Uncle Creepy

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Tidgy

rwd and winter?

forrester sti would be my choice

Uncle Creepy

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Tidgy

summit a bit different mainly

im pondering on a new daily and i liked my old 5 series bmw and e46 m3. i would go for another m3 but dont really wanna do rwd. there also mega expensive to run. 3 years service on em about £1500

did get me ponderiong on an xdrive bmw, other option is an older s4

Uncle Creepy

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Uncle Creepy

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ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

JDM Hatch Impreza, there was a really nice grey one in the for sale section a little while back, might still be for sale, it was around £16k.

Nice enough Interior, and easily tuned to 400 + bhp for around £2/3k you could have quite a beast on your hands. They're the only thing I'd swap my wagon for, I know the hatch is not too popular on here but in reality they don't look any worse than all the other euro boxes out there.

donny andi

iTrader: (3)

I've got a 2011 focus Rs sat on my drive if you are around the South Yorkshire area and want to try one .... It's not for sale but more than welcome to try it

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

I'm serious in saying if they released a X-drive M135i in the uk with RHD and manual gearbox in a sensible colour (not lurid orange) I'd put the deposit down here and now for a brand new one (I've never owned a new car).

I wonder how many people in the UK think like you and me with this, would it be enough to petition BMW and make them realise there is a market/demand and then to go ahead and do it?

For me its the only viable MKV R32 replacment (Compact hatchback, AWD, 3.0 6 cylinder torque+soundtrack, Manual gearbox etc.)

I'm at the threashold of either spending a load of wedge to keep teh R32 going a few more years (as its getting sloppy/rusty in its old age) or just giving up and just buying a cheap and cheerful secondhand Fiesta ST (point being, I'm not spending £30K+ on a compromise).

Saxo Boy

I have a very similar set of requirements and face a similar dilemma early next year. The recently revealed MK3 Focus RS has really set the cat amongst the pigeons and is probably the strongest contender now.

Full specced up, it's going to be about £33,000 but I'm willing to bet it will hold it's value well meaning the true cost of ownership will be less than some of the other models I have been considering (Seat Leon, Golf R, M135i, etc). It ticks nearly every box for me:

- 4WD with drift mode to put 70% to the rear
- 345bhp and Montune do warranty compatible mods that will probably see it to 400bhp
- 5 doors with decent boot
- Looks good without being too mental

and, as an added bonus, it will have a lot more rarity/exclusivity than the likes of a Golf R.

john banks

Also shopping to run something cheaper and would consider lots of those mentioned. Have a 2003 E46 M3 that is mechanically good but I wasted money on a plastic offside front wing that doesn't look right and I am not going to use it as a track car. Wife's Mk5 GTI needs some bodywork attention. S8 is lovely but frivolous now I am not commuting and in two years will probably depreciate the entire value of the M3. However I could buy a specced up hot hatch with half the power of the 2 year old 17000 mile S8 for not much saving and the depreciation would be similar. Tax and fuel bit cheaper but depreciation is the biggie.

Definitely an M tax on parts looking at everything from suspension parts to panels. Going for the sub brand can be a smart move. OTOH a good M car will at some point level out on depreciation but not until over 10 years old.

Then I consider a Leaf LOL. Proper midlife crisis

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

John, is your Gti suffering from rusty arches too?

Common MKV issue - the zinc coating is wafer thin... People keep pointing out my blistered arches and I keep assuring them its part of the "rat-look" image

john banks

Yes. Pretty minor but want to get on top of it. Also thought I had not tightened oil filter properly despite torque wrench but it is the front of the sump oozing. Our A2 had the same. Have tightened up the fasteners a bit but will probably have to take sump down and reseal it

Uncle Creepy

Ditchy, if you mean Ryan's, it's sold now, mate.

Uncle Creepy

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Uncle Creepy

Can't fault that, mate. I'll definitely take one for a test drive as soon as they hit stealerships, but it will be a year or so until they've depreciated enough to be around the £23k mark, so it's not an option for me just yet I'm afraid.

Uncle Creepy

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Uncle Creepy

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jameswrx

iTrader: (4)

If only we had a resident M135i expert

Slightly confused as to your requirements Uncle Creepy. You say economical be good, 5 door perfect then say no.2 on the list is a TT? Basically you're up for anything lol

You sure you want RWD? How long have you been in an Impreza? I'd seriously consider a JDM hatch Impreza, may not have a BMW interior but theyre a vast improvement over the older models. I ponder the idea of an M3 or similar but I'm so used to the grip of the Impreza I don't think I could enjoy pressing on in something like that.


I'd be all over an M135i X-Drive too Ali, doesn't the RS3 satisfy your requirements Ali? I'd have thought that'd be right up your street, actually aren't you anti DSG? But they really float my boat, 5 door, interesting engine and potent.

Why BMW don't do an X drive M135i over here I don't know! Don't they do the 335i in x drive now? I've seen a 335d x drive. On the subject, what sort of 4wd system do they use?

Uncle Creepy

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steve05wrx

Hi,
Don't worry about the M135 in winter - providing you put winter tyres on it.
We ran a highly modified 123d M sport for a couple of very icy and snowy winters with winter types fitted.
It was so funny going up a snow covered slopes with no issues - followed by a fwd car that thought they would be able to follow a BMW - then they got stuck!
Cheers
Steve

Littleted

Id go with the 135I, they look a bit bab, but from what your needing and cost of ownership its a no brainer, and they are nice to drive.

All the others will cost to service, and after having my little A45 for only 14months, i saw the light and thought i honestly cannot be arsed spunking 300 to 600 on a service once ive hit the 3 year mark, and with the facelift due 28th this month price will fall more...so she went.

If i had the cash in your shoes id get a new 1 with Performance body kit, just weigh up the cost vs new, if your buying cash then the second hand one will be fine, but if your using finance the low rates on new VS high on old may pay to look at new...

I'm not a fan of RWD either aftyer my E350 anything less that 80 tread your TCS will be on all the time, when i test drove the 1 near me its was brand new slightly damp and it was always on....

nice cars though, failing that what about a 2nd hand S3 new shape, been out now over a year must be 25k now ?

donny andi

iTrader: (3)

More than welcome pal , cars going nowhere so if and when just give me a shout

Saxo Boy

I appreciate the afore mentioned RS is above your budget by a considerable margin, but my point it that I don't think you've got a prayer of picking one up for £23,000 in a year, or two... possibly even 3 for that matter. I personally would PCP it and view it as a pseudo savings account. Ford will probably play it safe like they always do and give a GFV of £15-16,000 over 3 years and 30k miles. Specced up, you'll be around £32,000 on average (lux pack, cost-option colour, forged wheels) so for £3,600 deposit over 36 months at 4.9% you'll pay around £436 pcm.

However, the bet I'd be willing to make is that the equity left over the in car after three years will be far higher than £16,000. Hell, you can get around £20,000 for a 3-year old WRX STI and they are 10 a penny and aren't that well regarded. I'd not be surprised if you could still get £22-25,000 for a well looked after 3-year old, single owner RS. Even at the lower estimate, your total cost of ownership would be:

£3600 + (£436 x 36)= £19,296 + £16,000 bubble = £35,296

Now subtract £22,000 lower estimate sale price and the total cost of depreciation and finance for 3-years is £13,300 or around £369 per month. In my view it's a lot of car for that sort of money per month whereby your aren't locking up much of your own capital. It's also worth remembering that the MKI and MKII RS's did far better than this so it could be even better still.

On the flip side, the market might go to **** and you don't do much better than the GFV. If that was me, I'd pay the bubble, garage the car and do no more than 1-2,000 miles per annum. In 10-15 years I roll it out and sell it for more than I initially paid for it

....I must now present the above "man maths" to the wife and supplement it with the following:

- 40 **** a day habit = £15 x 30 days = £450
- I don't smoke, therefore I can afford the car and the fuel

john banks

Are the numbers limited? Were they with previous RS models? This is a world market car, were the previous ones?

Saxo Boy

There are some differences:

The MKI RS was limited and individually numbered.

The MKII RS wasn't individually numbered and 11,500 units were built. From what I can tell it wasn't limited to this, that's just what was built and sold over a 3-year production run.

The MKIII RS won't be numbered and won't be limited. It is also a world market car. However, the MKIII won't have more than 2-3 years of production left before the MKIV comes out and healthy waiting lists are expected. It probably won't be as 'exclusive' as the MKI or MKII but IMHO it won't be anywhere near as common as a Subaru, Golf R or even rarer hatches like the Leon Cupra.

Like I say, there is risk but as someone that isn't a Ford or even an RS fan, there's enough meat on the bone to peak my interest. I guess the key comparison is that I was pretty much set on a Leon Cupra ST DSG at around £33,000 with £5k discount achievable. However, it's pretty much certain that the Leon will only fetch £12-13,000 in 3-years representing a £15,000 depreciation with finance costs on top of that. I'd be amazed if the RS performed worse than the Leon; especially given it's history, cult following and the fact it's 4WD, and much more powerful.

urban

iTrader: (1)

You'd be surprised at the running costs.
Yes, drive it hard and it'll drink petrol - much like an STI really.

Uncle Creepy

Good to know. Cheers!

Uncle Creepy

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Uncle Creepy

Hi mate.


Surprised in a good way?


I read a few articles yesterday about the CLK55s from around that era (2005ish - when the facelift version came out with the quad exhausts) and quite a few of them seem to have had some issues, mainly electrics-related, and have ended up being quite costly fixes, which hasn't allayed my worries about running costs.


Have you owned one? If so, what was your experience like?


Cheers.