Anyone else looking to buy at the moment?

shafster

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i have been looking at buying a fun, cheap car over the past 2 weeks and am really struggling. i sold my z4 last week and want to replace it with something which looks nice, drives nice and has a bit of poke to boot. there are lots of cars for sale out there but nothing which ticks all the above.

the couple of cars that i have pursued at the right price, the first guy wasnt overly keen on getting a sale even when i said i would offer 100 pounds more than what he had been offered for it and was still mulling over (advertised for 2.5k and i offered 2.3k) and the second person i spoke to wasnt even sure if they wanted to sell theirs even though it was advertised, confusing me as it had no mot, road tax or v5 so wasnt exactly being used :rolleyes:

the thing is i am not overly fussy on which car i go for as i have a list of about 5-10 different makes and model of car and my budget is good as the cars are all over 10 years old and nothing really special or rare. my only limitations are distance to some extent (not more than 2 hours away).

over the past few years i have bought a lot of cars and never had any issues finding exactly what i was after, i could sell my car one day and have a list of at least 5 cars to replace it with immediately. is anyone else is a similar position to me whereby they just cannot get what they are looking for at the moment and if they do, the seller is not so keen?
 
You don't give a budget?
 
the budget is not so important as i am keeping it to what the cars i am looking for are worth, but i am looking between 2-6k i can go up to 10k if i am getting a good deal on something. for example, this bmw z4 coupe went for 10.5k on ebay a few weeks ago 2007 BMW Z4 SI SPORT BLUE, 23K WITH NO RESERVE! CAT D on eBay (end time 29-Mar-11 22:24:47 BST) as i say budget not so important but i dont generally pay above average for a car unless it is something really special
 
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yes, i have considered them all but discounted the m3 and 350z as the running costs are too high, as well as the initial cost of the car. they dont offer as much bang for buck as other cars in terms of performance.

evo's also have high running costs but are a better bang for buck no doubt however they are a bit ugly and common.

the impreza is a slightly better option considering you can get newer ones for a very good price and was one of the cars that i was let down on. i am still looking for one of these but cant quite find the one i want although a couple have come close, they sold before i could view them :(
 
All of the turbo options,and especially the Evo,are expensive to run and maintain,and most in the price bracket you want will be older or remapped or both.

A service history is essential on all of them,although the Subarus are pretty robust.
 
yes, that is what i'm finding but i have owned a number of turbos and high performance cars before so know of all the pitfalls and what to look for. as i say, its just finding something a little bit unusual or special that is evading me for the moment
 
How about a Honda Civic Type R. Plenty of the new shape ones around for 10k. I would imagine the older shape is very reasonable. They are pretty bomb proof.
 
yes, that is what i'm finding but i have owned a number of turbos and high performance cars before so know of all the pitfalls and what to look for. as i say, its just finding something a little bit unusual or special that is evading me for the moment

Well good luck with your search...like you I've owned a few,and sorting the rubbish from the good is hard work.
 
Well good luck with your search...like you I've owned a few,and sorting the rubbish from the good is hard work.

thats my problem precisely, over the past 6 months all the good stuff has gone and there's a lot of chaff left to sort through to find anything decent :laugh:

How about a Honda Civic Type R. Plenty of the new shape ones around for 10k. I would imagine the older shape is very reasonable. They are pretty bomb proof.

the new one is nice but i think it lacks the wow factor. i was offered one for 7k but when i compared it to my z4 which i sold for 6k, it was like taking a step backwards or sideways. the z4 had the wow factor and gave the impression of being a more expensive car than it actually was. i may take a look at the old type r's though as they are very cheap at the mo and offer good value for money
 
thanks for those suggestions

hyundai - not a fan of the brand, the cars look cheap and age too quickly
alfa - drove one before and although the engine and interior was nice, too many gremlins that kept cropping up and i wasnt keen on the styling
mini - was tempted but just a bit too common and girlie, even though they do look nice. for the price i could have a subaru, evo or bmw coupe which are all better than it

i have an astra bertone coupe 2.2 as my everyday car which is why i dont see the point in having something else which is just middle of the road as it is a very competent daily driver and already does that for me
 
Thought about a Renault Sport Clio 172/182?

Surprisingly reliable, loads of fun for the money, prices have crashed over the last year or so. Great cars :)
 
a good suggestion and the 03 models dont look too bad...... i'm a bit dubious as they are one of those cars that give off the boy racer vibe but i will consider them
 
a good suggestion and the 03 models dont look too bad...... i'm a bit dubious as they are one of those cars that give off the boy racer vibe but i will consider them

Ha mine just over 18 months now, and yep, they are so cheap that the boy racers do seem to be getting into them recently.

But insurance is still expensive for them so should hold the majority off, they are a fantastic car though, only car I have owned for so long and the only car I haven't been itching to sell for something else every other week. Infact the only other car I seriously looked at changing to was the new clio 200.

Get over onto cliosport forums, loads of info on there about them and a really friendly place.
 
Im struggling to find a car myself.

Im a student & insurance for me is a killer :suicide:

Sold my Corsa X REG last week, time for something better, a lot better.
Looking at a VW Golf MK5 3 Door & hopefully will find one and buy it this week
 
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Ha mine just over 18 months now, and yep, they are so cheap that the boy racers do seem to be getting into them recently.


This is very true.

Had my 05 plate since the summer of 06 (longest i've ever had 1 car) and it wasn't really the case back then but as I pass other 182 owners on the road now, the drivers seem to get younger and younger! Not to mention me getting older!

Mechanically it's been very sound and even in these times of horrendous fuel prices, there can't be many other cars of similar ilk (not the 200 for sure) that offer the mix of performance and decent mpg numbers that the 182 can do. A hot hatch for those that worry about mpg:D
 
man, 10.5k for a Z4 coupe! If I keep mine for another year or two it'll hardly be worth selling, just keep it as a fun car.. scary
 
the thing is i am not overly fussy on which car i go for

I have considered them all but discounted the m3 and 350z as the running costs are too high, as well as the initial cost of the car. they dont offer as much bang for buck as other cars in terms of performance.

evo's also have high running costs but are a better bang for buck no doubt however they are a bit ugly and common.

the new one is nice but i think it lacks the wow factor.

hyundai - not a fan of the brand, the cars look cheap and age too quickly
alfa - drove one before and although the engine and interior was nice, too many gremlins that kept cropping up and i wasnt keen on the styling
mini - was tempted but just a bit too common and girlie, even though they do look nice. for the price i could have a subaru, evo or bmw coupe which are all better than it

i'm a bit dubious as they are one of those cars that give off the boy racer vibe

:D
 
man, 10.5k for a Z4 coupe! If I keep mine for another year or two it'll hardly be worth selling, just keep it as a fun car.. scary

It was a CAT D
 
lol at ian j - i meant i am not overly fussy on the make of car i go for, but the actual car has to be a bit different from the rest :D

the clio sounds like a decent one, i might have to test drive one and see how i get on with it
 
Lotus Exige or Elise, Vauxhall VX220
 
havent considered those as they are more hardcore than my z4 and can be pricey
 
dont like any of those 2, i have narrowed it down to the following

bmw e46 coupe - must have nice wheels, m sport bodykit and leather
impreza wrx - 01 onwards, must have nice wheels, high line spoiler and exhaust
impreza type r - must have nice wheels, exhaust and bodykit
mr2 turbo - must have bodykit, exhaust and nice wheels
civic type r - standard spec is fine
rx8 - 231bhp model with leather
200sx - must be touring version, s14a model, nice wheels
z4 - must be 3.0 version with leather as my last one was 2.5

now i have to find something for the right price and not too far from me :)
 

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