Buying a decent motor at 22 - £4,000 Budget all in.
Discussion
I've got a 4 Grand budget all in for the car, tax, insurance etc, I'm 22 and have a shortlist of cars I like.
I'm into modded cars and like diesel tuning but I don't want to go down the Fabia vRS PD130 route as it's been done to death.
I essentially want input and thoughts on what cars would be good for me to own as a first car now.
SEAT Ibiza 6J/6P Mk4 with the "CFHD" 2.0 CR 141hp engine.
These have decent tuning potential but haven't got many aftermarket parts available.
SEAT Leon 1P MK2 with either the CBDB, BMN, CEGA or CFJA engines.
All of these are either 138hp or 170hp. All motors have equally good tuning potential up to 260hp+
Volkswagen Golf Mk5 with the same engines as the Leon
I'm going VAG as you can see, however I do want to mention that I'm open to Petrol cars but I don't work loads and would like the MPG from a diesel. A friend of mine owns a 12 plate RS Clio 200 and rarely gets over 25.5mpg even when he's driving normally.
I like the Toyota Celica 190 and Corolla 190 and also the R53 Mini Cooper S.
Many thanks, once a car has been bought I will definitely be doing a write up on the Readers Rides section.
EDIT: Should have mentioned that I live in S. Wales and on a cul-de-sac and also have ~4 years experience on my Nan's cars.
I'm into modded cars and like diesel tuning but I don't want to go down the Fabia vRS PD130 route as it's been done to death.
I essentially want input and thoughts on what cars would be good for me to own as a first car now.
SEAT Ibiza 6J/6P Mk4 with the "CFHD" 2.0 CR 141hp engine.
These have decent tuning potential but haven't got many aftermarket parts available.
SEAT Leon 1P MK2 with either the CBDB, BMN, CEGA or CFJA engines.
All of these are either 138hp or 170hp. All motors have equally good tuning potential up to 260hp+
Volkswagen Golf Mk5 with the same engines as the Leon
I'm going VAG as you can see, however I do want to mention that I'm open to Petrol cars but I don't work loads and would like the MPG from a diesel. A friend of mine owns a 12 plate RS Clio 200 and rarely gets over 25.5mpg even when he's driving normally.
I like the Toyota Celica 190 and Corolla 190 and also the R53 Mini Cooper S.
Many thanks, once a car has been bought I will definitely be doing a write up on the Readers Rides section.
EDIT: Should have mentioned that I live in S. Wales and on a cul-de-sac and also have ~4 years experience on my Nan's cars.
Edited by da.jh on Monday 3rd May 10:59
PH User said:
A lot of your £4k budget will probably be taken up by insurance, have you checked to see how much extra that will be for a modified car?
I've done some checking on comparison sites. However, I'm going to be doing mods after a fair few months (8?) after buying the car to save up. A quote that was £1300 will jump to lover £6000 just with lowering springs 🤷♂️F20CN16 said:
Once you declare those mods about half the budget will be on insurance.
Also if you want a Fabia vRS just get one. Don’t worry about other people having one.
I like the vRS but I know people with them already, they've been done to death and also want something a little newer. Something 2006/7+ at a minimum. Also if you want a Fabia vRS just get one. Don’t worry about other people having one.
Edited by F20CN16 on Monday 3rd May 10:50
Rich1973 said:
Are you planning on being honest with your insurance company? Have you looked at insurance prices for your options?
If it is your first car and first insurance you might find it takes up a fair chunk of your budget Exciting for you no doubt but go into it with your eyes open.
I will be honest with them. I wont mod for a while or I'll find a company that allows mods with little to no extra charges. Quotes on the Leon end up at around £1200 for the year on a 170 model from memory.If it is your first car and first insurance you might find it takes up a fair chunk of your budget Exciting for you no doubt but go into it with your eyes open.
Did a quote on a Corolla 190 and the policy comes to £731 for the year. Insurance is quote cheap as I've got 4 years experience on my Nan's car.
Edited by da.jh on Monday 3rd May 10:58
da.jh said:
F20CN16 said:
Once you declare those mods about half the budget will be on insurance.
Also if you want a Fabia vRS just get one. Don’t worry about other people having one.
I like the vRS but I know people with them already, they've been done to death and also want something a little newer. Something 2006/7+ at a minimum. Also if you want a Fabia vRS just get one. Don’t worry about other people having one.
Edited by F20CN16 on Monday 3rd May 10:50
Your budget is 4k so lots of people are going to have newer , nicer , faster cars.
If you like the vrs get it rather than trying to keep up with others.
egor110 said:
So what ?
Your budget is 4k so lots of people are going to have newer , nicer , faster cars.
If you like the vrs get it rather than trying to keep up with others.
I know this, most of the vRS's out there in my price range have been previously modded/ragged to hell and back too, I'd rather not fix someone elses project car. Your budget is 4k so lots of people are going to have newer , nicer , faster cars.
If you like the vrs get it rather than trying to keep up with others.
I like them, yes. I do not want to own one.
da.jh said:
I love the looks of that! What spec do you get for around £3000? I've heard Audis are all options so you have to really hunt for a good one.
I was very lucky with the car above, high miles at 150k (now 175, but doesn’t feel it) spec is: s line, half leather, sunroof, sat nav, aux input, cruise & climate control... it basically had the lot. I’ve added KW coilovers and 19” S4 wheels and it does everything I need it to! This sort of things on eBay currently:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AUDI-A3-S-LINE-170BHP-/...
The slightly older version 06-08 is easier to find within budget and still looks great in s line form. There’s also a lot more choice if you settle for the 140, but they’re known for engine issues.
Can highly recommend the r53. Recently sold mine for less than half your budget. There are loads around, parts are cheap, great modifying scene with a great FB owners group and the car is great fun to drive.
I really don't understand why anyone would want any sort of diesel unless they do moon m miles or tow heavy things. I'd also factor in depreciation as I lost £0 on my r53 over 2 years, if anything prices are slightly on the up. Would imagine you won't be able to give a diesel away in a few years once more towns and cities start ULEZ.
I really don't understand why anyone would want any sort of diesel unless they do moon m miles or tow heavy things. I'd also factor in depreciation as I lost £0 on my r53 over 2 years, if anything prices are slightly on the up. Would imagine you won't be able to give a diesel away in a few years once more towns and cities start ULEZ.
I had a fabia vrs and it was bulletproof reliable and was a lot quicker than it had any right to be.
I then bought an Octavia vrs with the pd170 engine that was constantly going wrong and killed itself with oil pump failure.
At this budget I would stick to the pd130 with no dpf and make sure you service it with the correct pd oil.
The fabia might not be your bag but I'd take it over the other listed options.
If you want to go petrol but a civic type R fn2 or if insurance puts a stop to that a 1.8 type s. Bulletproof again and less likely to ruin you than an ageing Vag chav chariot.
I then bought an Octavia vrs with the pd170 engine that was constantly going wrong and killed itself with oil pump failure.
At this budget I would stick to the pd130 with no dpf and make sure you service it with the correct pd oil.
The fabia might not be your bag but I'd take it over the other listed options.
If you want to go petrol but a civic type R fn2 or if insurance puts a stop to that a 1.8 type s. Bulletproof again and less likely to ruin you than an ageing Vag chav chariot.
egor110 said:
If this is your first car you'd do so much better buying a shed for a grand , investing the other 3k then in 5 years your insurance will drop and you'd have more for a car .
First car, yes. I've been driving for 4 years so I have experience. I'm not after a shed, bought one a few years ago for a couple hundred and never even insured it as it was f
ked.Not doing that again. I know spending more wont mean a better car, but I've got more chance of a better car by spending more.
bristolbaron said:
I was very lucky with the car above, high miles at 150k (now 175, but doesn’t feel it) spec is: s line, half leather, sunroof, sat nav, aux input, cruise & climate control... it basically had the lot. I’ve added KW coilovers and 19” S4 wheels and it does everything I need it to!
This sort of things on eBay currently:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AUDI-A3-S-LINE-170BHP-/...
The slightly older version 06-08 is easier to find within budget and still looks great in s line form. There’s also a lot more choice if you settle for the 140, but they’re known for engine issues.
Had a pop on AT and found this: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202105012... and the policy comes to £1040 for the year. This sort of things on eBay currently:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AUDI-A3-S-LINE-170BHP-/...
The slightly older version 06-08 is easier to find within budget and still looks great in s line form. There’s also a lot more choice if you settle for the 140, but they’re known for engine issues.
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