A friend of mine has an A3 Tdi90 which is becoming a money pit, and mentioned in the pub that he regretted selling his H reg Mk2 Golf Gti 8V a few years ago. He had owned it from new for almost ten years, it ran like a dream, but he fancied a change (some change!!)
He only drives 8k miles pa, so mpg is not a major issue. Sourcing an immaculate Mk2 Gti for everyday commuting is well nigh impossible, but what other fun cars can anyone suggest?
Only criteria are hatch/estate (tip runs) minimum 35mpg in gentle driving and reliability. I am at a loss...suggested a post 2001 Cupra 20VT/Octavia Vrs but the possibility of £400 VED put him off! Budget is £5k ish.
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Audi Coupe - the one that's based on the 80/90 series. Lovely looking, in my humble opinion.
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I would agree with the Audi. Also consider a Corrado VR6. You should get into one of the run out Storm models for £5k.
Beautiful looking car, well made, very quick and still very capable.
Cheers
DP
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Honda Integra Type - R, and buy a set of ear defenders out of the change.
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Some bright spark in the pub tonight suggested a Golf V5 estate, circa early 2001 with 170bhp. I have just looked it up on HJ's CBC and it exists, so for my friend the search is on. Nothing listed on Autotrader...does anyone have any experience of this particular engine?
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Unusual and pretty well unbreakable, Hyundai coupe F2.
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Cheapest Fabia Vrs I can find is £7K. VW seems his choice of manufacturer, I would go for one of these. 4 years old, 40k with years of use ahead of it.
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Kinda on same theme but how about a mint Vento VR6? Always liked them but also have huge boot aswell.
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Did they put the 1.8T in the Golf or did that make it a GTi? - when I got my Passat (2000) the V5 and the 1.8T were both 150hp and the 1.8t had more torque and was more economical.
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It was a GTI, but as far as I could ever tell, if you ignored the wheels and the tailgate badge, it looked just like the 1.6 base model.
The 1.8T lump is very tuneable. Audi and Seat had over 220 bhp out of it from the factory, and it's not much more than 500 quid to get a VW 150 up to those kind of levels with a reputable remapping outfit.
I'm not a big fan of the mkIV Golf as a 'fun' car, but a good 2000 mkIV GTI 150 should set you back 3.5k or so. Add 500 quid for the remap, and that's a cheap, very quick car with a gorgeous interior (particularly if you get one with the leather Recaros), that also looks subtle if you debadge it. For a laugh, I'd stick a 1.6 badge on the back, but that's just me. :-)
Cheers
DP
Edited by DP on 04/07/2008 at 10:18
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I had nearly ten wonderful years with a Mk III Golf VR6 Highline from new. Trouble is, they and their ilk get into the wrong hands, so finding one as good as mine was would be difficult. Happily, it went to a trusted friend, who is still smiling as he piles the miles on his 12-year-old pocket rocket. Very different car from the GTi: not as sharp off the mark but in a different realm of refinement and smoothness, and, for instance, happy to go from 10 to 100 in third. Think of it as a mini-MB.
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Early 10 Valve V5s were 150BHP, after a couple of years it got a 20V head and 170BHP.
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I was sorely tempted to buy my mates car before he traded it in last week. It was a 1998 Merc C43 AMG estate, 2 owners with 83k on the clock. Hardly economical or cheap to run, but fun, wonderful noise from the hand-built V8, and not penalised by VED changes!
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Im suprised noone has metioned what I would go for. A mitsubishi GTO 3000, expect to pay no more than 3k for a 93-94 twin turbo model (280hp) in red. 0-60 5 sec and most likely 155 top speed. A japenese ferrari with supercar performance.
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The main thing to consider with the GTO though is that it is a hideously complex bit of kit, which is likely to write itself off the first time anything goes wrong with it. Active suspension, twin turbos, active aerodynamics etc. I know Japanese engineering and electronics are better than most, but the car will still be 15 years old, and very little of this will be repairable on a DIY / low cost basis.
I agree though, it would be near impossible to find more performance or ability for the money.
Along the same lines, there's also the Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo, and Toyota Supra twin turbo if the op's friend prefers RWD to 4WD. The Nissan's styling still makes me drol, but the Toyota would probably be the safer bet in terms of maintenance and upkeep, as they still have a huge following among todays 'yoof' and the drifting community. As a result, there is plenty of third party expertise and a huge choice of aftermarket parts.
One of my colleagues has a 450 bhp example which has had most of TRD's tuning catalogue thrown at it. I have yet to experience it, but it sounds absolutely glorious, even at idle.
Cheers
DP
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The 300ZX, Supra and GTO are all great cars and a performance to £ ratio that will be hard to beat.
The Supras are probably the more 'reliable' choice, but the big problem will be finding one that hasn't been abused by the boy racer brigade.
GTOs seem to be easier to get in un-molested form but as DP said they are complex beasts. Still, the GTOs seem to go very cheaply so still well worth a look.
GTO and ZX are the better looking cars, but I would say the Supra is the better choice in terms of ongoing maintance and reliability.
All of these can do 0-60 in under 5 secs - these cars are fast!
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"but the possibility of £400 VED put him off!"
Why not take a punt on this not happening and go and buy a car that will have depresed values because of the chance of £400 VED? I have a feeling that the adverse feeling of this restrospective tax will mean it not coming in to force.
Edited by rogue-trooper on 04/07/2008 at 17:44
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