Get me in a fast car again...

TheDean said:
Drive them both and tell me what difference there are. Maybe on a track you'd notice them, but I certainly couldn't work out why people wouldn't get an FR and map it. But if you want to spend more money on insurance, fuel, etc etc by all means :)
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But i doubt i would be spending any more money really :confused:. They are barely any more expensive to buy over the FR

I just explained that insurance is likely to be the same if i declare the re-map and mods and fuel economy, from what i have read, is pretty much the same in both. (even the quoted figures only differ by about 1mpg).

So it was fuel, insurance.....what are the "e.t.c e.t.c."'s???
 
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Ok, so after some gentle musings over the weekend i have taken the suggestion of the Mazda 3 MPS onboard.

Good amount of power and equipment and although the tax on them is terrible, they seem to be very decently priced ( most likely due to that fact). The interior looks like a nicer place to be than the Leon Cupra as well. I also think i may struggle to find a really decent MK2 Cupra for under 8k or under.

What is the Mazda 3 MPS reliability like and what would the day to day living with one be like?

What are peoples thoughts on the Mazda 6 MPS as well? Sounds silly but i think the 6 MPS is a better looking car than the 3.
 
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Funnily enough I saw one of these (Mazda 6 MPS) recently at a dealership and was pretty impressed with it looks wise, I didn't drive it though. The interior felt very nice, almost premium actually and had plenty of room and kit and put together with really nice materials. I looked at this car after an Impreza STi and a 330ci Clubsport and of these it easily had the best interior (although the clubsport was a beige interior and looked rather tired, ex smokers car too).

I also thought it looked pretty understated for a 256bhp car apart from the 18'' wheels and dual exhausts. Not a big fan of the exhaust tips though as they aren't real, they're actually just a cosmetic housing for a much smaller exhaust inside which looks a bit daft really. I was also intrigued by the carpeted rear wheel arches though!
 
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mosfet said:
Both have LSDs and I barely notice the torque steer. The only time it becomes an issue is if you push it hard on a poor road surface.

The 3 MPS is unbelievably quick (~400nm torque) and can be mapped fairly cheaply to 290ps+.

Older ones are cheap to buy owing to the relative obscurity and high tax band (over £400 up to 2010 model). Fuel consumption is as you'd expect; mine is 28mpg over the 30k miles since delivery, motorway runs get about 35mpg.

Biggest plus for me is that the Mk 1 MPS is very Q. Without the badges it just looks like a more tasteful Mazda 3 Sport so I get very little attention, yet away from the line it'll keep up with my boss's Cayman.
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In terms of mpg, is 35 really doable in the MPS? From looking at the official combined figure i would expect it would be tough to ever get over 30mpg in one!?
 
Maybe they're dogs, maybe they drink oil or maybe they have zero spec.

No harm in going and having a look.
 
Well, this is tricky.

Every car on my shortlist has its pro's and cons. :(

MK 2 Cupra -

Pro's - Good amount of power, smart looking exterior, fairly well spec'd, same chassis as Golf GTI
Con's - Not many for sale, interior is a bit rubbish

MK5 Golf GTI -

Pro's - Best in terms of depreciation, very well reviewed/regarded car, good build quality, fairly well spec'd, loads for sale.
con's - very common, not as fast as the Focus ST, bit drab to look at, would have to settle for an older/higher mileage on for the budget.

Mazda 3 MPS -

pro's - lovely amount of power, decent looking interior, very well spec'd as standard, could probably pick one up for peanuts as they are very hard to shift
con's - They are very hard to shift! (:p), stupid tax band, mixed reports on fuel economy (some say it drinks petrol, some say it will deliver 35mpg on a run)

Skoda Octavia VRS -

Pro's - Cheap to buy, same chassis and engine as Golf GTI
con's - Not that well spec'd as standard and really well spec'd ones are rare, not as fast as the Focus ST, I only like them in blue ( maybe red)

BMW 130i

Pro's - Sort of always wanted a BMW, good performance and a great engine, even though I think it isnt regarded to be as well made as other BMW's it will probably be of better build quality than the others, fairly well spec'd, no turbo to worry about going wrong
Con's -possibly more expensive if other bits go wrong!, not sure if actually in budget( Only two in budget for sale at the mo are from small garages in london and they come in at £1-2k under all the others).

I don't know what to do :(. I'm probably over thinking all of this.
 
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MK Leon Cupra or Madza3 MPS.

Personally I think the MPS is the better buy for the money. Both will have similar economy in the real world, the mazda just will cost more to tax. It has an excellent standard spec too.
 
NathWraith said:
MK Leon Cupra or Madza3 MPS.

Personally I think the MPS is the better buy for the money. Both will have similar economy in the real world, the mazda just will cost more to tax. It has an excellent standard spec too.
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If i am honest, these are the two that are at the top of the shortlist. The MPS perhaps at the top but i would probably try and get one for 6-7k as i know people cant sell them and would want to offset the silly tax.

The only annoying thing is that Mr sensible inside just says get the Golf :(
 
I'd add the Megane onto your shortlist, then go out and drive each car on it. You'll probably be able to take at least a couple off the list straight away.
 
i have been looking at C30 T5's today.

Another one to add to the shortlist. I worry i might be dissapointed with it coming from the Focus in terms of handling but refinement and build quality would be an advantage over it.

Still cannot decide :p
 
RickST said:
Buy another focus, you know you want to :) (and yes my username was based on the fact I had a Focus ST500)

What about a Volkswagen Golf R32 5DR?
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...2/postcode/w37bn/radius/1500/page/1?logcode=p
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Hm, not really any faster than the Focus, dated 2004 car, probably worse fuel consumption than in the ST!

No thanks! :p

At the moment the sensible part of me is saying MK2 Octavia VRS. If i can find one with all the toys for less than 8k with a fairly low mileage then i would be tempted.

If a reasonable aero kit 3 MPS comes up then i might be tempted iwth one of those as well.

Nothing much for sale around me at the moment though! :(
 
If you find the right car then I wouldn't see any problem in travelling. Someone I know went from Edinburgh to Brighton on the train and drove his new mr2 home as everything up here was either chavved within an inch of it's life, full of holes or mechanically shafted.
 
Have you considered a Civic Type R?

I'm in a similar situation myself. Sold my Leon Cupra R and got a Golf TDI. Regret it and want some speed again. It's not that I particularly miss the Leon either, it was remapped to around 260bhp but was IMO boring compared to the Integra I'd had previously. Also I should mention that going straight from a Leon to a Golf I noticed just how much better the Golf was put together. Seats are cheaper for a reason.

Now I'm in the market for an £8k car and I've looked at all the cars listed in this thread and others. I ruled out the Civic early on cause it's down on power compared to its rivals. However, I was at a garage the other week and there was one there which somehow caught my attention despite being red as I usually hate red cars. It was an 08 one owner car with 40k on the clock. I was leaning heavily towards a mk5 golf gti until I saw this. Similarly priced golfs were 3 or 4 years older with higher mileages. Have to say the Civic has my favourite interior as well, really cool place to be but that's down to taste.

Anyway I'm gonna look at a few more before I make a final decision. I know the civic is slower but my integra was 70bhp down on my Leon but twice as fun to drive.
 
JaWalks said:
Have you considered a Civic Type R?

I'm in a similar situation myself. Sold my Leon Cupra R and got a Golf TDI. Regret it and want some speed again. It's not that I particularly miss the Leon either, it was remapped to around 260bhp but was IMO boring compared to the Integra I'd had previously. Also I should mention that going straight from a Leon to a Golf I noticed just how much better the Golf was put together. Seats are cheaper for a reason.

Now I'm in the market for an £8k car and I've looked at all the cars listed in this thread and others. I ruled out the Civic early on cause it's down on power compared to its rivals. However, I was at a garage the other week and there was one there which somehow caught my attention despite being red as I usually hate red cars. It was an 08 one owner car with 40k on the clock. I was leaning heavily towards a mk5 golf gti until I saw this. Similarly priced golfs were 3 or 4 years older with higher mileages. Have to say the Civic has my favourite interior as well, really cool place to be but that's down to taste.

Anyway I'm gonna look at a few more before I make a final decision. I know the civic is slower but my integra was 70bhp down on my Leon but twice as fun to drive.
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Oh i have indeed! I also love the civic's styling and interior and the FN2 Type R looks lovely in my opinion. I may well go and test drive one but i have the feeling i will not like the lack of torque. :( Also, hardly any come with xenons (not even sure this was an option on the early ones?) which i would really like.

On the plus side, it is probably pretty bomb proof with no big bills to be worried about.

Glad someone else has made the same mistake i have :p. I figured i didnt want to be spending the extra money on something fun and wanted something that had a very low chance of any big bills, low insurance costs and good fuel economy. Having had the Civic for 5 months, I now know that speed is well worth the extra cost!
 
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I looked at almost all the same cars and went for the 130i

Go test drive a 130i put the window down floor it in 2nd and listen to to the straight six goodness entering the cabin

The other thing that won me over was throttle response it's soo much better on a n/a and also the feedback from the road was much better on the BMW compared to the vag hot hatches
 
mattx2 said:
I looked at almost all the same cars and went for the 130i

Go test drive a 130i put the window down floor it in 2nd and listen to to the straight six goodness entering the cabin

The other thing that won me over was throttle response it's soo much better on a n/a and also the feedback from the road was much better on the BMW compared to the vag hot hatches
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Don't get me wrong, i would love a 130i but from what i have seen, you need 10k for a decent well spec'd one.
 
Ok, so say i was able to find a 130i within budget, (8k) what potential is there for big bills? Also, is there any point buying one with no spec? I would probably wantan M sport simply because of the looks but do these come well enough spec'd as standard? Would i never be able to sell it on if it didnt have nav,xenons e.t.c.

Also, if i was to buy privately would i be able to put a BMW warranty on it? As i undrstand from reading other threads, it would be wise to get one with under 60k miles as the warranty is cheaper?Also, what are the conditions of the warranty.I assume it has to have a full main dealer service history?

I mean the 130i is well regarded and running costs in terms of mpg/insurance/tyres e.t.c. don't look anymore than some of the others on my list, although do correct me if i am wrong!

I just worry i am being a bit optimistic to think i can get a decent one for around 8k!
 
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