What fast fun family car for £3500?

[joshwa]

Hello,

I have a nice, but fairly boring '01 Passat TDI 130 (tuned to 163)

It's fairly quick but not much fun, and I'm looking for a nice newer car that has 5 doors (not a saloon basically), with a quick petrol engine but not sure what's good and what's not, what would you recommend?

I've seen 3.2litre V6 Vectras are around this price - but Top Gear always slates them as boring. Would ideally be as new as possible with 4 star euroncap rating or higher, and not a Passat, Audi A4 or A6.

With emphasis on "great" "fun" "fast" but also family friendly (eg BMW 3 series estate 325) and preferably reliable and manual. It would need to fit two kids (Ford Focus sized is okay), and is probably my last fun car before I need a people carrier in a couple of years

Examples (from autotrader / ebay etc) would be great.

Thanks

Josh

[sleepyhead]

By way of "fun" are you talking about burning people off the lights or through the twisties?

It's not the ideal family car but my mate has owned many people in his RX8 around the twisties. Great fun car to drive. Drinks fuel and not tax friendly. But due to their fuel consumption and tax, there should be quite a few going round on the cheap!

I know I fail as you said 5 door but it's the only car that initally jumps to mind when you say "fun" family car.

How about a SEAT Leon Cupra?

I have seen some jags for sale in my qyest for a motor vehicle. No idea how fun they are to drive.

[Jay]

you could get an older BMW 323

[staffsMike]

I'm not sure how fun the octavia vRS is (the Seat Cupra is a bit.. clinical..) but they are certainly around for this sort of money.
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/800074.htm

There are some Megane Sport's heading in that direction but not quite on budget yet.

Old Impreza turbo
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/806504.htm
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/305987.htm

Stickin with scoobs there are some bonkers legacy's
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/list.asp?s=284

Not very practical or meeting any of the criteria.. apart from fun.
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/793575.htm

[joshwa]

Seat Leon Cupra could be good - but based on the Mk4 Golf could be a little bit dull? Ditto the Octavia VRS?

Been watching BMW 330s but these are all older than I'd like. But as they're around £3750 for an X reg it's very tempting

[staffsMike]

I think the octavia is the most fun of the 180bhp 1.8T VAG's. Might be wrong but the setup allows for more fun when throwing it around. But as you say none of them are exactly what you would call exciting...

The old Honda Accord Type R will be witin budget too Quite old now but nice cars and bullet proof reliability.

[SHare]

http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/review...00.aspx?page=2

These chappies can be picked up well within your budget. Fun and practical, the 2.4jtd is a cracking diesel engine.

[staffsMike]

I had a think about that one actually but then I thought reliability lol

[finlay666]

Seat Leon Cupra could be good - but based on the Mk4 Golf could be a little bit dull? Ditto the Octavia VRS?

Been watching BMW 330s but these are all older than I'd like. But as they're around £3750 for an X reg it's very tempting

I thought the Leons were very similar to the Audi A3 IIRC

I'd suggest maybe something like an astra or maybe an alfa if you can stand the reliability lol

[Vimeous]

Friend picked up a cheap 156 petrol recently. It's a clunker.
Colleague owns a Stilo Abarth semi-auto - he loves it but the gearbox went south and cost £3.5k to fix. Turns out that would have made the car a write-off.

Needless to say if you do think Italian be pickier than Simon Cowell with a hangover!

• Meanwhile the Octavia is certainly worth a test-drive, quite possibly ideal. TiG is your best source for info.
• When thinking BMW again be very picky with 3-series of the age you're thinking. Probably more important is that if you consider the 330 petrol any newer than 2001 tax might be a pain.
• If you could stretch to £4500 a 5dr last-gen Civic Type-S with 156bhp is on the cards. Saw an 04-plate with 40k on the clock in mint condish recently at that price. Even main dealer cars are similar.
  I'd hedge a bet £3500 could secure a 60k miler with a decent bit of haggling.

Other standouts would be:

MK1 Focus ST - if you can stand the interior and the fact Fords still wear out at 60K miles.
A3 1.8T Sportback - Although the Octavia is more practical and faster for the money.
Impreza Wagon - if you can find an unmolested one.
Accord Type-R - Mike is right on this one. It's addictive - in fact almost perfect BUT only a saloon. Only the Sport (2.0) and Type-S (2.3) were hatches. Mind you both decent cars in their own right!
MK4 Golf V6 4motion - Decent car for a decent price. Just lacks a little fun..... (R32 and 25th anniversary gti still cost too much)

Oddities:
Nissan Stagea - 2.5 Turbo Skyline estate. Gran Turismo had it so it must be cool.

[Howard]

I thought you were looking for a Focus TDCI last week? Make your mind up

I think a mk3 Mondeo Ghia X V6 could be had for that money, and it'd be what I'd pick. Quality car, all the toys you need, and the Mondeo is the better handling family car in it's class. Not what I'd call fun, but they're comparatively good at b-road blasting. Accord Type R is fine, but only if your family are prepared for a harsh, noisy ride Ditto an Impreza.

[mycarsavw]

Another vote for the Mk1 Octy VRs - 1.8T ~180bhp good for ~150mph

[[GSV]Trig]

What do you class as fun, give is an old car that you've driven that fits your "fun" criteria...

[MrP]

volvo T5.

radpid as you like, and in 850 guise, not bad around the twisties

[joshwa]

What do you class as fun, give is an old car that you've driven that fits your "fun" criteria...

The original Mini
Ford Fiesta 1.25 Zetec (2001 model)
Renault 5

Which makes me think I should be looking for the smallest car I can get away with.

Some good suggestions - I especially like the Subaru Legacy (but these are nearer £4500 for an 04 2.5l model here's one with a high mileage) - and I'll have a look at the Civic as well. (ooh, looks boring, but 160bhp, and Honda reliability fits the spec) - do Civics have ISOFIX?

Definitely like the look of Alfa Romeos, but there's no way I'd buy one as a family car, ditto Fiat, maybe as a second car where it doesn't matter whether it's reliable or not, but there's too many horror stories, everyone always seems to have a friend who had / has an Alfa Romeo that broke down and was an economical write off, even with the newer cars.

[[GSV]Trig]

Ok, so when you say family, what do you mean by that, estate, big boot, 5 doors?