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My '94L Pug 306 is long in the tooth and making noises that says it needs a new owner. My question is what to replace it with. I would like something in the 12k bracket that is fun to drive and reasonably reliable. My choices are between 2yo VW golf GTI, Audi A3 1.8T or Alfa 156 2.0T-spark. My wife drives an Audi A4 which can not be faulted (apart from its ability to attrach immobile pedestrian barriers at the local retail park), so the A3 seems a good choice, if overpriced. The VW is essentially the same car for less dosh, but the alfa is far and away the most attractive. What is anyone's experiences of these motors?
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Seat Leon 20Vt is also the same ( more - 180 BHP ) car for even less dosh, and Seat is now marketing itself as a Spanish Alfa,
My experience of Fiat group cars is that they are Ok for the first couple of years, but they have no resale value and they become unreliable (Based on alfa 33 1,7 Fiat Strada, Fiat punto, Lancia Dedra)
Ok so Punto is not too bad - cheap & cheerful runaround.
Whereas VW group cars may cost more initially but have much more of a quality feel and will be around much longer.
Alfa 146 is a beautiful car no doubt, but if you're planning to keep it a few years, it may begin to wear out.
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After looking at the Alfa 147 - a beautiful looking car - I noticed that some of the switches, wipers, and minor components appeared familiar. We used to drive a Fiat Bravo which, after 2 years gave a great deal of trouble with switches, wipers, and minor components.
The 2.0 litre Golf GTI is apparently a bit of a slug. The V5 is supposed to be great.
Is there a new A3 in the pipeline? Were it not for the need for an economical main car (Golf GT TDI) we'd have gone for (and almost did) the Seat Leon - the interior is an A3 copy, and most bits and pieces are all VAG so will be familiar and (usually) reliable. Perhaps, though, the A3 will lose less over the course of ownership?
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If you can find a SEAT Leon 20VT with about 20,000 miles under tis wheels it will just be loosening up. But do be prepared to mop out the boot occasionally as the rear lamp clusters have a habit of letting in water.
HJ
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Roland,from what I remember of the reviews, it aint worth getting the Golf GTI because there is allegedly little performance benefit to be had and you'll probably be stung senseless by the insurers for having a GTi badge.
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Cheers for the advice. Anyone interested in a 94 L peugeot 306 Alpine white, 1 owner, 63,000 miles, vague steering, frighteningly poor service history, interesting clunking noises from the front nearside when going over bumps, and a vague smell of mould.
Offers?
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Perhaps you should read through the advice on How to Buy & Sell Cars - there's something in your hard sell that just doesn't fill me with confidence. Maybe it's the mileage?
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I'll swap it for the signed photo of HJ that I accepted in exchange for an old citreon.
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