Hypothetically, someone who has a 3 door Coupe could, hypothetically, in the next couple of years find himself needing something a bit more practical. This hypothetical person is hypothetically not quite willing to get himself a Toyota and a tartan rug quite yet though.
So (and I'm fed up of typing hypotheticallly by now, so just sprinkle it liberally throughout the rest of this post when reading please)
my thoughts so far have been of an Alfa 156 GTA or a Mitsubishi Galant VR4.
I don't know all that much about the VR4 though. I know it uses a lot of the same technology as the Lancer EVO's, does it also require the 3 monthly servicing?
Anyone have any thoughts on either of these, or other alternatives in the same vein?
Basically, when I say practical, I mean it's got 5 doors, aside from that little point, I want it to be as fun as possible.
Price to buy is a question I don't really know the answer to yet, but I'd be surprised if I'm willing to spend more than £10k, and probably less than that. Price to run on the other hand isn't quite as important, I'm not made of money but I'm currently driving a group 19 car which does an average of 25mpg, and I can accept that.
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Maybe you should ask the mods to include your desired cars in the heading, {best I could manage in the space available - DD} might get more responses from the likes of Aprilia, who IIRC likes the VR4!
I would have suggested something like an Accord type R, but I don't think there is a 5 door version.
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Not quite sure why my thread has been added to Adams. I know I gave it a similar name in an attempt to be funny, but it is a completely different question, and it seems to have resulted in me getting no replies.
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Not quite sure why my thread has been added to Adams....
Nor have I. But I've moved it back into its own thread.
DD.
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The Mitsi VR4 is a great car. Basically its a bigger bodyshell (Galant) version of the Evo (Lancer). The 4WD system is taken from the evo. The VR4 engine is a 2.5l V6 (type 6A13) which is basically an enlarged version of the 2.0 V6 6A12 engine used in the FTO. Of course the VR4 has two small turbo's added.....
The engine is pretty much bulletproof if serviced (as you would expect) - servicing is 9000 miles - but being a turbo you should really do oil and filter at 4500 miles. Being a Mitsi the hydraulic tappets can be a bit noisy, but if they quieten off once its properly hot then its not really a worry. I think a full set of tappets is about £250 (from Kempys in New Zealand) plus up to £200 to have someone fit them.
Manual transmission is OK, but rather notchy when cold - again a Mitsi 'characteristic'. They smooth out a lot after a couple of miles 'warm up'.
The auto is a Tiptronic (INVECS II) of the type used on post-1997 FTO's and also used in most other Mitsi cars inc. Pajero. Personally I would avoid the auto on a car like this - might give trouble and be expensive to fix.
I think if you get a decent one that's been looked after then it'd be an absolute cracker - a real usable supercar with sensible economy, realibility and servicing.
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The running costs of the GTA are probably no more than your Coupe. I get about 27mpg out of mine. Front tyres arent too bad either, but of course both depend on how you drive.
It will probably be out of warranty aswell, so independant servicing will keep those prices down.
On the driving side it is brilliant. Suspension a little crashy and bottoms out sometimes but t you can get mods to fix that.
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Cheers guys.
I reckon I could cope with the 9000mile servicing, so the Mitsu is a possibility. The GTA is very much dependant on when I make the change. They're still a bit more than I'd want to pay at the moment (and having checked Autotrader, I'm amazed at how cheap the VR4's are), but in a couple of years they might be closer to my budget (and hopefully my budget might evenm by larger).
Anyone got any suggestions of alternative cars along this line I should be considering?
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Another alternative has caught my eye in the last couple of days, the Volvo S60R.
Another one which is currently a bit too pricey for my liking, but within the next year or so, when I might be thinking seriously about changing, should have crept down enough.
Also saw a 1993 Lancia Delta Integrale for sale at £11k, but I think that might be pushing it a bit with the missus :D
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