Fun and practical - help!

iaind

iaind

iaind

Soldato
Joined
26 Feb 2009
Posts
14,817
Location
Exeter
I'm going to cover off the finances/reasoning quickly first. I do a ton of business mileage so needed something reliable and comfortable. This was paid for by a mileage claim, I ended up buying a nearly new Peugeot 508 to do this and it's been a great car for the job. This was paid for with a PCP agreement which the regular mileage claims were comfortably covering - it's not an amount I'm uncomfortable with anyway. Now we found out last week that they're going to get a pool car for me and the 2 other consultants to use - this suits me just fine as we'll be picking it and it means not paying tons of tax on a company car or allowance (I'm a 40% payer). I was also looking at buying a weekend toy as the pug doesn't exactly excite!
Thanks to a good deal on the price and a low apr, I can comfortably settle the PCP and buy something outright with the equity. With only about 8000 miles a year of commute and personal mileage I've decided to see if I can get a good all rounder to tick all the boxes. I'm quite happy, even eager, to tinker and maintain with it myself.

So, budget of about 4k to get
- Decent performance
- Good handling but with a comfortable ride when I need it
- Mpg not a concern but don't want it to be silly low
- Reaaonably practical. Don't need a huge estate but coupes and 3 door hatches are out.

I'm going around in circles a bit, but here's what I've come to so far. Any pointers would be good

- ST220. If I was reading those requirements it would be the first thing I'd suggest. We know the upsides, only things making me question it is that it's hard to find an unabused one. The fuel economy, depending on what you read, could also be erring to the silly low region.
- BMW 330i e46. The good old OCUK bifecta (is that a word?). In touring form it ticks all the boxes. But the money only buys a 2003ish car with a 5 speed box. The usual minefield of tat
- Saab 95 HOT. It's no secret I love Saabs, had 2 9-3s before. 9-5 in saloon form is a bargain (2007 face lifts are going for £2500!). Hilarious performance, superb comfort and decent equipment. But handling leaves a lot to be desired..

Those are the 3 front runners, the other things I've considered are

- Subaru Legacy spec B - looks awesome and ticks all the boxes, but fuel economy is definitely into the silly side
- Volvo v50 T5 - good performance and kit. Had assumed that they'd handle well due to focus underpinnings but apparently they don't. Not many about, seem tatty at this money.
- BMW e60 530i - another minefield, most are autos and are all low spec SEs at this price - so manual AC, tiny wheels, no navigation etc.
- Skoda Octavia Mk2 vrs - seems to tick plenty boxes, just struggle to get excited by it!

My head is telling me to go buy an ST220 but I can't stop thinking I've missed something... And the temptation to spend a grand less on the faster Saab is still tugging at me.

Any help appreciated!
 
Looked for the Mazda but couldn't find a single one in budget.

The Lexus isn't exactly fast and the running costs of an S4 would be way higher than anything else there. Thanks for the ideas though!
 
I think the Octavia wasn't exciting because it doesn't have a stand out feature like some of the others. The e46 has rwd and a lovely I6, the mondeo has an amazing sounding v6, the Saab has incredible mid range grunt.

But looking at them more, they seem to be the ideal all rounder - running costs should be sensible and they're plenty quick enough. I think if I keep my sensible hat on at least a bit, it's the one to go for.

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifi...ctavia-mk2-vrs-------------------2006/4045974

That looks like a good car for the money, clearly enthusiast owns and the bits of bodywork he talks about don't sound bad at all. Have emailed him for more pictures but can anyone spot anything wrong with that one?
 
Completely agree on the spec, especially on the prefacelift. The one I posted has manual AC, windy back windows, the basic trip computer and no center armrest.

However, the guy sounds like a proper enthusiast (spoke to him at length on the phone last night) - when one shock started leaking slightly (advisory on MOT), he replaced all 4 with Bilstein ones for example. If I buy it I'd probably retrofit the computer and armrest, and change the stereo to an android unit or one with apple carplay. The only option I'd like and cant retrofit is the climate control, which is a shame but I think it's worth living with it to get a properly looked after car. The one option it does have over standard is xenons, which is a good option and difficult to retrofit.

I'm liking the idea of the VRS more and more - much better on fuel than the Mondeo and this one has more power (remap so should be about 250bhp). Shame it doesn't sound as good as the ST though.

Meeting the seller this evening so will see how it goes!

Have been reading up, but does anyone have any pointers of what to look for?
 
paradigm said:
Although he only ruled out 3-door hatches, the rear hatch and available boot space on the LCR isn't great. The hatch opening shape in particular is a bit annoying for larger/more cumbersome objects.
Click to expand...

Sorry hadnt seen that suggestion anyway. It's also an older car based on the Mk4 golf unlike the Octavia which is Mk5 based. There are some newer shape Leon 2.0 TFI Sports in budget, but they dont appeal as much
 
Howard said:
I think it's hard to look past the Mondeo for this budget. That, or a nice condition 330i, but finding one that's been looked after is getting harder and harder. If you're willing to give the car a fair amount of TLC over your ownership period then it should be a fairly rewarding proposition.

I just don't think the Skoda is as good a car. I think I'd rather the Saab option!
Click to expand...

Definitely not looking past it at all, just that the Skoda sounds like something more appealing to own. What is it you dont like about the skoda?

paradigm said:
I'd probably go for the 330i, but then I know the e46 drives very well.
Click to expand...

330i is a great car no doubt. Just at this money, there are so few around let alone decent examples. There's a nice looking red coupe in london but it's an auto (dont mind that too much).... it's also a coupe, which I would probably struggle with practicality wise. Otherwise, there's a blue touring with cream leather and 99k on it (2003) but I dont want a 5 speed manual - I'm not sure when 6 speed came in but obviously not pre 2003!
 
I wanted a *bit* of practicality, but not that much! I dont have kids and wont for some time, I'd be better off with the Astra VXR (meh) or the Focus ST (bottom of the barrel at this money)
 
Insurance isn't a concern at my age, even something like an Impreza WRX is £220 a year. The Saab I like but it's an executive rocket rather than a more focussed drivers car. As much as I like them, I think the Skoda is a better match for what I'm looking for.

The MG......meh. Also it's a V8, so probably well into the "silly mpg" region!
 
To be honest I'd prefer 17s - I think they look fine and tyres are a lot cheaper at that size.

There are a couple within budget that have some more options but very few with xenons and I haven't found another which has such a positive history - most are through dealers who'll say "yeah, its fine mate".

I'd fit an OEM armrest, cruise is an easy retrofit too - although I so rarely use it in cars which have it. Maxidot would be nice but its a cosmetic thing and is retrofittable.

Why do you say they're horrible? :/
 
Armrest and storage will be fine for me - wont be using aux as I'll be fitting an aftermarket head unit anyway.

It sounds like you've been unlucky with yours, understandable that you'd be put off them but I think a lot of people are very happy with theirs
 
Alright just got home from meeting the seller. Car was exactly as described. He's obviously a car geek and has spent a lot of money and clearly enjoyed making his car mechanically perfect. It drove superbly and it's rare to find a car being sold by an owner that enthusiastic about their car. With the map it's estimated at about 250bhp although it's not been on a dyno to confirm and is PLENTY fast enough - haven't driven an unmapped one for comparison but it was extremely responsive, very little turbo lag.

It's exactly what I was after so have left a deposit and pick it up on Friday :)
 
Yeah golfs at this money were all shafted. This Octavia was a corker. The lower value and the type of people buying them seems to make them a safer bet.

Looks... Well, it's never been something I've been too bothered about in a car. I think in race blue or black they look pretty decent, although they don't do much to shout about things. I quite like that though.
 
So that vRS is now parked outside... Drove to Taunton to the pug dealer who bought mine back (kudos to Howards Peugeot for being a pleasure to deal with and giving me a good deal at both purchase and sale), train to reading and a drive down the m4/m5 during Friday rush hour... Long day!

Car behaved brilliantly and did 40mpg on the way home. Only a few things to sort out - could do with new wiper blades (meh), the rear wiper motor needs replacing (very common) and there's some wind noise from the rear door - another common problem with a simple fix. Will be taking it to the body shop next week for a quote on sorting out the few bits of paintwork. The guy I bought it from said he was considering having the spoiler vinyl wrapped in carbon fibre effect... Actually quite tempted by that idea as it would look quite subtle on a black car.

As for the performance... It's a bit of a departure from what I'm used to. The only other 2.0 turbo I've had was a 9-3 aero which is quite a quiet engine with a progressive turbo surge. I expected this to be similar, but it's a whole different ball game. Played it it a bit joining motorways etc but didn't properly open the taps until I was nearly home - with a very tight bend on a dual carriageway (30mph suggested max speed) opening up onto a long straight section. Planting the throttle in third revealed a completely different behaviour to what I was expecting - no noticeable turbo lag, just immediate linear power delivery with a pretty aggressive shove all the way to the redline. Didn't stop giggling for some time. This is clearly a well sorted machine and I'm looking forward to having a lot of fun with it.

Apart from sorting the minor things above, the long term plans involve retrofitting some OEM options (jumbo box/armrest, maxi dot computer and cruise control), an apple CarPlay head unit and possibly a milltek exhaust.

Really quit chuffed, will get some proper pictures when I give it the ritual cleaning on Sunday.
 
Yeah it's a proper hatchback - it's like a longer golf. The boot is pretty decent actually. The TFSI has a belt, it's the TSI (facelift) ones which have the problematic chains.

Just been out in it again, it's a great laugh. Hopefully weather will hold out tomorrow and I'll get some decent photos
 
Nope the TSI engine is the cam chain one - it appeared in the limited edition pre facelift first, then all face lifts. If it's a prefacelift non limited edition then it's a TFSI. Mine has a receipt for cambelt and water pump replacement so I hope its a belt lol
 
Pictures!

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Are you spending similar money to me? I wouldn't go near the GTi and definitely wouldn't touch a DSG with a bargepole at this end of the market! There are GTIs around but they seem to be a mess of abused tat and cars who have been owned by the "scene" lot

Still having great fun in mine, sorted a few little things at the weekend and going to get the bodywork addressed in the next few weeks.. Possibly a wheel refurb too. New wiper motor on order and trying to make up my mind what sort of head unit to install :)
 
Ah cool, sounds reasonable then. I actually quite like the more understated nature of the skoda, a lot of people don't really know what it is. Just avoid anything with pressed plates or a small cuddly toy dangling from the towing eye :)

Are the GTIs at that age TFSI or TSI? Read up on the cam chain issues (mentioned above) which can write off the engine if they're TSI.
 
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