New car thoughts...

[the_fatadder]

Possibly just going to be idle car hunting, but I have a 2nd interview for a job next week which is looking pretty promising (having graduated uni in september and not having a lot of luck since then).
Given that the Bora is on its last legs, its got me thinking new cars.

Looking at my budget I can probably go to about 4k of cash (considering the resale value of the Bora of about £2500 and about £1500 of savings, and was planning on finance for the rest to get to a budget of around £10k.

My requirements: I am looking for something that is going to be fun to drive, fairly reliable, decent quality inertia and preferably around <50k on the clock. It has to be a manual (preferably 6speed), and extras like leather and either a speed limiter or cruse control (for safely getting through those dammed average speed cameras) would be a plus. Resale value at about 70k miles / 3 years time is also going to be an important consideration.

At the moment I've been looking at the mk5 Golf GTi and a BMW 1 series (either the 2lt petrol or diesel appear to be in the price range).

The golf is a much better looking car, available as a 3door (much better looking on a hatch) but is really pushing the budget to get a decent one. I get the feeling that theres a much greater chance the previous owner will have thrashed it senseless as well (which is not a good thing as of course thats what I will end up doing...)

The 1 series is not a pretty car (although from some angles in the right colour isnt as bad as I used to think), but it is RWD (and I would much prefer a RWD car). Its also a couple of grand cheaper than the GTi
Both seem to be pretty well built inside, though the bm appears to have the edge on toys (without really smashing the budget with the gti)

My car preference does tend towards Germany, (much as I'd love an alfa I just dont think I could justify it to myself sadly) but would be interested to hear some other choices I havent thought about, along with any thoughts from GTi or 1 series owners.

Typically after all this I probably will end up not getting the job, but still its nice to dream (and there must be a job coming at some point soon........)

 

[niky]

The BMW rides like rocks unless you drop the standard run-flats, has a pathetic rear seat and looks like a pig.

Get the 2 liter petrol with a stick. You'll love it.

 

[homeforsummer]

Given that the Bora is on its last legs, its got me thinking new cars.

You have a Bora? Good on 'ya, I really like Boras. Which model?

My requirements: I am looking for something that is going to be fun to drive, fairly reliable, decent quality inertia and preferably around <50k on the clock. It has to be a manual (preferably 6speed), and extras like leather and either a speed limiter or cruse control (for safely getting through those dammed average speed cameras) would be a plus. Resale value at about 70k miles / 3 years time is also going to be an important consideration.

Out of the Golf and 1-Series I'd go for the BMW. I personally quite like the styling (the Golf bores the crap out of me) and I like the cosy interior.

Have you thought about a 3-Series? For 10k you probably won't find something much better.

Is practicality an issue too? Personally I'd be going for the latest NB Mazda MX-5 (up to 2005) I can find for that sort of money (the very, very last NBs seem to be going for about £9k... something like this, perhaps, and there are plenty of NCs around at that money too). It'd get you electric everything, aircon, leather, 6-speed gearbox, probably the optional hard-top too, 140-odd bhp and more fun than you can shake a naked lady at. But then I'm biased Quality and reliability are right up there, obviously.

 

[Casio]

Saaaaaaaaab. Any model. They're all equally the best car's in the world.

 

[the_fatadder]

You have a Bora? Good on 'ya, I
Is practicality an issue too? Personally I'd be going for the latest NB Mazda MX-5 (up to 2005) I can find for that sort of money (the very, very last NBs seem to be going for about £9k... something like this, perhaps, and there are plenty of NCs around at that money too). It'd get you electric everything, aircon, leather, 6-speed gearbox, probably the optional hard-top too, 140-odd bhp and more fun than you can shake a naked lady at. But then I'm biased Quality and reliability are right up there, obviously.

The Bora is the 2001 model, rather dissapointing that its replacement just had a golf front end stuck on the front of it rather than something Bora specific, else I'd have been quite tempted with another one.

MX-5, nice car but unfortunately much too small in side to be comfortable, Mother has had the last couple of generations of them and in both cases there wasnt enough space for me in the passenger side let alone the drivers
Most annoying as Mother is about to sell her 2lt sport, so could have got a 2 year old one with very few miles on the clock for a bargain price...
-----

Have been doing a bit more looking and there certainly seem to be a fair few current generation 3 series in that price bracket, given the similar sized engines it will be interesting to see how the performance varies between them. Also saw a couple of Z4s coming up in my price range, though I suspect tax and insurance will put that out of reach.

Just had a 2nd call from the company, giving me the details for the next interview, who said I had impressed, so fingers crossed this is going to happen!

edit: should have added that I don't have too much worry about practicality, rarely have to take people in the back and boot space isnt a major issue most of the time. Anything thats not a convertible would preferably have fold don seats so that I can fit some skis in, but if thats not possible I guess I can always just go and buy a ski rack for the roof.

 

[the_fatadder]

Saaaaaaaaab. Any model. They're all equally the best car's in the world.

Brave statement! Would agree with you that a lot of the older stuff are really classy cars, but the more recent dressed up vetras with dame edna style spectacles around the lights......
Not really for me.

 

[socomplayer2]

The MKV gti is a really awesome car. Fun all around car. It has some kick and handles like a go cart. Also has a decent sized cargo area and roomy backseats(even the 2door) I have had mine for almost 2 years and its really a swell car. The only thing I must aware you of is the turbo likes 5w-40 synthetic oil, a lot. The 6 speed trans is really nice and shifts like butter. I have only test driven the DSG models but its like a big video game. If you have any questions at all just ask. Good luck with the job!

 

[Jondot]

Out of the two I'd go for the Golf. Contrary to what others have said, I think it's a far more interesting prospect than the somewhat forgettable 1 Series. But, if it's pushing your budget I'd avoid. Even if you do find a decent example for a reasonable price, it'll drink away what little money you have left. And then, I'm afraid, you'll find yourself wishing you'd bought something economical and diesel engined; which I can assure you is a horrible position to be in.

 

[kekke2000]

The new Lancer! They looks totally awesome and they're cheap.

 

[niky]

Yup. Awesome on the outside, cheap as chips on the inside.

A 3-series is a much better car than a similarly specced 1-series. Rides better, has much more space, is just a wee bit less fun to drive. Get one lightly optioned with a stick and a petrol. Best bet for reliability (well, as far as Bimmers go) and fun.

Focus? Current facelift has better interior plastics. Not up to the same spec as the other two, maybe, and the back seat is a bit small, but they drive rather nice.

 

[the_fatadder]

The MKV gti is a really awesome car. Fun all around car. It has some kick and handles like a go cart. Also has a decent sized cargo area and roomy backseats(even the 2door) I have had mine for almost 2 years and its really a swell car. The only thing I must aware you of is the turbo likes 5w-40 synthetic oil, a lot. The 6 speed trans is really nice and shifts like butter. I have only test driven the DSG models but its like a big video game. If you have any questions at all just ask. Good luck with the job!

Cheers for that, exactly the sort of day to day stuff its useful to know! One thing I would be interested to know is how bad the front wheels spinning is if you try to pull away from a junction/traffic lights etc with a bit too much throttle on a wet road.
That tends to be the most annoying thing I find with the Bora (or any other FWD car I've owned.

kekke2000, I did actually have quite a long look at Lancers (and Imprezas) yesterday, but both suffered from pretty poor interiors (particularly the Impreza). Unfortunately the current generation Lancer is still a couple of grand out of budget as well.

niky, My worry with a 3 series is that for a 2lt model its never going to have been as well spec-ed as a 2lt 1 series (given your comparing a lower end model of one car with a higher model of the other), but also I'm a bit worried that a 3 would be carrying a fair bit of extra weight for the extra (unneeded) space.
As for the Focus, there's to main problems I see with it in that the ST does have something of an image problem, and its a lot more shouty 'look at me' than the more subtle Gti & Beemer. That said; it always seems to come out really well in comparative reviews, especially for handling, and they do seem to be seriously well spec-ed up.

The other thing I started to come across is the 3 door 1 series, would cost a bit more (between 1 or 2k), but that is to a small extent mitigated by lower tax and better economy in town. The 3 door shell is also better looking than the 5 (given the lack of rear seat space anyway I do find it a little odd it took them so long to do a 3 door, as the usual negative (That its harder to get in the back) isnt really an issue....

 

[Leonidae]

Mmmm... I like it. this chassis with the 2l twinturbo diesel would be absolute dream for me.

 

[niky]

If it's the brand new turbodiesel, with the aluminum block, yessss... the old ironblock is a hoot and a half, but you can actually feel the extra weight over the front axle in the 1-series. Not really an issue if you're not using it as an autocross or track car... and the extra economy is nice... but you'll have to be weary of the condition of any of these new diesels when you're buying them secondhand. Injector problems are $$$.

The 3-series isn't that much heavier in the same trim as the 1-series... about a hundred pounds or so... it is less nimble, but IMHO, it's a small price to pay for getting much, much more car... oh... and it looks better, too. I personally like the 320i. Light engine, but not totally lacking "oomph"... can cruise at 200 km/h all day, no sweat. Definitely more comfortable than the 1.

And, again... prettier, too.

Personally... the ST hits the right spot. Nice big wheels, restrained body-kit. Or you could go for the regular gasoline Focus with the 1.8 or 2.0. Best weight balance... and I believe you can get them decently kitted over there. Though the generations in your price range will still have the older crap interior.

 

[socomplayer2]

Cheers for that, exactly the sort of day to day stuff its useful to know! One thing I would be interested to know is how bad the front wheels spinning is if you try to pull away from a junction/traffic lights etc with a bit too much throttle on a wet road.
That tends to be the most annoying thing I find with the Bora (or any other FWD car I've owned.

Its not to bad, yea if its wet out or you mash on it you will spin the wheels pretty good but as long as you have some control over your foot you will be fine. The electronic throttle control is really nice in the gti. It pretty much will only spin if you want it too.👍

 

[the_fatadder]

Thanks for the advice.

Guess everything is on hold now until I hear whats happening with the job, but it has given me a pretty decent short list to go and look at.

So I am planning to go and test drive a GTi, a 1.6 or standard 2lt golf for comparison, along with the 2lt 1 series in both a 3 and 5 door. I've decided that I can probably strech the budget to cover the 11-12k needed to get the 3d 1 series given that tax and running costs will be a fair bit lower (plus they are averaging around 20k miles rather than around 40-50k. and are a couple of years newer (so hopefully the extra 2k I spend now over the 5d will still be there the most part when I come to sell). Finally I want to test a 2lt 3 series to see how I find it in comparison with the 1 (and if I see how I find the difference.)

The GTi seems to be a fair bit higher milage than the BM for the same money (for around the 10-11 grand mark milage seems to be around 55-60k) which does put me off, thouhg I guess that GTi badge aught to mean that it retains its value pretty well.