Personally, if an R32 was in anyway a consideration it'd have to be that. I know full well it's not meant to be as dynamically pleasing as the GTI and other hot hatch rivals but that engine... I just love them.
You're not allowed to want what you want, you have to want what OcUK Motors wants
Personally, if an R32 was in anyway a consideration it'd have to be that. I know full well it's not meant to be as dynamically pleasing as the GTI and other hot hatch rivals but that engine... I just love them.
It wouldn't annoy me in the slightest (why would it?!)
I think if i had to have a hotch (ha, that was a typo, but it works nicely) i would have something like the GTI ED30 or Focus ST facelift.
The Mazda 3 MPS will freefall in value, the Golf R32, whilst has a nice engine noise, uses more fuel and isn't supposed to be as sharp as the GTI and the Seat Leon has, quite simply, one of the worst interiors i've laid eyes on. It's hideous.
Buy the focus for about £8k
spend the rest on a MCS and be happy
The Focus I drove was stock and a good drive with a decent engine but didn't feel as urgent as the Mazda or Golf, and it's also hard to get one with a decent spec
Get one and... never make a downgrade in the future?I know that if I was to go, for say an E46 M3 now i'd never be able to make the downgrade in the future and it is something I just want to do.
An ST-3 should be very easy to come by, there's not many options on top of that (Sat Nav + Privacy Glass is all that comes to mind). You really need to drive a remapped Focus if you're aiming for the Mountune kit as it becomes a completely different car (I read plenty on the owners forums stating such and didn't believe a word of it. I got it remapped and my god, the posts don't do it justice!)
You don't necessarily need to go Mountune either (it's not a very popular option due to the £1,200 price point when other tuners provide the same bang for a lot less buck but at the cost of your warranty), at that price however I'm presuming you're buying a one that's still in warranty and want to keep it?
Get one and... never make a downgrade in the future?
My 2 pence....I've owned an R32 for just over 2 months now and to be honest I've not stopped smiling while driving it. I don't for a second regret buying this over the GTI (not sure if an ED30 would sway my decision?).
As others have mentioned, the noise is just addictive, it does have quite a decent selection of toys as standard with many being upgraded to include the RNS-510 nav unit and it genuinely feels like it's been put together properly. i.e. nothing rattles, squeaks or feels flimsy. While the GTI (and I guess the ED30 too) is probably sharper in the twistys, the R32 just feels planted everywhere (it felt more planted than the GTI I test drove). I don't drive like my hairs on fire but even still I've have no drama, understeer, wheels spinning etc in our current weather conditions on wet/greasy roads even when driving spiritedly and pulling away quickly from the lights. It really does inspire confidence.
According to the Roadtrip app I've been averaging about 24mpg over roughly 900 miles of mixed town, a-road and motorway which admittedly isn't amazing but still, the cost of petrol has dropped a few pence lately![]()
I'd look for something less than half the original budget or look for something fast fun instead, still at about half the original budget and pocket the rest for running costs
Such as? Try me.
You'll need the money in your back pocket (and more) to fix and replace all the worn out parts on a 100k mile M3.I have no idea what your preferences are, but E46 M3?
http://classifieds.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/bmw/e46-m3-00-06
Perfectly usable everyday, something to get excited about, lots of money still in your back pocket