# Sub £6k, nice place to be, high mpg, lowish tax? Thoughts?



## Hark (Aug 23, 2007)

Looking for a nice run about (whilst trying to fight my badge snobbery) to allow me to have a weekend car.

Possible for £6k? Ideas?

So far I'm afraid I haven't been particularly inventive.

E46 320d
A3 Tdi? 
Golf ?

Having had Audis and Bmws for 5 years, so many interiors feel really...naff

Also ideally needs to be less than £500 to tax for this to work.

Don't suggest a TT.


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## T3RBO (Dec 9, 2003)

Blatantly ignoring your last comment, it clearly has to be a mk1 TT :roll:


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## skilgannon (Mar 30, 2011)

Mini One?


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## Super Josh (May 29, 2009)

As nice as 320d is. I don't think it is special enough to be a weekend car TBH

SJ


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## jamman (May 6, 2002)

Alda spider red bright fecking red dont know nothing about them but always catch my eye


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## Hark (Aug 23, 2007)

Super Josh said:


> As nice as 320d is. I don't think it is special enough to be a weekend car TBH
> 
> SJ


Weekend car would be supercharged VX220. Red rocket.


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## mikeat45 (May 9, 2009)

its not German or VAG...but the perfect family runabout
Ford Mondeo Zetec diesel hatchback. huge car (get 4 kids with prams and the weeks shoppimg :lol 55+ mpg on a run. cheap tax (£150ish) on a 2ltr 130, and cheap as chips to buy a mk3, goes well for a diesel


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## SteveTDCi (Nov 10, 2009)

my choice would be ... Bora, Polo, Golf or an early Leon which has the same dash etc as the A3. A Polo GT Tdi is rare but quick. Wild card, Clio DCi, most diesels will be around £20 per year to tax and average 50mpg. To be honest i'd spend 2k and put the rest to the weekend car. I've done more miles in my T plate Polo than i have in the TT or Cupra in the past 3 months.


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## Super Josh (May 29, 2009)

Hark said:


> Super Josh said:
> 
> 
> > As nice as 320d is. I don't think it is special enough to be a weekend car TBH
> ...


That'll teach me to read the post properly :roll:

Out of the list I reckon the 320d will make a great daily(especially once remapped ).

SJ
PS
I want your car buying budget. How do you manage it?


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## T3RBO (Dec 9, 2003)

Can't believe you still think your going to have free weekends :lol:


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## Hark (Aug 23, 2007)

T3RBO said:


> Can't believe you still think your going to have free weekends :lol:


Rob let me dream... lol

As for my budget. I've worked out that I can run a VX and something like an A3 and save £2400 a year from petrol and tax. :roll:


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## Tim G (Feb 16, 2005)

I was torn between A3 & Mk5 Golf, but the A3 is a nicer place to be everyday IMO.

Looks alright as standard, good badge, Audi build, 50+ MPG daily (60 on a run) and you can get some well specced ones if you look around. Mines a 2004 with a FSH on just 55k, leather/alcantara, armrest, lumber adj. makes it a nice place to be and was £6.5k.

Of course the obligatory coilovers & 18's have been added 










I'd like to have spent a little more and got an S line, but was on a budget.

How come you are thinking of getting rid of the Beemer?


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## Hark (Aug 23, 2007)

Anymore pictures Tim?

Beemer is good fun, but fuel is one the up and spending over £250 a month. Everything seems to cost a fortune for it. Tax if you pay in 6 monthly intervals is £520, insurance £960, 18mpg. It needs a service and new disks pads in 5k which will be over £1k at an independent and I can't track it as it's my only car and I'd be too scared of it breaking.

O and it rattles in the cold


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## Tim G (Feb 16, 2005)

Ouch, mine is about £330 ins, £120 tax and 15l (currently about £21) gets me 160+ miles ~52.7mpg overall average on the DIS.

Heres a couple more pics.


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## Rob Severn (Apr 30, 2011)

Might get shot down for this but how about.....

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2004-SMART-BRABUS ... 1225wt_937

Had the loan of one last summer, lots of fun.


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## mkay99 (Feb 5, 2009)

I had a e46 330d after my TT. Honestly speaking it was a great car, power was there when needed and the torque was a dream. Running costs weren't too bad either. Would be a good choice.


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## Hark (Aug 23, 2007)

Rob Severn said:


> Might get shot down for this but how about.....
> 
> http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2004-SMART-BRABUS ... 1225wt_937
> 
> Had the loan of one last summer, lots of fun.


I'd fall asleep before I reached 60. 9.8secs.

As you say might be fun though, but I'd like to do some track days. (even though Rob says my life is officially over)


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## SteveTDCi (Nov 10, 2009)

stop being a badge snob 

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2799758.htm

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2747097.htm

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2774892.htm

i'd have any of them over an A3

even...

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2579891.htm

just to give you an idea


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## Tim G (Feb 16, 2005)

Polos a good shout, I've had one of those too :lol: Notice a theme with the look ?


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## weebeasttie (Jan 3, 2011)

How about 1999 T reg Audi A6 2.4 se 1 owner from new me full service history garaged all the time when not in use.

Picking up my new A1 1.6tdi sport on Friday. The A6 will have to go,  have not advertised it yet.

Still keeping the TT


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## Jen-TT (Feb 2, 2009)

Tim,

What engine do you have in the A3? I had a 2.0 tdi s line dsg and only managed to get about 400 or so miles to a full tank! (i never drove it like an old granny though)


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## Tim G (Feb 16, 2005)

Jen-TT said:


> Tim,
> 
> What engine do you have in the A3? I had a 2.0 tdi s line dsg and only managed to get about 400 or so miles to a full tank! (i never drove it like an old granny though)


2.0 Tdi manual. If I filled it and used its 55l capacity I'd be getting around 590 miles on my daily commute giving me just under 50mpg real life, and about 53mpg on the DIS. Thats 'normal' driving ie not miss daisy, not thrashing it


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## Hark (Aug 23, 2007)

I get around 195 a tank at the mo. Occasionally I break 200.


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## Jen-TT (Feb 2, 2009)

Hark said:


> I get around 195 a tank at the mo. Occasionally I break 200.


ouch! thats similar to the audi s5


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## Jen-TT (Feb 2, 2009)

Tim G said:


> Jen-TT said:
> 
> 
> > Tim,
> ...


wow thats strange, maybe i was doing something wrong or maybe i just have a heavy foot!

i did manage to get 350 out of a tank on my remapped 225 but that was driving it on reserve till the dis said about 1-2 miles left


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## Tim G (Feb 16, 2005)

Jen-TT said:


> Tim G said:
> 
> 
> > Jen-TT said:
> ...


Maybe the DSG is just moe thirsty?


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## skilgannon (Mar 30, 2011)

Jen-TT said:


> Tim G said:
> 
> 
> > Jen-TT said:
> ...


wow!! Only 350.... I guess I must drive like a nun :roll:


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## SteveTDCi (Nov 10, 2009)

With my A3 TDI DSG I could only get to 360 before the light came on, yet someone at work has a manual and has just got 780 out of a tank


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## Jen-TT (Feb 2, 2009)

SteveTDCi said:


> With my A3 TDI DSG I could only get to 360 before the light came on, yet someone at work has a manual and has just got 780 out of a tank


see now thats more like it.

I would get 500-550 out of my mk4 gt gt tdi golf.

and they say dsg is more fuel efficient. :roll:


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## hooley (Dec 30, 2008)

After a long run in the TT in traffic and 50mph roadworks I managed this









420 miles
Refuelled and put in 56.5 litres to the brim, equates to 33.8mpg from a remapped 225

Not too shabby!

As I do over 20k miles in the TT I'm considering a cheap A2 tdi to do some miles in. Averages around 60 mpg is very light yet stable on the motorway. Even looks a bit like a vertically stretched and horizontally squashed TT

Working it out I'll save around £2300 per year on fuel. Should pay for the car in the first year :-0

J


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