What car? £10k, Manual, petrol, fun, fast but reliable
Discussion
Assuming all goes to plan my Jeep will be sold on Saturday which will leave me with no car and a stack of cash. My requirements for its replacement are:
.
I much prefer two door cars because they always look better, weigh less and have longer doors which gives better access and visibility for the taller chap who has his seat very far back.
So what else should I be considering?
- Must be fairly quick (0-60 in < 7.5, >130bhp/ton)
- Petrol
- Manual (though I could be persuaded by a really good torque converter auto)
- Must have decent low down power, not a screamer
- Enough space for two people and a couple of weeks worth of camping gear
- 35+mpg average, 40+mpg at a 70mph cruise
- Must be very reliable and not have exorbitant repair costs and known major issues
- Must not cost silly money to maintain
- £10k or less, less is better
- Must have cruise control
- No more than 8 years old, though the newer the better really
- Skoda Octavia VRS (not very exciting?)
- BMW E92 330i/335i (scary borkage potential puts me off)
.I much prefer two door cars because they always look better, weigh less and have longer doors which gives better access and visibility for the taller chap who has his seat very far back.
So what else should I be considering?
FN2 Civic Type R if you like the hot hatchback route, cracking engine and good handling, I drove one to Edinburgh and back from Aberdeen at decent motrway speeds and it did 36-37mpg. I have an RS Clio Cup which is a great little motor too, but a bit on the small side obviously and not as good as the Civic on gas.
Default PH answer: E46 M3, or how about a Honda S2000? Mine was great, until I crashed it!
A left field choice would bea Volvo C30 T5, but it won't do 40mpg+ on a run, in fairness with your criteria, many cars taht are reasonable choices probably wont.
Default PH answer: E46 M3, or how about a Honda S2000? Mine was great, until I crashed it!
A left field choice would bea Volvo C30 T5, but it won't do 40mpg+ on a run, in fairness with your criteria, many cars taht are reasonable choices probably wont.
- FN2 type R - Don't like these at all I'm afraid. Too heavy and too much of a screamer (and I don't like the looks)
- Clio Cup - I had a 182 with the cup packs and it was brilliant, I don't want to go back there as I don't think I'll ever find one as nice as my old one
- E46 M3 - Way to expensive to run (not so much petrol but tyres/repairs/maintenance). Shame as I really like them
- S2000 - I like the look of them but in the real world I think the lack of torque would be annoying and the official economy is fairly poor (no cruise either)
- C30 T5 - I hadn't thought of that, they actually look rather nice. The economy wouldn't be brilliant but I shall investigate further
- 120d/320d - I couldn't live with the tedium I'm afraid and diesel is most definitely out
- Golf GTI - A good choice though they seem expensive compared to the Skoda and I'm not a fan of the styling. Worth consideration though
- Audis - None of them appeal at all
- Minis - As above, too expensive and the reports of reliability are fairly bad
crosseyedlion said:
The Renaultsport Clio 200 would fit all those requirements except for one, fuel economy - Mine seems to average around 28. Oh and it doesn't really get going until you stoke the fires...
I never liked the 200. The 182 was just fantastic but the 200 added so much size and weight and only a tiny bit of extra power at the top end. The result seemed to be something that was no faster with less mid-range shove and ruined fuel economy (I averaged 40mpg in my 182). I'm sure they handle splendidly but not for me I'm afraid. The Megane 250 on the other hand I like very much but they are still a bit out of my reach .HemiCommander said:
crosseyedlion said:
The Renaultsport Clio 200 would fit all those requirements except for one, fuel economy - Mine seems to average around 28. Oh and it doesn't really get going until you stoke the fires...
I never liked the 200. The 182 was just fantastic but the 200 added so much size and weight and only a tiny bit of extra power at the top end. The result seemed to be something that was no faster with less mid-range shove and ruined fuel economy (I averaged 40mpg in my 182). I'm sure they handle splendidly but not for me I'm afraid. The Megane 250 on the other hand I like very much but they are still a bit out of my reach .The handling, steering and braking is superb though, and a lovely sound (for a 4cyl)
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/a...
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/s...
How about the e90 325? Not quite as expensive to run, but still quite entertaining.
Mazda 3 MP is quite a godo shout actually, not quite sure how the handling stacks up but they have a fair turn of speed, look understated and are generally reliable and well screwed together. 5 doors available too so you pile folk in 'em.
Put steel wheels on, debadge, hide the exhaust and upset away
EDIT: Probably not powerful enough but my girlfriend currently has a Swift Sport and it's a great little car, good on gas with the six speed box on longer runs, it isn't the fastest but it's a joy to thrash and chuck down a B-Road, the only fly in the ointment for me is I feel the driving position is a tad too high.
Put steel wheels on, debadge, hide the exhaust and upset away
EDIT: Probably not powerful enough but my girlfriend currently has a Swift Sport and it's a great little car, good on gas with the six speed box on longer runs, it isn't the fastest but it's a joy to thrash and chuck down a B-Road, the only fly in the ointment for me is I feel the driving position is a tad too high.
Edited by Axionknight on Thursday 30th January 11:55
STW2010 said:
That does have some impressive figures. 350Nm with only 211bhp 
, it must have some serious mid range shove. I can't help suspecting that at 1520kg with 4wd and all the available power 38mpg would be a distant dream. It would probably chew expensive tyres too. A worthy option, possibly a bit too businessman but worthy of consideration.The Leon Cupra R has some good numbers but for some reason doesn't hugely appeal, not sure why.
A 325i would probably be a good option but I would always feel a bit sad I didn't have the 330i I think (Freudian psychology etc).
The Megane 230 is a possibility but I really don't like the looks of that generation of Megane.
The Mazda 3 would look good but the official fuel economy figures (from Autotrader) are a bit woeful.
Was going to suggest the 330i as soon as I saw the topic title. It fit's the bill perfectly, massively reliable, fast, fun (RWD) & fairly frugal when you need it to be.
For £10k you should be able to get into a coupe too? M sport saloon should be easily achievable. They will all be auto's though unless you wait and wait and wait.
Hate to keep suggesting it but if your happy with small cars (you must be as you were looking at Colt's) you'd get a cracking 130i manual for £10k, 125i coupe might even be an option too but will be higher mileage.
Also £10k should get you a Golf Gti Mk5 Edition 30, looks better than the standard GTI IMO
For £10k you should be able to get into a coupe too? M sport saloon should be easily achievable. They will all be auto's though unless you wait and wait and wait.
Hate to keep suggesting it but if your happy with small cars (you must be as you were looking at Colt's) you'd get a cracking 130i manual for £10k, 125i coupe might even be an option too but will be higher mileage.
Also £10k should get you a Golf Gti Mk5 Edition 30, looks better than the standard GTI IMO
Edited by lewisf182 on Thursday 30th January 12:27
The 330i is immensely tempting but the costs would be on another level compared to a 1yo Colt. £10k would get me a car about 6 or 7 years old with 50-80k, so it will need much more maintenance and expenditure to keep it in tip-top condition. Also I have heard concerning things about the N53 engine regarding high pressure fuel pumps and injectors. Parts would be much pricier including consumables. The lure of a straight 6 and RWD is strong but I'm not sure it's a wise idea.
The 130i I like very much in 3-door form but again they are a similar price, have no cruise control and would require so much more money to keep them on the road.
There doesn't seem to be anything comparable in the Colts class in terms of useable performance for the same money. The 500 Abarth is way too expensive and all the NA hatches lack real-world performance.
The 130i I like very much in 3-door form but again they are a similar price, have no cruise control and would require so much more money to keep them on the road.
There doesn't seem to be anything comparable in the Colts class in terms of useable performance for the same money. The 500 Abarth is way too expensive and all the NA hatches lack real-world performance.
Edited by HemiCommander on Thursday 30th January 13:48
Sounds to me like you want the Colt.
Have you factored depreciation in too though? In terms of a 330i, yes, I'm sure the running costs are higher, but they aren't likely to be genuinely "high" - they're basically reliable cars with sensible(ish) parts prices.
ETA - Regarding depreciation, a 2010 plate Colt Ralliart with 21k on the clock appears to be sub-£7k. Why not get one of those instead of a year-old one? Or do you want a warranty?
Have you factored depreciation in too though? In terms of a 330i, yes, I'm sure the running costs are higher, but they aren't likely to be genuinely "high" - they're basically reliable cars with sensible(ish) parts prices.
ETA - Regarding depreciation, a 2010 plate Colt Ralliart with 21k on the clock appears to be sub-£7k. Why not get one of those instead of a year-old one? Or do you want a warranty?
Edited by _Neal_ on Thursday 30th January 14:06
HemiCommander said:
Currently I am leaning strongly towards a Mitsubishi Colt Ralliart as it meets all the criteria and I can get a 1yr old ex demo for under £9k.
From a seven seater V8 Jeep to a teeny-tiny supermini? That's quite a change - are you sure you want something so small?You'll have to change your username from "Hemi Commander" to the rather less macho "1.5 Colt".
HemiCommander said:
That (A4 2.0T) does have some impressive figures. 350Nm with only 211bhp , it must have some serious mid range shove. I can't help suspecting that at 1520kg with 4wd and all the available power 38mpg would be a distant dream.
High 20s is more realistic. Great engine, though., it must have some serious mid range shove. I can't help suspecting that at 1520kg with 4wd and all the available power 38mpg would be a distant dream. Edited by AudiWurst on Thursday 30th January 14:20
_Neal_ said:
Sounds to me like you want the Colt.
Have you factored depreciation in too though? In terms of a 330i, yes, I'm sure the running costs are higher, but they aren't likely to be genuinely "high" - they're basically reliable cars with sensible(ish) parts prices.
ETA - Regarding depreciation, a 2010 plate Colt Ralliart with 21k on the clock appears to be sub-£7k. Why not get one of those instead of a year-old one? Or do you want a warranty?
I have factored in depreciation, although I am planning on keeping this one a while so you only lose that at the end (or right up front depending on how you look at it) rather then paying as you go for running costs. A slightly older Colt would still be a good plan.Have you factored depreciation in too though? In terms of a 330i, yes, I'm sure the running costs are higher, but they aren't likely to be genuinely "high" - they're basically reliable cars with sensible(ish) parts prices.
ETA - Regarding depreciation, a 2010 plate Colt Ralliart with 21k on the clock appears to be sub-£7k. Why not get one of those instead of a year-old one? Or do you want a warranty?
Edited by _Neal_ on Thursday 30th January 14:06
Crusoe said:
On the bmw you can often buy the cruise stalk and have it coded on at the dealer, had it done of my z4 for under £100 fitted so that might give you another option.
I was aware of this though I didn't know it could be done so cheaply.AudiWurst said:
From a seven seater V8 Jeep to a teeny-tiny supermini? That's quite a change - are you sure you want something so small?
You'll have to change your username from "Hemi Commander" to the rather less macho "1.5 Colt".
It would be rather a change but 40+mpg would be a nice change from 18mpg. I was thinking of copyrighting TurboShoppingTrolley actually You'll have to change your username from "Hemi Commander" to the rather less macho "1.5 Colt".
Edited by AudiWurst on Thursday 30th January 14:20
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