I've 25k To Spend on a Car...
 

I'll get straight to the point - I have £25,000 or thereabouts to spend on a car. I am in the market for a new car really, but could be tempted to get second hand, possibly an 02 plate, but nothing older.

The (short) list below is what I'm considering (the V6 being the preffered choice at the moment - by quite a long way)

- Clio V6 255 (Just under 25k through the internet)
- STI 8
- Mitsubishi Lancer

As you can see there aren't many cars on the list - any opinions on the above cars, and cars that you would have on the list is appreciated.

Matt

What do you want out of a car?

Practicality? Economy? Running costs? Insurance? Performance? Handling? All weather ability? Reliability?

Which of these are most important to you?

You can get a low milage Spec C or GL for that sort of money ;) and with the change (from the GL) you can get it remapped for a nice 350bhp :D

Tony:D

John - the only criteria is that it has to be fast :D Seriously though, they are good points but the most important are performance and handling.

Tony - Spec C or GL :confused: I feel like I should know what one of these is but don't :rolleyes:

The GL is possably a better bet if you prefer comfort but as for all JDM Sti's they are a bit of a step upwards ;) (and you get the A-DCCD and twin scroll on the MY03 onwards cars ;))

Tony:D

Check this place out ;)
This should give you an indication of what you can get for 25k and have some change left over (they even have an S202 in :D)
www.wickedkit.com

Tony:D

If the only criteria is perfoamnce, why is the CLio at the top of your list? Great car, but theres faster for less isn't there?
You could easily get an 02 350z with GT pack for that. May not look as "good" but performance wise it's better.

This place >>> www.just-sports.org has a very nice silver 350Z GT in with 6k on the clock (53 reg) for less than 23k, better value than the clio ;) if not a little retro ;):D

Tony:D

Matt, get a Spec C. Then I can come round & have a go :)

Actually, I do fancy one myself, but cant afford it at the mo.(nearly there)

Neil.

There are some very nice Scoobs on that site (Wickedkit) Tony - quite tempted myself :)

Chris

Chris, I`ve had a look on there too.(thanks Tony) Likewise, tempted, but I`ve had to give myself a shake and come back to reality.

Neil. :)

Hmm me too - it is very tempting though :)

350z's don't depreciate very much do they either? which is always a positive point:), so if you get bored you could sell it at a decent price again, thought about a R34 GTR import or a R33 V-Spec? far more superior on the road compared to the others, but thats my opinion, spec c could be a possible second option for the skylines if it was me:D

If I were choosing from your list i would go for the STi8 or the Evo but............................................... ..................
.......................................If your looking at spending a cool £2k why not get yourself a Z M Coupe - Serious performance. My mates got one and it really is an awesome car. Looks wise its not everyones cup of tea, but driveability is out of this world!!

£25k would get you a very nice one indeed!!

Cheers

J4CK50N

At £25k do yourself a favour and test drive a VX220 Turbo.

When you've bought one, come visit us at www.vx220.org.uk ;) :D

nissan 350Z..!!! they look the danglies..

Dan:D

How about an S2000, looks like its may be a good summer :)

Buy a daewoo matiz and spend the rest on dirty women and sweets

I think BobbyG is onto something :D :D

Try the Clio in the wet, I have a friend whos got a tweaked one, about 350 bhp, not an ideal comparison I know but its seriously sideways in the dry but in the wet he says its a pain to drive as its seriously rear end happy. I would also check depreciation on the Renault as its got the feel of a car that will quickly fall in value.

The Nissan might be worth a look as they appear to be getting a good press & owners like them so depreciation wont be so much of a problem & being a nissan reliability wont be a problem, I would also guess that they will be easily modable to silly power

Sorry to say it but the Evo & the Scoob are becoming a bit "yesterdays" car, they once lead the pack but not any more & as more & more of the older models fall into the boy racer/max power market street cred is starting to suffer

Terzo - check out the ferrari (bigger picture) on that website (http://wickedkit.com)- you could probably get it for less than £25k but handling might be an issue :(.


When I had 25k to spend on a new car I got an STi8 - I'm still happy :D.

Stuart - the V6 your friend has, do you know if it is a mark 1 or mark 2 ? (first mark 2s were on a 53 plate I think)

I'm asking because the mark 1 is widely renowned as being crap at handling, especailly with oversteer. The mark 2 is a completely different (and better) at handling so I've heard...

Thanks for everyone's advice so far.

Can't say I'm overly struck on the Nissan but I might go and have a look at one at weekend...

Matt

In the same situation to yourself recently, I went for a new Mazda RX8 hi-power.

Reasons? 350Z is dearer, not as practical and uglier. Scoobs are SOOO yesterday darling (anyway I did the Impreza thing years and years ago). Mitsi is a bit hardcore for me. And everyone seems to have caught a cold with the Clio V6's.

The Maz is bang up to date. Bargain new price IMHO. No discounts, no cheap imports and a waiting list should keep values firm. I don't do many miles so oil and fuel thirst is no problem for me. 3 year warranty, blah blah.

Ahem.... S2000 !

wow, they have some nice cars on wickedkit.

What cars have you had in the past ?. To give us some idea of direction.

If it was me I would go for the Jap spec GL and those wicked kit ones are very nice and all the hassle has been done alarms trackers sva ect,

The 350z is nice if you can geta used one reasonable.

If you buy a new clio v6 be prepared to take a bath in lovely depreciation same with the rx8 if you plan to keep it outside the warranty period.

have fun

Peter

pbee,

My previous cars have been

- Suzuki Vitara :rolleyes: ( Don't tell anyone :eek: )
- 306 Turbo Diesel
- Impeza Turbo (http://bbs.scoobynet.co.uk/showthread.php?t=327161)

Why do you think the V6 will depreciate a lot :confused: Obviously all new cars depreciate more than we like, but just wondering why you think the V6 will more than anything else

:)

Go Evo 8
 

Just had the same decision to make and chose the Evo 8 260 - see other threads on this for my thoughts. Incredible piece of kit and not yesterday's car at all.

there a Alpina B10 on the autotrader. Fast enough??

Nope..Buy a Evo6 wacki macki edition for £20kish, spend the further £5k on tuning to 400bhp=trackday/B-road killer..problem solved


:)

The clio handles like a bag of spanners
 

After a duke track day where a local garage brought up a V6 renault on the hope of seeling a few we all had a go and it was off the track ever lap, they are a pig to handle at higher speeds and definatly not a car i would look at for £25,000.