help choosing a car.... headache after 3 days of searching

[essexrobb]

hi i wonder if i can grab some advise of some knowledgeable people, i dont really know much about cars. currently have a MG ZR which is on its last legs, head gasket, water pump, etc etc , its losing water now slowly and i was told when the head gasket had gone to get rid of the car.

anyway going to geta newer car as ive had enough of the older cars as i always end up with constant repairs etc.


I've got about 13k to spend on a car... ive narrowed down my search to the following;

GOLF Gti mk5
Seat leon cupra FR
Mazda 3 mps
Volvo S40

I wanted alittle hot hatch thats reliable, it will be my car to and from work (17miles each way), weekends we have a people carrier to take the kids out at the weekend..

been reading all the reviews and all seem good cars, i hoping to get at least 4 years motoring out of it but have a bit of fun with the car aswell...

the mazda 3 seems to be the cheaper car, for the sort of money im spending i can get a 2007 golf gti with about 28k miles for about 13k, whereas the mazda i can get for about 11k with 16k on the clock.

read some reviews which suggest the golf isnt as reliable as once was.... mazda sees to get good reports.

worried about picking a car with 500000miles on it even with FSH, should i be ideally id like to spend less as we moved intoa new house 2 years ago and still need to spend money on the pace, missus not happy that i need another car, but my mg 2 years ago cost £1500.

been looking solidly for days, give myself a headache from it all.

[essexrobb]

thanks for all the replies, had a renault 5 gt turbo back in the day and it was another car that was always causing me problems and money, so right off the french cars now although i like the megane!

thanks for suggestions on other cars, although i dont need a 5 seater car, it may well come in handy when the other car is in for mot, or servicing etc quite liked the volvo c30 until i realised that there is only 2 seats in the back.

i like the new shape mazda 3 with the bonnet scoop although cant get one for my price range. although i hav got to get out of this thinking about high mileage being a bad thing....

[essexrobb]

see i say i like the mazda but everytime i see a mk5 gti, i think there lovely, white looks good aswell..

going to start looking further down the line with higher mileage but with FSH etc, might not be able to get the mazda 3 like that as the bonnet scooped verson was only released 2010 but can get a gti...

i might be able to chop my MG in at the same time lol!!!!!

Edited by essexrobb on Friday 31st December 17:05

[essexrobb]

jonboy_t you sound like my missus lol, that was the idea behind the MG get a cheap car that was realible etc and it cost be £1500 and over the year and half its cost be another £1400!!!!!, could have bought the 3k mg that i wanted but listend to the missus!

[essexrobb]

this is one i did see, a possible contender.... although i like black cars, sort of warmign to the grey as it will be easier to clean etc..
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2010...

[essexrobb]

should of stopped looking if i can get 2k more i could get a R32 with 25k on the clock.....

want one, want one.

[essexrobb]

thanks for all the replies, bit of a result last night (probably the beer talking lol) but mothr in law said she would lend me another 5k for a car (now in R32 territory!!!) so even more confused on what to do, always dreamed of a R32 but always been out of my reach....

seen some examples in the blue i like for about 15k with appx 30k on the clock....

decisions, decisions..... probably just made my life harder, if thats possible when choosing a car...

happy new year everyone by the way.

will look at the mazda 3 mps again aswell.

Also i know i havent shown the car, but do you think a dealership would give me PX on the MG ZR, mot due FEB, 02 ZR 1.4.

[essexrobb]

just had a look at the reviews of the r32, and quite alot suggest keep the extra money and just get a gti, a bloke at work had a R32 for about 6months and lvoed the sound, part of the appeal for me!! lol

[essexrobb]

thanks once again for the replies.... going have a look at the price guide but after spending this afternoon looking at current adverts, the general price bracket for a 2007/08 with about 30k on the clock and leather seats seems to be about 15k

quick question i did see one which isnt too far from me spec as above 2008 18k miles, FSH.... its from a franchise dealer not VW though. Quick question when do the sevices come up for gti' every 10k or 12k?

thanks
rob

Edited by essexrobb on Saturday 1st January 16:47

[essexrobb]

Deerfoot said:

Ahem. I`d take this over a Golf R32 anyday.

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/2229807.htm

missus prefers that over the golf, are BMW more reliable then the golfs, servicing etc are they mroe expensive..

[essexrobb]

Bullett said:

We had similar demands and similar budget after the mrs managed to bin her S3.

Looked at the Fabia vrs, Golf GTI, Audi a3 before settling on an 09 Focus ST with 15k miles.
The Audis were all poverty spec 1.6s the Golf we just felt had too smaller boot and was overpriced for what it was.
The Fabia was brand new, too expensive, too small and a long waiting list.
She fell for the ST first time she sat in it. Ticked all the boxes, spec, size, a bit of go, price and availability.

fabia despite the good reviews i just dont like the way it looks, i cat seem to get a decent riced new mazda 3, seem they are around 18k!! looked at the ST's but lots of reviews suggeste it was heavy on the gas, not sure how that compares to the golf and the BMW, will look at the 130i a bit more closely bt i'm sure i struggled when i first started looking to get one with comaparable mileage to the golfs to get that golf sort of money.

[essexrobb]

RobM83 said:

The ST is a thirsty fellow, even compared to the other models you're looking at. Early 20's to the gallon seems the norm.

i think thats what put me off, every reviewer seemed to enjoy the car but even though i dont do many miles a day that put a downer on me....

wish i hadnt shown the missus the bmw now.... gonna read some comparison reviews....and i though choosing a mobile phone contract was hard work.

[essexrobb]

martin mrt said:

You've got a tough choice on your hands there, some nice cars to choose from,

BMW 130i stands head and shoulders above the rest for me, it drives better than the R32, is quicker and cheaper to run, having better fuel economy and cheaper road tax, the servicing may be a little more expensive. If you can get over the looks try one, you will not be disappointed, I loved the way our lowly 118d drove, it was just lacking in the go dept. If you can try and find one with decent spec (Nav, Xenons, Bluetooth, etc) it WILL help come resale time.

Golf GTI would be my next choice, purely because I've fallen back in love with VWs again, the mk5 Golf was a major turning point for VW, they drive brilliantly, go well and actually handle very well too. Driving dynamics is a HUGE leap over the mk4 although interior trim isn't as robust as it's predecessor, but again I'd have one over an R32 as they are much better value for money, and after a simple remap as quick, if not slightly quicker

Mazda 3 MPS, a friend has not long bought one, quite a Q car, it doesn't shout out hot hatch to me at all, never driven but I hear they are not at all bad, but it is certainly not a car I have ever listed over or wanted.

If it were me, I'd be looking for a 130i, if you can get over the awkward looks (it took me a while) and appreciate what they are, debadge it and you have yourself a very very capable car, that unless you know what to look for, appears to be no different to a 116i M Sport, which in turn makes it blend in, a very important factor for me.

However the mk5 Golf GTI comes a close second, and If I seen the right mk5 whilst looking for a 130i I'd probably end up buying it.

nicely said, and bang on the nail, andprobably exactly where i am right now. tbh reading some reviews there are raving about it, how comes i overlooked this i dont know, proably just assumed audi, bm's mercs etc way out of my price range. Will need a 5 seater 130 though. in a quirky kind of way i do like the looks...

probably looks as if i keep switching between cars just like, and i probably am lol, but this is exactly why i posted on here, havent got much experience with cars like this and i can read all the reviews in the world , but wanted tips from people that had owned them and driven them. keep them coming please, missus happy that the 130 is in the mix....

Edited by essexrobb on Saturday 1st January 21:15

[essexrobb]

SonicHedgeHog said:

My advice would be to not get carried away here. It sounds to me like £13k is your top whack and any more will really stretch you. How about you approach this from a different angle? Instead of looking at how much car you can get for £13k, think about how much you need to spend on a car that will make you happy.

£13k just about gets you some quite tasty stuff, but you're probably looking at poor mpg, highish road tax and insurance and you've already spent all your £13k. Drop down to £9-10k and see what you can get. You might not be able to wave your willy around in the pub quite as much, but you'll have a car that puts less stress on your finances. One of the sure fire ways to ruin car ownership is to have a car that you can just about afford, but places significant restrictions on the rest of your life. Every fill up, tax bill, service etc niggles. Stick within your budget rather than try and spend all of it.

appreciate what your saying here, not about waving my willy in the pub.... I no longer drink!! lol anyways i'm 35 with three girls, house etc and well ive wanted to own a m3 i just cant see any chance of me getting a little hot hatch before i look to old to drive one... girls will be grown up in no time and off to college etc and then i really wont have have money... my only true hot hatch was a renault 5 gt turbo when i was 18, yep it killed me on insurance, and everything else but loved every minute of it tbh. I want some of that back. I know i can get a GTI for 10k,but then i worry about the mileage and if i get a dog that keeps going wrong, probably because ive always had old cars that i seem to have problems.....

Edited by essexrobb on Saturday 1st January 22:04

[essexrobb]

morning quick question to people in the know, are these AA warrantys for £599 for 3 years worth the paper they are written on, does the garage get a kickbak from it or is it cheaper to go direct. Theres a 2007 gold that i'm going to see today and just noticed the garage say it as the remaining manufacturers warranty plus they do these offers of extended warranty.

might try and squeeze a bmw 130i in aswell.

[essexrobb]

cuprabob said:

If it's still within the 3 years manufacturers warranty, VW do an extended warranty through Mondial which is a reasonable cost. They ofer an number of options regarding mileage. You need to take it out before the original one expres. Have a lok on VW website for more details.

I took it out with my R32 and used it with no problems, dealer takes care of everything.

As with all warranties you pays your money you takes your choice You kight not need it.

cheers will take a look on there, another question that has been bugging me, one trader is quoting full service history doesnt mean that its been serviced at VW does it, it could mean that if they are a trader they have serviced it themselves.