Choose me a hatchback

[the_lone_wolf]

Originally Posted by robchester

Ive driven focus' for the past 2 years (albeit the 1.4) and yes it is gutless but has a great chassis. I only thought that the seats had no support as they dont have decent firm side bolsters to give you that comfort.

fair doos - the 1.6 will do the job, the only time i had any major issue was when transporting 4 people + luggage + roof box to southern france, engine had enough poke to overcome aerodynamic drag up until 75mph or so, and over 85 the revs were high enough to develop the power to overcome drag, but between the two it was a nightmare, it would literally take 30 seconds to accelerate from 75-80mph

without wanting to start an argument i'd stay away from the fabia, i've no doubt mechanically it's solid and exceptional value for money, but my mum owned one for some time and it was very tinny, plus the 1.4 engine was a danger on the Mway, which was the reason she eventually traded it for the Focus Mk2 1.8TDCi, which i bought from her when she bought a slightly older BMW 318. the difference in the feeling of quality between the focus and the fabia was greater than going from the focus to the BMW

[fizzwheel]

Originally Posted by the_lone_wolf

plus the 1.4 engine was a danger on the Mway

Its not, but it depends how you drive it, if you drive it hard it will do 90mph on the motorway no trouble, but it does need reving to do so and thats why it drinks fuel like a b*stard...

You need to keep momentum up and read the traffic so you dont get boxed in as once it loosing momentum it takes a while to pick it up again.

I wouldnt say it was dangerous though, but yep it doesnt have the power or Torque that the Focus would have...

Personally I'd go for the Golf, or Skoda (essentially a VW but cheaper !!!!).

I've never bought at one myself, but auctions are meant to be great if you're in no rush and can go a few times. yes you pyas your money and takes your chances, but you could find a great bargain, especially for what you're looking for.

There is a bloke in Darlo who I've bought a car from before, so has the wife, her sister and her mum n dad's current car came from there. When I was once chatting to him he said that sometimes the best bargains to be had are when a car has just come in to a dealer. If they've taken a part ex that they themselves wouldn't clean up and sell on (probably auction it or sell to another {read lower end} dealer), if you leave them your mobile and tell them you'd be willing to take the car as is they might give you a call. It means they don't have to valet it and spend any money changing oil/filter or MOT just so that it's re-saleable. They just add ?100 onto the value that they offered for the part-ex.

I actually tried this a couple of years ago when i was looking for an A2B work only car. I eventually bought an old rover, and about a week later got a call from a dealer who had just taken in a Fiesta that fitted all my requirements, and I could have got it for ?250 cheaper than the Rover, then the head gasket went on the Rover - bloody typical.

Originally Posted by simesb

Not quite, but nearly. The Landrover gasket and dowels are far superior, but I have a TF which has a design flaw; the thermostat is poorly located due the the mid-engine installation and this can cause problems contributing to HGF. But otherwise you are correct, the K-series is a great engine, and cheap for parts etc.

Aye - but that's a specific issue for the TF, and was the same with the F before it. It's not really a cool-running motor suitable for mid-mounting but it was forced in somehow

There was a specific Rover technote about the metal dowel upgrade, and it wasn't manufacturer specific - all the Rover/MG, LR, Lotus, Caterham etc K Series all came off the same line with only very minor differences but the later HGs were all multilayer and located with metal dowels IIRC.

Why flog the mx5? Is it because you need a couple more seats or is just a money thing? If the money, then I'd be tempted to just keep the MX; you're always going to lose money on buying and selling cars, so you'll probably write off a grand just in the process.

When you do need to use a car, I much prefer one that's at least semi enjoyable, and the MX is a top little car, not going to risk your licence with it, but rear wheel drive and nice handling. I've got a broken mark 1 that I can't bear to part with, I keep thinking the engineering pixies will one day magically fix it.

[glade]

This is a great game - what can you buy for ?3k... There's a few cars out there that are a bit more exciting than the humble Fiesta!

Audi A3 1.8T SPORT (1999) just sneaks in under the milage. lots of other cars out there 100k+

Ford Puma 1.7 (2000) fiesta floorplan, but supposed to be a cracking motor

Merc A-Class (2001) hmmm maybe a bit boring

NISSAN SKYLINE GTS 2.5 TURBO (1993) Sorry couldn't help it.

Peugeot 306 gti6 (1999) A bit softer than a Clio 172 cup, but some people prefer the handling and the 6-speed box. (hmm gone over the capacity limit now - its the skyline's fault)

Peugeot 106 gti Back within your spec and still interesting.

Peugeot 106 series 2 rallye (199 lightweight holomogation model?

Renault Williams Clio 2 (1994) Sorry, sorry its a 2.0.... but its a classic. its mint with loads of history too.

GLANZA 1.3 TURBO (1996) Meets the spec!!! not to my taste but quick for what they are iirc

VAUXHALL Astra 1.6i 16v Elite (2005) Perhaps the most sensible option??

[the_lone_wolf]

Originally Posted by fizzwheel

Its not...

they were the words of my mother, and considering how she drives finding a car that wasn't fast enough for her was quite a feat...

[glade]

bah... i've just found this now

TVR S1 2.8 (1989)

its your fault if my mrs doesn't get her engagement ring this summer

[northwind]

I've been quietly eyeing up 306 Dturbos ever since they were featured in PPC the other month... Obviously I've got no real opinion to give since I can't even drive But they seem cheap to insure for a hot-ish hatch, good mpg, and at least fairly interesting, they're basically just a 306 XS with the 1.9 turbodiesel in. Only 90 brake but nearly 150 lbft of torque. And of course if you're into meddling with cars, there's loads of parts interchangability.

Obviously the engine's above your spec but it's a diesel so it doesn't count It's probably quite comparable to a 1.6 petrol hatch.

I was looking at the DTurbo 306 and had a drive in one. Theyre a bit of a tractor but theyre fairly quick and the seats were fairly comfortable. I think the interiors tend to wear quite quickly

Interestingly, I keep stumbling upon Puma's and they seem to fit most of the criteria that Im looking for. Under ?3k, cheap to run (40mpg avg) look and drive really well, only downside is the Fiesta interior.

Anyone got any experiences with one?