Hi all.
I currently drive a 1.1l Peugeot 106, which is a great car in the town (maybe half my driving is in town), but gets a bit breathless on motorways. I'm approaching my 25th birthday, and was thinking of getting myself a new car with a bit more poke. I'm looking for something fastish with good handling and maneuvrability, looks and sounds good, reliable, four doors and a boot and not too expensive to buy or insure. (I've got maybe 5k to spend, 2 years NCB). No easy task, I know!
Choices I've thought of are:
Porsche 944 - looks good, relatively cheap even for a good one, reliable (though slightly older and higher mileaged than I'd ideally like), good handling. Problem - insurance, as I was caught by a speed camera in 2004 and am not yet 25. Also would have to be parked on street in Bristol at the moment, which is a bit of a pain.
Lexus soarer - Looks good, relatively cheap, V8 powered goodness! Like the porsche, a bit old and higher mileage now. Also really hard to find in manual, and I don't really want an auto car.
Vauxhall / Holden Monaro - looks a bit pants, nice V8 again, prices still rather high, especially for the most recent model. Not too many about.
I'm also thinking about some smaller cars - maybe the Honda Civic type R, Ford Focus St, Alfa 156, Audi A3 / A4, but not really looked into these yet. Probably still a bit too expensive.
Anyway, any other suggestions / comments on these or other cars much appreciated...
Cheers,
Giles
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Sorry if I sound like your dad but if you have only £5000 to buy it, how much have you got (a) to insure it and (b) to fix it when it goes wrong?
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Ha! Don't worry.
I could spend more than £5000 to buy it if necessary, but I'd rather not go too much higher than that. Spending £5000 on the car leaves me able to spend up to about £750 on insurance, and have enough over for reasonable repair costs. (Around £500 a year lets say). Ideally less for both insurance and repairs, of course.
And as I've managed to put "V8" and "reasonably economical" in the same post, I should probably mention that I take 25mpg (combined) and above as acceptable fuel efficiency!
Thanks,
Giles
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Agreed. Others will be along with other suggestions but remember running costs. My old man bought an old 944 and when the exhaust needed replacing it cost him an absolute fortune.
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also remember other things will be expensive - tyres etc
why not look for something a bit more main stream and go for a 6cyl. I am sure that you could pick up a BMW e36 or Audi for £5k with a 6cyl engine. If those are too mainstream how about a VW Corrado or some Alfas?
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Put some details into confused.com to see what you're going tp pay for insurance. I'd be surprsied if you got under £750 for insurance on any of those.
Sorry to put a dampener on things I hope I'm wrong.
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Choices I've thought of are: Porsche 944 Lexus soarer Vauxhall / Holden Monaro I'm also thinking about some smaller cars - maybe the Honda Civic type R, Ford Focus St, Alfa 156, Audi A3 / A4, but not really looked into these yet. Probably still a bit too expensive. Anyway, any other suggestions / comments on these or other cars much appreciated...
I should look at something else, IIWY. I'd rather have something a bit newer but slightly more mundane, but which still has a bit more "go" and is more cost-effective than the first 3. A a 1.1l Peugeot 106 chucks out what? 65BHP? Lots of cars would give a performance improvement!
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If you've been driving a 1.1 106, and you want to get straight into a muscle car, I think you are heading for a fall, and a big one.
How about a Golf GTi or similar for starters, and move up from there when you've got used to a slightly faster collection of ponies under the bonnet.
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I'd say the 944 would be a potential heartache - it would be an old car & may handle well but wouldn't be fast, and they must be coming to the end of their lives now - you don't see as many arround these days. Sensible money would be on something Japanese - can you get the latest MR2 shape for 5k yet? not exactly a muscle car but good fun. Also, Civic-R is pretty well respected but insurance not cheap. You touched on some of the warmer hatches such as A3, Alfa or Golf GTi. The Alfa's are nice and have an image as being a 'drivers car'. I know two people who have a 147 and they haven't suffered the build-quality woes that Alfa are sometimes associated with.
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Mitsi FTO ?
Galant turbo nutter version - sorry cant remember what they're called. vr4 or something?
I very much doubt £750 would insure you on any of your suggestions.
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Insurance and running costs will kill your suggestions.
Couple of suggestions...
Assuming you want a conventional four-door saloon then the (non-turbo) Impreza 2.0 will be a great buy. The non-turbo ones were generally bought by fairly sensible owners and you have the benefit of the tremendously tough AWD drivetrain that was designed to handle the 220bhp of the WRX. There is a fairly accurate (IMHO) road test here:
tinyurl.com/3aj2f3
Its for the later 160bhp version, but the earlier 130bhp version (the blob-eye 2003-05) is very similar and you should get one in your price range. As it says in that review, you get 80% of the WRX experience for about half the cost. Insurance (IIRC) is group 13 and they are dead reliable. There is not much to beat these cars on a twisty road and they will handle better on a wet road than many 'hot hatches' will on a dry road. Service parts are available from factors now so maintainance is not too dear. Also lots of aftermarket parts to 'mod' the car if you want.........
The Mitsubishi FTO is a cracking little coupe and very much underrated. I always enjoy driving them and they are outstandingly reliable. Just make sure you avoid anything with rust and you'll be fine. The only snag could be insurance......
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I'd go along with local yokel and suggest something along the lines of a Golf GTi or a Peugeot 306 XSi, the latter being a great handling car with a superb chassis. A 1.1 litre 106 to a big V8 powered beast is one huge jump.
Martin
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Your original post specified four doors and a boot so Monaro, Soarer and 944 are all out aren't they?
Your original budget was @£5k so Monaro definitely out.
For £5K you could get a very decent Leon 20VT/Cupra, which has five doors and a decent boot, 180BHP very flexible engine, drives well, 6gears, digital climate control, 6CD player and some street cred. If you really want to go to town you could get it REVO'ed at a later date for another £500ish.
Insurance group 16 though I think. That might hurt.
Just my two penneth worth.
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any car will be an improvement on a pewgot 106
as its just an a-b car
suggest as you are only 25 just in the cheaper insurance bracket by a knats tooth you buy something thats
sensible?
cheap to maintain?
has plenty of toys?
2.0 litre mondeo comes to mind (must have aircon mind)
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Hi All.
Thanks for the suggestions and comments.
I've looked into insurance more, and its painful but affordable on at least some of the cars mentioned! As for handling a V8, I don't think that would be a problem - I've driven all sorts of things besides my Pegueot (including a TDI A3 and a Morgan V6 roadster!) and had a great time. That said, I can't afford to buy anything too obscene anyway. Thanks for the FTO suggestion - that was a car i hadn't considered. I do like the way it looks, but they stopped being produced in 2000, and I wouldn't mind something a bit lower mileage. Looking into the 2.0 Impreza. Had considered that, but was a bit put off by the permanent 4WD - increased fuel consumption, tyre wear etc. Also looking into the Leon Cupra - hadn't considered that either.
Four doors and a boot aren't really essential - they would be nice, to get people and luggage in the back easily, but if the car is gorgeous enough I can manage without that!
More research to be done. Again, thank you for your suggestions.
Giles
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focus 2.0 zetec is a good car. the pre face lift version for your money. i had one and it was great
peugeot 306 gti-6 - quicker than the xsi - a very competent car
what about a nissan 200sx or a honda integra? - neither are seen too often but are seriously quick and ultra reliable
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Looking into the 2.0 Impreza. Had considered that, but was a bit put off by the permanent 4WD - increased fuel consumption, tyre wear etc
Of course none of which these things you get with a huge V8 muscle car!
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Forget a 2.0 Impreza with no turbo they are sluggish and drink fuel. 944 will make you cry when something goes wrong or come service time and isn't that quick unless it's an S2 or Turbo.
5K and I'd buy
the Leon- well worth a look
Skoda Octavia VRS- likewise
Pug 306 GTi-6- great handling car and nippy enough, finding one that hasn't been thrashed is the problem
Nissan 200SX Touring- not much to go wrong, RWD and highly modifiable. This one looks good.
1999 NISSAN 200 SX 2.0 Touring 2dr Coupe
£5,500ono.40,000 miles S reg (1999)
Manual, 40,000 miles, Manual. Flame Red. Good original condition. Unmodified. Full service history. Mot till Jan 2008. Taxed till April 2007. £5,500. ono
or maybe an older BMW 540
1998 BMW 5 SERIES 540i 4dr Auto Saloon
£4,750ono.
81,250 milesAutomaticBLUE R reg (1998)
Automatic, 81,250 miles, metalic blue full bmw dealer service history TV SAT NAV air conditioning dual climate control remote central locking cream lether seat 6xair bags elecric sunroof e/memory comford seat 6cd changer and tape mot tax 2keys non smoker rear parking sensors phone absolutely showroom condition no dents or scratches immaculate example!!!!!. £4,750.
All on autotrader and all great fun.
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A Westfield would suit you perfectly.
Except for the bit about having four doors and being reliable..
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You could always try a Mitsubishi Galant VR-4. Plenty of grunt (260 bhp), fantastic handling, 4 doors. Also available as an estate, sometimes called a Legnum. I've got one of these and I love it. www.clubvr4.com forums are friendly and helpful.
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So how are you going to get a Monaro, a car still to depreciate under £20,000 for a budget of £5k...?
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And I can't help noticing that absolutely none of the cars you've considered are 4 door cars, yet you say you want 4 doors? Is this an elaborate windup or something?
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If an FTO being pre-2000 makes it too old, you may end up ruling too much out, including the 944 and Soarer. But from those two suggestions you may consider something a bit older?
Is the car to be a daily driver? If not, so you could manage with a not excessive annual mileage, something that could come under a classic policy could be an option to get the insurance down. Not necessarily something ancient but it may be a more affordable route into something with a meatier engine. The maintenance budget could have to go up, but even £500pa may not be enough for your other choices. You don't really want to skimp on things like tyres and brakes if going for something for performance.
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4 door fast cars? in budget?
Hows about a Volvo S40 T4?
You could probably pick up a leggy 2001 Volvo S60 T5 for 5 grand or a lower mileage S60 2.4T?
Saab 9-3 Hot maybe? Prolly even a 9-5 Hot.
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Do bear in mind that some older cars will be likely to qualify for classic insurance- will save a packet. You may also have owners' club back-up for spares etc.
For my money, I'd consider the Corrado VR6 option- find a really cherished one, pay classic insurance, and have 4 seats and a decent-ish boot.
Alex.
--
Dr Alex Mears
MG BGT 1971
If you are in a hole stop digging...unless
you are a miner.
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How about a Ford Streetka/sportska, they may not be quick in a straight line but they're great fun to drive.
Not sure they be in your price range mind.
If you'd like a classic may i suggest a Pug 2.5 1.6 GTI, not the 1.9 as the insurance is more expensive & the chassis doesn't cope with the extra power!!
--
Its not what you drive, its how you drive it! :-)
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How about a Ford Streetka/sportska, they may not be quick in a straight line but they're great fun to drive. Not sure they be in your price range mind. If you'd like a classic may i suggest a Pug 2.5 1.6 GTI, not the 1.9 as the insurance is more expensive & the chassis doesn't cope with the extra power!! -- Its not what you drive, its how you drive it! :-)
As the ex-owner of both a 1.6 and 1.9 I have to say the suggestion that the chassis doesn't cope with the extra power of the 1.9 is incorrect. The 1.6 is a purer drive and feels more nimble but the 1.9 certainly has no problem coping with the extra power. In fact the Mi16 conversion I drove had no problem coping with the extra power either and that had in excess of 160bhp. Add to that the better brakes and interior of the 1.9 and I'd say that one would be the smart choice if you can afford to insure it.
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Dare to be differnet - buy the Vauxhall (!), not many around built like tanks with an engine note to die for, I'd have one tomorrow.
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