Car suggestion Help!

[Jonnyspeed]

Hi

Wondering if anyone can help. Im after buying a used car, any suggestions would be helpful.

Needs to:

-Be faster than my current Type R
-Return about 30mpg average (as i cover alot of miles)
-£12,000 or less
-Some tuning Potential
-Less than 60,000 miles

Age is not really to much of an issue.

Thanks

[300bhp/ton]

Jonnyspeed said:

Hi

Wondering if anyone can help. Im after buying a used car, any suggestions would be helpful.

Needs to:

-Be faster than my current Type R
-Return about 30mpg average (as i cover alot of miles)
-£12,000 or less
-Some tuning Potential
-Less than 60,000 miles

Age is not really to much of an issue.

Thanks

Faster than a Type R yet better mpg..... ummm not really going to happen I think.

Tuned diesel of some sort is likely only option unless going feather weight like an Elise.

[andy43]

E46 M3?

[Frik]

andy43 said:

E46 M3?

Better than 30mpg?

Please answer this question without using the phrase "on a run".

[Dift]

Mk1 Cupra R/S3 with a few mods?

[useyourdellusion]

I agree with 300bhp/ton. Remapped Fabia VRS would be worth a shout I would imagine. Not sure how it would stack up against a Type R performance-wise but I hear good things about them.

[Jonnyspeed]

I’m not really wanting to go down the diesel route. The MPG can be a little lower than 30, but just to be around that figure on a steady run to work.

[andy43]

Frik said:

andy43 said:

E46 M3?

Better than 30mpg?

Please answer this question without using the phrase "on a run".

OK. E46 M3, you might get over 30 mpg, on the motorway
Seriously tho', there's nothing out there outside of an Elise that's ticking all the boxes.
Subaru a possible, but economy is hopeless. Other than the BM and a light right foot I'm stuck.

[Jonnyspeed]

Looks like i'll have to fit my career around my car

[Jonnyspeed]

Anyone know how a E46 330i would stack up?

[Donatello]

How about a 330d (mapped of course....)

[300bhp/ton]

Jonnyspeed said:

I’m not really wanting to go down the diesel route. The MPG can be a little lower than 30, but just to be around that figure on a steady run to work.

How many miles a year are you doing?

Lots of cars can achieve 30mpg, but not so many can truly average it.


One left field option would be to build yourself a car. Something like a take a tidy BMW e30 and swap in a tweaked e36 328i motor and transmission.

The e30 is lighter than the 36, so will be faster and better on fuel. It's also more classy and a modern classic. I probably wouldn't spend £12k on one, but £6k could make for a very nice usable fun, fast car that probably won't lose much money either.


That said, there are a lot of "nice" and "fast" cars available for £12k that can manage around the 24-26mpg mark.

[BoabyBooster]

Mazda 3 Mps 260 hp and 30 mpg .

[SteveS Cup]

I'd personally forget the fuel consumption and get a Hawk Eye Impreza STI... But I'm kind of biased as that's what I want next!

[SteveS Cup]

I know I've just said get an Impreza but on a serious note, there's so many more factors in this!

Do you want a modified car? Do you want a standard car that is quicker than the Type R?

You could get a Clio 182 and supercharge it. You could get a DC5 / Impreza / M3 / Evo / So many more!

[Jonnyspeed]

Im currently doing around 12,000 a year, getting on average about 29 MPG from the civic.

[Jonnyspeed]

SteveS Cup said:

I know I've just said get an Impreza but on a serious note, there's so many more factors in this!

Do you want a modified car? Do you want a standard car that is quicker than the Type R?

You could get a Clio 182 and supercharge it. You could get a DC5 / Impreza / M3 / Evo / So many more!

I would like a standard car that is quicker than the Type R, but something that has some tuning potential in the future. Thanks

[y282]

Jonnyspeed said:

Anyone know how a E46 330i would stack up?

when it starts losing, like you'll wish you'd bought the m3.

[300bhp/ton]

Jonnyspeed said:

Anyone know how a E46 330i would stack up?

They are ok, probably less flighty than a CTR. Quite good on fuel on a run, well over 30 if driven right. Yet much lower around town and if driven hard.

I've heard 100% split opinions on these. Some claim they are the best car in the world, others proclaim them to be one of the biggest disappointments ever. It's the latter comment that sticks out to me though.

That said, I'm sure they are great, but for £12k I struggle to see how a 330 really appeals to a petrol head when you could have something like these:

1998 Corvette C5 (1998)
77,000 miles £13,500

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2329321.htm


1996 CHEVROLET C4 LT1 CORVETTE (1996)
49,800 miles £7,500

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2276105.htm


FORD MUSTANG 4.0 lt V6 (2005)
55,000 miles £12,250

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2333676.htm


All of these are IMO way more fun and interesting than a 330 BMW.


Another left field option, although a UK model, I've always liked the look of these. A 330 is probably slightly sharper to drive, although Tiff gaves these quite a good review. But I think they are 100x better looking and more interesting than the BMW.

£10k would also get you quite a newish low mileage one too.

CHRYSLER CROSSFIRE 3.2 V6 2007 (2007)
27,000 miles £10,000


http://cdn.images.pistonheads.com/aimg/2125/212531...

I suspect it'd be quite a nice place to sit for long distance and a lot of miles.

The SRT-6 variant (if you can find one) had a supercharger and over 300hp, although the stock 3.2's aren't exactly slow.

[Jonnyspeed]

doogz said:

Unfortunately, the K20 really is a belter of an engine.

You'll struggle to find something noticeably quicker, without taking a fait hit in the MPG dept.

FWD, RWD, 4WD? How many doors you want? Need 4/5 seats?

Any really, along as its fun to drive. Number of doors is not an issue but must have two seats in the back.