2nd car after a corsa... what do we think?
Discussion
I've had my 1.2 Corsa D since late 2019 - I learned to drive in it for a year and am thinking of selling it this december once I have 2 years NCB.
The car is decent enough for my first, gets me from A-B but the thing is just so slow. I 'learned' to drive for three years with plenty of hours outside of lessons so I do feel quite confident as a driver, having had a license for just a few months. Obviously not cocksure though, still more to learn ofcourse
Anyway - I'm looking for something with a bit more power. Perhaps a turbo. I want something with good modification potential once I've had it for a year or so and can just keep myself busy with aesthetical mods in the meantime. Open to all - hot hatch, saloon or coupe.
I've looked at the MX5, Golf R, Honda Prelude, A3, and Focus ST - insurance varies on them but really I want something with future potential that won't cost me a fortune to insure stock.
Ideas welcome!
The car is decent enough for my first, gets me from A-B but the thing is just so slow. I 'learned' to drive for three years with plenty of hours outside of lessons so I do feel quite confident as a driver, having had a license for just a few months. Obviously not cocksure though, still more to learn ofcourse
Anyway - I'm looking for something with a bit more power. Perhaps a turbo. I want something with good modification potential once I've had it for a year or so and can just keep myself busy with aesthetical mods in the meantime. Open to all - hot hatch, saloon or coupe.
I've looked at the MX5, Golf R, Honda Prelude, A3, and Focus ST - insurance varies on them but really I want something with future potential that won't cost me a fortune to insure stock.
Ideas welcome!
I think most Turbo petrol cars (as most are now) are fairly nippy and even one with say 130-140bhp would feel a decent improvement on what you have now.
At the end of the day its your money but going from a 1.2D Corsa to a Golf R is a huge step up in terms of power and money. As an example you can't be spending £30 on part worn tyres for a performance car so expect your general motoring costs to increase outside of just insurance.
It sounds like you are being realistic with expectations and several cars are fairly similar as they often use the same engines throughout the range so an Audi S3 is almost a Golf R so it generally comes down to which you prefer.
What sort of car do you need size wise and not just now, in the future? If you are say 25 with a Mrs and plan to have kids soon ish, getting a 3 door or a 2 seater might not be a smart move, especially if you are forced to sell it in a year due to a kid on the way. However if you are 21 and single then perhaps its less of a concern.
What is your budget also? The last thing you want to be doing is buying the cheapest Golf R you can find because its the top of your budget and finding out its been abused to within an inch of its life and needs £2k spending on it.
At the end of the day its your money but going from a 1.2D Corsa to a Golf R is a huge step up in terms of power and money. As an example you can't be spending £30 on part worn tyres for a performance car so expect your general motoring costs to increase outside of just insurance.
It sounds like you are being realistic with expectations and several cars are fairly similar as they often use the same engines throughout the range so an Audi S3 is almost a Golf R so it generally comes down to which you prefer.
What sort of car do you need size wise and not just now, in the future? If you are say 25 with a Mrs and plan to have kids soon ish, getting a 3 door or a 2 seater might not be a smart move, especially if you are forced to sell it in a year due to a kid on the way. However if you are 21 and single then perhaps its less of a concern.
What is your budget also? The last thing you want to be doing is buying the cheapest Golf R you can find because its the top of your budget and finding out its been abused to within an inch of its life and needs £2k spending on it.
You need something cheap to run and importantly reliable / easy to fix.
Something small and light would be your best bet.
I’m going to suggest a Toyota MR2 Roadster. 2002 onwards to avoid any pre-cat issues.
Great handling, quick enough coming from a diesel corsa, Toyota reliability, massive tuning market when you’re ready for it.
Spend £4K and keep the rest for a rainy day.
Something small and light would be your best bet.
I’m going to suggest a Toyota MR2 Roadster. 2002 onwards to avoid any pre-cat issues.
Great handling, quick enough coming from a diesel corsa, Toyota reliability, massive tuning market when you’re ready for it.
Spend £4K and keep the rest for a rainy day.
Wagonwheel555 said:
I think most Turbo petrol cars (as most are now) are fairly nippy and even one with say 130-140bhp would feel a decent improvement on what you have now.
At the end of the day its your money but going from a 1.2D Corsa to a Golf R is a huge step up in terms of power and money. As an example you can't be spending £30 on part worn tyres for a performance car so expect your general motoring costs to increase outside of just insurance.
It sounds like you are being realistic with expectations and several cars are fairly similar as they often use the same engines throughout the range so an Audi S3 is almost a Golf R so it generally comes down to which you prefer.
What sort of car do you need size wise and not just now, in the future? If you are say 25 with a Mrs and plan to have kids soon ish, getting a 3 door or a 2 seater might not be a smart move, especially if you are forced to sell it in a year due to a kid on the way. However if you are 21 and single then perhaps its less of a concern.
What is your budget also? The last thing you want to be doing is buying the cheapest Golf R you can find because its the top of your budget and finding out its been abused to within an inch of its life and needs £2k spending on it.
There arent any practical limits really - ideally 5 seats and enough room for a couple of suitcases or shopping bags. No plans on kids or near future life constraints.At the end of the day its your money but going from a 1.2D Corsa to a Golf R is a huge step up in terms of power and money. As an example you can't be spending £30 on part worn tyres for a performance car so expect your general motoring costs to increase outside of just insurance.
It sounds like you are being realistic with expectations and several cars are fairly similar as they often use the same engines throughout the range so an Audi S3 is almost a Golf R so it generally comes down to which you prefer.
What sort of car do you need size wise and not just now, in the future? If you are say 25 with a Mrs and plan to have kids soon ish, getting a 3 door or a 2 seater might not be a smart move, especially if you are forced to sell it in a year due to a kid on the way. However if you are 21 and single then perhaps its less of a concern.
What is your budget also? The last thing you want to be doing is buying the cheapest Golf R you can find because its the top of your budget and finding out its been abused to within an inch of its life and needs £2k spending on it.
Budget around £7k
Personally I wouldn't be aiming for the fastest of any particular car in your situation.
Leaves scope for you to go faster later. Anything will feel quick after your Corsa so take a smaller step rather than jumping straight to a golf r or some other 300bhp machine.
Maybe consider a smaller warm hatch like a swift sport, or something a little more insurance friendly like an astra Gtc Sri (think you can get a 200bhp version which is plenty quick).
Alfa do some cracking looking little cars with good power. (I'm sure zx will be along soon to recommend some)
If you are set on a golf go for the GTi rather than the r, cheaper to buy, cheaper to insure, cheaper to run and will feel like a rocket ship compared to a 1.2 Corsa!!
I've worked my way up through cars slowly getting faster.
My last car was properly fast but it's just spoilt it now as I can't really go any faster on budget and everything else felt a bit slow compared, hence I have changed to a much slower car and changed my expectation of driving for a bit... (I.e. don't peak too early!!)
Leaves scope for you to go faster later. Anything will feel quick after your Corsa so take a smaller step rather than jumping straight to a golf r or some other 300bhp machine.
Maybe consider a smaller warm hatch like a swift sport, or something a little more insurance friendly like an astra Gtc Sri (think you can get a 200bhp version which is plenty quick).
Alfa do some cracking looking little cars with good power. (I'm sure zx will be along soon to recommend some)
If you are set on a golf go for the GTi rather than the r, cheaper to buy, cheaper to insure, cheaper to run and will feel like a rocket ship compared to a 1.2 Corsa!!
I've worked my way up through cars slowly getting faster.
My last car was properly fast but it's just spoilt it now as I can't really go any faster on budget and everything else felt a bit slow compared, hence I have changed to a much slower car and changed my expectation of driving for a bit... (I.e. don't peak too early!!)
Edited by drgoatboy on Thursday 1st April 10:02
Edited by drgoatboy on Thursday 1st April 10:03
robemcdonald said:
You need something cheap to run and importantly reliable / easy to fix.
Something small and light would be your best bet.
I’m going to suggest a Toyota MR2 Roadster. 2002 onwards to avoid any pre-cat issues.
Great handling, quick enough coming from a diesel corsa, Toyota reliability, massive tuning market when you’re ready for it.
Spend £4K and keep the rest for a rainy day.
The MR2 is great but really does need respect. I don't want to tar the OP with prejudice but I would suggest caution for inexperienced drivers. It could easily catch anyone out. Something small and light would be your best bet.
I’m going to suggest a Toyota MR2 Roadster. 2002 onwards to avoid any pre-cat issues.
Great handling, quick enough coming from a diesel corsa, Toyota reliability, massive tuning market when you’re ready for it.
Spend £4K and keep the rest for a rainy day.
Swift Sport sounded like a great option to me.
If we are going to go with a bit of front wheel drive safety I'd suggest a Mini Cooper S.
I had one of the first ones around 20 years ago (flipping hell ! that's longer than I thought)
Very popular with the ladies too. Helped me land Mrs McDonald....
Nice little cars too. Should be able to get a very nice one within the budget.
I had one of the first ones around 20 years ago (flipping hell ! that's longer than I thought)
Very popular with the ladies too. Helped me land Mrs McDonald....
Nice little cars too. Should be able to get a very nice one within the budget.
robemcdonald said:
If we are going to go with a bit of front wheel drive safety I'd suggest a Mini Cooper S.
I had one of the first ones around 20 years ago (flipping hell ! that's longer than I thought)
Very popular with the ladies too. Helped me land Mrs McDonald....
Nice little cars too. Should be able to get a very nice one within the budget.
Cooper S is a great shout, hood performance, lots of mods available, big scene. R53 for overall reliability and mods I would suggest.I had one of the first ones around 20 years ago (flipping hell ! that's longer than I thought)
Very popular with the ladies too. Helped me land Mrs McDonald....
Nice little cars too. Should be able to get a very nice one within the budget.
Edited by drgoatboy on Thursday 1st April 11:06
Go for the warm versions & you'll get a smart swift good handling car.
Astra GTC SRI 180 good base point with lots of tuning potential, with the added bonus that you can get one for around half of your budget:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010155...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202102128...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202103049...
Look at the Alfa Giulietta Cloverleaf they seem to come up with sensible insurance numbers:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202103109...
Or there's the more insurance friendly Sportiva 170
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202101198...
Veloce 170
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202101288...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202102108...
208 XY 156 Again another car with a good base chassis & tuning potential as well all the connectivity
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202103270...
DS3 DSport 163 same as the above with a smidge more BHP:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202103280...
RCZ GT
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202103019...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/201907109...
Astra GTC SRI 180 good base point with lots of tuning potential, with the added bonus that you can get one for around half of your budget:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010155...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202102128...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202103049...
Look at the Alfa Giulietta Cloverleaf they seem to come up with sensible insurance numbers:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202103109...
Or there's the more insurance friendly Sportiva 170
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202101198...
Veloce 170
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202101288...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202102108...
208 XY 156 Again another car with a good base chassis & tuning potential as well all the connectivity
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202103270...
DS3 DSport 163 same as the above with a smidge more BHP:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202103280...
RCZ GT
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202103019...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/201907109...
robemcdonald said:
You need something cheap to run and importantly reliable / easy to fix.
Something small and light would be your best bet.
I’m going to suggest a Toyota MR2 Roadster. 2002 onwards to avoid any pre-cat issues.
Great handling, quick enough coming from a diesel corsa, Toyota reliability, massive tuning market when you’re ready for it.
Spend £4K and keep the rest for a rainy day.
Agree with this.Something small and light would be your best bet.
I’m going to suggest a Toyota MR2 Roadster. 2002 onwards to avoid any pre-cat issues.
Great handling, quick enough coming from a diesel corsa, Toyota reliability, massive tuning market when you’re ready for it.
Spend £4K and keep the rest for a rainy day.
25 years ago I moved from my 1.2 Corsa to a Mk1 MR2.
So the MK3 MR2 is a great call. I kept the MR2 for six years, travelled through Europe and has some great times.
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