Fun and practical - help!

iaind

iaind

iaind

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Joined
26 Feb 2009
Posts
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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!
 
4K should get you a looked after 6mps without moon miles on it.

Just saw a black one (with a few niggles) with around 105k miles on it go for 2k, thats the cheapest I've ever seen one going for. Typical prices are 3-4K altho there seems to be an increased interest in these recently which has seen a few dealers chance their arms at 5k+

I get around 20mpg so not silly low, but a lot of my driving is around the houses, a jaunt to the lakes saw me sitting at around 11 L/100m instead if my usual 20/21 L/100m

Canny interior very comfy, full leather, sun roof, the Bose stereo is fantastic.

Altho theres no Aux in, theres a cable for ~£10, plug it in and boom Aux in :)
There is also a Bluetooth addon adapter but I that's a bit more pricey.

As for running costs...
Cost about £65 atm to brim the tank, tax (depending on plate) will be either 265 or 465 for 12 months. Tyres I've been using Uniroyal Rainsport 3's and they're about £80 fitted a corner from a local place, theres a number of good branded tyres available in the 70-120 bracket for these just use 225/45/18's instead of the 225/40/18 OEM's as it saves a fair chunk per corner.

Filters cost a few quid a pop from ECP, oil a lot use shell helix ultra 5w40 again this is available for decent prices at ECP fairly regularly.

Theres a fantastic UK forum for the MPS range, both 6's and 3's:
http://www.mpsowners.co.uk

I believe there may even be a couple up for sale at the moment, My red one will be soon.
 
Impreza WRX? They CAN do 30mpg+ on a long run if you want, not like you'd average that mind. Pretty easy to buy a decent one for 4k i'd have thought as they're so fundamentally reliable. Depends how refined you really want though as you do have to be happy with everyone assuming you're a chav.
 
Octy VRS. Could get an early pre facelfit MK2 for your budget. Not sure why it is any less exciting than the others you listed.
 
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?
 
Personally I wouldn't recommend an octavia vrs. They have a large host of issues, one of which is lol oil consumption. Mine is currently using quite a lot more than if I was running a Mazda RX8 for example. When it's running properly it's nice, but I've honestly had a ridiculous amount of issues over the year and a half I've had it so it's rare that I can enjoy it. If it was me, I'd go for a Mazda 6 MPS.

Showing that my oil consumption isn't a one off:
http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/268475-vrs-20tfsi-oil-consumption/
 
mccarf said:
They have a large host of issues, one of which is lol oil consumption. Mine is currently using quite a lot more than if I was running a Mazda RX8 for example.

Showing that my oil consumption isn't a one off:
http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/268475-vrs-20tfsi-oil-consumption/
Click to expand...

I have an A3 with the 2.0TFSI engine - was regularly using oil as mentioned (1 litre/1000miles approx), but after having an updated PCV Breather fitted and Software update, oil consumption is now much better - at a guess around 1 litre (5000 miles).
 
I think I'd rather have the Mondeo at that kind of money. The VRSs seem to have a fairly lacking standard spec. I would probably prefer a facelift VRS though but they're newer and a lot more expensive.
 
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
 
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!
 
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!
 
You'll all laugh at this and poke holes etc

But I'm going to through the Zafira GSI into this.

Its practical, they can be quiet fun, there in budget, there ok on fuel etc, they have a decent spec. Ok tis a MPV and if the image is issue fine discoutn it, but it does meet the OP requirements I think.

the other option if you could find one would be a S-MAX 2.5T Titiuman X Sport.

there rare but under neath there a Focus ST ish and there very quick - Ok fuel ain't great but as I've seen here someone has one and does a easy 36 average mpg ish?
 
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)
 
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