Reliable and sporting for £4k? - legacylad
18 months ago I bought a 2.0 Mazda 626 SE as a short term measure for £995. £600 later...4 new Michelins, belt change & servicing, it is still ultra reliable but I am getting restless. My future DIL needs something better for her 80 mile motorway commute so I am tempted to let her have it cheap...it is a known quantity...she currently runs a tired '96 1.2 Clio.
With my budget of £4k any suggestions please? I am getting married next summer when we plan to jointly buy a second hand folding hardtop MX5 as a wedding present to ourselves, but I need a versatile hatch/estate and cannot afford to lose much in depreciation in the next 12 months. MPG is not a problem as I only cover 6k a year...and I shall be buying privately or at auction.
Reliable and sporting for £4k? - Mapmaker
Imprezza? High miler 4 year old for that budget? And clearly a Subaru lover.
Reliable and sporting for £4k? - oldnotbold
Seat Toledo 1.8 20V or the 2.3 V5 might be fun enough, though not a true hatchback.

Edited by oldnotbold on 27/05/2009 at 15:57

Reliable and sporting for £4k? - Paul G1pdc
bought my 03 plate impreza for 4k from a dealer last November with 29k on the clock and full dealer history, its not a go faster version though,,
2.0 gx estate AWD, (means you get hi/lo ratio box on the estate and i can fit a kids plastic paddling pool in the back hahaha....
so you might be able to track down a facelift 04 version for 4k, Saloons usually sell for 500 more (well thats what i found anyway).

But to be honest if I was going to buy something and only run it for a year and would want an easy sell after that time. I'd be looking for mainstream cars..
the focus and astra estates will always sell easily enough and you should be able to track down one thats reasonably local.....I drove 70miles each way to get my impreza.
yep you can find a higher milage wrx or import sti. But after 12months it might not be so easy to sell a group 20 insurance car which does 25mpg on a good day...but yeh its fun...then again after 260Bhp ish...you might find the new wedding pressie mx5 a bit sluggish.....
paul.
I BOUGHT A BLACK MK1 MR2 JUST BEFORE I GOT MARRIED....ALMOST LIKE A MID LIFE CRISIS.....HAHAHAHA (married in '97)

Edited by Paul G1pdc on 27/05/2009 at 16:40

Reliable and sporting for £4k? - smallfish
... or of course the Leon Cupra.
I've had mine nearly 4 years, it still makes me smile and only things it's needed is 2 new tyres and decent wiper conversion .
Reliable and sporting for £4k? - oldtoffee
Surprised you have to ask with your name being what is! As mpg isn't an issue then a Subaru Legacy GT or GTB, twin turbo, 280 bhp, Bilstein suspension on the GTB, bags of space for "family." Plenty of them around some quite good ones well cared for by enthusiasts. Prices must be just about as low as they'll get so pay around £2500 to £3,000 and the £1,000 of loose change will cover the first 4,500 miles of fuel. No kids on the horizon? Impreza or Evo. Don't like spoilers? A V6 Alfa?
Reliable and sporting for £4k? - stunorthants26
Nissan 200 SX, real screamer they are.
Reliable and sporting for £4k? - bimmer-driver
Some sort of SEAT Cupra type thing?
Reliable and sporting for £4k? - smokescreen
Another vote for Leon Cupra. Easily does 30mpg, cheap to insure (£500 fully comp for 4yrs ncb + 24yrs old... dont ask about the remapped price!), great balance of handling and comfort for a sporty car and plenty of them around.
Reliable and sporting for £4k? - freakybacon
How about spending a bit less and invest in a good 1.7 litre Ford Puma?

Edited by freakybacon on 27/05/2009 at 18:43

Reliable and sporting for £4k? - legacylad
I have often thought about a Leon 20VT after HJ's comments. And it would be nice to have a car which is only 5 years old....would love a Spec B Tourer but outside my price range, and imported Legacy twin turbo GTs are not my cup of tea.
I had several friends who owned Sud's and Ti's many moons ago.....methinks this could be the modern reincarnation, but without the lovely rasping exhaust note more's the pity.
Reliable and sporting for £4k? - Martin Devon
How about spending a bit less and invest in a good 1.7 litre Ford Puma?

Find one.

MD
Reliable and sporting for £4k? - pinkpanther_75
how about a Mark 1 Octavia vRS - very similar to a Leon 20VT, but with a much bigger boot and the same 180 BHP 20V engine. I've owned 2 and found they make a practical daily driver.

You should find a good 2003-2004 example with reasonable miles within your £4K budget.