Which car? (all the help i can get :))

[siuron]

i can pay about 200-250 monthly
i only want it over 3 yrs, coz i dont like interest..
so it works out to be under 10k

i like sporty cars but i also like economy, which is hard..but anything around 35+ mpg should be ok. insurance group under 16 i think
what cars can i afford?

the nearest i got is new shape MR2 and celica 190/t sport both with bodykit

[Zak33]

Celica is a good idea. Very good. What deposit you got?

Megane 120 Diesel 6 speed is good too. Weirdly very good car

[Taz]

Agree, Toyota Celica is a very good car for the price. It's far more practical than the new shape MR2 (which is a very poor copy of a Boxster!). The old MR2 was much better.

Of course, with the Toyota Celica you do get FWD and the engine mounted in the front - which is not the ideal combination for a sports car. The MR2 has the engine in the middle and is RWD - the best possible scenario for a sports car. But, and it's a big but, you'll only notice the difference in handling if you constantly drive at the limit.

Hence, in the real world, the Celica would probably be a better buy than the MR2.

[siuron]

thats with 0 deposit.
if i count in deposit, probably 1k?
then i hav a bit more for my monthly payment

any other cars?

A3 T Sport (0-60=7.9, 35mpg, ins grp 14)
BMW 318ci (0-60=9, 39mpg, ins grp 13)
Toyota Celica 190/T Sport (0-60=7, 33mpg, ins grp 15)
Toyota MR2/MR-S (0-60=7.7, 38mpg, ins grp 13)
VW Golf GT TDI 150 (0-60=8.3, 52mpg, ins grp 13)

[CocoPops]

Clio 172/182, a real hoot to drive.

Well spec'd with Leather, Climate Control, Traction Control, Xenon Headlights etc etc.

You can pick them up a yr old for £10k or less.

MPG is very good even from a 180odd bhp 2.0 lump.

[siuron]

yea looked at that not too sporty looks?..
an impression of boy racers too..dun u think?
ins grp 16 too, cant afford it...must be 15 or under

[Fox]

Threads like this are just plain daft, you can afford ten thousand quid on a car but not insurance group 16?

Hmmm, ok.

[5lab]

i wouldnt base insurance costs too much on groups - go and find real prices - they vary vastly from car to car

for an oddball choice, what about an mx5, or a skoda fabia diesel superquick thingy?

[Fox]

The Skoda Fabia 'super quick' diesel thingy that does 0-60 in 9.2 seconds?

It's reasonably quick but not superfast by any stretch of the imagination.

[5lab]

quicker than a mini cooper

granted then, thats not particularly quick.


what about

mondeo st tdi thing? iirc they came out.. 18 months ago.. so as its a mondeo it might well have dropped below 10k now.. (or if not the ghia version wiht the same engine)

orr.. seeing how zaks got on.. a saab 9-3 viggen thingy

[Fox]

Mondeo ST's don't depreciate anything like regular ones so despite being out for ages, you have a job on getting an ST for anything less than £14,000. Titanium X 2.2 TDCi and Ghia X 2.2TDCi are cheaper but not sub £10k.

TDCi 130 will be under £10k, tho.

[Rave]

The Skoda Fabia 'super quick' diesel thingy that does 0-60 in 9.2 seconds?

It's reasonably quick but not superfast by any stretch of the imagination.

Autocar strapped the timing gear to their one...and did it in 7.7 seconds. For some reason the manufacturer's figures are very conservative.

[amccready]

How about a Honda VTEC?

They're reliable, quick, and relatively economical. They switch from 8 to 16 valves and back, dependent on how quick you want to drive.

[Fox]

How about a Honda VTEC?

A Honda VTEC what? VTEC VFR800? VTEC CR-V? VTEC Accord? VTEC Civic? Honda put VTEC engines into virtually every product they make.

They're reliable, quick, and relatively economical.

Some are quick, some are slow. Some are economical, some are not. Depends entirely what car its in and what engine it is, it's some magic fits all technology.

They switch from 8 to 16 valves and back, dependent on how quick you want to drive.

Does it?

Zak edit: Yes....on iVTECi models it does One inlet valve stops working at low revs to help torque and consumption.

[Konan555]

They switch cam profiles according to RPM. The effect is like going between 8V and 16V in some cases.

Yes...also true....but not on all. See above edit SOme Honda DO change valve counts

[Butuz]

Cam profile != more valves, tho. ?

VVT/VTEC/VVTI can do different things. My VVT increases torque before the turbo kicks in. My VVT turns off before 5000rpm. It does the complete opposite to honda's VTEC.

Butuz