Fun, fast, economical daily for under ~£12k
Discussion
I currently have a 2007 bmw 335i e92 with a manual gearbox and only 54k on the clock. I love the car, and it pretty much fits the bill perfectly for what I want and need from a car, apart from the fuel economy.
I am now driving more (probably over 10k miles a year) and 27/28mpg is not really ideal for a 22 year old student. So I am looking for a car which is
- practicalish (can carry 4 people on a reasonable journey)
- fast (probably over 200bhp)
- fun to drive
- not too high mileage
- preferably manual
- preferably 3 door
- economical (35mpg+)
My budget is around the £12k mark - I’d rather spend less obviously. I’m not really fancying a diesel as it’s my only car and want it to still be a fun thing to drive and rev out, but it may have to be if nothing else fits the bill.
The 335i doesn’t really make sense any more, putting on heaps of miles to such a low mileage tidy car, whilst drinking fuel something terrible if driving quickly. So, suggestions would be welcome - although I am picky when it comes to cars!
I am now driving more (probably over 10k miles a year) and 27/28mpg is not really ideal for a 22 year old student. So I am looking for a car which is
- practicalish (can carry 4 people on a reasonable journey)
- fast (probably over 200bhp)
- fun to drive
- not too high mileage
- preferably manual
- preferably 3 door
- economical (35mpg+)
My budget is around the £12k mark - I’d rather spend less obviously. I’m not really fancying a diesel as it’s my only car and want it to still be a fun thing to drive and rev out, but it may have to be if nothing else fits the bill.
The 335i doesn’t really make sense any more, putting on heaps of miles to such a low mileage tidy car, whilst drinking fuel something terrible if driving quickly. So, suggestions would be welcome - although I am picky when it comes to cars!
IMHO 10k miles a year is normal, not heaps of miles. I doubt putting that mileage on your car is going to make that much difference to the car, either in terms of condition or resale value.
If you sell a car doing 27mpg and buy one doing 35mpg, that will save £770 a year at £2 a litre, less when petrol prices fall back again. If you sold your car for £8k and paid £12k for the new one, it would take many years to break even. And you'd be driving a less fun car all that time.
If fuel economy is a concern I'd be asking why you can't achieve at least 30mpg in your current car, my understanding is those cars can generally do that unless it's all urban trips.
I'd suggest watching the fuel economy read-out, using more throttle in higher gears (so lower revs) for the same rate of acceleration, resisting the temptation to hoof it off every roundabout, looking ahead to anticipate changes in speed and make them smoothly - you should be able to avoid braking most of the time.
It might sound boring, but I'd rather do that on normal journeys and have fun occasionally, that be stuck with a diesel as my only car.
You could look into re-maps as some of them can improve economy too, although the insurance implications would need checking if your goal is to trim costs.
I also strongly suspect that if you buy a more boring car for £12k it'll probably depreciate more than your current car, so end up no better off. 335i manuals have potentially not much further to fall value wise.
Unless you've just decided you want a change of car, which is perfectly legit... but if you still like the 335i I'd be inclined to keep it.
If you sell a car doing 27mpg and buy one doing 35mpg, that will save £770 a year at £2 a litre, less when petrol prices fall back again. If you sold your car for £8k and paid £12k for the new one, it would take many years to break even. And you'd be driving a less fun car all that time.
If fuel economy is a concern I'd be asking why you can't achieve at least 30mpg in your current car, my understanding is those cars can generally do that unless it's all urban trips.
I'd suggest watching the fuel economy read-out, using more throttle in higher gears (so lower revs) for the same rate of acceleration, resisting the temptation to hoof it off every roundabout, looking ahead to anticipate changes in speed and make them smoothly - you should be able to avoid braking most of the time.
It might sound boring, but I'd rather do that on normal journeys and have fun occasionally, that be stuck with a diesel as my only car.
You could look into re-maps as some of them can improve economy too, although the insurance implications would need checking if your goal is to trim costs.
I also strongly suspect that if you buy a more boring car for £12k it'll probably depreciate more than your current car, so end up no better off. 335i manuals have potentially not much further to fall value wise.
Unless you've just decided you want a change of car, which is perfectly legit... but if you still like the 335i I'd be inclined to keep it.
oceanview said:
How about a Golf GTD?
Not over 200 bhp but, they drive very much like a higher powered car with 280ibf.ft of torque.
I think the OP wanted petrol, otherwise a 330d or 335d offer the power.Not over 200 bhp but, they drive very much like a higher powered car with 280ibf.ft of torque.
For economy, speed and >200 bhp needs to be smallish and have a good turbo.
The economy, fast and petrol is hard to square with a car that seats 4 adults in comfort, so the OP needs to decide where his priorities lie
Some suggestions:
Pug 208 1.6 THP GTi
MINI 3-door hatch JCW
BMW 125i
DS3 1.6 THP Performance
The VAG 2.0 TFSI engine ticks the box in a number of guises:
Leon Cupra 280/290
Golf BlueMotion Tech GTI
Audi S1 (or TT-though not great for rear space)
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