so.... Which car next then ??
 

As my sti is my toy I need a reliable daily, and after owning a shed load of cars I'm struggling to no where to go next

Most recently i had a merc e320cdi estate and sold that and picked up a rare spec'd Bmw e46 330d touring but after driving it for 2 weeks I'm finding its killing my back ( as I have re-occurring back issues ) so it's gotta go

These are just a few previous cars I've owned so I'd like something different , so discount these

Skoda Fabia vrs
Seat Leon Cupar r
Audi s3
Ep3 civic type r
Various bmws e36/39
Vw bora
Merc e320 w211

My budget is around £3k and the criteria needs to be

Must do atleast 28mpg
Not keen on modern "unreliable " diesels
Can be anything from a hatchback to an estate
Auto or manual
Noting French
As reliable as poss :idea:

Let me no what your opinion would be

nothing diesel for sure.

while pretty boring, a basic ford focus or vauxhall astra

Orthopedic seat and softer suspension

Being an Alfa, reliability might be an issue - https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...=Petrol&page=1

Fully loaded Mundaneo - https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...cv211ts&page=1

If you want reliability a Mazda 6 - https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...cv211ts&page=1

Hooning around in a Fiesta ST - https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...om=2500&page=2

Luxury barge - https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...us=1500&page=1

My commute is a 30 mile round trip.

I bought a £500 three door Toyota Starlet in September that as now only covered 45K on a 1998 S plate. Reliable as the sun and moon, servicing costs are tiny (front pads & discs, oil and filter less than £50) and returns a minimum of 40 mpg every journey. Cheap as chips insurance and I don't care if it gets a nick or ding. It cost less to buy than a service on many modern cars.

I fitted a BT Audio head unit for hands free and I can wind the windows down when hot or up if cold. It does motorway speeds with ease, goes round corners like it's on rails and as never let me down.

My JDM Legacy then makes for a great drive every time I get it out of the garage for a bit of fun, travelling abroad or a run to the rubbish dump.

Simple economics.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...nesearchad=New


:D

In seriousness I had a flick through on the trader and there is nothing comfortable for £3k that'd I entertain; they are either too old (which incurs age related reliability problems) or too many miles (which has wear related reliability problems).

Best I can muster is a Civic iVETEC 1.8 or 2.0), but having driven one they are utterly gutless...a 2.0 that pulls like a laden 1.6! It's not that comfy to sit in, plus the suspension and brakes suffer heavily from corrosion on cars used near the coast or in areas that get heavily gritted....but it is reliable.

I bought a 2007 FN2 Type R in December with under 100 k miles for £3200 which I use as my daily...can't really fault it for the money.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...-type=promoted
If you want comfort, get one of these. My wife suffers from slipped disc and used to go out and sit in one of my old volvos when it was particularly painful, as it was the only place she could get comfortable.

I've been trawling the net and you've all come up with some good options

Thinking maybe

Focus st170 / fiesta st150
Mk4 golf gti / gt tdi
Fn2 type r

Also keep looking at 90's jap stuff Honda aerodeck vti , Corolla vti, Honda legend or accord ??

I bought a 2004 VW Passat tdi auto as a work horse 4 years ago and it’s still going. Fast enough, comfortable, 45mpg on a run and I can get 2 bodies/wardrobe/dogs etc in the back. 180,000 miles and I’m loathed to get rid of it as I don’t know what to replace it with

I no what you mean, I had a e320cdi estate which had 145,000 was pretty comfy and decided to sell it as it had a few ( albeit ) very small issues, and I was getting a bit bored and regretting it now ! When you find a good car that ticks most of the boxes it’s worth sticking with it for sure

WRX

Honda ex cdti, bought mine few months ago, totally love the car and bags of grunt, averages 45mpg with a mix of driving.

If you suffer from back pains, I'd steer clear of the hot hatches.....ESPECIALLY the Fn2. Comfort is even worse on the 19" rage wheels (although they do look great imo!). Like others have said, your better off just buying a standard focus or something along those lines.

Funny enough it's not a firm ride that hurts my back its more the actual seating position, the best position for me is sitting up high like in a touran or a 4x4 as opposed to sitting low with my legs out straight so I'd still consider a civic although I'm kind of steering towards a focus st .... But still on the hunt

Just sold my focus ST...loads of ****e out there, it took me a while to find a decent one...don't think you will get a half decent one for 3k tho.
mine was a 2010 ST-3 mapped to 275 bhp...great car really liked it but it was crap in the wet, it wheel span all the time, that's pretty much the only reason I sold it....would have been awesome if it was 4wd but an RS is out of my budget.
really enjoying my FN2 aswell, fun car and does 30 MPG.
Good luck with whatever you choose.

where are you getting these cars for 3k?

old 1.9 golf mk 4 130 bhp
get leather nice on back

Corrola t sport 190

Seems to have forgotten the reliable criteria.


Mega big gamble on cars over 10yrs /100k (or approaching that). It's a lottery at the best of times but in that bracket it's ever-diminishing odds. Sometimes you hit it lucky, sometimes you don't. I've had more luck with sub £1k cars (on the basis that its pretty much a disposable car).

With the Honda it'll probably need a clutch and the odd caliper un-seizing.

Alternative for a "high" driving position is a Suzuki Grand Vitara SV4 Will probably need a clutch, but it's quite easy to drop the gearbox off these compared to most FWD vehicles. However if Petrol is your choice be prepared for fuel consumption worse than a turbo'd Impreza with little performance to show for it. Diesel lump is a 1.9 Renault F9Q, itself a rather reliable engine (probably the most reliable component in a Megane II :lol1: ).

I had an st170. Great all round car. Suspension and break set up was awesome with a good ride. I picked mine up for £1350 with 65k and in mint condition.

There not quick, an ep3 or fn2 will beat one easily, however for the money you can pick them up for they are a great all rounder. I would normally get 20-25mpg around town and over 30mpg on a longer journey, up to 35mpg if I was sticking to 60-70mph consistently.

Honda Civic Type S 2.2 Diesel ......

340Nm Torque - more than most Scoobies and will snap your neck off.

No DPF - if a UK car.

Solid reliability

Minimal Road Tax

50mpg

Cruise at 85 all day long ... about 1850 RPM - just about ticking over

Passes the petrol pump test - when you look back it looks fantastic

'18 Nissan Leaf 112empg zero emissions, adaptive cruise lane assist Hahahaha

Even Petes not that slow !

Ive had a few cars with this 1.9pd lump and to be honest probably last of the reliable diesels out there

Considered these before and nearly 200bhp it'd be a great little sleeper although mite be a tiny bit to small

Your spot on with the "gamble" comment it's a mine field my mate who's a mechanic so gets offered cars regularly and he's been smoking round in a mk1 1.6 Ford Focus ghia and its bullet proof plus only cost him £200 !

So after much deliberation and test driving a load of cars from ep3 type r, Lexus is250 and others I’ve settled on this .

I no it’s a modern diesel and I’m sure it will have the odd issue like any car but having always wanted a Alfa this was what I’ve just put a deposit on 159 1.9 jtdm !! Wish me luck I’m off to sign upto the AA
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