I want something a little... differant...

[Gr44]

Soooo.....

I'm kind of bored with my Astra, although still running grand.

I'm seriously thinking of picking up a new car, seeing as they're all falling like rocks at the moment, it seems almost rude not to!

I'm pretty open to be honest, my criteria is below, sugges away!

* £8000 budget ( that includes trading in/selling the old car - don't see much point in spending more on a car when I'm saving for a house! )

* Just me whos in the car 80% of the time, the girlfriend now and then - very rarely more than 2. 2 seater is a option as we have other cars I can use.

* I want something FUN to drive! Fast, but I have lead shoes, so nothing so insanly fast I'll feel obligated to drive at warp 9 all over the place!

* Group 16 insurance is about my limit... much higher is getting too much money on premiums.

* ~30mpg would be nice!

* Mainly drive in towns/A/B roads. I rarely do motorway driving unless it's a weekend away or something.


I've been looking at Saab 9-3 Aero 2.0T's mostly. But they're kind of boring I guess... I don't really know what else to look at though, any thoughts my petrol headed friends?

Sean

[staffsMike]

I wouldn't be looking towards saab myself, as nice as they are.. doesn't quite do it for me.

Also not the greatest fan of 2 seaters although I'm sure if you could get past the image an MX5 would be very enjoyable to drive

Personally with around £8000 to spend, and insurance group 16 being the limit..
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/548111.htm

That would be extremely fun to drive. You don't have to drive them fast to have fun, you do have to put aside any mechanical sympathy you may have and rag the nuts off them though They will take any sort of punishment, I can vouch for that lol

If the type-R thing appeals but not the civic there is always the integra
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/653361.htm

EVO's best handling FWD car Having said that they seem to have gone up quite a bit in price recently.

Slightly more refined but not as fun to drive
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/655598.htm

Tonnes of torque means you don't have to thrash them like the type R's and they are far more sedate and comfortable on a long drive

[Shad]

Quite a special Jag XJS - http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/622386.htm

Merc SL - http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/625980.htm

TVR Chimaera - http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/651844.htm

Mazda RX8 - http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/626016.htm

BMW Z3 3.0 - http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/654178.htm

Lotus Elise - http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/554096.htm

BMW 330 Sport - http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/523915.htm

Smart Brabus Roadster Coupe - http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/577710.htm


Food for thought

[idimmu]

Toyota Supra

Old M3

Best 330D you can afford

[Howard]

Considering he's a) on a budget, B) coming from an Astra and C) saving for a house, the running costs of BMWs, TVRs, Mercs, etc will be quite a shock

[Shad]

You only live once.

[directhex]

want something TRULY different? something you won't get anywhere else?

caterham or westfield.

[Shad]

Definitely. You'd struggle to get a decent Caterham for that money but you'd easily get a good Westfield (though obviously you'd have to put up with having the inferior car ).

Cheap to run, cheap to insure, mechanically very simple and reliable, hugely entertaining (on a truely different scale to anything else)... seems to tick a few of those boxes when you think about it

[directhex]

i had a quick look, and found a westfield with a big engine in it

tvr chimera 4.0l big.

eep!

[mmh]

bmw 330 sport - http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/523915.htm

+1

[Gr44]

Oh, wowsa.....

Loads of cars I either wouldn't have considered or would have assumed way out of my budget there. Like Howard said though, the running costs of some of them might be a little bit excessive!

Also, the idea of some of them sound nice, but it needs to 'blend' into Luton train station on a daily basis, which if it still has 4 wheels will probably fail on! So the likes of a TVR would probably be nicked before I managed to get an air freshener.

Hmmmm, definatly some food for thought there though. I'm popping out now but I shall consider that tonight and post my thoughts tomorrow =)

Oh, BTW, regarding the SMART ROADSTER..... I assume you're like, y'know crazy? Or is there an actual reason you put that rubbish in the list?
(I get the feeling I've been mocking them un-justly since the day they were brought out - anyone enlighten me, or can I continue to mock them?)

Thanks guys!

[Shad]

Sure most Smart Roadsters aren't particularly amazing, but the Brabus has more power and various chassis tweaks, so it's quite a lot of fun. It's no rocket ship but it's a pretty good wild card. Unfortunately all the Smarts are let down by silly gearboxes, but you might find them ok, definitely worth a closer look.

I personally think the Roadster coupe (especially Brabus editions) looks fantastic

[Howard]

You only live once.

Yeah and he won't be living anywhere if his TVR Chimaera or BMW 330i Sport has a paddy and decides it wants it's owner to spend £1,000 fixing it

[Barakka]

Very Biased of course, but

Celica, either the standard 140bhp version or the 190bhp T-Sport. Bit like the Honda Type-R stuff, drive it like a granny and it will return decent figures, hammer it and it's a screamer. But because you've got to rev it to get the real power you're perhaps not as tempted to do it all the time. Also, as they're only a 1.8 petrol (non-turbo) the insurance might not be too bad.

[Vimeous]

Very Biased of course, but

Celica, either the standard 140bhp version or the 190bhp T-Sport. Bit like the Honda Type-R stuff, drive it like a granny and it will return decent figures, hammer it and it's a screamer. But because you've got to rev it to get the real power you're perhaps not as tempted to do it all the time. Also, as they're only a 1.8 petrol (non-turbo) the insurance might not be too bad.

My first thought after reading your preferred insurance group cap was a Celica 190.
2+2, good economy, fun and yet pretty practical.

Group 16 tends to limit you to below 200bhp but there's loads of fun to be had there too.
Also if you buy pre-2000 (X-reg) you'll miss the £400 tax issues for cars that are more fun

The Smart Roadster is not a bad car, it's actually quite alot of fun but as Shad and many others before him have said, the gearbox is very dissapointing. I reckon they're ace.

Meanwhile Coupe alternatives:

'00 (X) Integra Type-R (DC2)
+ Performance, Under budget to buy
- Grp18, Too focused?

'00 (X) Merc CLK 320 Avantgarde
+ Comfy
- Grp18, Expensive to run, Too comfy?

'00 (X) 330Ci
+ Sporting
- Grp17, Common, Expensive to run