Help me decide please...

[Jack]

It's come to that time when I'm looking to buy a new car and to be honest, I just can't make up my mind on what I want. I love hot hatches and would like to stay along these lines, unless someone can tempt me otherwise. My budget is around the £8,000 mark and if you've got any suggestions please let me know.

Currently I've got my selection down to 3 vehicles.

Clio 182 Trophy

Clio 197

Civic Type R Premier Edition

Currently leading the race is the Type R & I'm being fussy and want the Premier Edition. I know you can pick up a decent standard model for around £5,500 but to be honest the Premier interior is much nicer and worth the extra cash. This then pushes the price up to £7.5 - 9k and with the insurance being higher because of the car, I cant decide if it's worth it. Everything about this car appeals to me but I'm not sure I want to spend nearly £10k in total getting it on the road?

Moving onto the Trophy. A few months back I had my heart set on one of these but everything change. The more research I did into them the more it put me off with the the repair and running cost getting more and more expensive. Some owners describe their nightmares and I don't really fancy being one of them. But then this car shouts, screams and defines what's great about hot hatches. It's one of the best vehicles I could own and I know I'll love everyone second.... that it's working. The Trophy is also the smallest of the 3 and I wanted something bigger than my current car. I'm not convinced I could live with the french feeling inside too.

Finally we come to the 197. If I had it my way I would go for the R27, but it's rare they dip below £8,000 and into my price range. A normal 197 you can pick up for a nice price and with good insurance quotes too, it looks like a great little package. Unfortunatly I've found running costs will be the highest in this car. The lack of straight line performace is what worries me, even though I know it will put the biggest smile on my face around the bends. The plus side are the understated yet evil look, yet the negatives are the interior and I'd rather have the recaros that were rarely brought as the opitional extra and hard to find.

Any thoughts, opinons or suggestions will be great and very much appreciated.

Thanks, Jack.

 

[Danoff]

 

[JCE]

I would go for one of the three you like with the best service history and lowest mileage. That Honda has probably had the nuts driven off of it. I like the Clio 197 the best of those three.

Or, might I suggest what I've got (check my avatar). Best hot hatch I've ever driven by far.

 

[motortrend]

I would go for one of the three you like with the best service history and lowest mileage. That Honda has probably had the nuts driven off of it. I like the Clio 197 the best of those three.

Or, might I suggest what I've got (check my avatar). Best hot hatch I've ever driven by far.

This, check for service history and be sure to test drive it. Id probably go for the 182 or the Honda though

 

[Eric.]

I'd take the EP3 over the Renaults.

 

[YSSMAN]

Of the cars of that era, I'd say the Clio 197 would be my first pick, but it would be difficult to go too wrong when everyone was getting on their A-game around the same time. The standard-issue hot hatch would of course be the GTI, and for the most part, common-sense would lead someone to make the choice if they are looking for a reasonable, every-day driver. That being said, the GTI lacks much of the flair that the Clio or the Civic would carry.

I myself would be be more attracted to a vehicle like the Astra VXR, mainly because of its rather striking good looks and the use of that rather-good 2.0L Turbo from GM. Although it isn't as finely tuned as a lot of the competition, it has more than enough character to differentiate itself within a crowd. Only thing is that I hear the Chavs like them. That's not good.