• Notice regarding image hosts and attachments. See here.

time for a new car..

theNude

theNude

theNude

Associate
Joined
10 May 2006
Posts
2,334
Ok,

My partner has whinged at me one too many times and i now am looking for a new car to replace the mx-5 as the daily hack, aparantly you cant speak to each other whilst driving due to the noisy bumpyness of it and the boot is too small.

I want a medium sized car that isnt a boring rep mobile and has somthing about it. I will be keeping the mx5.

Looked at so far..

Skoda Octavia VRS - cheap, reasonably quick, looks reasonably specced.

BMW 3 series touring (prefere the shape) - i do like the 330d version but pricey.

VW GTI/Seat Leon turbo thing - a well built car, a bit boring though.

Anything considered really, havent really specced up a budget yet but between 4-5.5k.

Things to consider:

I do about 40 miles per week mostly but would use a larger car to do weekend trips and take my bikes places.

Thanks for your input.

Dude.
 
Personally I like the look of the Accord Type-S (available as both saloon and estate) and given your budget, this would almost certainly be my choice. But you might consider it to be a boring rep-mobile.

Or maybe an MG ZT (again, looks quite nice as either saloon or estate).
 
Last edited:
I do about forty miles a week. mostly to the shops/cinema/pick me up from canary wharf.

i would like to start doing more miles, trips to the beach, mountains etc to go for visits/walks/cycling.

MPG isnt really an issue but i would like somthing that wont turn a cheap weekend away into an expensive one from 5mpg and also i want somthing semi-interesting as if i get bored with the car i will trash it like my other boring mobiles ive breifly had over the years. (crash into things for fun etc).

My gf states it should seat at least 4 in moderate comfort, be quiet enough inside to be able to hold a conversation, wont break down every 10 minutes, has some torque so i dont have to nail it off round abouts so much, be a nice colour.

My specs: needs to be interesting, moderately quick, ok on fuel i.e no 5L v8, comfortable, leather prefered.

just found a cheap 530D which looked nice, but also a alfa 147 1.6 (slow i know) but it has a nice leather interior, sat nav, cruise, climate and is under 4k.
 
how about you just buy a hardtop for the mx5, ditch the spacesaver for tyreweld and get one of those chrome luggage racks?;)
 
a 4x4 is a bit large for me. plus i dislike them due to so many being in London and i can never see around them.

When i say crash into things i mean i dont car about the car when reversing in the car park i will judge the gap by driving into the wall. when you hear the bump you know your in ;).
 
theDude said:
just found a cheap 530D which looked nice
Click to expand...

There is nothing nice about a cheap 530d unless you happen to run the independant BMW repairs specialist around the corner from its new owner.

You don't sound like a very responsible car owner at all, so short of giving up driving you need something that will take your abuse. You need something made by Honda.

Perhaps a sporty Accord of some description?
 
Thanks for your response,

I guess I come across as a bit of a stupid driver with my nonchalant attitude towards my previous cars, I was at work and not really putting any effort into my posts.

I am home now and can spend more time.

I shall start again.

I drive very little at the moment, in fact I have never had to commute for work so I never have had to drive. I do however take a big interest in driving for fun, drift days, and track days etc which the Mazda was perfect for.

I have had a few boring cars whilst I’ve had my mx-5's which I did not care for and ultimately led to their early demise. Such as a Nissan QX I got for transporting people over the Christmas period.

I'm now live in London and find myself wanting to escape at the weekend for some relaxation in the country side. The Mazda is not relaxing to drive, very much the opposite, it’s noisy, cold and bumpy. I am still going to keep it as A) it’s not worth anything to sell, maybe a grand or so and B) I can hack that when I want an occasional hack.

I am looking for something practical to shift friends etc around in, one thing I miss from having back seats is having a good laugh going to places with friends, mx-5s are anti social.

I also want some space to take bikes etc

MPG is not a great issue due to the normal miles I do during the week and if I go away at weekends I will budget for fuel but if I am staying in a hotel and I have to spend an extra £100on fuel it soon adds up so reasonable mpg would be nice (30mpg)

The reason why I am asking for your ideas? I’d say I know a fair bit about sports and performance cars and mechanical details of cars but very little about normal cars and what they are like to drive as I have never needed one before.

Cars that have taken my fancy:

Octavia VRS - http://pistonheads.com/sales/680165.htm

I like: supposed to handle well, cheap, reasonably specced, fairly frugle turbo engine.

I dislike: look a bit square, white seats

does anyone drive one on here? What are they like on long trips? Reliable? Is Skoda pricey for servicing/parts?


BMW 530D

I like: Solid build quality, powerful diesel,

I dislike: will probably cost a fortune to maintain, it’s a big car.

Are they really that pricey to run? What if serviced by an independent bmw specialist?

http://pistonheads.com/sales/686632.htm

Also considering a 330d touring.

http://pistonheads.com/sales/694448.htm

Same concerns as above though.

Insurance isn’t a major issue, aged between 23-24, 3 years NCB live in crap area, but we don't rent;)

any suggestions appreciated.
 
[TW]Fox;12459053 said:
Perhaps a sporty Accord of some description?
Click to expand...

ive seen a type R but i think they are quite expensive for the spec and with the big wing are a bit 'in your face' for my taste, i appreciate they take whatever you can throw at them but if i find the right car i dont think i will treat it as i have treated cars in the past.
 
That 530d looks like the most dodgy 530d I have ever seen. For a start its ridiculously cheap - most 530 petrols are not even that cheap with that mileage - it has the wrong wheels on it (You could not get those wheels on a Sport), the seller cant spell, just... no way. You are ASKING for trouble with that car.
 
I drive a vRS but can't comment on the vRS you'd be looking at.
You've set yourself a budget of £5k which is the Mk1 - I'm driving a Mk2.

I will say that I've been driving around with a smile on my face ever since I got my vRS - it really is great to drive and can't really fault it at all (well I can - AC Compressor faulty, Grrrr, but being sorted under warranty).

Ever since Skoda went under the VAG family they have certainly been well put together and they usually appear quite high in reliability surveys.
Standard services seem to be around the £150 - £200 for the vRS.
 
Why a 530d?

Get a 530i Sport - not that much worse on Fuel, and far less to go wrong. You do tiny miles/year too so a diesels just not worth it.
 
I will treat this potential car with love and care, i am an OK driver having had no accidents in the 7 years ive been driving and i am not entirely stupid.

The cars i wrecked were all sub £1000 cars which most people would run into the ground, if i am spending 5k on a car i will have it serviced and looked after.

anyway, the mx5 is for raping so i can get it out of my system and relax whilst driving the family car.

Also in regards to the why a BMW diesel instead of a petrol? i think i will enjoy the lazy waft of torque more than the petrol.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom