£5k for a car... ideas?

SlyReaper

SlyReaper

SlyReaper

Soldato
Joined
26 Apr 2008
Posts
6,653
Location
Bristol, Old Blighty
Right. I'm starting to seriously consider getting a new set of wheels. I've been driving a Mk3 Astra up to now and it's done me good. Now I want something more interesting.

I have £5k in the bank and I want something a bit sporty. As per one of my recent threads, a Toyota MR2 is one I'm considering. What else is similar and worth considering? There's a Hyundai Coupe 2.0i SE for sale near me at just under 5k. I don't know anything about Hyundais, so are they any good? Fast? Reliable? I notice slightly cheaper insurance for that than the Toyota. A mate of mine suggested an M3, but the ones in my price range all have >100k on the clock (will that be a problem?). Insurance would probably be mad on one of those too, I daren't even look on Confused.com for fear of laughing to death. :p

So what does the collective wisdom of OcUK Motors suggest?
 
Considered possibly a Celica? Depends how much power you want, how you want it delivered, but the Celica is a nice enough, sporty coupe, £5k will get you a nice enough 02/03 one, not the most powerful and you probably wouldn't be able to get a great quality 190 for your budget, but could be worth a looksee?
 
I hadn't considered a Celica, but that does look very fine. How does performance compare to the MR2? Although, being accustomed to an Astra, I probably couldn't tell the difference anyway. :p
 
Completely forget the mate's "idea" of an M3. An e36 M3 is something you know you need in your life. They are an old liability and certainly not something that someone who isn't sure if they should buy a Hyundai Coupé or not should entertain.

On that note, don't get the Hyundai Coupé either, not because it's a liability, but rather because eeeew.
 
paradigm said:
Completely forget the mate's "idea" of an M3. An e36 M3 is something you know you need in your life. They are an old liability and certainly not something that someone who isn't sure if they should buy a Hyundai Coupé or not should entertain.

On that note, don't get the Hyundai Coupé either, not because it's a liability, but rather because eeeew.
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I'm told the interior is revolting, but it doesn't look too bad from the outside from the pics I've seen. And I care more about how the exterior looks than the interior. Yes, I'm shallow.

peterattheboro said:
200SX S14a
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And what would this particular assortment of numbers and letters signify?
 
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230496146175

Leaves £1500 quid for insurance.

Sorted.

You all know what it is :p




















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Ohh yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
 
Alfa GTV (if you want front wheel drive)

They aren't unreliable. Phase 2's are nice inside, look nice on the outside (imo), Get with Teledials and they look superb. I found insurance to be relatively cheap (on the 2.0)
Eat suspension arms but get it regularly checked and you're alright.

Get a V6 as it's an awesome engine, although aslong as it's been well serviced and had the oil checked, the Twinspark is fair reliable.

Please don't buy a Hyundai Coupe.
 
Again, what is wrong with Hyundai Coupes? I seriously know nothing about Hyundais, so why is everyone so dead against it?
 
Actually the mpg might surprise you too on a 'vette, on a cruise you'ed see 30mpg. You would also have it insured on a specialist insurance policy ...usually, rather than a regular Direct Line or Aviva policy (actually they may not even cover it, I don't think they list it on the website quotation app) so they can be surprisingly cheap to cover.

I often see people dismiss suggestions such as Lashout's as madness ...no doubt thinking ...yea you can buy the car for £5k but it must be so expensive to run because it has a 5.7 litre V8 and it's American etc ...well actually that is not the case, they really aren't. The only 'expensive' aspect of owning a Corvette from what I can tell is fuel, it's a cheaper can to run than my BMW in every respect ...the 'vette' is actually slightly more economical than the 540i it would seem from my research ... well it is if you get a later model (1992+) with an LT1 engine anyway.
 
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SlyReaper said:
I'm 23. And male.

I'm sure the insurance would surprise me, but not in a good way.

Edit: oh I see you're 24. Never mind then. Still, confused.com doesn't think that car exists so I can't check.
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I was 22 when I had my first one :p

The online thing is true though, you usually have to speak to a specialist like Adrian Flux - but joining the club for £30 quid usually nets you a 10% discount on insurance! :)

^^Yea Moeks, very true. There's a guy in the CCCUK with a black L98 just like that (auto too), with a few intake tweaks, ITG filter, straight-through exhaust with no cats and he swears blind that on a run he usually averages 34 odd to the gallon and on average about 30 - I'd like to see it for myself but it's not unfeasible, with it only turning 2000 odd RPM on a cruise, with 1400kg to shove along on 340ft.lb. I used to average about 20 in my manual L98 but then I drove that pretty aggressively for the most part, and it was usually just around town and a few short motorway sections - on a run it'd usually turn in about 26 :)

The later LT1's quite a lot better on fuel and the autos, even with the L98, are when cruising too, as the overall gearing tends to be higher - but it does depend on the performance pack and final drive specified.
 
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