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Shopping list reads...Lots of presence/panache, £10k to £12k. Low depreciation/servicing costs. Coupe (not convertible) able to put 10yr old and a six yr old in the back. Don't need big boot. Pref. up to 50,000 on the clock but not more than 70,000, pref. Not more than 5 years old. Strong pref for leather int. Must be reliable as used for daily commute and long business trips. Whaddya think?
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Easy! (not that I\'m completely BMW biased or anything...LOL)
BMW E36 3 Series Coupe...with that kind of money to spend you get the \'Top of the Range\' (Well you could go \'M3\' but then the servicing IS expensive) like a 328i Sport Coupe.
For example:
atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/WWW/CARS_popup.asp?model...6 5ja&source=0&model=
3 SERIES&max_pr=12500&variant=&mileage=5&miles=1500&sort=5&
keywords=coupe&agerange=&max_records=200&search.x=27&search.y
=6&start=8&distance=101&adcategory=CARS&channel=CARS&id=
200304070512422
You\'ll need to cut and paste the above link, since as it was messing up the page scrolling I have split it up. M.
(By the way I have nothing to do with this or any other car for sale...I\'m just a BMW fanatic and picked this car following your criteria within about 2 mins of searching...there must be loads of others I just haven\'t looked any further)
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Stepdad has 325Ci sport and loves it.
Depends on whether u can ignore the BMW driver image or not though.
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Oh and I meant to add, he was recently charged £500 for 2 rear tires. No doubt he went to a main dealer but still expensive.
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Thanks for both these. BMW is on the list - any suggestions from anyone for other marques?
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Audi Coupe (should be obvious)
Mercedes CLK (maybe not in price range) or E Class Coupe
Alfa GTV
Hyundai Coupe
Ford Puma
Ford Cougar
Renault Megane
Honda Civic
Chevrolet Camero
Peugeot 206 CC
Take your pick
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Is there something wrong with this thread? the text section has spread across the whole screen and then some so i have to scroll to view it all.
Is it just me?
Jonathan
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Hi Jonathan,
nope, it is not just you. Probably due to having the longest URL in the world posted a few messages up and it not wrapping.
;-)
CMark
tinyurl anyone?
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LOL...sorry about that...but least the URL works huh?
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LOL...sorry about that...but least the URL works huh?
delboy, you could have shortened it by visiting either tinyurl.com or www.makeashorterlink.com
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If Im right, the CHevy Camaro is a 5.7 litre American thing with loads of toys for £not much.
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If you don't want to do the obvious and buy german then I suggest a 1999 Honda Prelude 2.2 VTi. A bit understated but Honda engineering (ins. grp 18!) - about £10 to £12,000.
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Nissan 200sx Touring? 200bhp, turbo, RWD, leather interior, comfortable for long trips. And no space in boot :-(
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How about a Peugeot 406 Coupe, even comes with the 2.2 HDi engine for mpg and huge torque. Must be one of the nicest looking cars about? The other I thought of was a Hyundai Coupe, which apparently was the best selling coupe in Italy at some point.
Baz
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Loads of 406 Coupés about from not much at all, but in the end, they're no better than the saloon, though they look gorgeous. The cheapest HDi in AutoTrader is £15,500 though, which looks like good value if you want the economy and do a lot of miles - but it's still a big Peugeot.
If you're not much of a driving enthusiast, I'd go for a C70, which should be on budget at three years old and low mileage. It's also classy and safe, if a bit blocky. A CLK might just scrape into your budget, if leggy and without much history. Don't forget that your 6 year old will be 10 in four years' time and could be 5 feet tall...
The new shape Hyundai Coupé is also a real looker, but avoid the last of the old shape - they look much worse than the much cheaper, older ones. A 1.6 new shape is slower than a slow thing, or at least a Focus, but starts at £12,500 at a few months old. It'll also have a 5 (count 'em) year warranty if it's on a 52 plate and be very reliable, as well as pretty economical. However, for image, you might as well go for a Beetle :-)
If Audi had made a coupé of the A4, I'd recommend this, but unfortunately for you they did the TT, which is too expensive and not practical enough. An older Audi Coupé, though tough, is going to be too much of a banger for your money - and the S2s too high maintenance to recommend as a general alternative. I'd be nervous about buying a late E36 now, purely because the image is getting more and more drug dealer and an E46 is going to be £13k for a leggy one and more likely £14k+ for a minte.
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David HM, you read my mind. A local Merc specialist has an S plate CLK with 93,000 for £14k with full but not Merc SH. Tempting but it'll have c.150,000 on it by the time I come to sell in 4 years.
I know it's not a coupe but the Mini has floated into my brain -any chance for £12k? I'm just off to the Autotrader site, back in a mo'.
Thanks for everyone's replies so far.
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Well that was worth the trip - seems I can get any number of Coopers with 6-8000 on the clock for £12k. What should I be looking for?
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I have a C70 T5 with all the toys and it's great.
Not as common as a CLK (which you would need a 430 to compare performance wise).
The BMW coupe looks too much like the saloon - I'd go for the extra doors when they look that similar.
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What's the insurance like? Are the 2.0 turbos worth having?
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Sorry, it's a fleet car so I have no idea what the insurance is.
The 2.0 litre turbo is a bit underpowered at about 160 bhp, but by no means slow. The 2.4T (200 bhp) is probably the best balance and is not much slower in most situations than the T5 (250 bhp).
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