10k on a car - what to buy??

[paul080803]

Ok so currently I have a 54 plate vectra cdti estate and my modified e46 m3.

Vectra was needed for work mileage that I didn't want to put in the m3.

However work mileage has changed and vectra is not really needed, ins is due on 12th feb and is £660 so I decided to sell the vectra, it is being collected on Saturday.

Also the m3 is up for sale as the master plan was to replace the 2 cars with an e60 535d m sport or an e91 335d m sport. They remap to 340bhp so it was a compromise between the 2 cars I currently have. But I am not so sure now due to the clunky auto box and awful mpg round town :wtf:

So the question is, what would you buy for £10k. Must be:

4/5 seats
Reliable, 7k miles a year
Quick
Ideally manual but decent auto considered
Not French
Not a convertible
Ideally not a ford
Return over 30mpg
Sensible to service, ie one service a year max based on my mileage

Or should I just keep the m3 and make it more of a daily, it has been modded as a toy :thumb:

[Stuart]

Been thinking the same, a6 avant with a 2 or 3 l derv engine lol

Was considering an s4 but the insurance and running costs looked scary.

[paul080803]

A6 has come up in my thoughts.

I would prob go a4 s line 3.0tdi v6 Quattro manual though. Quite rare in manual but when you find one nice spec.

Mate has a 4.2 s4 and they are crazy running costs and handle like a boat, way too front heavy!

[peester]

Saab? Great Value.

[paul080803]

Saab? Great Value.

Don't do anything for me, they are plummeting in price too.

[Stuart]

I've been advised to avoid sline suspension, but keep the trim bits lol as its overly irritating.

[paul080803]

I've been advised to avoid sline suspension, but keep the trim bits lol as its overly irritating.

My brother has just got an a4 avant and was told the same. If I get one I would prob get an s line then fit standard suspension or aftermarket. Seems easier than buying all the trims and bumpers etc.

[BENDOGGER]

Nothing wrong with the sline suspension as i know of. Had my 2009 A3 2.0tdi sline and its the best thing since slice bread to me i love it

[Stuart]

Some of us like a waft with a little handing as opposed to handing and no waft lol

[John]

Rs6!!!!

[paul080803]

Rs6!!!!

As nice as they are doesn't meet the criteria!

[BENDOGGER]

Some of us like a waft with a little handing as opposed to handing and no waft lol

I think it has the best of both maybe just me but its nice lol

[steviegsi]

Keep the M3 or stick with the e60/e91 idea. Autoboxes should not be clunky though? Even in my 2000 5 series, the gearchanges are barely noticeable on the original oil at 130k.

[paul080803]

They are not the best auto box in the world and with all that power you do get a thud especially from 1st to 2nd. I think the real issue is I don't want auto so making it out to be worse than they really are lol

[silk violet]

if you could afford the new jaguar xj 3.0 td they are so silky smooth and a dream to drive...

[paul080803]

Quite like the look of the 2.7 tdvi 2008 xj

[Stuart]

Xf's are falling into budget, but then again I'm assuming you are younger than Mowgli, therefore cannot have a jag lol

[silk violet]

xf's are nice but the suspension is quite stiff....

[paul080803]

Xf's are falling into budget, but then again I'm assuming you are younger than Mowgli, therefore cannot have a jag lol

Yeah 29, I think that I am going to keep the m3. I just can't find anything to replace it with for the same value!

[John]

As nice as they are doesn't meet the criteria!

Lol, keep the bimmer then, and enjoy! :)

[blue_peg_16v]

Lotus Carlton lol

Or Bathurst vxr8

[jimbob-mcgrew]

what would you buy for £10k. Must be:

4/5 seats
Reliable, 7k miles a year
Quick
Ideally manual but decent auto considered
Not French
Not a convertible
Ideally not a ford
Return over 30mpg
Sensible to service, ie one service a year max based on my mileage

a 5 door nova ticks all those boxes :)
i think youve got the right idea, flog em both and cruise another.
id get somet dirt cheap and reliable personally, and dash the rest on a mortgate deposit, but that might be too sensible :)

[paul080803]

Already have a mortgage since December 2006.

[paul james]

Already have a mortgage since December 2006.

You could pay off a lump of your mortgage. I agree with Jimbob, get something nice for around 2k and do something more useful with the rest.

[Edd]

Fcuk spending £10k on a car

Complete waste of money, get dinged up in car park's, depreciate loads, cost loads to run etc

I'd be paying a chunk off the mortgage saving you loads in the long run

[Stuart]

lol
having nice things has no appeal then? :p
We spent £12K on a car last year and looking on autotrader it appears to have lost zero money in advertised price, happy days.

[paul080803]

I think it depends on the area you live in, how you use the car and what car you buy.

I have always had 'nice cars' at 8k plus and never had any hassle with dings, depreciation or running costs. I have only ever lost money on an e30 cab and that is a long story!

I can appreciate the appeal to some people to pay off 8k on the mortgage and have a 2k car, nothing wrong with that. Personally I dont see the point. 8k off my 130k mortgage is going to do nothing to me anytime soon, having a nice car is something I can have every day. I have over 95k of equity in the house so perhaps that makes me see things differently.

I will be keeping the M3, 95% lollollol

[L33 LEG]

Can you not just get a 335d in a manual? That seems the best option or stick with the 535d idea, both cars are immense. The autos shouldnt be clunky at all, but the mpg is ALOT worse than the equivalent manual.

If i had £10k i would be looking at A4 S-lines but that doesnt meet the quick criteria. Have the new S3s come down to 10 yet? They look stunning imo. Shouldnt be too hard to find a car really, i wouldnt look anywhere other than audi or bmw. If you wanted something crazy you could get a lot of car for that but seen as it'll be the daily drive then play it sensible lol

[paul080803]

Can you not just get a 335d in a manual? That seems the best option or stick with the 535d idea, both cars are immense. The autos shouldnt be clunky at all, but the mpg is ALOT worse than the equivalent manual.

If i had £10k i would be looking at A4 S-lines but that doesnt meet the quick criteria. Have the new S3s come down to 10 yet? They look stunning imo. Shouldnt be too hard to find a car really, i wouldnt look anywhere other than audi or bmw. If you wanted something crazy you could get a lot of car for that but seen as it'll be the daily drive then play it sensible lol

No 335d and 535d are auto only (6 speed). You can get a post 57plate 335i with dct box but well out of my budget! Or any 335i with a manual. I have driven a couple of 535d and they were clunky 1st to 2nd and all the online info states they are, post remap. I guess the solution there is not to remap!

I do quite like the a4 s line, and they are quick enough I think, plus they meet all the other criteria easily.

S3 are nice, however if I was going to go for that sort of car then I would just keep the M3. It does 22mpg average, 32 on a run so actually pretty sensible. I would swap the 19s for 18s with a larger profile sidewall to give me some everyday comfort.

[L33 LEG]

I forgot they were autos, I wouldn't take of off the list just because of that, they are great cars! Good point about the m3, suppose most cars won't be as good as that. I'd look at all the fast diesels available and test drive them and go from there, any petrol car then like you say you may aswell keep the m3!

[paul080803]

I think the biggest problem is I feel (head) that I shouldnt have the M3 as it is lairy and expensive toy. I am going to be 30 this year and have a 10 year old son so I think time to grow up and get a sensible car.

However I am not really ready to do that (heart), and all the options are great cars and most people would not pick fault in them but as I dont really want any of them I can easily find issues

[Stuart]

'recent' BMW autos are pretty good in the grand scheme of things, ok not as good as a JLR slusher but close.

[scott.parker]

So the question is, what would you buy for £10k. Must be:

I hear brown Nova's disguised as Sorts are available for around that price.

[Mike]

Rs6!!!!

Exactly what I was going to say!

A 550bhp RS6 sold on via piston heads about a month ago for £9995. You can pretty much garantee that in 2 years time itll still be worth £10k even if it had 150k miles on it.

[benw456]

I bought an a4 3.0 tdi quattro s-line on a 55 plate last year. Manual too! I love it to bits!

It was no where near the 10k you have to play with so you would have extra money to play with ontop.

The only thing I have found is that on a service (every 10k) it takes a fair bit of engine oil!

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b213/benw456/IMG_0679.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b213/benw456/IMG_0681.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b213/benw456/IMG_0683.jpg

[Stuart]

What's the fuel economy like on that beastie?

[g111mds]

Nothing wrong with the sline suspension as i know of. Had my 2009 A3 2.0tdi sline and its the best thing since slice bread to me i love it

+1 - I've got one of these too. Think it's my 10th Audi and its excellent. Suspension pretty firm, but its fine.

[benw456]

Averages around 37.5 ish. Not too bad for what it is.

[davidfox280585]

none £1500 passat tdi and bank the rest or invest

[Stuart]

Averages around 37.5 ish. Not too bad for what it is.

Thats pretty damn good, I bet you dont drive it 'gently' either lol