Comfortable, Fun & Cheap(ish) to run (£5k).

Scottland

Scottland

Scottland

Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
15,713
Location
North Wales
As some may have gathered from previous posts, I'm weighing up several options regarding my car situation.

First option is a straight mile eater, for which I'm almost decided (the front runner being a Passat).
Secondly, is a cheap mile eater (Mondeo, Xantia, 406 etc) and an MX-5 as a "weekend" car.

Finally, the last option is the "compromise" car.

The criteria for which would be: 4 Doors, Comfortable on the motorway, nimble in the backroads, fun, reasonable insurance, quite cheap to run (35mpg+ on a run really). Oh, and the budget is a measly £5000(!)
I figure that the compromise would be cheaper than the 2nd option, and more fun than the first (albeit dearer).

So, what car's would fit that criteria?

A Clio 172 is too small, a Mondeo ST24 isn't really what I'm looking for.
I've considered the 406 Coupé, but I'm dubious about how it would stack up to the mileage (20k/year).
Something VAG 1.8T based might fit the bill?

Any ideas? I personally think I'm asking too much for the budget, but I have to ask to settle my own curiosity.

I'm open minded, so fire away with your ideas...
 
[TW]Fox said:
Shame really becuase a Mondeo ST pretty much fits the bill perfectly - a great cruiser but also nimbler than other cruisers in B roads etc. You'd also get a great ST200 for about £5k.

Can't think of anything with the VAG 1.8T engine that's going to handle noticeably better.
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I'm not so sure, I've driven a MK2; and whilst I didn't not like it, it's not really what I'm after. If it was, I'd get just get a 2.0 Ghia X and have done with it, and save myself a wad in the process.

I'm not looking for speed, and a big engine. I'm just looking for something to put a smile on my face.

I've never driven an e46 - and whilst I don't know if this would fit the bill, I don't think I'd get what I'm after for the ££? Also auto trader is full of 316's :p
 
Siliconslave said:
I've been totally happy eating motorway miles in my mrk2 2l sport mx-5 but if you need the extra space i would be tempted by something like the galant vr4 (although the running costs are pretty horrible)

end of the day a larger 4 door saloon is never going to be as engageing to drive as a light weight two seater, you kinda need to decide which you want. Stuff like the ATR, beemers, st range etc are very very good fast saloons thou
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Very true, as I said in the original post I'm not really sure if what I want exists. But Thursday & Friday are my own, so I may well TD some things locally.

Whilst I would love the idea of 2 seater roadster as my sole car - it just doesn't add up. And as much as option 2 appeals to me, the idea of forking out for a car just to use on weekends etc isn't. Which is why I'm trying to find some middle ground.
 
After thinking about it, I'm willing to forgo the 4 doors as it might open up a few options. But as my sole car I'd still need back seets and a reasonable boot.

Maybe slightly out of budget, what about the new Celicas? There seems to be some knocking about for £5500+
 
A quick glance on auto trader shows off 2 good points for them: Ready supply of them, quite cheap. However there are 2 drawbacks - Insurance and reliability.
 
Actually insurance isn't too bad, £200-400 more than what I'm currently paying. Insurance for the Celica's is between £0-500 more depending on which model.

I'm still concerned about the reliability of the Fiat though, it'll be near 60k in 3 years I'd be sticking on it...
 
Prelude's don't really float my boat, and you're right about the newer ones minging :(

406 Coupe is a maybe, but again reliability? Also the 2.0 petrol or 2.2HDI are the only ones I'd look at from a fuel point of view. The 2.0 seems maybe a little sluggish? And the HDI is out of my price bracket.
 
Just been out for a test drive in an '01 Celica (140). Quite nice, revy and quick - but not what I would call fast (not really a problem though). Much more fun round bends than my current french boat. Had a go on a dual carridge way as well and it wasn't too bad at cruising. Gearbox is a short shift 6 speed, and I wasn't overly impressed with it really, might just have been the car or the fact I've never used one like it before. Brakes were very vaugue though, but that was probably just the car.

It was a nice car, I liked it but needed more of a drive I think. Glad I'm not over 6ft though, headroom was somewhat lacking!


Off to (hopefully) drive a Fabia vRS now. Out of my budget I know, but I could extend it provided I got a good deal, and 3 years warranty is appealing.
 
siztenboots said:
Could a Saab turbo tick those boxes ?
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Don't think so, if I come accross one though I might have a look.

Been out in the Fabia, wasn't really that impressed. Although I was made an interesting offer, I'm not sure if I like the way it drives though.
 
Conanius said:
5k for an 01 celica?

When I looked at them, it was about 8k for a decent 99 one ...
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No, this one was 10k from a Toyota dealer, it was the only one within about 50 miles at a dealer.

Prices for a reasonable 99-00 one seem to be about £6k+
 
Cheers, I'll bear it in mind :p

I've just found an MX5 specialist about 20 miles away, I might have a trip there tomorrow and have a drive of some early ones (see option 2).
 
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