Choose me A Car..

CT

CT

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I'm due to change my car around next June so no great rush, but I'm sick of looking at cars and not finding anything that floats my boat (without remortgaging anyway) so any ideas will be great.

My last few cars to give you some idea where I'm at.

Ford Probe 24 valve 2.5 Litre
Toyota MR2 MK2
Honda S2000. Loved it but got the 2 seater sports car out of my system.
Honda Civic Type-R last version.
Honda Civic Type-R current version.

You can probably tell I like the Type-R as it ticks all the boxes for me, having the performance and practicality, but part of me feels I need a change and that I should be looking at something with a more 'respectable' image for a state pensioner. :D That's where I'm having the difficulty .If I stick with Honda, I suppose the Accord would be the obvious choice and a sensible one if decide to do 'sensible' but probably sacrificing too much pokeand just plain old fun.

Interior environment is very important to me and the interior in the Type-R is great. I just haven't seen anything I like nearly as much with the possible exception of the Audi A4 - one of the better ones not sure which it is.

Go on then what would you go for? I don't want to spend much more than £20K and I'd consider very low mileage used.
 
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You could get a very nice low milage nice Audi S3 for under 20K. Fast, very respectable, subtle and well built. Choice of 2 litre turbo or 3.2 v6. Both very quick.

Oh, and it has a lovely interior!
 
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Sheesh - never thought of the S3 - good suggestion although I think they're gonna tend to be pricey.I do like 'em though - good headsup. (y)
 
Before I became a "State Pensioner" like you and had to clip my wings so to speak I was very much a Saab person. The 93 may be on the top of your price range but well worth a look.
 
Golf GTI Edition 30 or an R32 - preferable to an Audi maybe?

You may even get a new RS Focus by then as a low mileage for the price you're looking at
 
LOL. Some good taste in cars you lot have. Farpin hooligans! Keep' em comin' though. (y)
 
You can get a nice low milage BMW 125i M sport coupe for that money - I have a friend with a 135i and it is a lovely motor.
 
This could fill your needs Ced`s :D Although I am not sure where Jan will be sitting, suppose you could lash her down to the hotshoe :shrug:

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What about an Alfa? A decent specced 147 or even a Mito if its not too small. Should be some good deals on 147's as I think there due to be replaced shortly.
 
If you want a quality interior then it really needs to be German, or at a push high-end Japanese. The Volkswagen group (esp. Audi) always seem to be able to do decent plastics and good ergonomics.
 
RichardtheSane said:
You can get a nice low milage BMW 125i M sport coupe for that money - I have a friend with a 135i and it is a lovely motor.
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Nice! Wouldn't I have to start hoggin' the outside lane though and cuttin' every naffer up. Then there's having the indicators disconnected.... ;)
 
If I had 20k to spare I'd probably get a used S2000 for the weekends ('05 maybe, for ~13k), and a 4/5 seat sensible-mobile for the grind. That's just me though.
 
u8myufo said:
This could fill your needs Ced`s :D Although I am not sure where Jan will be sitting, suppose you could lash her down to the hotshoe :shrug:

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Stupid boy Pike - I'll send you home in a minute! What sensor size is it? :thinking:
 
Flash In The Pan said:
If you want a quality interior then it really needs to be German, or at a push high-end Japanese. The Volkswagen group (esp. Audi) always seem to be able to do decent plastics and good ergonomics.
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Gotta agree with that from what research I've done so far.
 
GrittyShaker said:
If I had 20k to spare I'd probably get a used S2000 for the weekends ('05 maybe, for ~13k), and a 4/5 seat sensible-mobile for the grind. That's just me though.
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Been there - done that and don't want to run two cars.
 
wisemen said:
What about an Alfa? A decent specced 147 or even a Mito if its not too small. Should be some good deals on 147's as I think there due to be replaced shortly.
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Stylish for sure. (y)
 
Golf GTI? The latest one and the one before were both rather nice, especially with the DSG gearbox!

If I wanted a small quick car with a grown up image, I'd go with that.
 
It depends if you do a lot of miles, but I think the best value out there at the moment is in bigger top of the range cars that are a couple of years old. I have an Audi S6 which is a fantastic car and has depreciated like a rock since I bought it.

Costs a fortune in petrol and tyres though.
 
Speaking of Alfas, you can pick up a 159 for £20,000, beautiful car.
 
ShawWellPete said:
It depends if you do a lot of miles, but I think the best value out there at the moment is in bigger top of the range cars that are a couple of years old. I have an Audi S6 which is a fantastic car and has depreciated like a rock since I bought it.

Costs a fortune in petrol and tyres though.
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Fair point Pete. Mileage isn't a big issue 12K a year ...tops.

Is that dropped like a rock or steady as a rock? :D

How much are the tyres a pop? The Type R gets through a few, mainly due to screws near the shoulders which they can't plug. ...PITA :puke:
 
CT said:
Nice! Wouldn't I have to start hoggin' the outside lane though and cuttin' every naffer up. Then there's having the indicators disconnected.... ;)
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There are a few courses available to help you start driving the car correctly as you describe and of course I'll gladly do the mod on the indicators for you :p

Seriously, I drive a 3 series coupe and since I got it I have been astounded by how people react to a BMW on the roads. I regularly get people who either refuse to let me pull out (never had as many problems dirving my Saab) or pull into the right lane to block me overtaking them (when they have no intention of actually overtaking anyone).

I reckon you see more mondeos and A4s lanehogging now!
 
CT said:
Fair point Pete. Mileage isn't a big issue 12K a year ...tops.

Is that dropped like a rock or steady as a rock? :D

How much are the tyres a pop? The Type R gets through a few, mainly due to screws near the shoulders which they can't plug. ...PITA :puke:
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:LOL:

I meant dropped like a rock falling..

Mine was 50K new with a lot of extras, I bought it for £35k 9 months old and 6 years later (time flies) it's worth less than 10k. With petrol prices where they are when it comes to sell the expensive executive car when it is 2 or 3 years old there are few buyers.

Tyres are cheaper since I switched from Michelin to Kumho, still over £100 a tyre though.
 
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ShawWellPete said:
:LOL:

I meant dropped like a rock falling..

Mine was 50K new with a lot of extras, I bought it for £35k 9 months old and 6 years later (time flies) it's worth less than 10k. With petrol prices where they are when it comes to sell the expensive executive car when it is 2 or 3 years old there are few buyers.

Tyres are cheaper since I switched from Michelin to Kumho, still over £100 a tyre though.
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Hmmm... have you really done that badly though over 6 years? I don't think so..... they all lose a shed load. :shrug: Tyres are about the same as the Type-R then by the sound of it.
 
Plenty of choice by the sounds of things...
Some sort of Jag? The "R" versions of most models have a fair bit of poke. Don't know what prices are like mind...
Subaru Legacy Spec-B? Imprezza performance with slightly less "in your face" styling.
What sort of money are second hand Monaro's going for these days?

Edit - Just re-read the OP, these might not fit with the "quality interior" requirement :(

If you're handy with a spanner, you can pick up some absolute monsters for silly money once they reach 5+ years old. Have a look on the Pistonheads forums for the "Bargin Barges" thread.

Does it have to be quick? you can get a lot of "chelsea tractor" for your money these days. Mates brother just sold £37k worth of Landrover Discovery for £12k, was only 3 years old!! (and yes, he is still crying about it :()
 
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ShawWellPete said:
I think the three year old ones are the bargain though, 50k car for 20k ish
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Indeed! Its just the thougth of anything major going wrong which scares people s***less - including me! :LOL:
 
grumpybadger said:
I'm now a driver of a Merc luxo barge but back in the day, I was very impressed with the Seat Leon I had...
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The old ones were great. The new ones appear to have had the electrics done by the Italians. The hired one I had used to insert snippets (only a second or two, sometimes only the odd word) of random radio stations into whatever you were listening to at the time (radio or CD). It made some of the debates on radio 4 far more entertaining than they would've been.

Back to cars.. staying with VAG, there's also the Skoda Octavia? The vRS hhas an air of respectability about it, plus a decent amount of poke. Mostly VAG interior parts, so it won't be too much different from the Golf, Leon or A3/4
 
Jim - I try not to do the spanner thing these days. :puke:

I don't need a 4X4 and I had a Daimler Sovereign 3.8 years ago. OMG the petrol bills!! :D
 
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Some really good suggestioins so far.(y) There's only two of us and we find we like a hatch and it suits us well. Handy for chucking a load of camera gear in the back too.
 
Jim.R said:
Does it have to be quick?
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I'd love to say I'm mature enough to be above all that - but I'd be lying. :p

Hmmm... S3 really appeals - ticks all the boxes and looks grown up.
 
How about a Seat Leon? I have the FR and its a diesel so quite eco but still packs 180 horses in so shifts when you want it too. German build quality, Spanish prices. :)
 
treaclesponge said:
How about a Seat Leon? I have the FR and its a diesel so quite eco but still packs 180 horses in so shifts when you want it too. German build quality, Spanish prices. :)
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I like 'em. Not as manic as the Civic but a better motorway cruiser and a softer ride for sure. Cupra is much the same too.
 
CT said:
Stupid boy Pike - I'll send you home in a minute! What sensor size is it? :thinking:
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Oh! Definately full size with 49 focus points, dashboard has illuminated display and all controls are via a joystick. You could go for the optional extras pack for it, which includes such things as high speed warning as well as full manual mode.
 
CT said:
There's only two of us and we find we like a hatch and it suits us well. Handy for chucking a load of camera gear in the back too.
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BMW M Coupe
 
MkV Golf R32:
- similar size and practicality of type r
- better performance
- better noise
- better grip

Class above for performance: M3 E46 later models
- rapid
- rapid
- solid build

Wind in your hair choice: new Z4, but not sure if it is in sub £20k mark
I think Boxster's might be in this price bracker now

Pushing the budget a little more: Audi TTS
be my choice if back seats isn't an issue as a remap will see 300bhp+ and good 4wd grip
 
Down to your own choice at the end of the day Cedric :shrug: Myself I have been through the fast car days so comfort is my choice now. As for reliability love em or hate em, the most reliable car on the road taken from a peoples survey was Lexus :shrug:
 
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