 min drive there and back. I need to consider my options as a result.
I'm sure you'll be able to cope with stepping up from 3 days a week to 4 days a week.Buy something bland and cheap, with comfy seats and a reasonable stereo.
Keep what you have.
Avoid the stress of needing to use a fun car every day. Or the stress of relying totally on a cheap car.
A shed car and a motorbike also works.
You don't have to fix on one solution for your whole career, you can choose something and dump it when you get bored or fancy a change.
Keep what you have.
Avoid the stress of needing to use a fun car every day. Or the stress of relying totally on a cheap car.
A shed car and a motorbike also works.
You don't have to fix on one solution for your whole career, you can choose something and dump it when you get bored or fancy a change.
InitialDave said:
To add, a 25 min each way commute in an iQ wouldn't faze me in the slightest. If it's otherwise ok, stick with that until it dies (it probably won't) and buy what you really want as a weekend car.
That's something I think i am leaning towards. Some of the links above were cars 30 / 40k... that's a bit much for an initial years training and paycut.Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff