OH NOES!!! A what car thread

[OMNIO]

Hi,

I will be turning 21 in October and so I think its about time i got a car of my own. I'm really after a fast saloon car

I originally wanted an MG ZS (2.5l) and a very nice one can be had for £3k or less. Fully comp insurance was.... bearable i suppose at around £1600 a year.
A mate of mine was worried i would find it hard to find spares as rover went bust? any truth to that?

An alternative is the BMW 323 Ci - 2.5l again but with a bit more poke than the MG. Suprisingly it had cheaper insurance (£1200) fully comp which is attractive!

I guess i just need a few ideas and preferably an idea of how much they cost to run. For example, a quick look on direct.gov tells me both the BMW and the MG will be £425 for a years tax!

Heres my criteria:

Budget £3,000
Milage - Under 90,000
Age - Any
Make - Any
Model - Any
Insurance Group - 15 or less
Manual transmission
Petrol / diesel i dont mind

Thanks for any suggestions guys

[HellDiver]

When did you get your insurance quotes? Insurance for "young drivers" has doubled at least in the past few months.

[Robatr0n]

Based on your requirements, there is a massive selection of cars out there.

Anyway, I've often wondered what these are like in the real world? Probably fairly nippy and agile?

[RobCrezz]

Tax depends on the age of the car, get one pre 2001.

Would go for the 3 series over the MG.

[mnkiboy]

ST220, 156 GTA?

[kambites]

The two cars you mention have very different characters. The MG is probably more lively and more fun, being basically a hot hatch; whereas the BMW is considerably more "grown up" feeling.

Personally, I'd probably go for the BMW but then I don't like FWD cars and I'm not 21.

[OMNIO]

HellDiver said:

When did you get your insurance quotes? Insurance for "young drivers" has doubled at least in the past few months.

Yesterday... And today as well.

[clarkmagpie]

mnkiboy said:

ST220, 156 GTA?

GTA - under 3k? Noooo, under group 15? erm...Noooooo

[OMNIO]

kambites said:

The two cars you mention have very different characters. The MG is probably more lively and more fun, being basically a hot hatch; whereas the BMW is considerably more "grown up" feeling.

Personally, I'd probably go for the BMW but then I don't like FWD cars and I'm not 21.

Hmmm true. The option of RWD appeals as I've been driving in a less powerful FWD car for the last 2 years.

I think I'm swaying more towards a BMW. The German build quality and abundance of parts is good.

I'll bear in mind about the pre 2001 registering as the savings seem significant. I wont buy an 'old' car with a galactic milage however just to save a few quid on my tax though.

Another car i'm interested in is the 330i - pre 2001 and a 3.0l engine not particularly thirsty and despite being a group 17E i can be fully comp with Admiral for £1700

[OperationAlfa]

mnkiboy said:

ST220, 156 GTA?

Insurance groups.. Cough, GTA is 19!

[mpm1987]

VW Bora of some sort?

[kwakus]

mk1 Octovia VRS, not sure what insurance they are but can find them for under three grand

[Devil2575]

RobCrezz said:

Tax depends on the age of the car, get one pre 2001.

Would go for the 3 series over the MG.

You won't get a 323 that falls into the newer high tax brackets. It was replaced by the 325 before that tax change applies.

For the money you will get a newer, lower milage MG but the 323 is a better car.

[Devil2575]

mnkiboy said:

ST220, 156 GTA?

For a 3k budget??

Think again.

[Devil2575]

OMNIO said:

The German build quality and abundance of parts is good.

Another car i'm interested in is the 330i - pre 2001 and a 3.0l engine not particularly thirsty and despite being a group 17E i can be fully comp with Admiral for £1700

German build quality isn't what it was.

You might also struggle to get a 330 in budget.

[RobM77]

kambites said:

The two cars you mention have very different characters. The MG is probably more lively and more fun, being basically a hot hatch; whereas the BMW is considerably more "grown up" feeling.

Personally, I'd probably go for the BMW but then I don't like FWD cars and I'm not 21.

Bang on; RWD is more capable so always feels more secure and less lively. This can be countered with a shorter wheelbase - I had a Mk1 MR2 when I was 25 and absolutely loved it. I suppose they're getting on a bit now though.

[Happy Harvick]

HellDiver said:

When did you get your insurance quotes? Insurance for "young drivers" has doubled at least in the past few months.

Has it? Doesn't seem to have done for me and I'm 19...

[OMNIO]

OperationAlfa said:

mnkiboy said:

ST220, 156 GTA?

Insurance groups.. Cough, GTA is 19!

Yes Group 19 is a bit steep. I dont really want to spend much over £1700 a year for fully comp insurance.

mk1 Octovia VRS, not sure what insurance they are but can find them for under three grand I was given that option by a mate and it looks good. Insurance for some reason is too high

Edited by OMNIO on Friday 2nd July 12:20

i LIKE

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2010...

Edited by OMNIO on Friday 2nd July 12:24

[Steve_F]

Honda Accord Type R, Volvo S60/C70 2.0 turbo, Saab 9000/9-5 aero.

Not sure about the insurance groups but these types of cars tend to be overlooked by the boy racers.

[OMNIO]

i had a gander at a Saab 9-3 2.0T and was impressed by the figures!

Might check out the accord type R. Thanks for the suggestions