# New Car Suggestions 2??



## W7 PMC (May 6, 2002)

It looks as though i've sold the M5 (slightly quicker than i expected  ) so will need to go shopping for a replacement this weekend.

After much thought, i've decided to limit my budget to Â£20K & require the following if possible: The car needs to be good quality, practical (seating in the back), fun to drive, have reasonable-good performance, perform well on long journeys as most of the driving will be business use, be fairly cheap to own/run in terms of fuel, consumables & depreciation & be reliable. I'm open to most Makes & Models if they represent good value & satisfy the above. This car will probably only be kept for 15mths maximum.

I'd prefer to purchase a slightly used/ex-demo car to almost ensure i get more for my money & that someone else has taking the initial hit. Not bothered if it's petrol or diesel, however if i had to choose i'd prefer a petrol engine, but one that gives reasonable economy (hardly difficult coming from the M5).

As i'm limiting my budget to Â£20K i may still be able to source a BMW 330ci/cd or A4 (Cab) but at this price i may struggle with age & mileage although i will look hard. What other cars would fit the bill??

Sorry for the 2nd thread but i wanted to keep this thread just for sensible suggestions i can explore this week/weekend.

Cheers in advance.


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## Wolfsburger (Oct 21, 2002)

330cd or 330d.

Or how about a 130i M Sport? 20,000 will buy you a really good example now, most of the violent depreciation has already hit. Not much room in the back though and styling not everybodies cup of darjeeling but they`re growing on me. I might have a look at one once my boy`s out of his pram and we don`t need to cart round a load of clutter.


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## W7 PMC (May 6, 2002)

Wolfsburger said:


> 330cd or 330d.
> 
> Or how about a 130i M Sport? 20,000 will buy you a really good example now, most of the violent depreciation has already hit. Not much room in the back though and styling not everybodies cup of darjeeling but they`re growing on me. I might have a look at one once my boy`s out of his pram and we don`t need to cart round a load of clutter.


I've had a glance of the BMW website (did not look at 130's TBH but i'm not stuck on the way they look).

For Â£20K all 330ci/cd's i could see were either approaching the end of their warranty period (getting old) or had very high mileage (well over 50K). I'll have another look though in case i missed some.


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## kmpowell (May 6, 2002)

Wolfsburger said:


> 330cd or 330d.
> 
> Or how about a 130i M Sport? 20,000 will buy you a really good example now, most of the violent depreciation has already hit. Not much room in the back though and styling not everybodies cup of darjeeling but they`re growing on me. I might have a look at one once my boy`s out of his pram and we don`t need to cart round a load of clutter.












Paul,
If you are thinking of Hatchback's, would you want a 3 or 5 door?


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## W7 PMC (May 6, 2002)

kmpowell said:


> Wolfsburger said:
> 
> 
> > 330cd or 330d.
> ...


Kev,

I'm not really that bothered. A 5dr would be slightly more practical, but for the very few times i'd have anyone in the back it really doesn't matter. Just looked at the BMW Coupes again on the BMW website & Â£20K really does not get alot (they must hold their money very well or dealers have them over priced), all either 3yrs old or 50K+ Miles. Even Â£25K only throws up a few suitables but i want to stick to the Â£20K limit.


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## John C (Jul 5, 2002)

Nearly new Golf? Loads for that price - typed in Min Â£20k and max Â£20k to the search engine on VW site and threw up 94 matches! Typical example. Golf the timeless classic.



> Model: Golf Price: Â£20,000
> Body Style: Hatchback Mileage: 10,500*
> Trim: GTI Date registered: May 2006
> Engine Size: 2.0 Registration: GF06UNU
> ...


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## W7 PMC (May 6, 2002)

The Golf could do it.

As daft as it sounds, i'm looking for inspiration as long as my requirements are covered.

I think the BMW Coupes are going to come out slightly over budget unless i chose a 4yr old one so been thinking about Focus ST (high spec one) the Golf GTI, A3 S-Line (Diesel & Petrol) the A4 again Petrol or Diesel, perhaps an Alfa, even the VXR Astra has crossed my mind as that & the Focus ST seem to be the benchmarks in that price bracket along with the Golf GTi. However i really am not a GM fan (except the Monaro).

Can i get a cracking car that ticks all my boxes for Â£20K????????


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## kmpowell (May 6, 2002)

What 'Toys' are essential in your new car?

Leather?
Sat Nav?
xenon lights?
6CD?

etc etc


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## digimeisTTer (Apr 27, 2004)

:wink:


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## Carlos (May 6, 2002)

Hmm what about an Alfa GT? Can you get the 3.2 for Â£20k, bet you can. Just checked and there are plenty of 1-2 year old V6's for under Â£20k.

Pretty exclusive, nice looker, lovely engine. Also you are used to embarrassing breakdowns so that particular caveat doesn't apply.

Job done.


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## Wallsendmag (Feb 12, 2004)

kmpowell said:


> What 'Toys' are essential in your new car?
> 
> Leather?
> Sat Nav?
> ...


You're not trying to sell yours already are you? :wink:


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## BreTT (Oct 30, 2002)

C32 AMG - three year old model though for Â£18k - Â£22k


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## clived (May 6, 2002)

Skoda Octavia vRS in black.


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## Wolfsburger (Oct 21, 2002)

kmpowell said:


>


I know Kev!

I didn`t like them originally but I had a quick go in a mate`s 130i and was smitten. The engine and drive train totally dominate the car, it was fantastic. I`m a VW fan (ask Toshiba!) but I think that a used 130i M Sport represents fine value compared to a used Golf GTi.


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## W7 PMC (May 6, 2002)

kmpowell said:


> What 'Toys' are essential in your new car?
> 
> Leather?
> Sat Nav?
> ...


Kev,

Have you got a plan hatching??

Of the above all would be nice, but none are essential. We have a TomTom One in the household that i bought for Judith last Xmas, but as her Vectra has Sat-Nav, i could use the TomTom if required.

The 3 cars that are shouting out to me are a very nearly new Focus ST3, nearly new Golf GTI or 2-3yr old 330CD or perhaps a nearly new Astra VXR. I just think the Focus & Astra should represent good value, be packed with toys & ought to be great fun whilst not being costly to run.


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## W7 PMC (May 6, 2002)

clived said:


> Skoda Octavia vRS in black.


Clive,

If Seat had an equivalent i'd be very interested, however the Skoda probably represents too good a value & although i'm not proud to say it the badge would bother me a little. I know they're VAG & cracking cars but i think i'd struggle to see past the badge.


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## W7 PMC (May 6, 2002)

Carlos said:


> Hmm what about an Alfa GT? Can you get the 3.2 for Â£20k, bet you can. Just checked and there are plenty of 1-2 year old V6's for under Â£20k.
> 
> Pretty exclusive, nice looker, lovely engine. Also you are used to embarrassing breakdowns so that particular caveat doesn't apply.
> 
> Job done.


Ha feckin ha :wink: :lol:

I'll give them a look. Have Alfa sorted out reliability? & are these cars still likely to depreciate like a rock??


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## pbarlow003 (Aug 11, 2005)

Do you not fancy an A4 cabriolet? Mine's up for sale on here...

(shameless plug-mode off.....  )


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## W7 PMC (May 6, 2002)

pbarlow003 said:


> Do you not fancy an A4 cabriolet? Mine's up for sale on here...
> 
> (shameless plug-mode off.....  )


Looks good & the price is OK, but if i went for an A4 Cab i'd either want a bigger petrol engine or TDi.


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## NUM_TT (Apr 5, 2004)

If your not worried about the petrol and oil consumption how about an RX8? Fits four adults.


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## pbarlow003 (Aug 11, 2005)

Yeah no worries, i know what you mean. It feels quite slow compared to my old 3.2TT, so compared to your M5 you'd feel like you were walking 

Good luck in the hunt! Have you thought about something like a BMW 325 Compact sport. Fairly practical, not expensive on the fuel, nippy, and a bit different. Don't see many around, and you can pick them up for about Â£9k.


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## W7 PMC (May 6, 2002)

pbarlow003 said:


> Yeah no worries, i know what you mean. It feels quite slow compared to my old 3.2TT, so compared to your M5 you'd feel like you were walking
> 
> Good luck in the hunt! Have you thought about something like a BMW 325 Compact sport. Fairly practical, not expensive on the fuel, nippy, and a bit different. Don't see many around, and you can pick them up for about Â£9k.


Not so much worried about slow in comparison to the M5, as that's really going to be a gimme, however for the longer journeys i'm doing almost every week, the 1.8T would struggle a little in a heavyish car like an A4 Cab.

Not really a fan of the 3 Series Compact. but cheers for the suggestion.


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## Carlos (May 6, 2002)

W7 PMC said:


> Carlos said:
> 
> 
> > Hmm what about an Alfa GT? Can you get the 3.2 for Â£20k, bet you can. Just checked and there are plenty of 1-2 year old V6's for under Â£20k.
> ...


Not sure, but my first stab at answering would be probably not, and almost certainly


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## Kell (May 28, 2002)

For 20k I'd definitely go for a 330d and not be too afraid of high milers.

I think that sometimes you place too much stress on OEM warranties and too little on depreciation when working out the cost of a car.

Even having said that:

This 330d Sport Saloon looks nice for Â£20,995.


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## Wolfsburger (Oct 21, 2002)

Kell said:


> Even having said that:
> 
> This 330d Sport Saloon looks nice for Â£20,995.


Hmm, not very well prepared for an approved BMW, the inside is filthy!

I know it`s not a reason to discount it but I`d have thought BMW dealers were better than this :?


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## Kell (May 28, 2002)

I actually hadn't clicked that far. But you're right...it's minging inside.


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## TTwiggy (Jul 20, 2004)

Carlos said:


> W7 PMC said:
> 
> 
> > Carlos said:
> ...


I think modern Alfas are no worse on the reliability front than any other modern car (had less problems with mine than with my TT, but I didn't keep it that long). Unfortunately, because people still think they break down every other lamp post, depreciation is worse than many other cars - but then again show me anything this side of a porker 911 that doesn't lose a lot in the first 12 months... One word of caution, the 3.2 is the one you want from alfa, as it sounds wonderful, but that engine has a drink problem - my DIS was showing 9.8mpg round town!....


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## Stu-Oxfordshire (May 7, 2002)

W7 PMC said:


> Can i get a cracking car that ticks all my boxes for Â£20K????????


Paul, 
I can't see past a Focus ST for the budget you have...and you'll still have a few grand left over. Read the long term tests in Evo mag - they've had one all year and are singing the praises about it, especially in the current edition (ECOTY 2006 edition).

It ticks all the boxes for you (performance, running costs, fun factor, toys)

And, seeing as you said you are chucking track days for 12 months, the running costs will be vert satisfactory. However, *in case* you do fancy the odd track outing, the ST will give you muchos bang-for-yer-buck.


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## scavenger (Jun 25, 2002)

Won't a few people pass comment that they're surprised you don't have an expensive car anymore. What will you do! You will have to wear a different watch whilst driving :roll: :wink: :-*

Other options:

Jaguar - S or X Type
Merc - E Class
Saab - 9-3/9-5
Focus ST/RX 8
Ford Mustang [smiley=thumbsup.gif]


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## garyc (May 7, 2002)

Stu-Oxfordshire said:


> W7 PMC said:
> 
> 
> > Can i get a cracking car that ticks all my boxes for Â£20K????????
> ...


20K motorway miles :?


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## kmpowell (May 6, 2002)

Wolfsburger said:


> kmpowell said:
> 
> 
> >
> ...


Sorry mate, but I personally just can't see past the styling, it is truely hideous (worse then the rear of a Cayman IMO!). 



W7 PMC said:


> Kev,
> 
> Have you got a plan hatching??


Well seeing as you may want 4WD in the winter that's coming, dcent fuel economy and need some 'Prestige', have you considered a A3 TD Sport S-Line?

http://www.allapprovedcars.com/Used-Aud ... tails.aspx

http://www.allapprovedcars.com/Used-Aud ... tails.aspx

If it's not your bag then a Golf GTi would be my choice (plenty out there under a year old for less than Â£20k). Don't bother contemplating the Focus, because the amount of time you swill be spending in it, the cheap and nasty dash will drive you mad and make you want to sell it as soon as possible.

Yes the Golf's interior is hardly inspriring, but it has an air of quaility about it that the Focus Astra etc simply cannot match.



p.s Oh and if you are thingking about an .:R32, I'd advise against it for the milage you are planning on doing. I'm getting 10-15mpg round town. (not that it bothers me 'cos I only do about 3k miles a year)


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## W7 PMC (May 6, 2002)

scavenger said:


> Won't a few people pass comment that they're surprised you don't have an expensive car anymore. What will you do! You will have to wear a different watch whilst driving :roll: :wink: :-*
> 
> Other options:
> 
> ...


Like i'm bothered what people think about me not driving an expensive car for 12mths. I could perhaps upgrade my watch with the money i'll save (JK).

I'm happy with the reasons i'm economising for a while & that's all that really matters.


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## W7 PMC (May 6, 2002)

kmpowell said:


> Wolfsburger said:
> 
> 
> > kmpowell said:
> ...


On my list now Kev so cheers, although i'm not going to entertain Quattro as it will eat into my budget & if i go FWD the weather issue is not a major concern.


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## W7 PMC (May 6, 2002)

OK, thanks everyone for your input. I've now short-listed to the following:

Focus ST3 either brand new if a deal can be struck or a sub 12mth old model (really leaning towards one of these oddly enough).

BMW 330CD with the lowest possible mileage & the newest example i can get for Â£20K

Audi A3 2.0TDi S-Line low miles & as new as possible

Audi A4 2.0TDi S-Line low miles & as new as possible

I'm also going to have a sneaky look/drive of the Asta VXR just in case it's a corker.

VW Golf GTi low miles & as new as possible.

That's pretty much my short-list. Any others i'd be foolish not to entertain??


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## vagman (Sep 6, 2002)

Well I can certainly vouch for the A3 SB TDi.

For everyday use it suits my speed requirements and real-life fuel economy is mid 40's plus. Not bad, especially as that is A and B road stuff. Long distance m-way journeys will sneak into the 50's.

Although diesel is a wee bit more expensive than petrol, my fuel costs have fallen by almost 50% compared to what I was getting with the Benz.

But the best thing is, I haven't really sacrificed any power.......this baby is a flier when you feel like putting the foot down.


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## Neil (May 7, 2002)

W7 PMC said:


> Focus ST3 either brand new if a deal can be struck or a sub 12mth old model (really leaning towards one of these oddly enough).
> 
> VW Golf GTi low miles & as new as possible.


These are the 2 on our list as well 

Worth talking to drivethedeal, as they are quoting discounts of ~Â£800 ST and ~Â£1k Golf, if you are going the "new" route (you could get them both for <Â£20k, but you'd have to go very light on the Golf options).


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## GW1970 (Jul 4, 2005)

The Jags X/S Type represent cracking value, as does Mondeo ST220 because of the depreciation (although they're not to my taste)

How about a VW Phaeton (be different) under 20k now on a 03 plate.

Or an older big Lexus, good reliability, lovely cars inside.

Seats Cupra etc are good value, although again not to my taste. Same with Astra VXR. I would consider GTI though.

Personally with a 20k budget, I'd go for a bigger engine A4, say 2 years old. Or has been suggested a 330d.


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## GW1970 (Jul 4, 2005)

Also don't be put off an Alfa. There are a lot of scare stories, the newer ones are fine IMO.


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## IanWest (May 7, 2002)

We run an A3 TDI Sport Sportback as a pool car- I love driving it, has got plenty of grunt as well. We got a really good deal on a new one, think it is about Â£320 per month or something like that.


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## fire_storm (Jun 10, 2003)

Just for your information WWW.coast2coastcars.co.uk are offereing around Â£1700 off new Ford Focus ST's

Blimey just had a look on New car discount www.new-car-discount.com and they are offering Â£4000 off a new ST-3!

With that level of discount you could run one for a year and sell it for just about the same as you bought it for.

We have ordered 2 cars through them and there service was excellent


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## TTwiggy (Jul 20, 2004)

Bit of a left-field idea, but 20k would get you into a 2004 2.5tdi Audi All-Road...

may not be everyone's cup of cha, but they are quite exclusive, have an air of 'country gent' about them, should come with plenty of toys and given that whatever you drive after the M5 will be a compromise one of these might actually be a bit of fun.

I guess the engine could be easily chipped for more oomph, plus you could go marauding down muddy tracks in the winter!


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## thejepster (Mar 29, 2005)

How about....

Subaru 
06 Forrester XT 1.5k ....but may be a bit too thirsty...

Saab 9-3 - For 20k..
06 2.8V6 Aero with 2k on the clock
06 1.9 175bhp TDi with less than 5k


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## Carlos (May 6, 2002)

fire_storm said:


> Blimey just had a look on New car discount www.new-car-discount.com and they are offering Â£4000 off a new ST-3!


It was an error...

http://www.new-car-discount.com/newsdet ... ewsID=2649


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## W7 PMC (May 6, 2002)

TTwiggy said:


> Bit of a left-field idea, but 20k would get you into a 2004 2.5tdi Audi All-Road...
> 
> may not be everyone's cup of cha, but they are quite exclusive, have an air of 'country gent' about them, should come with plenty of toys and given that whatever you drive after the M5 will be a compromise one of these might actually be a bit of fun.
> 
> I guess the engine could be easily chipped for more oomph, plus you could go marauding down muddy tracks in the winter!


Not a bad idea & had never crossed my mind. I'd have thought they'd be far more expensive as those type of vehicles tend to have rock solid residuals (the Volvos certainly do). Will have a browse of the Audi website & include the All-Road.

I do however think i'm going to go for the Focus ST-3. Seem to be some good discounts off new (not had a brand new car for a few years) & as such should hold up well in the residuals dept. I'd have a few Grand left over from my budget for perhaps a little old re-map assuming they exist.

Had a black Focus ST follow me up the M40 tonight & it certainly had some grunt. Also though by an odd twist of fate the engine in a Focus ST is exactly half that of the M5, 2.5litre vs 5.0litre & 5 cylinders vs 10 :lol:

Going for a look see tomorrow.


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## kmpowell (May 6, 2002)

W7 PMC said:


> TTwiggy said:
> 
> 
> > Bit of a left-field idea, but 20k would get you into a 2004 2.5tdi Audi All-Road...
> ...


But buying brand new means you lose the VAT and at least 2% as soon as you drive it off the forecourt. Hardly good residuals in my book. :?

Why not get a 6-12 month old car that has had it's initial hit. There are a few out there:

http://www.allapprovedcars.com/Used-For ... tails.aspx

http://www.allapprovedcars.com/Used-For ... tails.aspx

http://www.allapprovedcars.com/Used-For ... tails.aspx

http://www.allapprovedcars.com/Used-For ... tails.aspx

http://www.allapprovedcars.com/Used-For ... tails.aspx

Not sure you are going to like the interior though, it is VERY cheap and flimsy.


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## Wolfsburger (Oct 21, 2002)

W7 PMC said:


> Seem to be some good discounts off new (not had a brand new car for a few years) & as such should hold up well in the residuals dept.


Aren`t discounts generally bad from a residual value point of view?

I know you can offset the original purchase cost against the end value but if Ford are discounting them (I thought they weren`t?) wont it just reduce second hand values?

Anyway, saw a white ST today, complete with red and black Recaro seats, looked super!


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## kmpowell (May 6, 2002)

Paul,

An example of what I think is the nearly perfect (if it had xenons it would be perfect but they are like gold dust on GTi's!) car for you:

Volkswagen golf 2.0T GTi
April '06
9k miles
3dr

Full UK car (on sale at a VW dealer) with the following optional options:
Blue graphite paint (Â£335)
Anthracite vienna leather with heated seats (Â£1645) 
18in monza II alloy wheels (Â£445)
6 disc autochanger with front centre armrest (Â£395)
multifunction steering wheel with highline computer and phone controls (Â£350)

The car would have been Â£23,750 on the road brand new.

Â£20,995 is the screen price, but defo close to Â£20k is an achievable target price following my intial convo today(pretending to be interested) with them! Not bad residuals in my book.

If you're interested. PM me and I'll give you the dealers details.


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## Wolfsburger (Oct 21, 2002)

kmpowell said:


> Blue graphite paint (Â£335)


Nasty colour though Kev..........


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## kmpowell (May 6, 2002)

Wolfsburger said:


> kmpowell said:
> 
> 
> > Blue graphite paint (Â£335)
> ...


Looks nice to me, it's a grey/blue colour AFAI knew, hardly 'nasty'. :?

These are pics of a 5 door version of pretty much the same spec 3 Door car above:
http://www.allapprovedcars.com/CarFullS ... =501223430


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## Wolfsburger (Oct 21, 2002)

kmpowell said:


> Looks nice to me, it's a grey/blue colour AFAI knew, hardly nasty. :?


It`s one that looks good in sunlight but a bit drab in flat light.


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## W7 PMC (May 6, 2002)

kmpowell said:


> W7 PMC said:
> 
> 
> > TTwiggy said:
> ...


Kev,

You would expect that, however the reality with these cars appears different. Looking through Auto-Express, the list price for a brand new ST3 is Â£20,595.00 however they suggest the aim-to-pay price is Â£17,323.00 & they're usually bang on the money (i'll of course try this tomorrow when i go hunting). If that is true then new ones can be bought for slightly less than the screen price of the ones you've linked to.

This could all be shite & AE have got their facts wrong. AE also state than residuals are 50% after 3 years, so assuming the deals on a new one can be had i'm giving myself a head start buying brand new rather than a 6mth old example as my one (if i bought one) would likely be sold when it's 12mths old rather than 18mths old & if 6mth old cars are selling for Â£17K then surely a 12mth old car could still cost say Â£15K, meaning i'd have lost a total of Â£2-3K in 12mths (bargain if you ask me) 

Am going to investigate the Golfs properly as well tomorrow.


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## Neil (May 7, 2002)

fire_storm said:


> Just for your information WWW.coast2coastcars.co.uk are offereing around Â£1700 off new Ford Focus ST's
> 
> Blimey just had a look on New car discount www.new-car-discount.com and they are offering Â£4000 off a new ST-3!
> 
> ...


Ordered thru new-car-discount, or thru coast? Â£1700 from Coast is pretty good, but not heard of them b4 :?


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## garyc (May 7, 2002)

So tick box for the wife's car. A Focus hatch should be fine for trundling around town.

But what is The Man gonna sit for in 500 hours a year? (assume covering 20,000 miles @ average 40 mph)

Picture it: that's 20 days solid staring at the Ford interior, sat in the sports seat, holding the blue oval wheel. Think NVH, think ride comfort, think rattling parcel shelf, think switch gear quality. think Ford dealerships service levels, think boy racer, wear sunglasses if you go for that orange.

Actually think Aston Martin: you will be sharing some components. You can play a game with yourself as you sit in the jams - wondering how many interior bits are also common in the AMV8, the DB9 etc.

That should provide some compensatory thoughts as you eye up the 6 cylinder BMW/Audi also crawling in the next lane, cosseting it's driver, and wish that it was you. Still, you can always lean out of the window and tell him how much better yours is than a Golf Gti around a track. :wink:


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## W7 PMC (May 6, 2002)

garyc said:


> So tick box for the wife's car. A Focus hatch should be fine for trundling around town.
> 
> But what is The Man gonna sit for in 500 hours a year? (assume covering 20,000 miles @ average 40 mph)
> 
> ...


Gary,

A nice story, however i'm looking past the badge & focusing on "value for money". I would not look twice at the 6 cylinder Bimmer of Audi next to me & would not care what they think. This is a practical exercise for me & as such i want the best i can get for the money. Sure the Audi & BMW would give me the badge ego, but is it worth paying Â£5-10K for??

If i chose either German variant i'd be buying a well used one (perhaps not so much the Audi). I will be looking at A3/A4's & 330cd's but i'm not hopeful of finding that perfect combo.

Ps. If i go for the Focus i'd get black or blue, no chance of going for the Orange as that's just plain stupid.


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## BreTT (Oct 30, 2002)

W7 PMC said:


> A nice story, however i'm looking past the badge & focusing on "value for money".


Hmmmmm, might you reconsider the Skoda vRS then? :roll: :wink:


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## garyc (May 7, 2002)

W7 PMC said:


> garyc said:
> 
> 
> > So tick box for the wife's car. A Focus hatch should be fine for trundling around town.
> ...


You'll get planty of time to reflect 'value' when you are behind the wheel. 20 hours solid a year.

You'll also get chance to see what 20K miles in a year does to the reported superb residuals on used STs - of course the position will change a year out once the novelty factor of the ST and initial interest has waned, when Ford is up to it's usual discounting games.

Not so sure that an extra 20K miles in a year on say a 40K miler BMW or Audi that has already taken the initial dep'n hit wil make as bigger subsequent depn hit as it would on a new ST.

Value eh? Lot's of ways of calculating it.

Glad you aren't going for orange tho.


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## fire_storm (Jun 10, 2003)

neil1003 said:


> fire_storm said:
> 
> 
> > Just for your information WWW.coast2coastcars.co.uk are offereing around Â£1700 off new Ford Focus ST's
> ...


Both Actually got 2 new toyota avensis through new car discount, and the whole process was extremely easy. And just ordered an A4 cab through coast2coast and again no problems car is coming through Gilders audi.


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## W7 PMC (May 6, 2002)

garyc said:


> W7 PMC said:
> 
> 
> > garyc said:
> ...


Could not agree more. I'm looking at value being the as far from the running costs i've attracted in the last 3yrs. How that best shoes itself is still to be seen.

That said, i was totally underwhelmed with the ST this morning & the only thing going for it was the engine & zorst note. The power delivery was very lazy & i don't believe the 0-60 time reported of 6.2secs. The build quality was OK but not for me in the end. The Astra VXR was just plain nasty close up so defo no tick their.

Did look at a couple of Golf GTi's but forecourt prices seem very inflated as the 2 12mth old examples i viewed were up for Â£19995 however i got bored so did not haggle.

I think i need to look closer at the BMW 330cd's as if i can find a pristine example with reasonable miles it should be a goer. You're right that if i find one with say 20K miles & arounf 18-24mths old then it's not likely to suffer a huge hit over the following 12mths with another 22K miles on it.

Will try to investigate the Bimmers tomorrow, along with the equivalent Audi's.

I know i've slated Audi dealers in the past & BMW dealers as well, but fcuk me they're divisions better than Ford & Vauxhall dealers.


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## kmpowell (May 6, 2002)

W7 PMC said:


> I think i need to look closer at the BMW 330cd's as if i can find a pristine example with reasonable miles it should be a goer. You're right that if i find one with say 20K miles & arounf 18-24mths old then it's not likely to suffer a huge hit over the following 12mths with another 22K miles on it.


THIS any good? I gave them a ring and they said they would accept Â£19,595, and that was without me even having to try! I reckon that's potentially a purchasable at Â£19k car!


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## jonah (Aug 17, 2002)

Doing those sort of milages i reckon you'd be selling the Focus quicker than you have all all your other cars. I sold the TT and bought a Punto basically for the same reasons as your self, the difference is i live 5 min from work and if i have to travel any great distance i either get a company car or hire one for weekends.
Sat out side is a deisel Octavia, picked it up yesterday for work and have to say i'm very impressed with everything about the car after a run up to Chester this morning and i never thought i would say that about any Skoda :wink:


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## Wolfsburger (Oct 21, 2002)

W7 PMC said:


> That said, i was totally underwhelmed with the ST this morning & the only thing going for it was the engine & zorst note. The power delivery was very lazy & i don't believe the 0-60 time reported of 6.2secs.


Like I said in your previous thread, stepping out of a 500 brake M5 into a car with even half the power is likely to feel underwhelming. Fortunately, unless I have a good lottery win, it`s not a predicament I will have to face myself!

Go try a 130i while you`re looking at 330cd`s, you may like it and you`ll get better value than a 12 month old GTI. I know they look wierd but once you`re driving they really are super.


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## W7 PMC (May 6, 2002)

kmpowell said:


> W7 PMC said:
> 
> 
> > I think i need to look closer at the BMW 330cd's as if i can find a pristine example with reasonable miles it should be a goer. You're right that if i find one with say 20K miles & arounf 18-24mths old then it's not likely to suffer a huge hit over the following 12mths with another 22K miles on it.
> ...


Cheers Kev,

I'm going to start the haggle process next week on some of those. Seen 1 with a few more toys for about the same price. It does look as though i could get a decent one for nudging Â£20K so i think it's going to be the route i take.

Just need to be 100% sure this guy buys my M5 before i start pushing for best & final prices on 330's.


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## GW1970 (Jul 4, 2005)

8) 330d much better option than the Ford IMO.

Anyways unless it's a company car or you're mega loaded, buying new is very rarely a good option. You just lose so much cash, especially on a Ford. 
The only way to make it reasonable is to keep the car say 5 years. But with your car history I doubt you'd do that :wink:


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## Stu-Oxfordshire (May 7, 2002)

W7 PMC said:


> ...........i was totally underwhelmed with the ST this morning & the only thing going for it was the engine & zorst note. The power delivery was very lazy & i don't believe the 0-60 time reported of 6.2secs. The build quality was OK but not for me in the end. The Astra VXR was just plain nasty close up so defo no tick their.
> 
> I think i need to look closer at the BMW 330cd's as if i can find a pristine example with reasonable miles it should be a goer. You're right that if i find one with say 20K miles & arounf 18-24mths old then it's not likely to suffer a huge hit over the following 12mths with another 22K miles on it.


Paul, 
Raised an eyebrow re: your ST test drive, I really thought you would be taken by the car.... 
When I drove one back in May, I was very impressed with the power delivery; very urgent, wads of low-down torque, almost zero torque-steer and one of the best FWD chassis I've ever driven. I managed to persuade the sales mgr to let me take it on a favourite back road between kidlington and church enstone - usually when you really push an FWD chassis they tend to show their shortcomings on this type of road however, the ST was absolutely nailed, I dare say it was within Evo-keepy-up distances on a fast flowing B-road.

Also, I was very impressed with the build quality - my wife has an S1 Focus and it's still going strong at 6 yrs old, 75K miles; never once had a problem with the car, no squeaks, rattles or build quality issues (Gary take note :wink: ).

One thing I picked up from the ST was the interior was a "nice place to be" I could happily spend my 2 hour round-trip commute here without any problem at all.

Re: the beemer, a 320CD to your spec is do-able for about Â£19K see here: 
Autotrader 320CD Sport

.....I would say that the 12 mth residuals between that and a Focus would be very close come selling-up time. Just depends whether you want to take it home on the B-Roads or not :wink:


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## garyc (May 7, 2002)

Surprised you didn't get one then Stu - sounds perfect. :wink:

I may have miss understood that Paul may be spending a lot of time on the backroads, in which case a hot hatch is perfect 

Longer wheel base cars such as 3 series etc always make better cruisers than hatch backs.

I'd have thought Paul could do quite well with a late VRs like yours.


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## Stu-Oxfordshire (May 7, 2002)

garyc said:


> Surprised you didn't get one then Stu - sounds perfect. :wink:


Haha yes...there was only one problem though: boot space! I did try it on with the wife though!


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## W7 PMC (May 6, 2002)

Stu-Oxfordshire said:


> W7 PMC said:
> 
> 
> > ...........i was totally underwhelmed with the ST this morning & the only thing going for it was the engine & zorst note. The power delivery was very lazy & i don't believe the 0-60 time reported of 6.2secs. The build quality was OK but not for me in the end. The Astra VXR was just plain nasty close up so defo no tick their.
> ...


Perhaps i was over dramatic. The ST was good but i had that feeling that i'm a little old for boy racer & too grown up for the ST badge. It was quick (not as quick as i expected) & i could defo have enjoyed the car but in the end it just wasn't for me.

Most of my miles are motorway so although a Hot Hatch seemed a good idea in theory, in practice i don't think it will work.

I'm 95% sure i'll end up with a Bimmer or Audi (320d would not be powerful enough although great economy, but thanks for the pointer).

TBH & it pains me to say this but i've just driven back down South today & the thought of selling is really pulling on my heart strings. Head says she has to go, heart says she's perfect & i should slice outgoings from another source.


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