Car ideas for £15k to recommend for my friend

[Shimmy]

Ahoy there there you scurvy dogs.


So, recently a good friend of mine told me that he was looking to change cars soon and had £15k to spend and wondered what I could come up with. So instantly I started mentioning all sorts of tasty metal, think M3 et al.

Turns out that the £15k is his to spend but will be a present from his parents, and the running costs will be paid for by himself. Odd I know, and yes he's a lucky so and so. Factor in that he currently drives an MG ZR and does 12-15k miles a year, it's immediately apparent that he can't afford to run something like a VXR8. He doesn't want to be spending much more in fuel if at all than he is atm, and the not much more in running costs.

As I'm sure you'll realise this greatly reduces the amount of cars that spring to mind to a petrol head.

The cars he has been looking at so far are Golf GTIs, the Audi A3 equivalent and diesels for both for economy reasons (although he is still open to petrol options).

The basic criteria is as follows:
- faster than what he has now
- newer generation of cars, 3-4 years old max
- similar mpg and running costs to what he has now
- no larger than a 3 series


I look forward to what you all come up with!

 

[mjt]

330i or 330d

/thread

 

[[TW]Fox]

similar mpg and running costs to what he has now
-

330i or 330d

Sigh @ OcUK.

A3 2.0 FSI Sport or something - maybe a Golf TSI?

What is it with threads that are speccing a car for somebody who doesnt even post here that makes it hard to put the effort in

 

[Westyfield2]

E92 330d Coupe.

e.g. http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...page/5/radius/1500/postcode/ST57UF ?logcode=p

EDIT: Gah, beaten like a redhead by mjt.

 

[[TW]Fox]

£15k isn't 330d Coupe money, there is the odd one or two but not nearly enough to make it easy to go and buy a nice one. These are out of warranty cars as well - he's trying to match the running costs of his MG ZR.

He needs to get something nearly new and low hassle - some sort of Golf or something with a bit of warranty left is going to be far more suitable than a 4-6 year old 330.

 

[Morba]

A3 or golf is a good idea tbh

 

[Shimmy]

Yup, I'd imagine a 4 year old 330x would be substantially more to run a year than a 2.0 hatchback that is still in warranty.


Are the 1 series worth a look in at all? I've had a brief look but the large majority seem to be diesels. I think my friend prefers the looks of the A3/Golf anyway. What are the key differences between them apart from the badges? Is DSG worth having?

 

[Sin_Chase]

His young, he should get something fun (easily doable for under 15k) and put the spare cash towards running costs.

An A3? SNORRRRRRRRE.

 

[Banny]

Fun how about a S2 111R or 135R could get an 05 possibly an 06 plate for that money, if he is a petrolhead a Lotus would tick some of the boxs, not sure what they are like on fuel.

 

[Moeks]

No larger than a 3 series, does not compute ...the bigger the better! ...I'll be no use here.

 

[iaind]

http://pistonheads.com/sales/2140707.htm

 

[Moeks]

That'd be bigger than a 3 series then, quite a lot bigger actually and likely slower than his MG ZR ...although much, much better.

 

[iaind]

That'd be bigger than a 3 series then, quite a lot bigger actually and likely slower than his MG ZR ...although much, much better.

Sssshhhh he might not notice, a lot of people seem to think the mondeo is the same size as the 3 series.

I'm not convinced it would be that much slower either, if at all and would almost certainly feel quicker too.

It's where I'd be spending the cash in his situation

 

[[TW]Fox]

An 18 month old Mondeo diesel for £15.5k?

Are you quite mad?

 

[iaind]

An 18 month old Mondeo diesel for £15.5k?

Are you quite mad?

For the sake of a few quid at this level, I'd have the better engine and spec. Saying that, I can't imagine ever finding myself in a situation where i'd have 15k to buy a car but very little to run it.

Look at it this way - the likes of the 320d and a4 are out as they wouldn't match the age criteria and cost much more to run. I was inclined to say a3, but while they feel like a really nice product, I wouldn't want to spend a lot of time in one - gave me back ache pretty quickly.

That really only leaves the likes of the golf, but I'd much sooner have an 18 year old top of the range mondeo than a 12 month old golf

 

[[TW]Fox]

I'd much sooner have an 18 year old top of the range mondeo than a 12 month old golf

Really?!

I wouldnt. Infact I'd rather have a Golf Bluemotion than a K reg Mondeo Ghia..

 

[iaind]

Really?!

I wouldnt. Infact I'd rather have a Golf Bluemotion than a K reg Mondeo Ghia..

It might be the hangover, but your point is making very little sense....

 

[[TW]Fox]

What part of it makes no sense?

 

[iaind]

What part of it makes no sense?

All of it - what relation do 2 cars 17 years apart have to do with what I posted? 15k buys an 18 month old mondeo or a much lower spec golf that's only a few months newer. Why is the golf the better option?

Edit. Durr. Yes, fine.... I see. That's most definitely hangover related

 

[[TW]Fox]

I'd much sooner have an 18 year old top of the range mondeo than a 12 month old golf

I assumed you were not talking about the car you linked to, given it's not a top of the range Mondeo.