Lum

I'm not happy. my boss was all set to order me a nice WRX STI UK until our fleet insurers told him to bugger off. So he then tried to get it insured separately, and all the insurers still told him to bugger off, finally he tried with just a standard WRX and was able to find one company quoting about 3 grand which he isn't prepared to pay.

So I'm looking at alternatives. The 3 litre legacy looks nice but is only available in automatic so that's no good. My boss is recommending the new 150bhp diesel VW Golf but that's FWD and too small for my tastes. I'm pretty sure we wont be able to get insured on an Evo

So any suggestions for alternatives? I'm looking for something that's either RWD or 4WD, has similar capacity to the Impreza and has decent acceleration and cornering, I'm not too bothered about top speed but do want to be able to get past those trucks on backroads in the pissing rain.

As it's a company car, it can't be an import (I would love a Legacy Turbo) or have any modifications done afterwards to bring it up to spec unless it's a standard option like the PPP (Is there a Legacy PPP? if the 2.5Se was a bit more powerful I'd go for it)

Oh, and no BMWs either, whilst they may be good cars I dont want the image. Also need to bear in mind price, he was happy with the lease costs on the STI but that took a lot of arguing with the accountants, so I doubt I can ask for anything more.

Dracoro

Audi A3 3.2
Octavia 4x4 RS

mynickers

Octavia 4x4 RS

Lum

Do they still make this? The highest model listed on their site is a 2.0 150bhp model with no 0-60 figure and no mention of 4WD.

Of all the cars I've looked at, that 3.2 Audi A3 is winning but there's a few problems putting me off:
- All Volkswagens I've driven (W reg Golf and 51 reg TT) have given me back pain due to crappy seats.
- The TTs engine has proven horribly unreliable with two breakdowns in the last 6 months, and the last repair seemed to involve replacing it with a two-stroke.
- It looks like a more boring version of a Ford Focus.

Any others? Ideally non-VAG

mo,s scoobymonster

honda integra dc5

Dark Blue Mark

*cant be an import*

Can you take the cash monthly allowance?

MB

Dracoro

Mazda RX8

NWMark

Volvo S40 T5 - 210bhp
Volvo S60 2.5T - 210bhp
Volvo S60 T5 - 260bhp
Volvo S60 R - ???bhp

I like the S40 myself.

Mark

Lum

I did have a look at Volvo after someone suggested, I think it was a V70, however their site is painful to navigate with many pages displaying perfectly then redirecting me to an error page saying your browser is incompatible, also I do not own a wax jacket, wellington boots or an alsatian

Is the Mazda RX8 any good?

edit because I'm stupid and didn't notice there was more than one reply

Integra: according to honda's site they don't sell it new.
cash allowance: My company dont work company cars like that, so I really need to get the best I can squeeze out of them
mazda rx8: current most likely contender, 4 useable seats will be great after the TT. how is the boot space though, will it fit a new, boxed 4U rackmount server, and is it likely to be in one piece after an enthusiastic drive? Also, how is the grip on cornering compared to the TT or STI?

FASTER MIKE!!

what about one of those new, uk evo mr260 might be ok on insurance, worth a check

mike

Lum

Is the service interval still 4500 miles? If so I'd be in for a service once a month which is not really feasable.

imlach

Do remember that the Legacy 3.0R is tiptronic.....so you can still change the gears at the time of your choice if you prefer that antiquated style

mynickers

Evo's and Scoobs, will be big money in every respect, fuel, insurance, upkeep. If you're worried about service costs and the like then perhaps a slightly more sensible option might be better..

RE: Skoda, I am not actually sure about 4x4 TBH, I have read countless people cite it, I just kind of repeated it, because I think the Skoda's are very capable these days, and shouldn't be overlooked.

But quite a lot of the modern FWD sports cars have a very good chassis, and dont' suffer from understeer too badly. Octavia Vrs, Fabia TDI VRS (or what ever they're both called) = very good, very reasonably priced. Similarly Leon Cupra R 1.8T or the TDI also both very capable FWD hatch/sports.

Integra DC5 is indeed an import - various reports and gossip that they're going to bring htem over because of high import demand, but I think that was hot air as it hasn't happened yet. However, the Civic is still a very capable VTEC sports car - worth a look.

Can you buy nearly new?

What about a Golf R32 not sure what price they are these days, they were a tad pricey, but if you're looking at scoobs surely in your price range! That's AWD, good reviews, only bad thing I have read is that there was some kind of problem with the map, but can be remapped by VW under warranty as far as I could tell.

Check out back of Evo, got a good stats section with basics, and prices of current cars that everyone has been talking too. Also check out www.parkers.co.uk, www.evo.co.uk.

RX8 very capable, also Nissan 350z although you'll probably have to put up with a lot of people calling them girls cars!

steppers

not sure wots rwd or fwd etc but....... as an sti owner others i would consider.....

mazda rx8
nissan 350z
chrysler crossfire
vauxhall moreno

Neil Smalley

Since it's a company car and you don't need to worry about depreciation then try the Alfa 156 Gta.

MattW

The Rx8 is fuel hungry and can be thirsty for oil. the Nissan is nice but impractical as it is a 2 seater. the crossfire is butt ugly , the Moreno is interesting and worth a look.

I would n't let an auto box put you off the Legacy, nice car IMO.

What about mainstream cars such as a Seat Leon Cupra, Megane 225, or even a Lexus IS300.

Lum

Service cost I'm not too worried about, but service frequency is a definate concern, I struggle to find the time to get the TT serviced every 10000 miles.
High depreciation will affect the lease price, so probably cause a problem.
Girls cars? I'm used to that from the TT

The RX8 is definately winning at the moment, it's about the minimum size I would go for (I miss being able to give my mates lifts since getting the TT) and the interesting engine layout appeals to be (that is what attracted me to the Scoobs in te first place)

I doubt I could get insured on the Crossfire, or any of the other 3 litre+ cars

I think I'll try to test drive an RX8, after all it's only 650cc Mr. Insurance Person

I'll look at all the others suggested here when I get back from work. Thanks for all your help

Gutmann pug

If your really want the STi then negotiate with your boss on you paying some of the insurance? If all it costs you is £1,500 a year then its a bargain still. It would be one hell of a lot cheaper then any of us on here pay to run the bloody things thats for sure

Lum

Even privately, I cannot get insured on the STI at all. My boss is also very unhappy about the idea of having a car in the fleet that no-one else can drive.

Just got back from test driving an RX8, it's a lot more twitchy than the STI or TT, which is to be expected from RWD, upset the sales rep when the back end slid out on a corner, but it should be fun, thinking about it the TT is boring because it's so easy. I'm pretty much sold on this car now. So I'll be in and nagging the boss tomorrow, yay!

Only remaining concern is the pathetic size of the enterance hole to the boot, but the combination of the suicide doors and the decent back seat should be good for carting the servers about.