What car shall i get next?

DaveA3

DaveA3

Audi A-Trizzle!
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Hi All,

I love my car but im starting to think its time for another. This Engine is superb and ill love the tune-ability and the look even for a now 11 year old car it still looks slick and have plenty of toys inside but i fancy a change..

Now the problem is What else is there? I cant think of anything that i really stands out at the moment.

Now my budget depends on my situation im due to be made redundant at the end of the year and should end up with a package of about 11-12k. Now i wouldn't really wanna spend it all so Lets say i have a budget of 7-8k (before anyone says anything id get another job before spending any of this as i have gardening leave for 3 months also)

What are your recommendations?

I need something that is:

Ok on insurance (similar to my 1.8T A3)
Petrol
Something with lowish mileage
Sporty
Pretty quick
7s or faster 0-60 kinda bracket
Looks good
Reasonably reliable
no more than 5-6 years old

Cars that have been pointed out to me so far are:

Renault 197 (but my mate has one cant copy him)
Renault megane 225 or whatever it is
BMW 330
Audi S3 (8L)
Fiesta ST (no thanks)
Focus ST
Seat Leon
A3 8P

Any other ideas? What you buy if you was in the same situation?

Cheers :)

(p.s Admins - I know i posted this in General but its dead in there!)
​
 
7-8k for an 8P S3? i doubt that very much westy!

I think i'd get a late 04-05 LCR for that money Dave. Lovely cars
 
I do like the LCR as you know from an earlier post but im still not sure although the car would be new its still the same shape if you know what i mean. What are the newer ones like?

I think the S3 8p in the budget are too high mileage
 
I know exactly how you feel fella, I've had over 60 cars now so pretty much a taste of everything yet still I get bored, I start looking but can't find anything that does enough in my price range that the Audi can't do. Once I get in the A3 I'm smitten again.

Here's a couple alternatives, I like to be different. Just remember that we're likely to be hit with a hike in car tax next year so keep that in mind.

Honda Integra DC5 Type R
Volvo C30 T5 (if your lucky £8k)
Alfa 147 GTA 3.2 V6 yumminess

Cheers Kai
 
Up the budget to 10k and get an E90 335i? There's a few at that price range, maybe the seller would knock a few quid off. 0-60 5.6s, 302hp DMS do a remap to approx 370hp.
 
audi upgrades
Kaibo said:
I know exactly how you feel fella, I've had over 60 cars now so pretty much a taste of everything yet still I get bored, I start looking but can't find anything that does enough in my price range that the Audi can't do. Once I get in the A3 I'm smitten again.

Here's a couple alternatives, I like to be different. Just remember that we're likely to be hit with a hike in car tax next year so keep that in mind.

Honda Integra DC5 Type R
Volvo C30 T5 (if your lucky £8k)
Alfa 147 GTA 3.2 V6 yumminess

Cheers Kai
Click to expand...

If I was to go Alfa i'd be looking at either the GT coupe 3.2 V6 or Brera 3.2 V6 Q4, both look great imo and are very well spec'd and the newer alfa's arnt unrelaible like old ones, the only thing that my brother has needed fixing on his GT was his handbrake cable to pass an MOT.

If it was me and I didnt need a hatchback for the dogs I'd probably be looking at E46 BMW 330ci as they come with loads of toys, a straight 6 and rwd, although there not ment to be that much fun. The megane 225 is ment to have a great chassie, they come with good brakes as standard and there turbo charged. If you go for one of these make sure it has the recaro interior. I think what lets the renault down is the dash for me. I dont think you can fault a focus ST either but again a poor interior lets it down. How much are mk5 golf gti's going for these days?
 
Westy said:
This has been on my want list for a long time. Gorgeous car and not many about.
Click to expand...

Yeah I've wanted one since I first set eyes on one in off White, and your right about not many around, I've only seen a few in the flesh.
 
audi upgrades
Get a Boxster S for that money these days, i'd be thinking of that also...awesome cars.

The BMW 330i is the clear winner in the list you posted, it does everything you want bascially.

How about an S4 either the 2.7T or a stretch to the 4.2 even...
 
Mk5 Golf GTI edition 30 for me , although they are still quite expensive at the £10,000 - £12,000 mark . A standard MK5 GTI can be bought for £8,000.
 
My mate has an E46 M3 lovely car & I know the *** had fallen out of them so you would get one for 8k ish but most of them are cat d's.
 
hmm cheers for the options guys so far we have:

Honda Integra DC5 Type R - Love these cars to look at but dunno much about them to be fair. Insurance springs to mind?
BMW 330i - i like them but theyre quite common (not much that aint i know) and the fact that come winter time my mountain bike would be better on the road
Boxster S - surely servicing etc would be extortionate? n they look a bit girly
Golf mk5 just isnt exciting enough for me
M3 similar reasons to the 330 plus insurance? :(

this is really HARD!
 
Sounds like the A3's a keeper then :thumbsup:
Ps, sorry about the job.
 
I'd say the mk5 gti would be more fun than your A3 or an S3. I dont tend to notice as many E46 3 series these days, see plenty of white E90 about though. Other alternative would be a mk4 R32 or maybe an 8P A3 3.2 V6. What about a 225 TT? Could get a quattro sport for that money
 
A4 1.8t avant in say a 54plate, you get the tuneing of the 1.8t with the insurance group of a family car and you can fit your dogs in :) happy days. Ps .sorry to hear about being laid off. Been there twice now in the space of 3yrs not good. Also what price would you put your a3 up for?
 
subaru?should be able to get a decent one with low mileage. very tuneable anf fun to drive. abit thursty though
 
DaveA3 said:
Boxster S - surely servicing etc would be extortionate? n they look a bit girly
Click to expand...

Think like that and you'll never get to experience some of the best cars ever made. Trust me they're amazing cars and not as expensive to run as you'd think either.

But I guess if you don't like the look of something, then you don't like the look of it, fair play not to everybodies taste I guess, but amazing drivers cars all the same no denying that....and it's a Porsche of course.

Lotus Elise S1?
Honda S2000? (not my cup of tea but worth considering)
Vauxhall VX220?
 
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I'm in the same situation as you Dave. I'm going to sell mine in the new year.

And either get a e46 m3 or a 335d. All depends how much diesel has rocketed by then. I'm a BMW tech so servicing for me is no issue.

Only other car I've had my eyes on is the BMW 130i, but I've had a 120i and think I'd regret not going 3 series
 
the thing is, unless you go older than 6 years old you're quite limited as 8k wont get you a powerful car that you'll be happy with for a while

a boxster s is a good call, very reliable car, they are not expensive to maintain no matter what anyone says, only thing is you'd have ot get an older model
 
Any car over 6 years and i'd tackle most jobs on it myself, this always brings down maintenance costs. I've saved myself a fortune in labour by doing work on my S3 myself. Saved £300 in labour just last week :)
 
If you've never driven the DC5 then you will be blown away, track ready car out of the box, I had a 987 Boxster s (3.2) and I could not get my mates DC5 from my rear bumper. The comfort/gadgets on offer don't come up to Audi levels, but the cabin is still nice and well built, and mechanically they are magical, not too difficult to squeaze a good deal more power out too :eek:)
 
hmm yeh the integra does tempt me id have to see about insurance quotes. i hit the magical 25 in january so that should help a tad

im not sure about evos and scoobys great cars but i hear they are a hassle to insure and the scooby especially is supposed to be unreliable. Plus the chavvie factor (dont really care too much though)

im sure the new mazdas move well but do they still have the rotary engine?

boxster would be cool for one reason for me and that is to say i own a porsche lol :) other than that im not a fan they do look alright just think they look girly bit like the TT (no offence anyone)

r32 mk4 is a bit done now and wouldnt be that much of a step up from what ive got if u kno what i mean? has its extra speed 4wd etc but still be around for ages now

e46 m3's do look the business ill have a look on insurance for those aswell :)

cams i kno what u mean about the a4 i do like em might have a look at some specs etc probably time i get a saloon of some sort not even thought about what id sell my a3 for dunno what its worth these days couple of grand max i guess
 
sod the type r, them jap high reving engines are GUTLESS mid range, which in the real world is where you do most of the driving

220 bhp @ 8,000 rpm
158lb ft torque @ 7,000 rpm

sorry, but who, other than boy racers would want to drive that loud gruntless tin car lol

in comparison a mapped s3 8l produces

250 bhp @ 6,200 rpm?
260lb ft @ 3,000 rpm?

says it all really. vtec my ****
 
colicabcadam said:
sod the type r, them jap high reving engines are GUTLESS mid range, which in the real world is where you do most of the driving

220 bhp @ 8,000 rpm
158lb ft torque @ 7,000 rpm

sorry, but who, other than boy racers would want to drive that loud gruntless tin car lol

in comparison a mapped s3 8l produces

250 bhp @ 6,200 rpm?
260lb ft @ 3,000 rpm?

says it all really. vtec my ****
Click to expand...

Lol, I can tell you wont listen so don't know why I'm typing.... I take it you haven't driven one properly. I speak from experience and I love german and jap cars, NA and blown, but seriously, an S3 wouldn't even stay close on a track, on the road in a straight line, yes but thats it. If you like lazy comfort then it wouldn't be the car for you, but if you like exciting driving give one a go. I would say thay can be a tad tiresome if you want a relaxing drive, but all is forgiven when you are up for some fun.
 
Out of the left field comes the Maserati 3200GT!
Bit older, but it's a ****** Maserati! Just pray you don't need an engine rebuild.

Or a B5 RS4. They're hanging around £9 - 10k at the moment for one with around 100k on the clock. Some are advertised at more but trust me they're selling for sub £10k.

Insurance may be a problem though, depending on your situation!
 
Rex16 said:
If you've never driven the DC5 then you will be blown away, track ready car out of the box, I had a 987 Boxster s (3.2) and I could not get my mates DC5 from my rear bumper.
Click to expand...

Thats odd, because the difference in power and ability between those 2 cars is a world apart, you should have been all over him. Is your mate Nigel Mansell?

That aside I agree with colicabcadam, they are pretty crappy tin boxes with no guts and no inspiration...bored in seconds sitting in a Honda, in fact i've felt that way about most of the ricers i've had to be honest.

Not only that, but i've seen better looking things fall out of my a*** than the DC5, it looks rank!
 
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beanoir said:
Thats odd, because the difference in power and ability between those 2 cars is a world apart, you should have been all over him. Is your mate Nigel Mansell?

That aside I agree with colicabcadam, they are pretty crappy tin boxes with no guts and no inspiration...bored in seconds sitting in a Honda, in fact i've felt that way about most of the ricers i've had to be honest.

Click to expand...

Jeez, have you driven both? They are very different cars with very different characteristics, but in terms of track performance they aren't a world apart by any means or by any sense (heavier 280bhp vs lighter220bhp). I was in front but could not get away, lol, stop the hating with jap cars man, they have their place, lol
 
Rex16 said:
Lol, I can tell you wont listen so don't know why I'm typing.... I take it you haven't driven one properly. I speak from experience and I love german and jap cars, NA and blown, but seriously, an S3 wouldn't even stay close on a track, on the road in a straight line, yes but thats it. If you like lazy comfort then it wouldn't be the car for you, but if you like exciting driving give one a go. I would say thay can be a tad tiresome if you want a relaxing drive, but all is forgiven when you are up for some fun.
Click to expand...

he has not mentioned the track lol, sporty hondas are crap tin cans aimed at teenagers lol they feel terrible to drive, so erm, tin can like lol

JS1500 said:
Out of the left field comes the Maserati 3200GT!
Bit older, but it's a ****** Maserati! Just pray you don't need an engine rebuild.

Or a B5 RS4. They're hanging around £9 - 10k at the moment for one with around 100k on the clock. Some are advertised at more but trust me they're selling for sub £10k.

Insurance may be a problem though, depending on your situation!
Click to expand...

lol at an old italian car - not worth it, trust me, mate had one for 6 months, it spent 2 months in the garage getting fixed, terrible!

and an rs4 for below 10k? only ones i've seen for that price either have something wrong with them or they have like 188,000 miles lol!
 
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