My next venture

[aazer89]

Okay probably going to be a bit long winded this one so apologies in advance. I currently drive a 208 1.2 (had it for four years in Oct this year) It has 53k miles on it - its my daily and I used to have a substantial commute.
Its my first car and I am 32 (Yes late to the game I know).

I am looking ready as to what I get next, wondered if the kind people here had experience of the cars I'm looking at/had sensible suggestions for anything Ive missed.

So Im looking at around the £10-£15k mark, I have about £4k in my car which will be part ex'ed. I wont be putting anywhere near as many miles on this car as my commute has shrunk somewhat.

Current contenders are as follows:

Audi A3 Saloon 1.4 TFSI S line
BMW 2 Series 1.5 218i M Sport
BMW 1 Series 1.5 116D M Sport Shadow Edition
VW Golf GTI (performance pack if possible - I did look at Clubsport Edition 40 but not sure its worth the extra?)
Fiesta ST MK8
BMW 1 Series Coupe

I dont want anything under 1.4 or over 2.0. Also trying to avoid too many miles where possible (I know most BMWs 2nd hand come with a fair few on them at this price bracket, same for Audi).

Looking for common issues, running costs - the usual stuff really. Which is 'fun' are any of them 'boring'?

I will have this next car for about 2-3 years before looking to step into RS/RS3/M type territory.

If youre still reading thank you for putting up with my jumbled head...

[pb8g09]

If you're looking to trade this car in within 3 years for something else, why don't you skip a step and go straight in at the performance end now? - Nearly all of the cars (except maybe the Golf) on your list will likely depreciate quicker than you'd like as they're cooking models.

£15k buys a lot of used performance car - if you like BMWs, I'd be looking to trade now straight to a M135/40i or M235/40i or if you prefer Audi's an S3, S1 (strong residuals) or TT and retain your 2 litre limit. If you're less badge fussed, there's a whole waft of good quick cars with 2 litre or less for around that figure

Edited by pb8g09 on Tuesday 27th April 12:27

[aazer89]

I can't afford to go up that end of the market at the moment but have very much grown out of my current car, hence the stop gap. Im not worried about depreciation etc, whatever I get will drop in value as Im never going to be looking at something 'special' enough to hold any significant value.

[GreatGranny]

Golf GTI PP for me.

Best all round car for your budget you can buy IMO.

[aazer89]

GreatGranny said:

Golf GTI PP for me.

Best all round car for your budget you can buy IMO.

Have you owned/driven? Interested to hear peoples experience of them (agree on the all rounder side of things from what ive read)

[J1990]

You've got four very bland cars there, along with the Fiesta ST and the Golf GTI.
If you're wanting to head towards a performance car then you're not going to be satisfied for long with the other three.

The Fiesta would be my choice for reasons that I can't really explain, however if this is your only car then I guess the GTI is more likely to suit your needs over the next few years and will likely retain value for longer with it being a newer model.

[LightningBlue]

I say think differently to the typical Germans - Audi, Merc, BMW says nothing about you when everyone drives them these days. If you do want German I can recommend the Scirocco GT, although they did make some engine changes so most of the newer 2 litre engined ones on the market are now 180bhp instead of 200bhp plus which I had. Nothing wrong with a Golf as such but they do look a bit bland in comparison.
Otherwise you can get a Renault Megane RS275 in that budget but they’re quite scarce, they drive amazingly well though. A Toyota GT86 could also be on your list.
You could also look at stuff like Lexus IS200 F Sport, Infinitis or Volvos for reasonably quick and stealthy cruisers if that’s your preference.

[LightningBlue]

Also a facelift model Alfa Giulietta QV is in this budget. My brother has one and says it’s more of a cruiser but enjoys it. Had no reliability issues I know of.

[aazer89]

J1990 said:

You've got four very bland cars there, along with the Fiesta ST and the Golf GTI.
If you're wanting to head towards a performance car then you're not going to be satisfied for long with the other three.

The Fiesta would be my choice for reasons that I can't really explain, however if this is your only car then I guess the GTI is more likely to suit your needs over the next few years and will likely retain value for longer with it being a newer model.

Please dont take this the wrong way but what would you suggest as alternatives that arent as bland?
Whatever I pick would be my daily, but my commute isnt anything substantial anymore

[ZX10R NIN]

aazer89 said:

I can't afford to go up that end of the market at the moment but have very much grown out of my current car, hence the stop gap. Im not worried about depreciation etc, whatever I get will drop in value as Im never going to be looking at something 'special' enough to hold any significant value.

You have a healthy budget & you can get some nice metal for your budget, the standout for me is the Infiniti Q30 Sport 2016/17 they'll have the nicest interior of anything you've (remember you're going to be in it 3 years) listed.

These are the same car as the Mercedes A250 AMG Engineered with added AWD, performance is warm hatch territory with 210 BHP & AWD it's a very swift car.

17k

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202104010...

28k

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202011186...

Now the next two are a good stepping stone to the RS3/A45/M2/3 you're looking to buy next:

16 Astra GTC VXR 23k

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202103160...

68 28k

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202104261...

16 25k

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202104271...

308 GTI 270

18 18k

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202104271...

67 29k

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202103240...

17 41k

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202103230...

At the 10k mark:

308 GTI 250 16 53k

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202103190...

GTC VXR 14 53k

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202104271...

Another good warm hatch is the Megane GT Nav 205:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202104141...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202104171...

[aazer89]

LightningBlue said:

Also a facelift model Alfa Giulietta QV is in this budget. My brother has one and says it’s more of a cruiser but enjoys it. Had no reliability issues I know of.

Lots of suggestions Id not looked at, I will take a look at them all. Specially the Alfa as it is a very good looking car ... and different. Wouldnt have thought it would be in budget

[aazer89]

ZX10R NIN said:

You have a healthy budget & you can get some nice metal for your budget, the standout for me is the Infiniti Q30 Sport 2016/17 they'll have the nicest interior of anything you've (remember you're going to be in it 3 years) listed.

These are the same car as the Mercedes A250 AMG Engineered with added AWD, performance is warm hatch territory with 210 BHP & AWD it's a very swift car.

17k

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202104010...

28k

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202011186...

Now the next two are a good stepping stone to the RS3/A45/M2/3 you're looking to buy next:

16 Astra GTC VXR 23k

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202103160...

68 28k

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202104261...

16 25k

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202104271...

308 GTI 270

18 18k

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202104271...

67 29k

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202103240...

17 41k

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202103230...

At the 10k mark:

308 GTI 250 16 53k

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202103190...

GTC VXR 14 53k

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202104271...

Another good warm hatch is the Megane GT Nav 205:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202104141...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202104171...

Again this is the kind of response I was hoping for, lots of suggestions. I will take a look at all of these

[J1990]

aazer89 said:

Please dont take this the wrong way but what would you suggest as alternatives that arent as bland?
Whatever I pick would be my daily, but my commute isnt anything substantial anymore

ZX pretty much summed up the options that would be more fun and still fit within your budget.

Fiesta ST (Small but mighty fun for the money)
Golf GTI (Every man and his dog has one but that's for a reason)
Astra GTC VXR (A lot of car for your money now the depreciation hit it hard)
308 GTI (Often overlooked but seem to get a good rating on here)
Audi S3 (A few 13/14 models popping in to your budget)

You're still about £5k away from what I'd love yo recommend which would be the i30N - Without a doubt the most fun car £ for £ that I've owned.5 years 100,000 mile warranty that includes track use (Never planned to use my old one on the track but it gave me peace of mind that Hyundai were happy to offer that level of warranty)

£11.5k, lots of fun, looks good and is a little different to what you see on the road constantly:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202104201...

[aazer89]

J1990 said:

ZX pretty much summed up the options that would be more fun and still fit within your budget.

Fiesta ST (Small but mighty fun for the money)
Golf GTI (Every man and his dog has one but that's for a reason)
Astra GTC VXR (A lot of car for your money now the depreciation hit it hard)
308 GTI (Often overlooked but seem to get a good rating on here)
Audi S3 (A few 13/14 models popping in to your budget)

You're still about £5k away from what I'd love yo recommend which would be the i30N - Without a doubt the most fun car £ for £ that I've owned.5 years 100,000 mile warranty that includes track use (Never planned to use my old one on the track but it gave me peace of mind that Hyundai were happy to offer that level of warranty)

£11.5k, lots of fun, looks good and is a little different to what you see on the road constantly:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202104201...

Thank you nice to see people being genuinely helpful and really appreciate the honest advice. Love the look of that Ibiza and had completely overlooked those!

[aazer89]

aazer89 said:

Again this is the kind of response I was hoping for, lots of suggestions. I will take a look at all of these

Had a look through this list, these offer alot of car. Thank you for helping me see past the 'german mist' I was hoping by posting here Id get suggestions of things Id missed/written off/overlooked

[anonymous-user]

GreatGranny said:

Golf GTI PP for me.

Best all round car for your budget you can buy IMO.

Agreed, if you need one car to do everything mk7 GTI is very hard to beat IME.