What A Week

[Bogsye 22]

Cock, double cock & triple cock.....

 

Wrote off my S2000 last week on the way to work

 

Black ice on a sweeping bend was my undoing, and then I headed off road an rolled it. Totally gutted, but I have to say remarkably lucky to be alive and unscathed except for a few steri-strips to stick my right ear back into position. Oh, and skinned a knee too. Could have so easily been dead or fed through a straw for the rest of my days, so overall I'm quite positive about my plight.

 

All in all, a lot of luck occurred. I'll post photos once the insurance bit is settled.

 

I'm fair sure the S' is a gonner - The bonnet skin parted company from the frame, such was the magnitude of the accident, and the windscreen surround collapsed at one side. It would only be suitable for re-shelling, and I doubt that'll be economical.

 

However, having just bought the wife a new Golf GT two weeks ago, and also having successfully flogged the out-going Polo, I'm now needing new wheels.

 

The quandary is what to buy? We don't have family yet, but it would be daft to buy anything less than a four seater. Two doors is fine, as the Golf is a 5 door, and essentially our main car.

 

I've spent the week going round in circles. The list looks like this (This may seem mentally quite imbalanced) LoL

 

Option 1: Clio Renaultsport 200, with Cup suspension, Nimbus grey, black roof, satin black speedlines, Brand-spankers for £16,995.

Option 2: Find a 5 door Mk5 Golf R32. Could maybe get a late model with low miles.

Option 3: Go all sensible and get a BMW 325d Sport saloon. Probably would be 2 years old. WOuld be more expensive though

Option 4: A bit leftfield, Saab 9-3 TurboX. The fancy one with the 2.8 V6 turbo.

Option 5: Push the boat out and get a 2009 Focus RS?

 

I've got a headache thinking about this. Keeps coming round to the Clio. It's got all the basic ingredients, and it's new. I've got a test drive tomorrow, so I'll see how that goes.

 

They had a beautiful Megane 250 in the showroom. Downside was the price. Into decent 3-series money for a car that's not much more practical than the Clio, as the hatch is an odd shape. R32 seems a good plan, but we've got a mk6 GT, so it seems a bit daft having two Golfs. The big tax disc (£425) puts me off too, as it's like paying insurance twice a year.......

 

I like the Focus, and it seems very comfortable, but every review pitches it against a Clio, so why pay extra?

 

Any more ideas?

 

Brian

[welshpug 1,657]

no experience of any of them I'm afraid, but I have to say I'd love to try the leftfield choice most of all

[blue_haddock 2]

Leftfield choice

[Baz 421]

The Clio's very attractive to me in that list, especially as you can get them with a few grand knocked off that figure!

 

That's if I wasn't worried about the massive depreciation though!

[eddie bullit 37]

R32, BMW are good sensible choices that will be fun as well as cost effective. I'd stay well clear of buying new just for the depretiation youll

sufferspecially a new Renault...s*it dealer network IMO. My mate RS Twingos ahd a couple of niggles which are expected but the dealers terrible. Last couple of times theyve scratch his alloys whilsts removing..chipping a stud hole on one and lying another face down!!

Even though its a Renault what about an R26R..get a low mile one in your budget and wont depreciate much if looked after and kept at low miles..

focus is a good choice too..can get discounts on physical cars now from brokers.

[boombang 2]

I don't think the Clios actually do lose that much money compared to competitors. The 182s then the 197s seemed to be worth £10k at 3 years old, and a majority of that at 5 years old. I looked in the summer and the right colour and spec car would still go for a fair whack. If you can live with the stickers, the F1 Clio 197 IMHO is a fair buy.

 

Massive suprised for me is the price of a 3 year old CTR - looks like £10k gets you an absolute minter- the ergonomics, bombprooft Honda reliability (certainly comparitively speaking, if not absolute) would be enough to sway me. Only downside is the very firm ride.

 

Don't also base everything on reviews - everyone rates the Clio but I found it less comfortable, not as practical, and issues with older models would concern me.

 

It may drive better at 10/10ths, but unless it's a track car I'd not worry about that in the slightest - it's the 99.9% of the rest of the time when you're driving normally that really matters, and that's where any subtle differences in chassis feedback simply don't matter.

[Bogsye 22]

Good thoughts chaps.

 

The S2000 was part bought on the idea of low depreciation, which it pretty much achieved. The Clio will be a bit of a nightmare in that respect, but it'll be fun in the process.

 

I feel a spreadsheet coming on to try and see if a Focus is justifiable. Right enough the dealers seem to have stock and overpriced 2nd hand ones too. When I checked Parkers for an '09 they book at about £18k, compared to most dealers asking for £22+. Interesting to see what I can get off a new or used car.

 

Thanks,

 

Brian.

[Batfink 201]

I get to stare at one of my neighbours RS every day and quite frankly its a horrible chav wagon. The family owns so many RS fords and the Focus Mk1 that sits next to it looks far superior.

Why a BMW diesel when all the others are gas guzzlers? Although great for a diesel with the sound of the straight six, the big engine petrol ones are cheaper and usually better specced. Go older than 2 years to get a better deal though. You will get more for your money than the golf, more comfortable than the renault and less 'look at me i'm great' than the focus.

[brumster 135 1 Cars]

My missus wrote her S2000 off once. Damn, we miss that car. Spun it into a ditch; only panel damage, but it was EVERY panel

 

Can I suggest another option, considering the cars you're looking at buying new?

 

Skoda Octavia vRS (take your pick of estate or saloon, but my pick would be the estate)

Sure, I bet it's not as raw and rewarding as the Clio, but given the roads these days does anyone really get 100% out of a drivers car anyway? Load the Skoda up with options and, if you're stick with manual petrol, you'll be hard pushed to run it past £17k with a place like www.drivethedeal.com. I'd be guessing more comfortable and practical for the longer journeys, especially the estate, and I'd warrant just as well put together (if not better). Worth checking out if you do go the new route.

[White Pugs 6]

Skoda Octavia vRS

 

I'll second that, a mate of mine has one, a quality bit of kit and cracking value, just consider it a big Golf GTI.

 

J

[Bogsye 22]

Batfink - Good point, on gas guzzlers versus oil burners. I think that's my sensible side and the others are what my heart tells me. I do agree the RS is a bit 'shouty' for my liking. Generally l like something that's relatively uncommon. The S2000 scored well. Everyone thought it was an MX5 or convertible RX8.

 

Whitepugs & Brumster - I'll have a look at the Skoda too this afternoon. It had crossed my mind. I'll need to put my 'Scottish' value for money head on for that.

 

The CTR isn't an option for me as the seats are slightly too narrow and make for an uncomfortable ride - Albeit my joints hurt like hell this week, and that will hopefully pass. Local dealer was offering a pre-reg CTR at good money.

[feb 47]

Sorry to hear this but glad you are OK.

I test drove a RS and didn't like it, I don't know what all the fuss is about the revo knuckle.

The turbo didn't spool up before 3,500 rpm and once it started pulling you had to make constant adjustments to the steering to stay on a straight line. The steering has good feedback though and playing around a roundabout it felt good.

The Clios have good reviews.

Have you thought about a Forester Sti? Basically an Impreza Sti on a different body (without DCCD).

It has loads of space and not many people know what it is which is good.

You can pick up a pre-facelift one for 10k or for 3k more you can have the facelift version.

Edited November 26, 2010 by feb

[boombang 2]

The CTR isn't an option for me as the seats are slightly too narrow and make for an uncomfortable ride - Albeit my joints hurt like hell this week, and that will hopefully pass. Local dealer was offering a pre-reg CTR at good money.

 

Shame that as CTRs cannot legally be sold after 31/12/10 due to emissions regs, so expect plenty of pre-reg bargains after Xmas and deals on new in meantime!

[Bogsye 22]

Feb - Forrester looks good. Ticks the leftfield box. Looks like a metal Volvo 240 on steroids.

Always just a bit scared of fuel consumption on Subarus.

 

Test drove the Clio, and have to say it was really pretty good. Decent ride with Cup suspension. Made me realise just how old fashioned the S2000 is. The noise on the motorway was pretty good too (Clearly people that moan about it must have never experienced an S2000 or have only driven Rolls Royce'). I guess a basic Cup model would be worse, but I'm interested in the 200 which is presumably slightly better insulated. Still high on the list I think.

 

Off to look at the Skodas tomorrow - worth a shot I think.

[feb 47]

Fuel consumption depends on how/where you use it.

Subarus are bad on cold starts so if you do short journeys (e.g. 5 miles per trip) it can go as low as 20mpg but on a long motorway run it can go up tp 32mpg (averaging between 75-95 with A/C on).

You can average 24-26mpg without hanging around on normal day to day driving.

If you need more info feel free to PM.

Edited November 26, 2010 by feb

[Flozman 4]

dunno about the rest but we had a BMW 535d in for a remap and it jumped out of the rollers before we even had a peak power figure, anyone ever tried 500 lb-ft at 2500 rpm? Now I'm not saying that a 325d is going to make that kind of kick but in the real world deisel is now the way forward and its been hard for me to admit that.

[S33GAV 0]

Adding another one into the mix, have you considered a Mini JCW, will be a real blast, fast, funky, good fuel economy and good residuals.

[Bogsye 22]

Good suggestion - Had a look at these just before I got the S2000. Baulked at £25k for a Mini

 

If it still had a supercharger I'd be quite tempted

 

Just looked at GoCompare for insurance on a Clio or R32 - Jeeezz, I'm about to get my bum felt on this....Broker reckoned about 20% load on my basic premium, and then my protected NCD comes off that. GoCompare looks like 50% more than before. Going to be quite painful me thinks.........

[welshpug 1,657]

Diesel Subaru?

[Bogsye 22]

Hmmh - I do quite like the Legacy and Outbacks too. Could be a sensible and busy day tomorrow.

 

Found an 09 R32 to see tomorrow. It's a 3 door, but so is the Clio, so seems sensible to go and see.

 

Did a spreadsheet to look at fuel, tax, insurance. Even with the R32's running costs the Clio depreciation looks to make the R32 look a better financial proposition. Just needs a bit more cash to run, but the reward comes at sale time with the R32's likely residual. Should be about £2-3k better than the Clio on 3 year costs.

[Gman 29]

How about an Audi S3? Fast, reliable, safe and well built. Should keep its value too.

[Anthony 1,003]

Did a spreadsheet to look at fuel, tax, insurance. Even with the R32's running costs the Clio depreciation looks to make the R32 look a better financial proposition. Just needs a bit more cash to run, but the reward comes at sale time with the R32's likely residual. Should be about £2-3k better than the Clio on 3 year costs.

Could you not offset that by getting a year or two old Clio, which will have taken a sizeable chunk of depreciation already?

[Andy_C 50]

Extend the leftfield choice and go for the TTiD Saab - I drove an Aero X wagon auto a while back and it managed to see off a VXR Insignia from around 40 on a dual carriageway. 40 plus mpg and well kitted out. You should be able to hammer a dealer for some decent discount too - the one I drove had something like 5k on the clock and they wanted £24,995 for it from memory. Waaayyy too much money for a Saab IMO.

[Bogsye 22]

How about an Audi S3? Fast, reliable, safe and well built. Should keep its value too.

 

Earlier S3's yes, but the current one seems a bit clinical - not sure if that makes sense. Test drove a current one recently with a friend who was wanting one, and I wasn't overly convinced. Don't get me wrong, it's nice, but for me, just lacked something.

 

 

Could you not offset that by getting a year or two old Clio, which will have taken a sizeable chunk of depreciation already?

 

Very valid point - One advantage of the Clio is being new and having it's warranty. I suppose it depends on peace of mind and how much I value that.

 

The snow has arrived here today, so that might curtail R32 testing. Will have to see how the north side of the city looks.

I think I'm still a bit shocked about how decent the Clio was compared to the S2000 in relation to comfort and noise. At the end of the day there's an 11 year gap between the creation of the two designs, so I suppose it's hardly too surprising.

[feb 47]

S3 or R32 have no permanent AWD and the 3rd generation haldex is slow to respond. If you want AWD go for a Subaru (but then again I am biased )

On a serious note though nothing could stop me in last years snowfall with a set of winter tyres.

If you have Evo 87 issue (car of the year 2005) R32 is among them but didn't score too well. Surprisingly the FSTI did. Top of the list came the Trophy.

You can get an E46 M3 for the 2009 R32 money but from all the above a newer Clio, like Anthony suggested, makes sense if you value the warranty and would be the cheapest to run (and probably one of the most fun).

Regarding petrol, the difference is not huge between a car that does e.g. 35mpg vs 25mpg for 12,000 miles a year.

Assuming the average price of petrol is £1.2 in a year the 25mpg car would cost you £1,730 in a petrol and the 35mpg would cost £1,180 /12months = £45 per month difference

It would be worth test driving all of the above and see which one you like.

If you do decide to go for a FSTI make sure it has standard suspension or the owner has kept the standard suspension so that you can swap back.

My car came with AST coilovers and I was never really happy with them until I put back the OE shocks and a set of Sti springs recently. Aftermarket bits are not always better.

Edited November 27, 2010 by feb