Advice for a cheapish, fun, quick car...

[andy666uk]

So my Insignia SRi 2.0 CDTi finally died last week and now I'm without a car. I don't want to do my usual thing and rush into buying something (I'll make do with the bus for a week or two)

Budget is around £5k and I think I'm ready to return to petrol. So far I've been looking at BMW 320i/325i, Octavia vRS, Saab 93 Aero. I've even been cosidering something a little more than budget like an Astra VXR or Focus ST. Whatever I get it would have to be either an estate or decent sized hatch for the dog.

Spent a few days browsing Autotrader and realised that you don't get much for £5k these days! not sure if that's due to the ongoing chip shortage or just because I've not bought a used car with less than 100k miles on it for so long.

In an ideal world I'd buy a fast RWD car with a V8... sadly though it's a far from ideal world

[ZX10R NIN]

If you want a practical V8 there's always the ML500:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202204094...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202204074...

Or with some haggling & a budget stretch you could get a E500 estate:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202109067...

[sshenton1975]

Audi S4 4.2 V8

End thread!

[georgeyboy12345]

No RWD V8s I'm afraid, but what about one of these 6 cylinder motors?

Audi A6 Avant 3.2 FSI Quattro
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202204154...


Ford Mondeo ST220 Estate
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202204084...


BMW 330i SE Touring
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202204154...

[egor110]

I've just picked up a 9-3 aero .

Not sure I'd say it's fun , it goes fast in a straight line but is pretty vague in the steering department.

[sean ie3]

Do you need a 4 door? There are any amount of Z4 3.0's out there. More sensible 5k can get you a really nice RX8.

[andy666uk]

Thanks for the replies, definitely some good suggestions. I know I mentioned V8s, and perhaps I shouldn't have as it's not really a practical reality for a daily car... I'm just dreaming I guess ideally I'd like something that at least gets 30mpg round town (hence the 320i, Octavia vRS) I'd be willing to consider a large hatch (the dog isn't that big, so an estate isn't essential) as I mentioned before I had looked at the Focus ST as the power/mpg ratio looks pretty decent plus they even did an estate... of course a decent one is well over budget so I'd have to get a loan for the rest.

Or maybe I'm better getting something for 2/3k and look again once things have calmed down a bit... assuming they will calm down? (for example Parkers says a 2015 Focus ST on 70k should be around 10-11k yet I'm seeing them for 15k at the moment.

[andy666uk]

sean ie3 said:

Do you need a 4 door? There are any amount of Z4 3.0's out there. More sensible 5k can get you a really nice RX8.

Doesn't have to be a 4 door, but ideally does need to be a hatchback for the dog (he's a tw*t so needs to be restrained in the boot )

RX8s look OK, but I heard they get through a lot of oil and are also pretty thirsty...

[egor110]

If you want fun get a clio 1*2 and either put a small dog in the boot or remove the rear seats.

Mpg I'm getting 27 in the aero doing a 5 mile commute.

What about a civic r type ? That would be fun with more boot space.

[sean ie3]

I missed the bit about the dog, though the RX8 isn't that expensive to run unless you're doing hundreds of miles a week. : )

[ZX10R NIN]

andy666uk said:

Thanks for the replies, definitely some good suggestions. I know I mentioned V8s, and perhaps I shouldn't have as it's not really a practical reality for a daily car... I'm just dreaming I guess ideally I'd like something that at least gets 30mpg round town (hence the 320i, Octavia vRS) I'd be willing to consider a large hatch (the dog isn't that big, so an estate isn't essential) as I mentioned before I had looked at the Focus ST as the power/mpg ratio looks pretty decent plus they even did an estate... of course a decent one is well over budget so I'd have to get a loan for the rest.

Or maybe I'm better getting something for 2/3k and look again once things have calmed down a bit... assuming they will calm down? (for example Parkers says a 2015 Focus ST on 70k should be around 10-11k yet I'm seeing them for 15k at the moment.

The Insignia in 1.4T form are good around town not a fun steer but it ticks the rest of your boxes:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202204144...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202201131...

Estate

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202204144...

Or the 2.0T would be the more interesting choice:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202201141...

The car that fits your brief the best is the 2.5T Mondeo in Titanium X Sport spec they're the best FWD steer in class & that 2.5T is a peach:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202204054...

Ghia:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202204024...

Or there's also the 2.5 N/A Mazda6 not as good a steer as the Mondeo but it's a nice car:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202203173...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202112300...

[andy666uk]

ZX10R NIN said:

The Insignia in 1.4T form are good around town not a fun steer but it ticks the rest of your boxes:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202204144...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202201131...

Estate

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202204144...

Or the 2.0T would be the more interesting choice:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202201141...

The car that fits your brief the best is the 2.5T Mondeo in Titanium X Sport spec they're the best FWD steer in class & that 2.5T is a peach:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202204054...

Ghia:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202204024...

Or there's also the 2.5 N/A Mazda6 not as good a steer as the Mondeo but it's a nice car:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202203173...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202112300...

Mondeo 2.5T sounds interesting, not too bad on fuel either looking at the figures. I don't really want another Insignia and the car I had before that was a Mazda 6 2.2d so I'd rather not have another of those either. I do like the Mondeo mk4... although the mk5 diesels are temptingly cheap with £30 tax and 60mpg around town... but I told myself I'm done with diesel now

Really unsure what to get and I'm sick of looking... are 2008 cars really £5k? I must be out of touch with used petrol prices.

[Rotary Potato]

I have a German Shepherd and my only car is a 986 Boxster!

Fortunately the dog is happy to sit still on the passenger seat. She is strapped in, but could still be a liability if she couldn't be trusted to sit still.

I've owned an RX8, and you mentioned wanting a V8 ... well you'll definitely think you have one when you see your fuel bill! They are good cars, but rust for fun and are finnicky about maintenance and usage profiles. That said, if your needs match with their requirements, then there's not much better out there for the money.

However, it sounds like you are looking for something that's more "family car with a little sporty dust sprinkled over it" than "sports car you can just about shoehorn into family life". That's not really something I'm too familiar with ... but if you wanted a left field suggestion - how about a Mazda 3 MPS?

Something like this: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202112100...