Hi all,
The gf will be offloading her 318Ci soon (hopefully), and is looking for a classy coupe that isn't a BMW or Merc. Probaby spend about £5k. So something a little bit sporty (but not too high an insurance group), classy and reliable. Has to be 2-door (she hates 4 doors, doesn't feel safe- not logical but there it is). My mind instantly said: Volvo C70, Honda Prelude, Toyota Celica, Honda Accord Coupe, Saab 900 coupe. Thoughts?
Cheers,
Alex.
--
Dr Alex Mears
MG BGT 1971
If you are in a hole stop digging...unless
you are a miner.
|
I wouldnt bother with the volvo or the saab personally.
You could go for a 944 (didnt we have this discussion ?) or shock! horror! an alfa ? Someone will suggest the hyundai but I know nothing about them.
what about an fto ? I suppose one mans idea of a high insurance group is anothers OK one - is she looking for something cheaper to insure than the bmw or just not much more ? what sort of mileage and usage is she doing ?
I thought doctors all bought tvr these days ?
|
I'm very pleased with my Prelude 2.2VTI Motegi with tiptronic autobox - bought last year via ebay for not too much money. Just returned from 3k mile trip across France, Spain and Portugal when the only technical hitch was a 10-minute stop for a wheel balance after losing a weight on a rough Spanish motorway.
The late Accord coupe, with 2 or 3 litres, is a very under-rated but excellent piece of kit as well - we still run an early one as an everyday hack.
I sometimes miss a hatch at the back but one door on either side seems more than enough...
|
The Pug 406 coupé is missing on your list - not sure if the reliabilty could be a concern. Certainly a wonderful looking motor.
BTW I saw the 407 coupe yesterday in the metal for the first time, bit of a disappointment.
|
|
I believe the 406 coupe was build by Pininfarina (SP?) and therefore didn't suffer quality problems in quite the same way as the regular 406s.
|
Of your named choices, I would say the Celica ticks all the right boxes.
--
let me be the last to let you down....
|
>>I would say the Celica ticks all the right boxes>>
Particularly the wedged shaped fifth generation models of the early 1990s. See:
www.celicas.co.uk/5th-Generation-Celicas.htm
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
|
|
Yeah, Ive got a 5th gen Celica, and its superb. Reliable, economical, good handling, and regarded more highly than 6th gen twin headlight models. However, for 5 grand, you can get something much newer as these Celicas can be had for peanuts!
|
C Class Mercedes coupe? Class and cheap to run.
madf
|
|
Alex, how much did you manage to get for the beemer?
|
Is a Celica classy?
How about a well cared for Alfa GTV?
|
LOL!!
.
--
let me be the last to let you down....
|
Beemer not sold yet, but have an 'interested party'. It's up for £7450 at the moment, one guy came, but chose a different one cos he liked the colour better & it had a spoiler! If it doesn't go, she'll hang on to it. The Honda Accord hatch she bought she didn't like (4 doors!), and has been passed to her mother. Very complicated!!
Cheers for all your help,
Alex.
--
Dr Alex Mears
MG BGT 1971
If you are in a hole stop digging...unless
you are a miner.
|
Try a Hyundai Coupe - they depreiciate like a stone yet my mums admittedly nearly new V6 one sure does get admiring glances and its really handles too. Even the older ones are well rated and bullet-proof reliability.
In the right colour, its a smart looking car.
|
Hyundai Coupés depreciate like a stone? You sure? £12k new discounted down to about £8k at three years for a 1.6 for an average miler from a dealer? (Admittedly the higher spec ones do lose more money, more quickly). I like them a lot but I can't see them
406 Coupé oozes class to my mind and should mostly be cheap to run if it's anything like the saloon (no really!)
|
|
...but I can't see them coming in under budget for a new one, I meant to say. I can actually see them, or at least if I can't I haven't bumped into any yet.
|
