£30k practical car

[Matt..]

I need a new car ASAP (sadly!). Mainly for weekend use to travel all over the UK to go hiking. I want a practical and relatively reliable car that is good on the motorway, not too big as I travel a lot of small roads (but big enough for a tall person). I want some tech, eg. CarPlay. It must be petrol and 200bhp+. I’d like it to be 2-3 years old and will keep it for 9-10 years. Budget is £30k. I have had VW and Seat previously. I have no family so would prefer cars with less of a “family” image, but that’s not essential.

Thanks

[ZX10R NIN]

The world is your oyster at this price point so here's where I'd be looking.

Giulia Veloce Ti:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202309162...

Save a chunk of your budget & buy the cracking 308 GTI:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202309091...

Supra:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202308090...

GR Yaris:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202309021...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202309061...

i30N with some of the manufacturers warranty left:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303305...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202307079...

S3:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202309302...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202309151...

Cupra Leon:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202307139...

[Matt..]

I forgot one thing… insurance. Where I live it is expensive. A Golf GTI is £800 for example. A 340i is £1,400. I want to stay sub £1,000. This is probably what kills me getting anything really fun.

Alfa - Almost certainly too unreliable for me. I don’t want to be caught in the middle of nowhere with no phone signal and a broken Alfa. I do like Alfa styling of course!
Yaris - I’m 6ft4, a Yaris is too small for me.
Supra - Not practical enough and likely very expensive insurance.
I30n - I’d assume these are somewhat reliable and cheapish to run, I am just not sure I like the image/style. I am nearly 40!

Edited by Matt.. on Sunday 1st October 21:04

[SFTWend]

Matt.. said:

I forgot one thing… insurance. Where I live it is expensive. A Golf GTI is £800 for example. A 340i is £1,400. I want to stay sub £1,000. This is probably what kills me getting anything really fun.

Alfa - Almost certainly too unreliable for me. I don’t want to be caught in the middle of nowhere with no phone signal and a broken Alfa. I do like Alfa styling of course!
Yaris - I’m 6ft4, a Yaris is too small for me.
Supra - Not practical enough and likely very expensive insurance.
I30n - I’d assume these are somewhat reliable and cheapish to run, I am just not sure I like the image/style. I am nearly 40!

Edited by Matt.. on Sunday 1st October 21:04

The Alfa is just as reliable, if not more so, than its German peers. Easily stolen though, so check the insurance quote.

If you want practical, reliable and a nice drive, how about a Volvo XC40 T5, which has c.250bhp. Or a Mini Clubman or Countryman with 306bhp.

[M5-911]

Kia Stinger?

[ZX10R NIN]

Matt.. said:

I forgot one thing… insurance. Where I live it is expensive. A Golf GTI is £800 for example. A 340i is £1,400. I want to stay sub £1,000. This is probably what kills me getting anything really fun.

Alfa - Almost certainly too unreliable for me. I don’t want to be caught in the middle of nowhere with no phone signal and a broken Alfa. I do like Alfa styling of course!
Yaris - I’m 6ft4, a Yaris is too small for me.
Supra - Not practical enough and likely very expensive insurance.
I30n - I’d assume these are somewhat reliable and cheapish to run, I am just not sure I like the image/style. I am nearly 40!

Edited by Matt.. on Sunday 1st October 21:04

The Alfa is no less reliable than any other 2.0T from Germany, so forget the stereotypes & judge the car on your needs.

What about the 308 GTI/Cupra/S3?

[Jamescrs]

I'm 6ft4 and I recently bought a new car so.ill go through what I tried and how I found it for space and comfort.

Firstly I bought a BMW 4 series, I find it very comfortable and there's space for rear passengers with me still being comfortable driving.

3 series and 5 series equally spacious, I didn't think inside the 5 was massively bigger than the 4 series.

Mercedes C class and E class were both good for space in a similar way.

Golf R- liked it but with me sitting comfortably there was no space behind drivers seat for a passenger.

Skoda Octavia VRS- similar to the Golf but better rear space.

Hyundai I30N- really liked the car but same issue with rear space as the Golf.

MINI Cooper S- again no rear space but was a nice place for me to sit as a driver.

Audi A4- good space all round and comfortable but not for me.

I think that about covers it.

I did.research the Civic Type R FK8 but I felt it looked a bit too boy racer for me in the end.

[Silvanus]

M5-911 said:

Kia Stinger?

I was here to suggest this too, good friend of mine loves theirs, it's orange too.

[Matt..]

M5-911 said:

Kia Stinger?

These are a little interesting, but there are very few available and running costs seem high. It may be on the initial shortlist though, but is probably unlikely.

[dunc69]

Had a Stinger for nearly 3 years. Get a good one with no rattles (sunroof either rattles or it doesn’t) and a FKSH and you will have a blast.

You will be asked about it at least once a week too.

[Matt..]

Jamescrs said:

I'm 6ft4 and I recently bought a new car so.ill go through what I tried and how I found it for space and comfort.

Firstly I bought a BMW 4 series, I find it very comfortable and there's space for rear passengers with me still being comfortable driving.

3 series and 5 series equally spacious, I didn't think inside the 5 was massively bigger than the 4 series.

Mercedes C class and E class were both good for space in a similar way.

Golf R- liked it but with me sitting comfortably there was no space behind drivers seat for a passenger.

Skoda Octavia VRS- similar to the Golf but better rear space.

Hyundai I30N- really liked the car but same issue with rear space as the Golf.

MINI Cooper S- again no rear space but was a nice place for me to sit as a driver.

Audi A4- good space all round and comfortable but not for me.

I think that about covers it.

I did.research the Civic Type R FK8 but I felt it looked a bit too boy racer for me in the end.

I will rarely need to use rear seats so am not too concerned about me denying legroom to someone seated behind me. It's definitely good to get some thoughts from someone of the same height though.

BMW 4 series will probably get a look, but I think a 3 series Touring or a 1 series suits my lifestyle best. I would probably be looking at a 430i/330i/128ti. 5 series is too big.

Mercedes as a brand doesn't really appeal.

Golf R - I haven't checked, but I suspect this is too expensive on insurance. I will look at a mk8 GTI and GTI Clubsport as these are possibly some of the more likely cars for me. They seem boring though.

Skoda Octavia vRS - The estate version of this is the sensible option for me. It's very "family" car though.

Hyundai i30N - The interior puts me off here. I think I am looking for a better interior than sheer performance now.

MINI - Styling doesn't appeal

Audi A4 - Another sensible choice, and probably a likely option for me.

[GreatGranny]

Golf mk8 GTI Clubsport

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202307069...

Or MK7 GTI TCR

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202307089...

128ti

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202308110...

M235i

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202309272...

SQ2

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202308150...

Cupra

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202309232...

[Matt..]

Thanks for all the input everyone. My list is being impacted by insurance costs a little and currently looks like this:

- Audi A4 Avant TFSI 40
- BMW 128ti
- BMW 330i Touring
- Skoda Octavia vRS Estate
- VW Golf GTI
- VW Golf GTI Clubsport
- Volvo XC40 T5

I am going to try and look at as many of these as I can and see whether that narrows the list of takes it in a different direction!

[Boxster5]

The Octavia VRS hatch is just as practical as the estate and doesn’t look like a family car as such - the boot is huge (we had 4 people with 4 full suitcases plus a full set of golf clubs with no problems).
A shout-out for the BMW 4 series Gran Coupe - not as practical as the Octavia (we swapped from the Octavia to the BM) - hatch access & great to drive and a great looker in my opinion. Ours was a 430d xdrive but suspect insurance will be high.

[Matt..]

I will go and look at BMW options. I would be going petrol and will check out the 128ti, 330i Touring and possibly 430i. 4 series is expensive though as there was a new version released. Insurance is ok. Sub £1k is the insurance aim (which sounds ridiculous, but apparently this is the new normal).

[duckson]

M135i xdrive.

[Matt..]

duckson said:

M135i xdrive.

£1,300+ insurance now…. crazy.

[fido]

Matt.. said:

Golf R - I haven't checked, but I suspect this is too expensive on insurance. I will look at a mk8 GTI and GTI Clubsport as these are possibly some of the more likely cars for me. They seem boring though.

I don't think a GTi is that boring if you were considering a Golf R. Anything 300bhp is going to cost £s to insure. TBH i'm getting bored of mega-hatches and even my RS Q3 has more power than I practically can use.

[swanseaboydan]

2 litre petrol macan about 6 years old would be ideal

[georgeyboy12345]

I don't get how insurance is an issue if you can afford to spend 30 grand on a car. How old are you?

Also, don't estates have somewhat of a "family" image?

I'd get a Hyundai i30 N

Fastback
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303305...

Hatchback
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202309222...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202307079...



If they are too much on insurance, then what about this Kia Ceed GT?
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202309262...


Mercedes A250 if you want something even more subtle
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202307069...