Help me choose my winter daily driver

[Pedal_Loud]

Need help choosing a daily driver for winter. I don't like to use the E93 M3 much in the winter due to salty roads and the like. So I've released a bit of spare cash to get into a winter daily driver. I've deliberated at length over GTI 1.8t golfs, Mini Cooper S, Audi 225 TT and lost count of how many MOT history checks I've done. I have a general rule that if a car has had the same advisory for more than a couple of years I steer clear as it shows the owner doesn't really care much. Having looked at a few of those models I've dismissed them all and have it down to the 2 x choices in the poll mainly due to my criteria shifting a bit.
Which of the above would you go for? To help set the scene further, below is the criteria I used to whittle it down:

Manual gearbox (want to stir the cogs)
Back doors (for the kids)
Reliable (Mazda 3 works)
Good resale (i.e. not a bag of spanners)
A decent drive
Something a bit different
Petrol (don't want an oil burner)
Able to keep up with modern traffic
Not be a people carrier, wagon or convertible.
Not be much more that £2k.
Be close to home (I'm not travelling miles and miles for daily drive)

[anonymous-user]

The mazda for reliability, the merc for the cool factor.

[iSore]

I'd also add:

Alfa 156 1.8. A well maintained one is okay and 2 grand will buy a minter with leather - the challenge would be spending so much on one as they're pretty worthless now.

E46 325i. They're a bit rubbish in many ways (rust, cooling system) but again, £2000 will buy a decent one.

ST170 Focus? I'm sure Ford did a 5 door version and they're pretty robust and fun to drive.


Food for thought?

Mazdas of that age are awful for rust.

[funkyrobot]

iSore said:

Mazdas of that age are awful for rust.

Pre facelift. Horrendous issues with the wheel arches being eaten.

Even the post facelift 3's of that era (2007 onwards) rust. I know this first hand.

[iSore]

As good as 190E's were, perhaps a bit too old as a daily now......? Not really fun to drive either - worthy but dull.

[bobbo89]

Accord Type-R would be perfect if you can find a good one close to you

[Bispal]

I just had same dilemma and went for the Accord Type R, just a few weeks ago. Great underrated car but you will need £3k to find one under 100k miles with NO rust on the bulkhead, that's the Achilles heel, bulkhead rust. There are only a few hundred left but plenty for sale on FB forum with no rust and over 100k miles for £2k. Heres is mine, very pleased so far

[TEKNOPUG]

Its £2k so you are buying at the bottom of the market after countless owners have had their hands on it. Reliability will be far more down to use & maintenance, than how they were built 10+ years ago. My point being that condition is everything, mmake/model very much secondary. However, £2k would get you into a newage Scooby - perfect winter hack. Higher mileage the better - means it's been looked after!

[RedAndy]

MG ZS TDi

no really!

the only ones left are decent ones or dogs - nothing in between, but they all cost 50p. they are simple to work on but generally reliable (creaky/poor quality plastic interior, traditional diesel clatter, but quite reliable)

even the slow 85bhp one is actually quite fast cos it has so much torque and is light. handles like a dream - can't rememebr who said it was epic - maybe Tiff, or Plato...or Mansell . Someone "suitably qualified" anyway.

i ran one for a very bad winter in North Yorkshire. 12" snow - just drive carefully and it just went on and on. the FWD but good handling chassis made it predictable and easy to drive, and the weight of the iron lump over the front axle meant it gripped easily (admittedly with new tyres with deep tread). heavy fornt end woudl push snowdrifts out the way easily.

cost-talent-PH'ness ratio is hard to beat.

[Pedal_Loud]

TEKNOPUG said:

Its £2k so you are buying at the bottom of the market after countless owners have had their hands on it. Reliability will be far more down to use & maintenance, than how they were built 10+ years ago. My point being that condition is everything, mmake/model very much secondary. However, £2k would get you into a newage Scooby - perfect winter hack. Higher mileage the better - means it's been looked after!

You're completely correct, the choices listed are not choices as such. I ruled out TT's, 1.8T golfs and mini cooper s's in that price bracket for all the reasons you listed. Hence my rule around any MOT advisory hanging around for more than a couple of years. The choices I'm down too are based totally on condition and how well they've been looked after and they meet the criteria.

[Pedal_Loud]

RedAndy said:

MG ZS TDi

no really!

the only ones left are decent ones or dogs - nothing in between, but they all cost 50p. they are simple to work on but generally reliable (creaky/poor quality plastic interior, traditional diesel clatter, but quite reliable)

even the slow 85bhp one is actually quite fast cos it has so much torque and is light. handles like a dream - can't rememebr who said it was epic - maybe Tiff, or Plato...or Mansell . Someone "suitably qualified" anyway.

i ran one for a very bad winter in North Yorkshire. 12" snow - just drive carefully and it just went on and on. the FWD but good handling chassis made it predictable and easy to drive, and the weight of the iron lump over the front axle meant it gripped easily (admittedly with new tyres with deep tread). heavy fornt end woudl push snowdrifts out the way easily.

cost-talent-PH'ness ratio is hard to beat.

Yeh, I kind of get all that but not keen on an oil burner. Also my commute involves the M3 safe motorway upgrade and I don't want to be the guy who makes the whole of the South East late for work.

[Pedal_Loud]

funkyrobot said:

Pre facelift. Horrendous issues with the wheel arches being eaten.

Even the post facelift 3's of that era (2007 onwards) rust. I know this first hand.

Yeh, I had read that and seen pics too. Will give them a good check over.

[TEKNOPUG]

Pedal_Loud said:

TEKNOPUG said:

Its £2k so you are buying at the bottom of the market after countless owners have had their hands on it. Reliability will be far more down to use & maintenance, than how they were built 10+ years ago. My point being that condition is everything, mmake/model very much secondary. However, £2k would get you into a newage Scooby - perfect winter hack. Higher mileage the better - means it's been looked after!

You're completely correct, the choices listed are not choices as such. I ruled out TT's, 1.8T golfs and mini cooper s's in that price bracket for all the reasons you listed. Hence my rule around any MOT advisory hanging around for more than a couple of years. The choices I'm down too are based totally on condition and how well they've been looked after and they meet the criteria.

Pick whichever one you like then. No one else can really offer advice over and above your preference. If neither really interest you but are simply what's available, I'd look to spend less. Why spend a couple of grand on something dull that you'll hate driving, when you could get the same for half the price. Spend the chnage on something fun?

[Pedal_Loud]

TEKNOPUG said:

Pick whichever one you like then. No one else can really offer advice over and above your preference. If neither really interest you but are simply what's available, I'd look to spend less. Why spend a couple of grand on something dull that you'll hate driving, when you could get the same for half the price. Spend the chnage on something fun?

Yeh, its a good point and I've also been down that road too... Thing is winter is getting nearer. I just did the poll to give me the shove I need to choose one or the other! £1500 mx5 and £500 Rover... still need to tax, insure and MOT them (crikey I sound like my dad!).

[anonymous-user]

Subaru Forester 2.5 XT

Lots of fun to drive and very practical.

227 bhp

0-60 in 6.3 seconds

Against

MPG

Tax

You can pick up a 2.0 XT cheaper which is a bit older but as quick.

Evo review

http://www.evo.co.uk/subaru/forester/7583/subaru-f...

Edited by anonymous-user on Tuesday 18th October 14:27

[sorin1987]

I had a 2006 mazda 3 and never had a problem with it. Sold it 3 months ago to some friends at 80k. No rust, nothing wrong with it whatsoever. I voted Mazda

[Pedal_Loud]

ELUSIVEJIM said:

Subaru Forester 2.5 XT

Lots of fun to drive and very practical.

227 bhp

0-60 in 6.3 seconds

Against

MPG

Tax

You can pick up a 2.0 XT cheaper which is a bit older but as quick.

Evo review

http://www.evo.co.uk/subaru/forester/7583/subaru-f...

Edited by ELUSIVEJIM on Tuesday 18th October 14:27

It's good, great even. But annoying similar to our other car 2.9 T6 XC90, well it isn't but my wife will say it is and then she'll question why we need 2 x 4WD cars etc. etc..

[TEKNOPUG]

Pedal_Loud said:

It's good, great even. But annoying similar to our other car 2.9 T6 XC90, well it isn't but my wife will say it is and then she'll question why we need 2 x 4WD cars etc. etc..

Does your wife drive the XC90? If so, that's why YOU need a 4WD car....it's not as if it's going to sit there doing nothing!

I'd just drive the M3 personally and spend the £2k on having it properly washed regularly.

[Pedal_Loud]

TEKNOPUG said:

Does your wife drive the XC90? If so, that's why YOU need a 4WD car....it's not as if it's going to sit there doing nothing!

I'd just drive the M3 personally and spend the £2k on having it properly washed regularly.

Good point on the 4WD . I'd use the M3 daily but want to a) slow down a bit b) have a manual to hand as I miss stirring the cogs c) having a slower car for a bit is the best mod you can do without doing a mod to make a quick car seem even quicker. It allows me to get the M3 looking great over winter which I enjoy.

[anonymous-user]

Fiat Panda 100HP

Fantastic fun and 4 doors.

Front wheel drive so will be fine in winter.

Will get your money back when selling