I bought an E36 Auto 325 Coupe and i must admit i hate it......

I have decided to spend a few more pennies and get something decent and im thinking around the £3000 mark.... i dont mind what they are like on fuel and running costs ( old car was a Supercharged Jag at 9mpg) just needs to be comfy and reliable.

I was looking at 5Series BMWs but want to see what other cars i could get.

 

been looking at old 3.8 m5's meself matey,them ones that finished around 96 look better than the newer ones imo. seen some corkers for 3-5 grand.

 

really...

 

E39 540i would be good.

 

there is one for Sale in the For Sale section i keep looking at

 

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1235601.htm

 

Didnt you get banned yesterday?

 

Cheers mate...it was bad enough getting called an old man in the Jag and being 24 it wasnt good lol

 

probably not sensibele but pulsar gtir lol

 

E39, E46, VRS octavia would be were i would be looking

 

St170 focus.

 

Seat Leon Cupra 20V Turbo. Around a 2002 model.

Much better than the MK4 Golf GTi to drive. Great car with a re-map.

 

Mondeo Zetec S.

 

its the same chassis and drive train, suspension and everything else, just a different shell

 

For the love of God, why?

You'd have to go a long way to find a bigger Ford fanatic than me, and there's nothing at all wrong with the ST170 per se, it's a decent car, but against its turbocharged rivals for the same money, it really has got very little going for it!

 

It feels a lot tighter. Handles better IMO, and maybe it was just the examples I drove, but I'm sure the brakes were better. The brakes were superb on the friend's Leon which I drove. Goes very nicely indeed for a 225bhp-ish daily driver. Looks good too, but in a conservative way. Doesn't stand out too much, which can be a good thing.

 

you would be surprised, I have easily kept with golf gti 180s in it. its a very competent decent car and imo under estimated, this is my 2nd one. better to drive than golfs and stuff like that and its not all about power when you can take most modern cars on the twisties anyway. infact my cousin has a astra coupe turbo, 197 bhp 0-60 of 7.0 seconds supposedly but even with decent tyres etc its still pants, my st has just had the slight edge over it on pull off on plenty of times as all it does is wheel spin, the 170 imo has the perfect blend of power and handling for what it is.

but then he asking for a daily driver , not a racing car

 

i drove a friends cupra r recently, remapped etc 260 bhp, did not feel to bad but wheel span worse than an astra vxr with that power. good cars though

 

I think it will have to be a saloon the reason i dont like the E36 coupe is cos it is small, i loved the Jag being a big car so i think a 5 series would be best....cannot believe you can get an M5 for that sort of money...i cant find any around lol

 

I should hope so, only 10 bhp difference between the two also i would imagine the focus is a hell of a lot lighter!

 

looking on piston heads now and OH MY GOD....what a mess lol
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/822886.htm

 

not 100% i know the st170 weighs 1230 kg but not sure about golf.



back on topic, how about a honda accord type r, not best lookers but a economical 2.2 vtec with 209 bhp and pretty quick to, before i found out what they were about a had a lil play with one and it nailed me.
mechanically bullet proof to

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1245668.htm

 

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1239077.htm
i know its a replica but done well i think

 

has the rubbish 2.0 engine though, got to be a 525 at least.

 

true its a heavy car....

 

Would be a snotter for 3K

 

Unfair to compare a Cupra R with 210/225bhp against a Golf GTi with 150bhp.

The later Golf's had 180Bhp and so still not an even comparison.

A Cupra with 180bhp is fairer.

Had a diesel Cupra and even with the heavey oil burner the handling did feel sharper than my current GTi. But tyre width and age difference are a key factor.

1.8 20vT Golf Gti's are good everyday drivers for 3k. With a remap you have over 200Bhp and will still do 40 + mpg on a run.

However I would say it cause its my everyday driver weapon of choice. The Understated looks are a real plus IMO.

 

i think the cupra has better brakes than the golf because there the 225 models, such as the audi tt and all the 225s have better brakes than the 150/180 iirc

 

I was talking about the 180 Cupra (although now re-mapped to around 225).

Very good car for the cash IMO

 

Skoda Octavia VRS

 

Lexus IS200. Im looking for one myself at the moment for similar money. Ive had one before and couldnt fault it at all. In fact it was the best car ive ever owned. Well, after the cossie of course.

 

Dan what about an Audi A8 at just over 3k...? http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1204167.htm

 

where you been looking ????????????

i had a peep on ebay and pistonheads and saw enough of them under 5 grand and quite a nice looking 100k mile'er red h plater for 3 grand

i couldn't spend 20 g's on a car i know is going to be worth 3 grand eventually if i kept it.

3 grand says to me its hit rock bottom unless you break it


m5's here..
http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/l...&Submit=Search

 

2001 BMW 325i SE
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1238058.htm

Andy

 

think i'd rather have an st170 than a golf tbh!

was the jag really that bad, 9mpg!?

 

mk4 golf gt tdi

 

i think that volvo t5 is a good bet

 

Sapphire Cosworth - sensible 4 door family saloon with large boot