[Mike_H]

£4.5K to spend on a car, what would you buy?

[Bubba]

Depends what you want from it - is performance the most important, or is it running costs, or is it practicality (bouldering pads, etc) ?

[dobbin]

An old Golf GTi. Deffo. You should get a reasonable one for that...

Or a Seat Ibiza - they are much cheaper and the fast one is tres rapido...

[dave]

I'd ditto some kind of Golf/Ibiza/Punto action.

Either that or turn up at some Police/Government auction and walk away with an ex-drug-dealer's seized blacked-out  top-o' the range Merc for about £500.

[Mike_H]

I sort of want a bit of everything needs to be reasonably quick, and be able to get quite a bit of gear in.

I have been looking at MK2 Golfs for a while, just can't seem to find anything decent without anything in excess of 100K on the clock.

I have also thought about a Saab 900 Turbo (newer shape like the 9-3), you can pick them up for a reasonable price with air con, leather etc.

Another option I had thought about is a Fiat Coupe, but from what I've heard they are pretty unreliable.

[Bubba]

Sports
You can now get Impreza Turbos for £4.5k though they might need a bit of work. Can't beat that for performance/cash.
 
Luxury
BMW 730i - running / servicing costs might hurt a bit

economy
Golf / 306 Diesel

practical
Land Rover

[Bubba]

I have been looking at MK2 Golfs for a while, just can't seem to find anything decent without anything in excess of 100K on the clock.

That shouldn't have to put you off - if it's got full history, etc then 100k miles should be ok, especially if mainly motorway miles. I think folk are too concerened about mileage. My last BMW (old 535i) was over 100k when I got rid of it and the engine was still sweet as.

Saabs are nice, and don't really get stolen.

[dobbin]

Having owned two MK2 Golf GTi's I can speak from experience instead of just blathering on (which makes a change), Golf's are good up to 200k, are great fun to drive but expensive to maintain and run. Keep an eye on the tailgate locking area for bad rust, they tend to leak when they get over 12 years and have notorious front wheel bearing problems - nothing that can't be fixed fairly easily.

Except the damn leak. Mine used to collect several inches of water in rainy season, necessitating a hole drilled in rear passenger footwell.

Saabs are dead reliable, fast and impossible to nick but ugly.

[Mike_H]

I know what you are saying with the mileage thing, the thing is if I were to buy a Golf I would only keep if for about a year or so and want to sell it.

They are nice cars but just very, very basic inside. I suppose thats part of the reliability thing as well. Quite a few of my mates have got them, but they are getting on a bit now and they need quite a bit of time to keep them in good working order.

I know what you mean about Saab's though. The Turbo's are seriously under rated, and they are pretty cheap to insure as well. Erm, now thats got me thinking.

[fatboySlimfast]

Ive got a 306tdi, 2lt turbo diesel
group 5 insurance, will do oddles to the gallon, and is really quite fast
good fun to drive as well. No real diesel lag to speak of u should b able to pick one up with higher milage than mine for what ur asking.(try for full history though!!!!!
Golfs are good but really hold there value even with high mileage

[Bubba]

I must add that Fatboy's diesel is almost as quick as my impreza sport, which is underpowered and the 4wd saps power too.

But, come August, a turbo owner I will be (fingers crossed) and then no fucker will catch me.

Until my licence is removed about a week later after being caught doing 140 on the M1 or something.

[fatboySlimfast]

ill remind you of that post when ur about to go to court bubba!!

[Bubba]

you should get a set of decent shockers on yours Fatboy, some bigger wheels with sticky tires on and it'd be a back road blaster. Nic's 306 diesel nearly out accelerated my old 535i from standing!

Don't remind me of court appearences - luckily last time the bloke in front of me was busted for 140mph over about 10 miles (the courtroom actually gasped), so my paltry 100 seemed like nowt. I was lucky, especially being a Sassenach in a Scottish court.

[dobbin]

100? - you homosexual! I went to court for 116 on the M69 in Warwickshire. The bloke in front of me came out screaming. I was quite nervous after that.

Its not big and its not clever (but it is fun)(speeding - not going to court).

[Bubba]

Surely you must have been banned for that sort of naughtiness?!

In my defence I was only going 100 coz it was uphill and I'd hit a bit of traffic - luckily I saw them coming up behind me so slowed down from the estimated 120 to a nice steady 70 but it was too late, they'd lasered me from a sliproad. Bit annoying coz there was about that stretch of the M74 is awesome for gratuitous speed.

[dobbin]

That was my first appearance in court and I managed to get away with 6 points and a £385 fine. You'd have thought that I'd have learned my lesson but I was camera'd on the M60 three months later and picked up another 3 - congratulations! move up to 9 pts.

Twice more I was camera'd in following months, thankfully only one of the damn things came to fruition - I went back to court, for a measly 50 in a 30 and moved on up to 12 points and another fine. All in the same year. Two court appearances, 12 points and a total of £610 in fines. Financed a few dibble Xmas parties I reckon.

So I've been driving miss daisy for sometime now. They all come off this year!

[Avoiding the Traitor]

One of my mate been caught speeding couple of years ago on his Sunbeam Tiger - He was clocked at doing 137mph in 30mph speed limit road  :shock:

He got banned for 12 months and fined 2k.

Since then .... he still the pretty much the same (speed demon  :twisted: )  

[Bubba]

That was my first appearance in court and I managed to get away with 6 points and a £385 fine.

Shit, you were well lucky there!

You'd have thought that I'd have learned my lesson but I was camera'd on the M60 three months later and picked up another 3 - congratulations! move up to 9 pts.

Same as me - exactly one month after getting 6pts + £150 for the Scottish incident, I was slapped with another 3pts + £40 for 2 miles at average of 97mph on the M1 south.

I went back to court, for a measly 50 in a 30 and moved on up to 12 points and another fine. All in the same year. Two court appearances, 12 points and a total of £610 in fines.

I thought when you got to 12 it was an automatic 6 month ban via "totting up"?

So I've been driving miss daisy for sometime now. They all come off this year!

Same here, mine come off in August, hence me waiting 'til then to get a fast car!

[Bubba]

He got banned for 12 months and fined 2k.

Ouch  :shock:

Some courts will give you a stretch inside if you're up around 150mph these days, even if it's on an empty motorway   :cry:

[Avoiding the Traitor]

Really? that is plain bonker!

Have driven TVR in country road at about 130mph (luckily no cop was there!)