lowlander

Hi there,

Looking at options for me next car. Budget is 9K. Current shortlist is

2001 Impreza WRX.
2003 Seat Lean Cupra (not the 'R' version)
2004 For Mondeo TDCI 130 zetec
2002 Ford Mondeo ST220

I need something no smaller than astra size and no larger than vectra size.

I like my cars to have decent torque (hence the TDCI) but they must also be relaible and comfortable for use every day. Straight line speed is not the only consideration. The car must handle and be comfortable at the same time.

All advice or comments welcome.

Thanks.

Martin.

Sirus

mondeo,s i wouldnt even look at. build quality isnt up to the other 2
fuel on the scoob lets it down a bit but its a fun car to drive
seat is prob the best all rounder
bmw diesel might be worth a look at ?

sgcooby

Yoh have to decide what you really need. It seems strange to be considering a diesel or a WRX. If economy is a must then WRX are not great but wont be much better in a cupra either. Mondeo are cheap and cofortable and i dare say reliable and ford make decent cars these days although bit of a sales rep image. I wouldnt have a ford myself. Had seat before and it was good. The cupra will be more user friendly than the WRX but no where near as much fun. Not even close. None of the cars are uncofortable however WRX would be worst on a long trip but its still an easy every day car. Your best bet would be to try them. There is a few threads ive read on hear about people who buy scoobs then complain they cant live with it or dont like it. If you buy the car without testing it first you need your head examined.

Spankathon

I think for the money, and the shortlist given, the Seat would be the much, much better car. For that money you'd get the facelifted one, it can have leather too, plus all the usual toys, and it would be about 18months - 2 years old and have low mileage. The mondeo's are good cars, I wouldn't bother with the ST220, as the TDCI has very good performance already, and is much, much cheaper to run. I know this is a Scooby forum, but for this money, and for this shortlist, the WRX comes out last, IMO of course

COuld you not up your budget to just over £10K...? Then the Cupra R would be in target.... then there's no comparison

Martin2005

Go for the Scooby!

I was in a similar position 9 months ago and got Scooby, a decision I have not regretted.

All the cars you mentioned are good however, the ST220 is even more thirsty than a Scooby (and slower), the Non R Cupra really isn’t that fast at all, and the diesel is a diesel.

For a combination of performance and mega grip the Scooby is by far the best all rounder.

If you get one you should consider getting the PPP package added, this total transforms the car, and puts it in a totally league to the other cars you named



Hope this helps

ScooBStu

Sounds like another scooby slayer who aint got anything better to do with his time but to join scoobynet and talk b*llox.

Spankathon

Stu, what a dick, if you haven't got anything usefull to say, shut the f*ck up !!

The guy asked a question, I gave an honest answer that was in my opinion. I gave my thoughts to the cars given, isn't that what happens, or can you only give opinions providing that makes the Subaru come out on top..??

I have contact with all the cars mentioned, so I thought I may be able to give my thoughts, but if they mean the Subaru comes in any place other than 1st, I wont bother.

ScooBStu

So go on the reasons the WRX comes out last as you did not specify any apart from the obvious infatuation you have with Seat.

ScooBStu

I quote from your previous post:

Now then, I am due to get a new car, but I am having difficulty deciding on what to get, I have about £10K to spend, I do a bit of commuting, so nothing too obscene with petrol is a consideration. I have narrowed it down to either;

a) Vauxhall Astra GSi (Turbo Mk4)
b) Seat Leon Cupra R
c) Subaru Impreza WRX

I won't be modifying any of them (except for exhaust systems - no remaps), so only the standard features and performance is in question here.
Has anyone any experience or opinions on these cars, that will help me make my choice..?????

Thanks in advance

Obviously it is the LCR - Why question it?

homerjay

surley civic type-r's are available for under 10k and would be the best alternative?

Spankathon

A MY01 WRX (not all of the Impreza's, classics, blob etc) the prices are currently plummeting, you can get a 2001 for about £7.5K these days with decent mileage, so it wont be worth anything when you come to sell it. Also, they are tough to sell, (I like the bugeye) they are (rightly or wrongly) classed as the inferior/ugly Impreza model, as such the prices/depreciation reflect this. Compared with some of the other cars, it doesn't have much of a performance difference to warrant the high insurance, high running costs etc (which was the main reason for ruling out the ST220 also) over the other cars.

So OUT OF THE CARS GIVEN I chose the Seat because of the standard kit, age, mileage of car you could get with the budget given.

ScooBStu

People always seem to miss the point including you - lowlander is not just interested in straightline speed.

True the scoob will be expensive to run but it depends what you want from the cars - It sounds to me like lowlander has not actually decided what he wants from the list given.

Spankathon

I haven't chosen yet..... surely that says enough, if I have a infactuation with Seat's, wouldn't I have one already...?

Its between an Impreza or Cupra R, but of higher budget than on this post, hence why the choice is more difficult.

As I have said previously, I gave opinion based in info given.

Spankathon

Exactly, they all seem to be quite a bit different from each other. From the list given, only he could make the decision.

A MY01 only really has any kind of performance advantage on the twisties, if its raining. This is proven is MY01 track times from various sources, mags etc.

Scooby Roo

Seat Leon - try for the Cupra as these are just as quick as the bugeye. As Spank says the Leon comes with much more kit like climate control, esp etc etc so quite alot of car for your money and overall cheaper to run both insurance and fuel.

If you were taken by the flat 4 burble then you would be best placed going for a 1999 or 2000 classic model. These [unmodded] are lighter and quicker than the bugeye. But they still suffer from high insurance and fuel bills.

It is dependant as well on your need, if you have kids and stuff. If you have kids try a 1999-2000 wagon or no kids how about the Honda Integra.

Volvo T5 maybe another try.

Roo

Martin2005

It simply is not true that a Cupra is quicker than a standard bugeye, my mates got one and before I had my PPP, my WRX absolutely murdered the Leon, so just because you keep saying it doesn't make it true.

Scooby Roo

Sorry I forgot the "R" in my haste.

Sport160

A lot depends on what your after and what type of car your looking for. The fact that your on here and asking about Curpas and WRX's implies to me that you are at least somewhat enthusiastic about cars, on this basis I would ignore the mondeos, I found it difficult as an enthusiast to have have any pride of ownership in my mondeos. Maybe a ST220 would be OK, but as someone above has said, its as thirsty as a WRX and no faster.

As for cupra or WRX, to me the WRX wins out every time, thats because I've wanted one for years and have only recently (last 6months) got around to buying one. I like cupra R's but have never had any desire to own one.

sgcooby

Choice between cupra R and WRX to me is simple. I had an S3 b4 and now have WRX. S3 is miles nicer than cupra r plus 4wd and decent badge plus loads more extras but my WRX blows it away in terms of both outright performance and joy of ownership. VW group cars just arent fun to drive. Not bad cars but not a hoot like my scoob.

WRBlu

If you're a real enthusiast and want the best performance and handling go for the WRX. If you want a comfortable, capable and good handling economical car and can live with seeing hundreds on every journey go for the mondeo. The Cupra is a compromise between the two but doesnt have the character of the wrx.
I have had a Mondeo and sometimes question my sanity having the wrx but every journey is an event, its not that common and it gives you a great deal of pride of ownership. You have to offset this against the running costs eg 25 mpg and parts - comparison:
2.0 Mondeo front pads needed replacement at 60,000m Ford pads cost £40
WRX 03 front pads needed replacement at 20,000m Subaru pads cost £110 ouch
The wrx is a comfortable long distance car but if your annual mileage is high it will cost you.