View Full Version : New car help
Right, I hate seeing these type of threads but I'm stuck.
Just sold my daily and looking for a new car, it's a good time to buy so I should get a good deal. I've got £3000 (£3.5k at a push) the new car. My short list was:
1. Seat Leon Cupra (early one) - but turns out the insurance is £730+, I can insure an Exige S for £850!:eek:
2. Alfa 156 2.0 - loads of car for the money, but any one know of any issues, servicing cost?
3. Audi A3 1.8T - cheaper insurance than Leon, but all the money for the car.
4. Clio 172 Cup - insurance is £600+ little on the high side. (seen a 51 plate for £3.5k)
Anyone suggest anything? Only other cars I really like are mk5 golf/astra - but thats £6k+
DONT DO:
Ford
Golf mk4 unless its really special
French
calibra-keith
31-12-08, 12:15 AM
nova :thumb:
General Baxter
31-12-08, 12:16 AM
can get a very good example, cav turbo for that money :)
Oh and it has to be less than 8 years old ;)
- Have a nova, currently no engine - it's old and cold and would cost me £20k to fuel a year! lol (T40s)
General Baxter
31-12-08, 12:25 AM
cally turbo then, alltho that 10 years old, lol
yea, but designed almost 20 years ago :p
i rate them 1800 Turbo engines.
Superb engines, not bad on juice, reliable as ****, cheapish to service work on etc.
ANything with one of them in I say.
xxspudxx
31-12-08, 12:57 AM
ibiza cupra? i got a quote the other day and was suprised how cheap it was going to be!
NovaSport1985
31-12-08, 01:37 AM
Right, I hate seeing these type of threads but I'm stuck.
Just sold my daily and looking for a new car, it's a good time to buy so I should get a good deal. I've got £3000 (£3.5k at a push) the new car. My short list was:
1. Seat Leon Cupra (early one) - but turns out the insurance is £730+, I can insure an Exige S for £850!:eek:
2. Alfa 156 2.0 - loads of car for the money, but any one know of any issues, servicing cost?
3. Audi A3 1.8T - cheaper insurance than Leon, but all the money for the car.
4. Clio 172 Cup - insurance is £600+ little on the high side. (seen a 51 plate for £3.5k)
Anyone suggest anything? Only other cars I really like are mk5 golf/astra - but thats £6k+
DONT DO:
Ford
Golf mk4 unless its really special
French
Hi,
The only advice I can give (and I can't stress it enough) is go really careful on anything Alfa with the four cylinder petrol engine. V6 & diesels are fine, but the 1.6/1.8 & 2.0 seem to have problems with oil consumption. I bought one out of a company 2 years ago. Nice car, Alfa history etc. Collected it from Chessington, and the ends were knocking by the time I got to north London.
Started looking for bits to repair it and I found;
(i) No secondhand engines - and all the breakers were saying they were worth 1200 plus when available.
(ii) Alfa wanted 2800 for an exchange engine.
(iii) You can't buy a crank etc.
The more I dug into it the more I realised that once they had been run low on oil they were finished, there was high demand for used engines (high failure rate?) and oil consumption of 1 litre of oil in 600 miles was deemed acceptable by Alfa.
If you know it is a nice car, it has a warranty and you can trust everyone that drives it to check the oil regularily then go for it, but be careful....
Other things that concerned me were poor turning circle and they do seem to appear in the salvage yards with fire damage under the dash/fuse box area. Also have a look on the forums about the cam variator and what is sounds like when it is failing - not cheap to repair.
On the plus side, it wasn't terrible to work on, nice drive, cheap to buy and passengers could never find the door handles to open the back doors!!
Sorry to sound negative about them, and if you need any more info then let me know.
I know what you said about french cars, but have a go in a 406 coupe. Must be a 3.0 manual. Always been cheap to insure and great drive. Had mine (amongst other things) for 2 years with no major problems. Fairly heavy on petrol though.....
Tony
i'd like to suggest the saab 9-3 turbo cab, saw a 52 plate with every toy ticked today for 3k. alfas are a nono mate, true a proper soulfull car but built by a company without it, fiat. what bout an ibiza cupra or a skoda octavia vrs or fabia vrs?
General Baxter
31-12-08, 02:19 AM
vectra MSD :D
you will want an ealry one, 2000, to save from the future tax increase lol
not the 2.6 i hope........
Nova_Sean
31-12-08, 02:25 AM
Skoda Octavia VRS are very nice motors mate. get one if you can! the old bill use them aswell.
£3k will see you a top quality Celica GT, or a newer 140. £3500 will see you a decent GT4 if you fancy something older :D
xxspudxx
31-12-08, 02:34 AM
nothing will go wrong with the celica which must be a plus?
/\ fatal error....................
they do go wrong, quite expensively too. i would write an essay but i cba.
over to you mr rj.......
brainsnova
31-12-08, 03:00 AM
id go audi a3 im going to buy my mum one and get on the insurance.
ha ha excellent. "mum ya been caught speeding again!!!"...............
once you have got your new car could you please come and pick the bumper up from mine before i put it back up for sale as had it sat at mine for well over a month now.
I would go for the octavia vrs as they go like stink.My mate has the diesel vrs estate and will spin the wheels even with the tc on its a right hoot.
Asa-James
31-12-08, 10:12 AM
as said before with the alfa, make sure it has a very good service history. they are very good cars if looked after (used to work on them at a dealership) the most expensive part of alfas is labour, they arnt designed for quick fixes. dont go near a JTS engine, stick to the Twin Spark. starters usually go noisey, but nothing to worry about until they fail (which takes a while), variators only really wear out on low oil/trashed engines (listen for a growling/whining noise after startup, around £90 plus labour for a new one which involves removing the timing belt) and on the 2.0 they also have a balance shaft running through the engine, tensioners are common on these to go noisey, and if that belt slips, it takes the timing belt, which 99times out of 100 means a new head (the oher 1 out of 100 is a new engine!) and on the subject of timing belts, alfa changed the service for belt changes a few years back to 36000 miles instead of 72000, so make sure its been done.
the 1.6 and 1.8 TS dont have balance shafts
front top arms, bushed wear and they knock, front ARB wear is common (knocking over bumps and round corners) handbrake cables, rear track arms at the hub end (underneath, theres a pair running from the subframe to the hub, the one closest to the back, grab it and move it back and forth, any play-needs replacing)rear hub bushes (triling arm bush at the bottom of the hub-same test as track arm) bottom arms are a pig to change, but dont go that often,
electrics, airbag connections under the seats, simple mod to solve them faulting, sidelights staying on dim means a new rev counter (not cheap) and TBH not a lot else (fuse boxes only burn out on the GTV/Spider)
also stay well away from anything with "selespeed" written on it, doomed to failure...
interiors rattle, not a huge amount of space in the back, but they do hold up to some stick, all you have too do is find a low mileage well looked after example, ad even knowing all their faults, i'd have one in a flash.
if you can stretch it, and find one, try the 2.4 JTD diesel out, but it has to be an estate if you do get one...
ben doodar
31-12-08, 10:36 AM
4. Clio 172 Cup - insurance is £600+ little on the high side. (seen a 51 plate for £3.5k)
DONT DO:
French
a clio is french dude
^ LMAO Well spotted dude
TBH mate I don't get the don't do Ford bit. I can understand the French thing (a little) but Fords are very good cars now. Not sure if you could get a mk3? Focus for your money but they are ideal.
Expand your selection a bit IMO. Saying you don't do Fords is like saying you don't like a certain band because they had one **** song. Who knows, you may love their next effort lol
Pistol Pete
31-12-08, 10:51 AM
a clio is french dude
lol was just thinking the same thing.
I'd avoid an Alfa TBH.
Cant go wrong (much) with something from the VAG stable IMO. Skoda Octavia, Seat Ibiza, Audi A3/A4?
Agree with Liam about Fords, cant knock the Focus IMO. Cracking car, handle well and a good car is the ST170.
Vauxhall Astra Coupe turbo?
novaowner999
31-12-08, 11:13 AM
wish i had the money to start a thead like this :(
/\ fatal error....................
they do go wrong, quite expensively too. i would write an essay but i cba.
over to you mr rj.......
I've not had any major failings on mine, aside from the gearbox but at least it still worked lol
Even fig8's weren't that expensive tbh. Well one side was, but thats because we made the mistake of letting the local dealer do that one lol
Audi all day long TBH Ash. Nice, plush, reliable car. Holds it value more so then the others.
steve rdf
31-12-08, 11:36 AM
dont get a 156 they go wrong all the time and bits aint cheap. if you are after bigger car how about octavia vrs 180bhp standard.
Thanks for the input lads, right:
Chris - really sorry about that, but it's already top of my 'To Do' list when I got a car ;) :thumb:
- Clio 2.0 16v is the only french car I'd consider.
- Skoda Fabia VRS start at £5k for a half decent one
- Skoda Octavia VRS, nice cars but I drove a standard '08 for a few months and it was the most uncomfotable car I have ever driven! Not to sure on the looks either.
- 156, I do love, but it's going to be a mine field trying to find the right one and then I need a bit of luck that it's not going to go pop.
- Ford, I drove a '05 Focus Titanium 2.0TDCi 135 and my good it was quick, but the seats were hidious and had 2 sets of rear wishbone 'rubbers' and various other problems. The Fiesta's are a bit chav, too small and for the one I like, too much money.
- Celica, Gen6 - I like. Any info RJ?
- Astra coupe - Im not middle-aged or bold yet ;) plus they feel quite dated inside already...
- Ibiza Cupra - Too small, not as nice looking as the Leon. I'd look at it everyday and think - should of got the leon.
....And yes I am a hard customer to please. Always fancied a 5 series with the m-tec kit, but I really dont need a car THAT big! Before anyone says 3 seires, I test drove a e46 318i 4 door and was disipointed TBH - not the ultimate driving machine.
General Baxter
31-12-08, 04:11 PM
you can get a lotus carlton rep for that, just about lol
i rate them 1800 Turbo engines.
Superb engines, not bad on juice, reliable as ****, cheapish to service work on etc.
ANything with one of them in I say.
2nd'd :thumb:
Audi A3
Golf GTi
Seat
......
16v Nova Kev
31-12-08, 04:12 PM
go for the audi. quality motor get a tdi then remap the fooker
Asa-James
31-12-08, 04:37 PM
if your looking for a daily, does it need mega oomph? i'm dailying my 1.8 cav at the minute, it barely keeps up with punto's, but its changed how i drive day to day and i'm making mega savings in the fuel department!
well no... I have the nova as a fast/fun car. I want something with all the toys and 'enough' power - which all tend to be cupra/gti/GSi/etc. Theres something about the leon that makes it a good drivers car and is also quite respectable, plus I got an insurance quote of £550 from Admial (with decent xs)- so it's looking favourite.
Asa-James
31-12-08, 04:44 PM
ahh i see. did my post on th 156 put you off in any way?
1. Seat Leon Cupra - These seem to have a poor reliability record, I know aside from that they're good but I've heard amnys a horros story about too many of them.
2. Alfa 156 2.0 - NO!!! Arent they Boxer engines that always sieze?
3. Audi A3 1.8T - Nice motor and supposidly pretty good. Dont know much about them though.
4. Clio 172 Cup - Know nothing about them, but they are French.
What about a nice BMW? Personally I'd have a 5 series all day long but threes are dead on and spec goes from decent to Top of the Range through out the engine sizes.
ahh i see. did my post on th 156 put you off in any way?
A little, but still very tempted for a 2.5 V6. I have a good family friend who owns the local alfa garage/specilist. Main thing putting me off is the time to search for the 'right one', servicing cost/cam belts, electrics and road tax - but then I look at it again and that all melts away lol
Dod -
1. The cupra's are fine, the diesels have an 80% chance of ECU fail (£700) and other electrical problems
2. Dont think they are boxer engines, but they do suffer from oil starvation/burning oil/faulty oil pumps on the 4 cyl
3. I can get a nice spec low mile A3 for my money, but its a 1.6... which is a polo engine.... which is epicly slow.
4. Clio. The 1.2 16v jobs we have in work I hate with a passion, but a mate 1.6 16v RS is nice, better built strangely and the 2.0 even more so - very odd
BMW - most come with no spec or full spec and the ones in the middle are just stupid. Climate with a sunroof!?! why? It's just a badge at the end of the day.
Saloony
31-12-08, 04:52 PM
2. Alfa 156 2.0 - NO!!! Arent they Boxer engines that always sieze?
.
No.. that was the old 14whateva 1.7.. went like fook tho.
Mk4 Astra GSi, superb drive, lovely power, good servicable engine, and has a certain amount of elite status. SRiT.. or a coupe, owned a 2.2 coupe for a year just over, effortless car and dependant on colour, very classy.
I dunno mate, I have an E39 523i which is sore on fuel but come with a Great Spec as standard and are worth between 1 and 3k depending on what model you ask for. Mine has no SR but has Full Leather, Air Con and all electrics incl the seats, huge car, and a lot fo car for next to no money.
yea, sorry I meant the e46. I love the e39, but it's a big old tank for just me and I'd imagine very thirsty
No.. that was the old 14whateva 1.7.. went like fook tho.
Mk4 Astra GSi, superb drive, lovely power, good servicable engine, and has a certain amount of elite status. SRiT.. or a coupe, owned a 2.2 coupe for a year just over, effortless car and dependant on colour, very classy.
Mk4... nice to look at and drive, but I'd be far to tempted to 'play' with it, being a vauxhall and it really annoys me that the switch gear and the design is more in tune with a corsa b than any other car of it's age. I have the same indictor stalks in my nova for christ sake! lol
A friend has a 2.2 coupe in the dark purple/blue (looks almost black) with the optional 17" and it does look damn nice, I'll admit.
Omega :D
Did stoo get a Clio in the end?
Asa-James
31-12-08, 05:30 PM
No.. that was the old 14whateva 1.7.. went like fook tho.
Mk4 Astra GSi, superb drive, lovely power, good servicable engine, and has a certain amount of elite status. SRiT.. or a coupe, owned a 2.2 coupe for a year just over, effortless car and dependant on colour, very classy.
early 145/146, and the old 33
Dan_Coombs
31-12-08, 05:42 PM
Get a golf 1.8t ;)
Pistol Pete
31-12-08, 06:20 PM
Did stoo get a Clio in the end?
I think when he came to the HPI it threw up some things he wasnt happy about. His search continues i belive.
the gen 6 celica is good, but the 140 is pants, basically a avensis in a party frock. the 190 is excellent apart from engine issues, look for low miles and ftsh. and clean oil.the rear brake calipers seize and snap the pin holes, and they eat disks and pads. rear arm bushes go, and the adjuster bolts for em seize up. the interior is a bit plasticky as well. any more q's, just ask!
stevie-p
31-12-08, 06:36 PM
Skoda Octavia VRS are very nice motors mate. get one if you can! the old bill use them aswell.
sorry but no!!
what ya mean no? the old bill do use em, and they are excellent cars.
Asa-James
31-12-08, 07:25 PM
octavia vrs = sporty golf saloon with a respectale image, very capable car imho
Pistol Pete
31-12-08, 07:26 PM
sorry but no!!
:confused: Your from this neck of the woods, so you MUST have seen the Octavia that the Police use??
http://www.driveandstayalive.com/images/police/policecar-uk-cumbria_skoda-2003.JPG
ours are unmarked estates...... special order 4x4 apparently. we have the std saloons aswell likke the one above. very capable car imho. mate of mine had one got 340bhp for 2k
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