This time it's my what car thread...
Discussion
I'm new to PH but have read through the forums on a daily basis (got to do something to pass the time at work).
Basically I am after a 1.9/2.0 diesel hatchback with a decent mpg as well as having some power. I have been keen on an Audi A3 1.9TDi but I was wondering if anyone could suggest anything a little different as I like to be for want of a better word 'odd', which is explained by the fact that I'm currently driving an '03 plate 1.6 Corolla at 18.
Also when I purchase and insure the car I will be 19 with 2 years no claims so that has to be taken into account.
I look forward to hearing your suggestions.
Cheers CT7
Basically I am after a 1.9/2.0 diesel hatchback with a decent mpg as well as having some power. I have been keen on an Audi A3 1.9TDi but I was wondering if anyone could suggest anything a little different as I like to be for want of a better word 'odd', which is explained by the fact that I'm currently driving an '03 plate 1.6 Corolla at 18.
Also when I purchase and insure the car I will be 19 with 2 years no claims so that has to be taken into account.
I look forward to hearing your suggestions.
Cheers CT7
CasTiger7 said:
I'm new to PH but have read through the forums on a daily basis (got to do something to pass the time at work).
Basically I am after a 1.9/2.0 diesel hatchback with a decent mpg as well as having some power. I have been keen on an Audi A3 1.9TDi but I was wondering if anyone could suggest anything a little different as I like to be for want of a better word 'odd', which is explained by the fact that I'm currently driving an '03 plate 1.6 Corolla at 18.
Also when I purchase and insure the car I will be 19 with 2 years no claims so that has to be taken into account.
I look forward to hearing your suggestions.
Cheers CT7
Hi and Welcome Basically I am after a 1.9/2.0 diesel hatchback with a decent mpg as well as having some power. I have been keen on an Audi A3 1.9TDi but I was wondering if anyone could suggest anything a little different as I like to be for want of a better word 'odd', which is explained by the fact that I'm currently driving an '03 plate 1.6 Corolla at 18.
Also when I purchase and insure the car I will be 19 with 2 years no claims so that has to be taken into account.
I look forward to hearing your suggestions.
Cheers CT7
Couple of things:
1. Why a hatch? No seriously, its not that there is anything wrong with them. But unless you really need one, often a 3 door coupe or a 4 door saloon can offer as much if not more.
2. Why diesel? Are you doing a lot of miles? If you want a diesel because it's a diesel then no probs
I'm actually quite a fan and supporter of diesel power. But if you are only looking at it for mpg reasons then I think it's very worth while doing some number crunching. e.g.If you only do 8000 miles a year. Then a diesel doing 44mpg would cost you £1040 for the year or about £86/month. Whereas a petrol car doing 32mpg would actually only cost you £1318 and about £110/month.
A difference, but not maybe such a vast gap you'd always think, in fact in this example on £24 more a month. If you are doing a lot more miles then it might be a different story though.
As for buying, well diesels are usually more pricey, so you'll get more petrol car for your money. But a diesel will generally be worth more to sell on too. The main difference is, that to buy a diesel powered car then chances are for the same money as a petrol one, it'll have a lot more miles on the clock (maybe double) and likely be a couple of years older and maybe lower spec.
3. What sort of budget are you looking at? Cars sensible range from £500 to £25,000. So knowing a general budget makes it a lot easier to recommend viable options.
4. As for being different. Well maybe I'm the odd one here, but I really don't see a Corolla as being different, nor an Audi A3
They seem 100% regualr normal cars to me.In fact taking this point further and looking back at point 1. Very few hatchbacks are different. They are the most common of the common type of car in the UK. And for me at least that makes them far from different and often boring.
So it brings us back to "do you really need a hatch?". Seriously hatchbacks exist as a compromise. The shape suits the compromised fwd layout and it offers practicality and maxmimises space of the floor pan.
So at 19 do you really need practical? How often and much of need do you have to get people in the back? And if you do, how often, for how long/far and what size/type of people are they?
3 door hatches aren't great to get in and out of the back and are often short on space. So again to me at least it says a 3 door coupe is 99.99% as practical in this department. The only real difference is maybe headroom. But if all you do is occasionally take some mates to the pub or to the shops, then I say its no bother at all.
Carrying stuff. Often hatches allow taller objects in due to the hatch. But again how often do you really need to haul large objects? If it's frequent then maybe a van, estate or 4x4 would be a better bet anyway. If it's a rarity, then why compromise on a car to achieve it?
Running along a similar theme and trend to this. Insurance is an issue, but classics and kit cars will be by far and away the cheapest things to insure. What it essentially means is, you can have a far more interesting car, and likely more sporty, better looking, faster and more fun for a lower insurance premium. Mileage and running costs might be an issue if you do a lot of miles, but this certainly doesn't rule out this sort of car.
As a for example...
I'm 30 now. But when I was 19 I had a 2.0 rwd Sports car. A TR7 (1976 model). And I ran along side it a 1982 5.3 litre V12 Jaguar XJ-S. And by 21 I still had the Jag and another V8 powered Triumph.
All a lot of fun and in reality no more costly or difficult to run than the Escorts, Sierra's, Nova's and Astra's that many of my mates ran.
So if you could live with only 2 seats and aren't doing 20k+ a year. Then from as little as £1800 you could drive around in something as fun and different as this:
1997 Quantum 2+2 (1997)
55,000 miles £1,800
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1966018.htm
And likely have much lower insurance too and chances are such cars won't lose anything in residual terms either.
For a bit more money:
Westfield 1600 Lightweight (1989)
9,500 miles £4,985
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2099646.htm
Austin Healey 100/4 replica by Haldane (1993)
44,000 miles £5,850
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2126856.htm
1984 CAR CRAFT CYCLONE BLUE KITCAR (1984)
£3,200
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2181723.htm
Bit more mainstream/practical:
TRIUMPH DOLOMITE SPRINT (1976)
89,000 miles £5,995
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2150768.htm
Spitfire 1973 nice condition (1973)
40,000 miles £2,150
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2081266.htm
TRIUMPH TR7 BLUE 180bhp (1980)
£4,750
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2127111.htm
TVR 460SE well 400 with 4.6, 8.5 x 15 alloys 35k R380 Gearbox (1989)
37,000 miles £4,750
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2042573.htm
TVR S Convertible 2.9 S3 (1990)
75,000 miles £3,995
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2099498.htm
sunbeam 16v
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2052131.htm
ROVER P6 3.500S (1973)
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2126244.htm
Rover Sports Pack Mini Cooper 1.3Mpi (1997)
60,000 miles £4,995
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2107798.htm
Reliant Scimitar GTE SE5 3.0 V6 For Sale (1971) (1971)
45,000 miles £2,000
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2138487.htm
Scimitar 1800TI SS1 Rare Turbo Convertible Sportscar. (1987)
65,311 miles £2,650
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2035592.htm
Rover SD1 Vitesse V8 (1986)
110,000 miles £1,500
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1900681.htm
924 S 2.5 (1986)
88,000 miles £1,000
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2181464.htm
PORSCHE 944 GENUINE TURBO (1986)
£3,195
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2187917.htm
opel manta exclusive (1986)
£2,000
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2076436.htm
MGB GT (1978)
£2,550
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2134137.htm
Apologies
I may have got a little side tracked there. But as you might be able to tell, I don't really do diesel hatches.... 
Hope I've been able to offer something of interest though.
Edited by 300bhp/ton on Friday 22 October 08:41
300bhp/ton said:
[If you only do 8000 miles a year. Then a diesel doing 44mpg would cost you £1040 for the year or about £86/month. Whereas a petrol car doing 32mpg would actually only cost you £1318 and about £110/month.
That general point is definitely valid, but I think your figures (or my sums ) are a bit out.Might be different in different parts of the country, but round here a litre of diesel has averaged 1.5p more than petrol over the last two years - your figures look closer to 10p more.
What I meant by odd was which 18 year old do you know that drives a corlla? Hence the reason I asked for some suggestions regarding something different to an A3.
In relation to your other question, I am doing 20k+ plus a year which is why I am after a diesel but something more sporty as long as it has 4 seats and cheapish to insure would definitely be an option.
In regard to budget I have £6k to spend on a car and insurance budget would be around £2k.
In relation to your other question, I am doing 20k+ plus a year which is why I am after a diesel but something more sporty as long as it has 4 seats and cheapish to insure would definitely be an option.
In regard to budget I have £6k to spend on a car and insurance budget would be around £2k.
jamieboy said:
300bhp/ton said:
[If you only do 8000 miles a year. Then a diesel doing 44mpg would cost you £1040 for the year or about £86/month. Whereas a petrol car doing 32mpg would actually only cost you £1318 and about £110/month.
That general point is definitely valid, but I think your figures (or my sums ) are a bit out.Might be different in different parts of the country, but round here a litre of diesel has averaged 1.5p more than petrol over the last two years - your figures look closer to 10p more.
Unleaded Diesel LRP Super LPG
The Highest price in this area: 121.9p 123.9p n/a 128.9p 61.9p
The Average price in this area: 116.6p 120.1p n/a 123.6p 61.9p
The Lowest price in this area: 113.9p 117.9p n/a 118.9p 61.9p
jamieboy said:
300bhp/ton said:
[If you only do 8000 miles a year. Then a diesel doing 44mpg would cost you £1040 for the year or about £86/month. Whereas a petrol car doing 32mpg would actually only cost you £1318 and about £110/month.
That general point is definitely valid, but I think your figures (or my sums ) are a bit out.Might be different in different parts of the country, but round here a litre of diesel has averaged 1.5p more than petrol over the last two years - your figures look closer to 10p more.
300bhp/ton said:
jamieboy said:
300bhp/ton said:
[If you only do 8000 miles a year. Then a diesel doing 44mpg would cost you £1040 for the year or about £86/month. Whereas a petrol car doing 32mpg would actually only cost you £1318 and about £110/month.
That general point is definitely valid, but I think your figures (or my sums ) are a bit out.Might be different in different parts of the country, but round here a litre of diesel has averaged 1.5p more than petrol over the last two years - your figures look closer to 10p more.
8000miles / 44mpg = 181.8 gallons * 4.54 = 825.4 litres
£1040 / 825.4 = £1.259 per litre
8000miles / 32 mpg = 250 gallons * 4.54 = 1135 litres
£1318 / 1135 = £1.161 per litre
I suspect it's still a bit too early for me to be trying to do sums
CasTiger7 said:
What I meant by odd was which 18 year old do you know that drives a corlla? Hence the reason I asked for some suggestions regarding something different to an A3.
In relation to your other question, I am doing 20k+ plus a year which is why I am after a diesel but something more sporty as long as it has 4 seats and cheapish to insure would definitely be an option.
In regard to budget I have £6k to spend on a car and insurance budget would be around £2k.
at 20k+ a year though things do change.In relation to your other question, I am doing 20k+ plus a year which is why I am after a diesel but something more sporty as long as it has 4 seats and cheapish to insure would definitely be an option.
In regard to budget I have £6k to spend on a car and insurance budget would be around £2k.
i wouldn't want to be stuck in most of those for that long tbh.
what sort of mpg are you looking for? my e36 328i returns 40mpg on the motorway, or are you looking for 55+ cars?
CasTiger7 said:
I have the corolla at 39/40 when pushing 80mph most of the way so anything mid 40s-50s would seem like a massive improvement. The reason for the diesel being I just wouldn't be able to afford to run a 2.0 litre petrol engine.
don't forget that diesel prices do seem to be going up quite fast at the moment. certainly around my way.jap cars that i've had do seem to all have been quite rubbish for mpg, despite being very well put together cars.
though if you do want the diesel route, how about an alfa 147 1.9 JTD 16v? 47mpg, 140bhp, look quite nice, and definately different for a young driver
CasTiger7 said:
What I meant by odd was which 18 year old do you know that drives a corlla? Hence the reason I asked for some suggestions regarding something different to an A3.
No worries Although I have to admit to still being perplexed about how a Corolla is odd? Ok it might not be the perceived cool car for some. But it still seems fully normal to me
CasTiger7 said:
In relation to your other question, I am doing 20k+ plus a year which is why I am after a diesel but something more sporty as long as it has 4 seats and cheapish to insure would definitely be an option.
If a diesel is what you want, then again - no probs I still think it's worth looking at the numbers though. And the reason I say this is really rather simple. As of yet most diesel engines, even really good ones are only fitted to rather boring non sporty cars. There are exceptions like the famed BMW 335d (mapped)
but none of these options are really viable for £6k.Also it is only the more modern diesels that have had the performance ability. Which again makes it harder to find cars in price and fun/interesting.
Even non interesting cars like an Astra, a diesel will cost considerably more and likely have a heck of a lot more miles on it too. Some logic would say, spend less on the car and just accept slightly higher running costs as a trade off.
Back to the 4 seat reason and hatch though. Again, if it's "just because you want it". Then no body can really argue it
But what do you mean by 4 seats? I've had an MGB GT which technically had 4 seats, as did my XJ-S. And they where both usable for short distance. However if I was giving adults a lift for a 1 - 2 hour journey it really wouldn't have been ideal.
So for your own benefit I'd make sure you know what you need and want from a car. As in would a 2+2 be fine or even a 2 seater? Or instead of a hatch would a saloon car be a better option?
CasTiger7 said:
In regard to budget I have £6k to spend on a car and insurance budget would be around £2k.
Ok taking into account the above and mostly the mileage and seat time. You need:-it to be affordable
-fairly comfy, although at 19 this is maybe less a real issue
In terms of affordable. Well a diesel is certainly one option. But lightweight petrol cars can be frugal too and there's LPG options too. If you are prepared to maybe be a little more flexible in your approach, it opens up quite a vast range of different cars.
So while I'm not saying any of these are better than a 1.9 A3. They are just possible alternatives that I'd consider at least different to an A3 or interesting where possible.
JAGUAR X-TYPE 3.0 V6 (2002)
55,334 miles £4,195
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1823110.htm
Ok it's a V6, but cruising I suspect 28-32mpg is quite likely. But you're budget would give scope to LPG it. Which in reality would give you a cost per mile ratio of nearer 50-52mpg. To me this is more classy, exclusive and better looking than an A3. It's also faster and a better drive and certainly more comfy inside and out. For a 19 year old I suspect it would also be rather cool.
There is also a very good 2.0d model too. Which will do 42-45mpg.
JAGUAR S-TYPE 4.0 V8 4DR AUTO SAT NAV FSH (2000/X)
91,362 miles £2,995
A bit more classy again. Loads of room for people and stuff. Another great LPG car which really would be very pleasant to sit in for long periods each week.
V6's available too if a V8 seems too much.
Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.7 V8 LPG Very Low Miles (2001)
44,000 miles £6,000
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2159433.htm
Bit of a different take on it. But isn't that what you asked for
On a more Serious note, if you are doing a lot a miles all year round. Then something like this will be comfy, fairly rapid with a V8, fun (but in a different way) and keep you mobile no matter the weather.
This one also has LPG already fitted too which should give it costs per mile in the region of 30-38mpg.
Honda Prelude Motegi (1999)
64,000 miles £3,000
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2159538.htm
Well below your £6k target. So even if higher insurance and fuel costs exist it would balance out fairly well. But IMO a lot more fun and interesting car than a diesel A3. And I can't really see it being any less practical than a 3 door hatchback either.
Lexus LS 400 (1996)
61,000 miles £2,350
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2153688.htm
4.0 litre V8 and all the luxury you'd probably ever need. Another great LPG candidate and you often see them already converted.
Smart Car Roadster 80 [RHD]HIGH SPEC (2006)
33,000 miles £6,290
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2083315.htm
Ok it's a 2 seater. But that's why I asked earlier. These little cars are huge fun and very quick point to point cross country. And on a run they'll do 52mpg!
SMART FORFOUR 1.5 BRABUS 5DR
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2133598.htm
Ok it's a hatch. But with a 1.5 litre engine it's fairly good on fuel, but with a turbocharged 177hp it's also fairly quick (6.7 sec 0-60mph I think). And I personally think it looks better/more interesting than an A3 and is certainly more rare and eye catching.
MG ZS 2.5 180 4DR 1 OWNER FROM NEW MAIN DEALER HIST FACELIFT (2004)
£3,995
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1821636.htm
You can actually get these from under £2k now. But they are practical (5 seats and a big boot) yet are fast and a very good drive. IMO above your average hatch in driver enjoyment. Also cheap and easy to maintain. 2.5 will do 33mpg on a run or there are diesel engines too.
MG ZT LTD EDITION PEARL WHITE MONOGRAM 2.5V6 24VALVE (2004)
£2,495
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2159738.htm
Again well under budget, so treat it a bit like the Prelude and ZS. Just a different viable option that is at least as interesting if not more so than an A3 but for less pennies. Practical too and a good steer.
There is a BMW powered diesel too, although rare it seems.
MINI COOPER AIR CON/PRIVATE PLATE/SUN ROOF/LOW MILAGE + MORE! (2002)
54,793 miles £4,350
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2107532.htm
Not as good on fuel as you'd think. But it has 4 seats, is in budget and a lot more interesting and fun IMO.
A lot of classics could also be made to run LPG too.
But at the end of the day it all comes down to how interesting you want to be and how much of a compromise you'd make elsewhere to have a more interesting car.
HTH
Edited by 300bhp/ton on Friday 22 October 10:38
Edited by 300bhp/ton on Friday 22 October 10:40
jamieboy said:
300bhp/ton said:
jamieboy said:
300bhp/ton said:
[If you only do 8000 miles a year. Then a diesel doing 44mpg would cost you £1040 for the year or about £86/month. Whereas a petrol car doing 32mpg would actually only cost you £1318 and about £110/month.
That general point is definitely valid, but I think your figures (or my sums ) are a bit out.Might be different in different parts of the country, but round here a litre of diesel has averaged 1.5p more than petrol over the last two years - your figures look closer to 10p more.
8000miles / 44mpg = 181.8 gallons * 4.54 = 825.4 litres
£1040 / 825.4 = £1.259 per litre
8000miles / 32 mpg = 250 gallons * 4.54 = 1135 litres
£1318 / 1135 = £1.161 per litre
I suspect it's still a bit too early for me to be trying to do sums
Gassing Station | General Gassing [Archive] | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff