Hmm what to do? (badly disguised what car thread)

[haddock82]

So I am at a bit of a dilemma... I'm really not sure what i should do, so I've turned to the wise and wisdomed heads of Pistonheads to get your ideas!

Currently i have an Audi TT as my daily driver. Its the 225 quattro version and reasonably quick. Its fairly comfortable and returns a decent 29mpg on my daily commute.

However i just haven't fallen in love with the thing!

It was a slightly older model than I anticipated buying when I bought it, however it was a friend selling it and at a reasonable price. At the time I was specifically looking for a TT as thought id like one and this one popped up available at the right time. But it just doesn't get my juices flowing!

It's had a few issues along the way which whilst annoying I've had fixed or fixed them myself and it's proven itself to be pretty reliable and OK(ish) on fuel.

I commute 12 miles each way to work (24/25 mile round trip) and my annual mileage is normally under 10,000 miles.

I'm finding myself more & more looking at nice comfy estate cars! Maybe its my age? Or having just got married and thinking of something more practical?!

So Ideally I'm looking for something a little more practical than the TT, big enough boot to sling stuff in for the tip run and also comfortable enough to have a dog in the back (not that we've got one yet!) and likewise something I'd be happy to jump in a drive the 400 mile trip to see my parents. Also would like something we'd be able to take a road trip in up to Scotland or France next year.

Now with my short commute I'm a little worried about diesels and getting it clogged up with shortish runs to work. So perhaps petrol is the way to go? However I am a cheapskate and love the appeal of the fuel economy from a diesel.

So I guess my question is what car should i get?!

I'd be happy with a saloon if big enough or estate would be nice, but I really have no idea what would be the "ideal" car.

Brand wise I've generally stuck to German or Japanese with previous cars. Only had Fords and French stuff etc. when i was desperate for a cheap run around (think £100-500 cars!)

Budget is also very tight, I'd sell the TT and use the money along with some small savings to get around £2-2500

Whilst I appreciate anything in this range is a bit of a gamble, I'm happy with a spanner in my hand and have access to all needed tools & a ramp at work.

So I'm open to suggestions!

Previous searching on Autotrader has been mainly looking at:
Mercs (bit of a gamble at this price?)
Passat (1.9 diesel seems to be the better choice?)
Accord (although never been a huge fan of the looks)
V70/V40/V50's seem reliable and comfy?
and also the Avensis (the taxi mans choice!)

Something that keeps popping up well within the budget is the 407 SW too, but i really know nothing about these, are they any good? Not had too much luck with French cars!

I've also thought about the finance/leasing option too but just don't think i'd want to get a car with a monthly payment then not own it at the end. Also prefer to own my cars outright rather than have a loan against them.

Sorry for the long post! Over to you guys

[ZX10R NIN]

Let's get one thing out of the way now & that's that any saloon/estate will not be as sporty as your TT they'll be a compromise as they have to fill a variety of roles so you'll need to bear that in mind.

If you do long trips around once a month then yes get a diesel otherwise get a petrol also they'll probably be no better or a little worse on fuel too especially with your limited budget to get something with some pep you'll be looking at a 6 Cylinder or a Turbo 4 if it's petrol.

So here are some options:

2.5T Mondeo Titanium this will eat up the miles whilst being swift enough to keep thing interesting (not an estate but big on space)

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...

ST220 Previous Gen Mondeo but a very good steer (plus with you being a self confessed cheapskate reasonable to maintain)

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

Vauxhall Vectra 2.8T Elite (lots of go)

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

Mercedes C320 Avantgarde SE

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

BMW 330i Sport

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...

V5 Passat

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

Mazda6 MPS

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

Accord Type S

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

Accord Type R

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

[hyphen]

haddock82 said:

However i just haven't fallen in love with the thing!

But it just doesn't get my juices flowing!

What is missing?

[stuart_83]

MK1 Octavia VRS estate?

Similar engine to the TT (one less intercooler and a smaller turbo) but still goes pretty well.

[bearman68]

V50 owner here. 2.4 D5, with (apparently) the DPF removed, and mapped to about 230 bhp. Best seats in the business, quite swift, though the gearbox is a bit mismatched in my opinion, good for the dog (lab), does about 40 mpg with a steady right foot. So far,it's been lovely. Did I mention the great seats?

Actually, one of the big reasons I bought it, is that it has 'proper' knobs on the dash to control the fan and heating, and radio and stuff. None of this bks touch screen st. (And that works well.

Oh, and it has comfy (heated) seats. Lovely.

Crap on corners mind.

[haddock82]

hyphen said:

haddock82 said:

However i just haven't fallen in love with the thing!

But it just doesn't get my juices flowing!

What is missing?

This is a good question

The honest answer? - I don't know

I've just not really taken to it, it's difficult to explain. The reason we got it was that it could/would be a last opportunity to have a "fun"(ish) car before i need to really get something sensible.

However when describing it to friends I've often said if I want a fast car there needs to be that bit of trepidation/unease when you plant your right foot down that you know... you might make a brown mess in your trousers!

But the TT doesnt do that, well not for me. Put your foot down and yes it swiftly makes it way to 60/70mph but it does it quite sensibly and nicely and there is no real "wow" to it.

Also I don't know why we thought i should get a fun(ish) car as a daily as I already have a "fun" car in the garage. It's not as quick as the TT and it's old and volkswagen"y" but I've had it a long time and enjoy tinkering with it.

Thank you for the suggestions, and I'll happily admit that I'm not expecting the next car to be as quick or dynamic as the TT. I think i'm more looking towards comfort. My commute may only be 12 miles (ish) each way but on a bad day that's an hours drive! (traffic can be a nightmare)

[stuart_83]

Have you considered modding it slightly?

You could make it more lively by having it remapped - I had a MK1 Cupra R with the same engine mapped up to 265bhp. It was monster.

Also Haldex controllers can be picked up for cheap, making it more RWD biased.

I know what you mean by wanting a slightly unpredictable car. Got a MK3 Octavia VRS at the moment and it was too 'safe'. I could drive it at 10/10ths and it felt predictable and slightly boring flat out.

It now has 290bhp courtesy of shark performance and I respect it a lot more