dont know which to choose
Discussion
Basically i have a 1.2 sxi corsa and as my first car its been great pretty reliable cheap enough etc but now with 2yrs ncb im looking for something new
iv narrowed it down to focus st170 or golf mkiv 1.8t gti
with about 3500 to spend which would you choose or if you could offer alternatives would be greatly appreciated
thanks
iv narrowed it down to focus st170 or golf mkiv 1.8t gti
with about 3500 to spend which would you choose or if you could offer alternatives would be greatly appreciated
thanks
liamsxi said:
Basically i have a 1.2 sxi corsa and as my first car its been great pretty reliable cheap enough etc but now with 2yrs ncb im looking for something new
iv narrowed it down to focus st170 or golf mkiv 1.8t gti
with about 3500 to spend which would you choose or if you could offer alternatives would be greatly appreciated
thanks
Firstly, and don't take this the wrong way, how old are you and have you got quotes on either car yet? With the general increases in taxes, insurance costs etc etc etc Insurance companies will use any opportunity to screw over the driver at the moment, with NCB discounts not being worth the paper they are printed on (especially as it is non regulated and actually has very little effect on your quote these days).iv narrowed it down to focus st170 or golf mkiv 1.8t gti
with about 3500 to spend which would you choose or if you could offer alternatives would be greatly appreciated
thanks
I've driven neither but I would choose the focus.
I do in general prefer golfs, but as a warm/hot hatch the focus is a much better bet than a mark 4 gti. The mark 3 and 4 were very poor GTi's, more of a trim level than anything else I am led to believe. The Golf mk4 is also pretty dull looking, and I quite like the looks of the mk1 focus.
I do in general prefer golfs, but as a warm/hot hatch the focus is a much better bet than a mark 4 gti. The mark 3 and 4 were very poor GTi's, more of a trim level than anything else I am led to believe. The Golf mk4 is also pretty dull looking, and I quite like the looks of the mk1 focus.
Of those two, the focus without question.
Yes the 1.8T will be faster when remapped and having had a few grand thrown at the engine and suspension will be much quicker than the focus, but out of the box the focus knocks spots off the golf in pretty much every area. That said the Clio 172/182 or civic type R both tick the boxes the focus does.
Yes the 1.8T will be faster when remapped and having had a few grand thrown at the engine and suspension will be much quicker than the focus, but out of the box the focus knocks spots off the golf in pretty much every area. That said the Clio 172/182 or civic type R both tick the boxes the focus does.
hi thanks for all the replies
im 20 years old and yes i have looked at insurance
for the golf gti with elephant who im currently with or aadmiral cant remember but their the same company, for the golf 1.8t fully comp is 1016 and the focus is 1300
this may seem high to alot of you but considering 2 years ago this was 2500 on a 1.2 and last year ws 900 its nt that much of a jump for something better than my current corsa.
im 20 years old and yes i have looked at insurance
for the golf gti with elephant who im currently with or aadmiral cant remember but their the same company, for the golf 1.8t fully comp is 1016 and the focus is 1300
this may seem high to alot of you but considering 2 years ago this was 2500 on a 1.2 and last year ws 900 its nt that much of a jump for something better than my current corsa.
I've driven both, don't get the Golf!
The Focus is a really nice car but more of a "warm hatch" than a hot hatch. Still, a lot better than the Golf! Even with ££££'s chucked at the golf they're still boring as hell to drive!
Have a look at the RenaultSport Clio's... you'll get a really nice 2003 172 within your budget on relatively low mileage.
If you want more info on the Clio pm me, I'll bore you to tears! (I have one and think it's amazing! Cheap to buy, cheap to run, modern enough, comfy enough but has all the smiles and giggles you'd get from any hot hatch!)
The Focus is a really nice car but more of a "warm hatch" than a hot hatch. Still, a lot better than the Golf! Even with ££££'s chucked at the golf they're still boring as hell to drive!
Have a look at the RenaultSport Clio's... you'll get a really nice 2003 172 within your budget on relatively low mileage.
If you want more info on the Clio pm me, I'll bore you to tears! (I have one and think it's amazing! Cheap to buy, cheap to run, modern enough, comfy enough but has all the smiles and giggles you'd get from any hot hatch!)
I think the metallic blue ST170s look fabulous but when I test drove one, I wasn't impressed and bought a Civic Type R. I wouldn't want to pay an inflated insurance premium to drive one and would probably look for similar power elsewhere on less insurance - no idea what that might be but have you looked at Celicas?
liamsxi said:
hi thanks for all the replies
im 20 years old and yes i have looked at insurance
for the golf gti with elephant who im currently with or aadmiral cant remember but their the same company, for the golf 1.8t fully comp is 1016 and the focus is 1300
this may seem high to alot of you but considering 2 years ago this was 2500 on a 1.2 and last year ws 900 its nt that much of a jump for something better than my current corsa.
Actually thats less than I was expecting so now feel I can comment lolim 20 years old and yes i have looked at insurance
for the golf gti with elephant who im currently with or aadmiral cant remember but their the same company, for the golf 1.8t fully comp is 1016 and the focus is 1300
this may seem high to alot of you but considering 2 years ago this was 2500 on a 1.2 and last year ws 900 its nt that much of a jump for something better than my current corsa.
I'd be going for the Focus myself, slightly higher on the insurance but in most respects the better car so the higher insurance price is justifiable.
Id also favour a Leon Cupra T with the 180hp + 6speed gearbox combination to a 150hp 5speed Golf GTI. The Seat suspension + geometry makes the car a lot more interesting to drive and personally I quite like the metallic blue or dark grey leons.
If i was to get a mk4 id be looking for a 180hp 6speed version (quite rare but built around 2001-2003) and would definately save some cash for a TT anti roll bar, decent suspension springs (preferably shocks & springs) and make sure the suspension/axle bushes (front an rear) and dog mount are in good condition to.
dave
If i was to get a mk4 id be looking for a 180hp 6speed version (quite rare but built around 2001-2003) and would definately save some cash for a TT anti roll bar, decent suspension springs (preferably shocks & springs) and make sure the suspension/axle bushes (front an rear) and dog mount are in good condition to.
dave
As said above, check the insurance, you could end up paying more for cover than you will for the car!
That aside, I can't say I was impressed by the ST170 particularly; it felt very much a warm hatch for hot hatch running costs. Insurance, VED and fuel consumption are all up there with the Type Rs and so on, but the excitement wasn't.
Based purely on hearsay I'd still choose it over a Mk4 Golf, but I'd be tempted to save some cash over either and get a nice example of a 306 GTi-6 or maybe up the budget a little and get a Renaultsport Clio 182. There's always the mk1 Skoda Octavia vRS and the hot Seat Leon too...
That aside, I can't say I was impressed by the ST170 particularly; it felt very much a warm hatch for hot hatch running costs. Insurance, VED and fuel consumption are all up there with the Type Rs and so on, but the excitement wasn't.
Based purely on hearsay I'd still choose it over a Mk4 Golf, but I'd be tempted to save some cash over either and get a nice example of a 306 GTi-6 or maybe up the budget a little and get a Renaultsport Clio 182. There's always the mk1 Skoda Octavia vRS and the hot Seat Leon too...
again thanks for the help
im aware that the st is not the quickest car in my budget a few years ago someone i worked with had 1 and it was "quick" but not overly however as an upgrade from a 1.2 im sure it will feel like a rocket! especially at 60+mph and overtaking etc
type r, vxr, renaultsports all seem to be slightly more to insure for me maybe its to do with the new 1-50 insurance groups making them more spread out.
i did spend a long time looking at the clio sports but think i would slightly prefer the added size of the focus, and am wary of owning a renault with electrics.
im aware that the st is not the quickest car in my budget a few years ago someone i worked with had 1 and it was "quick" but not overly however as an upgrade from a 1.2 im sure it will feel like a rocket! especially at 60+mph and overtaking etc
type r, vxr, renaultsports all seem to be slightly more to insure for me maybe its to do with the new 1-50 insurance groups making them more spread out.
i did spend a long time looking at the clio sports but think i would slightly prefer the added size of the focus, and am wary of owning a renault with electrics.
Spend a few hours messing about on an insurance comparison site and you will be amazed at some of the cars you can get insured on for the same cost or less.
£3,500 can get you into a decent car and if it is a rarer car that hasn't been crashed a lot your insurance can be cheaper despite it being a larger engine than the ones you mentioned.
As an example, a few years ago my brother didn't get his license until he was 20 and he lost it pretty soon afterwards so had to wait 6 months before retaking his driving test. We were looking for quotes for a car for him and most were coming out at £1,500 - £1,700 for saxo, clio's etc. For a giggle we played around and he could get insured on my Elise for £1,100 and a Hummer for £600!!
You may be amazed at what you can actually afford to buy, insure and run.
Keep us updated.
£3,500 can get you into a decent car and if it is a rarer car that hasn't been crashed a lot your insurance can be cheaper despite it being a larger engine than the ones you mentioned.
As an example, a few years ago my brother didn't get his license until he was 20 and he lost it pretty soon afterwards so had to wait 6 months before retaking his driving test. We were looking for quotes for a car for him and most were coming out at £1,500 - £1,700 for saxo, clio's etc. For a giggle we played around and he could get insured on my Elise for £1,100 and a Hummer for £600!!
You may be amazed at what you can actually afford to buy, insure and run.
Keep us updated.
liamsxi said:
again thanks for the help
im aware that the st is not the quickest car in my budget a few years ago someone i worked with had 1 and it was "quick" but not overly however as an upgrade from a 1.2 im sure it will feel like a rocket! especially at 60+mph and overtaking etc
type r, vxr, renaultsports all seem to be slightly more to insure for me maybe its to do with the new 1-50 insurance groups making them more spread out.
i did spend a long time looking at the clio sports but think i would slightly prefer the added size of the focus, and am wary of owning a renault with electrics.
Focus has a good FWD chassis and is a great car for the occasional trackday and is also just as at home on the motorway cruise.im aware that the st is not the quickest car in my budget a few years ago someone i worked with had 1 and it was "quick" but not overly however as an upgrade from a 1.2 im sure it will feel like a rocket! especially at 60+mph and overtaking etc
type r, vxr, renaultsports all seem to be slightly more to insure for me maybe its to do with the new 1-50 insurance groups making them more spread out.
i did spend a long time looking at the clio sports but think i would slightly prefer the added size of the focus, and am wary of owning a renault with electrics.
RS Clio's are fine I know many people that have owned 172's 182's etc aslong as you get one that's been looked after and serviced regularly you should be fine. With the choice of either I would go for the Clio as it offers so much 'smiles per mile' value, interior space isn't vastly smaller in the clio just a little less leg room.
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