Moving on: Golf 1.4 Mk 3, What next?
Discussion
Where do we start?
I passed my driving test at twenty years of age, this was ten months ago. This, for me, was strange, from a very young age both myself and friends have been VERY into cars, so why the (somewhat) late start? when i was about to turn seventeen i looked at what cars i could afford and want to buy and i looked at what cars i could insure; these did not match up, i felt so strongly about not driving a 800cc daweoo or something like this i chose not to drive at all for a little while. A few years later i had more money and a little more age and as a result felt i could start to get a car that id enjoy, rather than put me off them forever.
I had done half a dozen driving lessons when i was eighteen but didnt really match with my instructor and got bogged down in old fashioned driving,changing down through every single gear on approach to junctions and such. I arranged a new instructor and in five weeks did 20 lessons and a test, some may have done less but i was just rushing things and as a result did more. I passed in August 2007 and promptly did a Pass+ Qualification, enjoyed that too i must say, although i only had to do a few hours as id covered most of it already.
Now i had a license i had to start looking more seriously for a car, id been day dreaming about this and that, but now that i had to pick one particular car i found it very hard. I looked at almost everything, raked autotrader and the classifieds here and fought for hours about what car to get. With Zero NCB it was still hard to find anything i wanted but eventually i found a Mk3 Golf a couple of miles away, id oddly not properly considered these and after a friend selling a GTI offered me his i thought perhaps i could get one.
The car i had found was a Dark Blue "Five Speed" with the 1.4 Engine. Quoted to 60bhp and around 15 seconds to sixty.
This is the car i still have now, the thing is, i find it really propperly fun to drive. It has a set of "Coil Over" suspension bringing it down to something close to the GTI in ride height and improving the cornering. Overtaking is.. hard. but out on open roads i dont often want more power, it feels quick even if its not.
What im asking of you readers, if you are still reading is what car next? Ive still got 3 months on my insurance policy so what ever i get has to be accepted by them as i cant afford to loose 9 months claims bonus. My constraints are as follows:
A little more speed and power, on the flat i dont need it but i love driving in the hills and mountains in the scottish border and i need more there!
120bhp or less
Its rare i have an issue with the handling in my golf, but when i do its because ive very quickly gone from control to no control and thats not fun at all, either lift-off oversteer or locking up (or threatening to do so) in situations that could become an emergency but are only developing as such..
The size of my golf 3 is JUST big enough. Id be willing to take more space but cant really have less as every few days i find myself with three or four passengers, be it shopping at asda or day trips. I like quick narrow roads though, i dont want some huge barge, and as such the golf is a nice size, big enough inside but small enough to not feel cramped on narrow roads. I dont want a "flimsy" car though; take the civic coupe, id be happy to take one, but the thin plasticyness of the rear quarter of it puts me off so much!
Fun! This really is the most important part for me, i love driving, i want to enjoy it even more, id like to take a trip to the 'ring and maybe italy this summer, driving of course and would love to enjoy the roads in europe. Fun is more important that speed. My car feels fast, driving a slow car quickly is better than driving a quick car slowly. I tested a BMW 318 and felt that at 40mph it was less exciting than my car at 20mph, not what i want really.
I have about two thosand pounds to spend:
The few cars ive looked at so far are:
Alfa 156 1.6TS Sportswagon - I know about the belts and oil issues and thats not a problem for me. But will it be fun enough?
VW Golf Mk3 GTI - Just like what i have with a bit more of what i want - power! but with more power will i quickly find the handling to be too dry? and at 10 years old minimum are they getting on too much?
BMW 318 or 316. E36. RWD i like, more fun on the track, but they seem a bit chavvy, a little detatched and a bit ..rep mobile?
Civic - hatch or coupe, its the 1996 to 2000 era that i can afford but im just not sure about these at all :S i go from loving them to hating them!
I passed my driving test at twenty years of age, this was ten months ago. This, for me, was strange, from a very young age both myself and friends have been VERY into cars, so why the (somewhat) late start? when i was about to turn seventeen i looked at what cars i could afford and want to buy and i looked at what cars i could insure; these did not match up, i felt so strongly about not driving a 800cc daweoo or something like this i chose not to drive at all for a little while. A few years later i had more money and a little more age and as a result felt i could start to get a car that id enjoy, rather than put me off them forever.
I had done half a dozen driving lessons when i was eighteen but didnt really match with my instructor and got bogged down in old fashioned driving,changing down through every single gear on approach to junctions and such. I arranged a new instructor and in five weeks did 20 lessons and a test, some may have done less but i was just rushing things and as a result did more. I passed in August 2007 and promptly did a Pass+ Qualification, enjoyed that too i must say, although i only had to do a few hours as id covered most of it already.
Now i had a license i had to start looking more seriously for a car, id been day dreaming about this and that, but now that i had to pick one particular car i found it very hard. I looked at almost everything, raked autotrader and the classifieds here and fought for hours about what car to get. With Zero NCB it was still hard to find anything i wanted but eventually i found a Mk3 Golf a couple of miles away, id oddly not properly considered these and after a friend selling a GTI offered me his i thought perhaps i could get one.
The car i had found was a Dark Blue "Five Speed" with the 1.4 Engine. Quoted to 60bhp and around 15 seconds to sixty.
This is the car i still have now, the thing is, i find it really propperly fun to drive. It has a set of "Coil Over" suspension bringing it down to something close to the GTI in ride height and improving the cornering. Overtaking is.. hard. but out on open roads i dont often want more power, it feels quick even if its not.
What im asking of you readers, if you are still reading is what car next? Ive still got 3 months on my insurance policy so what ever i get has to be accepted by them as i cant afford to loose 9 months claims bonus. My constraints are as follows:
A little more speed and power, on the flat i dont need it but i love driving in the hills and mountains in the scottish border and i need more there!
120bhp or less
Its rare i have an issue with the handling in my golf, but when i do its because ive very quickly gone from control to no control and thats not fun at all, either lift-off oversteer or locking up (or threatening to do so) in situations that could become an emergency but are only developing as such..
The size of my golf 3 is JUST big enough. Id be willing to take more space but cant really have less as every few days i find myself with three or four passengers, be it shopping at asda or day trips. I like quick narrow roads though, i dont want some huge barge, and as such the golf is a nice size, big enough inside but small enough to not feel cramped on narrow roads. I dont want a "flimsy" car though; take the civic coupe, id be happy to take one, but the thin plasticyness of the rear quarter of it puts me off so much!
Fun! This really is the most important part for me, i love driving, i want to enjoy it even more, id like to take a trip to the 'ring and maybe italy this summer, driving of course and would love to enjoy the roads in europe. Fun is more important that speed. My car feels fast, driving a slow car quickly is better than driving a quick car slowly. I tested a BMW 318 and felt that at 40mph it was less exciting than my car at 20mph, not what i want really.
I have about two thosand pounds to spend:
The few cars ive looked at so far are:
Alfa 156 1.6TS Sportswagon - I know about the belts and oil issues and thats not a problem for me. But will it be fun enough?
VW Golf Mk3 GTI - Just like what i have with a bit more of what i want - power! but with more power will i quickly find the handling to be too dry? and at 10 years old minimum are they getting on too much?
BMW 318 or 316. E36. RWD i like, more fun on the track, but they seem a bit chavvy, a little detatched and a bit ..rep mobile?
Civic - hatch or coupe, its the 1996 to 2000 era that i can afford but im just not sure about these at all :S i go from loving them to hating them!
Of the cars on your list, I would go for the Civic, but then I am a complete Honda-nut.
Alternatively, may I also suggest the mk1 Focus? Very good handling, steering and gearchange, the 1.8 is very brisk and revs happily, it's very reliable and cheap to run/ insure... a pretty great all rounder imo. Go for a zetec though unless you plan to change to coilovers again as the Ghia rolls quite a lot when driving in a spirited manner
Alternatively, may I also suggest the mk1 Focus? Very good handling, steering and gearchange, the 1.8 is very brisk and revs happily, it's very reliable and cheap to run/ insure... a pretty great all rounder imo. Go for a zetec though unless you plan to change to coilovers again as the Ghia rolls quite a lot when driving in a spirited manner
I just cant bring myself to buy a puma, what would people say? 
Dare i say its smaller than what i need perhaps? i cant see five people fitting inside as well as they do in my (five door) golf although i know the racing pumas are supposed to be fantastic, are the more basic ones quite as good?
Ive just looked at the 145 and the 2.0 is a fair whack above the 120bhp limit thats imposed by my insurance, now its not set in stone, some things with more will be fine, but id say 148bhp is pushing it ^_^.
Will i really notice a difference in handling between the sportswagon and saloon? i only ask as ive got a dog and i like to take him places with me, but i dont want him sat on lovley leather seats, cloth is fine but not alfa leather ^_^. Again im not 100% on the ford focus, i learned in one, but im not attatched to it at all, just seems a bit... bland, the new ones, sure, but they are silly money. Might test drive one with a proper engine though.. thanks!
Its soo hard to narrow it down when i like so many cars, but so few have 120bhp or less
Dare i say its smaller than what i need perhaps? i cant see five people fitting inside as well as they do in my (five door) golf although i know the racing pumas are supposed to be fantastic, are the more basic ones quite as good?Ive just looked at the 145 and the 2.0 is a fair whack above the 120bhp limit thats imposed by my insurance, now its not set in stone, some things with more will be fine, but id say 148bhp is pushing it ^_^.
Will i really notice a difference in handling between the sportswagon and saloon? i only ask as ive got a dog and i like to take him places with me, but i dont want him sat on lovley leather seats, cloth is fine but not alfa leather ^_^. Again im not 100% on the ford focus, i learned in one, but im not attatched to it at all, just seems a bit... bland, the new ones, sure, but they are silly money. Might test drive one with a proper engine though.. thanks!
Its soo hard to narrow it down when i like so many cars, but so few have 120bhp or less
MrTom said:
kit car? Your almost 21, so some insurers will take you on a limited mileage policy.
Something along the lines of a Dutton phaeton/melos with a 1.4 crossflow or a robinhood. You'll need a hardtop for winter though.
Those robinhoods look grand, but lack the second row of seats that are almost vital for my day to day use.Something along the lines of a Dutton phaeton/melos with a 1.4 crossflow or a robinhood. You'll need a hardtop for winter though.
Couple of thoughts to add today:
Seat Leon? what are these like to drive? with the 1.6 engine?
VW Bora. Boring?
Must say im warming to the BMW 318.. Whats a fair price to pay for these in normal condition?
My mentality is along the lines of seats should be sat IN not ON. This car doesnt have to be a fully blown sports coupe, just as much fun to drive as ive been having.
Im strugling so hard to find the right car, how does everyone else do it?
Id like to ask again, will i find the handling of the golf GTI to be limiting? id like to goto the 'ring this year. I know i will, but will it be out of its depth if i make it to the ring?
What is going to be the most fun car in the "small family" size? does not need to be a hatch, could live with a coupe or saloon, just needs four or five seats, 120bhp or less...
How about a 306 1.8 or 2.0? Shouldn't be too bad on the insurance, and entertaining handling. Also, I have a 5 door, and it's more than reasonable enough to fit 5 people in, provided they arent more than about 6 foot in the back, and the boot is good.
Plenty around too, and it's a good looking car.
Plenty around too, and it's a good looking car.
hardcorehobbit said:
How about a 306 1.8 or 2.0? Shouldn't be too bad on the insurance, and entertaining handling. Also, I have a 5 door, and it's more than reasonable enough to fit 5 people in, provided they arent more than about 6 foot in the back, and the boot is good.
Plenty around too, and it's a good looking car.
I was thinking this too. A good 306 is cracking drivers car, great steering and they handle really nicely. The gear change can be a little sloppy, but it's a Peugeot, they all do that!Plenty around too, and it's a good looking car.
A 306 and MK III Gold are pretty much the same size too.
I'm sure you can find a nice mint 2.0 306 XSi at the money you have.
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