Alternative to 4dr Polo GTI???

[jimborae]

Hi all, looking for sugestoins for an alternative to a 4dr Polo GTI for the wife. Had heart set on Polo GTI but because it's a run out model they're in short supply for the version she wants and dealer wont do a descent deal.

So needs the following:

Auto
4doors
heated seats
descent speed & handling
folding mirrors
available now

Cheers

J

[DanceswithUnix]

Age & budget?

Alfa Giulietta is a bit bigger, available as a 1.4l 170bhp petrol or 235bhp 1750cc petrol and various oil burners which can have a "TCT" dual clutch auto. The TCT models tend to be quite high spec so folding mirrors should be easy to find. Heated seats is actually the slightly tricky one, it seems most people don't bother in these low end cars despite their being both single and multi level heating options. I find that odd, unheated leather seats in the winter is pretty bad.

The Mito is closer to Polo in size, but only comes in 3 door so I guess that is out.

I find the styling a challenge myself, but Audi A1? Probably a Polo underneath

[Jowsey]

Age & budget?

Alfa Giulietta is a bit bigger, available as a 1.4l 170bhp petrol or 235bhp 1750cc petrol and various oil burners which can have a "TCT" dual clutch auto. The TCT models tend to be quite high spec so folding mirrors should be easy to find. Heated seats is actually the slightly tricky one, it seems most people don't bother in these low end cars despite their being both single and multi level heating options. I find that odd, unheated leather seats in the winter is pretty bad.

The Mito is closer to Polo in size, but only comes in 3 door so I guess that is out.

I find the styling a challenge myself, but Audi A1? Probably a Polo underneath

Yeah, I'm sure it is a polo.

And on that train of thought, Ibiza Fr? Also probably a polo. And would probably have the same options list.

[jimborae]

Thanks for the replies chaps. We've been out all afternoon looking and now, believe it or not, she seems to think that a Mercedes A200 is her ideal car! Comes in at about £30k with all the extras she wants. FFS she's gone from one extreme to other.

With regards to replies received Alfa's, Seats & Skoda's are out of the question for various reasons.

[jimbouk]

Seats & Skoda's are out of the question for various reasons.

I assume not sensible reasons as they're part of the VAG group and share the same platforms... Are the badges the same size

Have fun with the Merc!

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

I assume not sensible reasons as they're part of the VAG group and share the same platforms... Are the badges the same size

Have fun with the Merc!

Yep.

[jimborae]

I assume not sensible reasons as they're part of the VAG group and share the same platforms... Are the badges the same size

Have fun with the Merc!

Yeah, well aware of the common ownership and platforms and you guessed correctly the reasons are completely not sensible and based on badge snobbery.

So I will visit the local Audi showroom today and see what sort of A3 they can offer for similar money to A200 as I think it would probably better suit her than the Merc. I.e. better ride & possibly better spec & quality for the money. Does anyone disagree with that or have any insight to offer on either the Merc or A3's?

[Ttaskmaster]

Yeah, well aware of the common ownership and platforms and you guessed correctly the reasons are completely not sensible and based on badge snobbery.

Get her to actually drive them.
I wanted a Golf, until a friend gave me a Škoda Octavia... absolutely love it, now!
I have heated seats, aircon, 4 doors, foldable mirrors, decent handling and all the rest... and it comes in Auto or Manual.

Does anyone disagree with that or have any insight to offer on either the Merc or A3's?

As a former Merc owner, I can confirm that you will pay a LOT of money for parts and repairs.
Audi-Volks-Škoda-SEAT at least offer common parts and reasonable prices.

[Spud1]

Check out the BMW 1 or 2 series too - its a much better car than the A class and because of the way discounts work you can get them for less than an equivalent A-Class, particularly if you go for the M140i (if she wants a hatch) as you can get a stock M140i for around £28-£29k brand new. (20-22% discount). I've always found the interior rather plastic like on the A class and the infotainment system is pretty poor compared to the competition.

The A3 has an even nicer interior than both the merc or the BMW however Audi know it and charge a premium for it..at the moment they dont seem to want to do deals on them either, particularly if you spec up the interior.

The BMW is the best driving car in the class (particular the MX40i series) but the interior is in the middle between Audi's and Mercs. Usually the cheapest after discounts though.

Regardless of what she goes for though make sure you check the price with https://www.coast2coastcars.co.uk before signing anything with a dealer - it will give you a good starting point for negotiation and shows you a guaranteed minimum deal that you can get (currently min 4k off a top spec A200) and you can generally get another 5% or so off the C2C price by shopping around a little bit.

[kalniel]

The A3 has an even nicer interior than both the merc or the BMW however Audi know it and charge a premium for it..at the moment they dont seem to want to do deals on them either, particularly if you spec up the interior.

You can spec up a very nice A3 for the merc's 30k! Also available in 4 door if you don't have to fit anything bulky through the boot opening.
eg:
uk.audi.com/AFEBXD4F

Best engine in the range, great seats, all the goodies like virtual cockpit, bang and olsen etc.

[Spud1]

You can but the stronger discounts on the mercs makes the A3 look expensive. Buying new cars at the moment list prices are almost irrelevant, particularly if any sort of finance is used. There are so many deals to be had if you know the right buttons to push with the dealers.

You are right though I would buy an A3 over the Merc A-Class Better car fro the money imo and audi's digital cockpit is the best out there until you get to the new E-Class merc, which is a different ballgame and not really comparable.

[spacein_vader]

You can but the stronger discounts on the mercs makes the A3 look expensive. Buying new cars at the moment list prices are almost irrelevant, particularly if any sort of finance is used. There are so many deals to be had if you know the right buttons to push with the dealers.

This. A relative of mine is the group accountant for a large set of Mercedes dealerships. As she said to me; Dealerships don't sell cars, they sell finance, warranties/servicing and accessories. In that order of priority.

[jimborae]

Thanks for the replies so far folks, the car will be on finance and that's part of the problem as her current car's 3 yr deal expires mid August so any potential vehicle has to be available now.

A lease is also not out of the question as effectively that's what we're doing now.

So went to the Audi dealer at lunchtime and we'll be testing an S3 Sportback either tonight or tomorrow. This is in the frame as there are some very strong lease deals available on these at the moment which means it will be in the right monthly payment bracket.

I had thought about BMW 1 Series but I have to say that I'm not totally enamoured with some things about my 3 Series. i.e. build quality...

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

These small cars are getting pricey LOL. £30000 is the price for an entry level Ford Mustang which is probably going to get noticed far more than the very common Golfs,A3s,etc.

[Spud1]

Let us know what deals you find on the S3 lease i'm curious - I couldn't get any sensible (i.e. sub £400/month no deposit) offers for S3s on PCPs but this was 4 months ago.

Build quality can vary on all cars BMWs are no exception...mine has been perfect though this time around.

Couple of potentially useful threads if you do decide to go the BMW route - Tony @ Berry Heathrow publishes his best prices as a PCP list with monthlies per option - even better than C2C for getting a price comparison tbh and when I bought my M240i, I used it as a bargaining tool. Eventually took a stock car from a dealer up here in Manchester and they beat these prices, which are already very keen.

M240i prices - http://www.babybmw.net/viewtopic.php?f=80&t=99527
M140i prices - http://www.babybmw.net/viewtopic.php?f=80&t=99526

Just in case it's useful

Good luck with the S3 its a lovely car, especially with the digital dash!

These small cars are getting pricey LOL. £30000 is the price for an entry level Ford Mustang which is probably going to get noticed far more than the very common Golfs,A3s,etc.

You are right but when financing them on a PCP there is a big difference. The entry level mustang has an engine that very few people want in that type of car (why would you buy a mustang without the V8 ) so the residual value is very low, and as a result finance costs are huge. It actually makes the V8 almost the same monthlies as the entry level due to the residual value. I nearly bought one as the list price is lower than my 240 (£38k for the V8 mustang, £39.5k as specced for my 240), but the BMW was nearly £200 a month cheaper. £8k of discounts off the list price did help mind

An M140i however with it's popular V6 and status as one of the last RWD hot hatches, has really strong residuals at the moment meaning that a PCP tends to be fairly cheap. Similar with an S3.

The world of PCP and lease finance does throw up some oddities. I remember when i bought my first PCP I was looking at a VW polo, but actually bought an Audi A1 because it was cheaper per month on a PCP thanks to much stronger residual valuations..despite the A1 being £3000 more than the polo at list price.

[jimborae]

These small cars are getting pricey LOL. £30000 is the price for an entry level Ford Mustang which is probably going to get noticed far more than the very common Golfs,A3s,etc.

And that's the point, she doesn't want to get noticed! She's just rejected the Merc this afternoon because the only wheel options for one available now are in black.....on a black car. Apparently and to quote her...."She doesn't want to look like a drug dealer!!!"