Which car ?!

richjthorpe

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Hi all,

Due to an another addition to the family in about 3 months time, I'm going to have to change my 2 seater for a 4 seater (I'm able to take my daughter out in my car, but short of welding a car seat to the roof or a trailer, the MR2 will have to be changed !)

As we have a 5 door Golf as the family car, I wouldn't mind a 'sportier' car that is in the same direction in handling as my MR2. So can anyone suggest cars with a max limit of 10k GBP that have the following criteria.....

1. Four Seats
2. Front Engined, Rear Wheel Drive
3. Boot Space

Ideas I have are Supras, Celicas (Wife likes the new one), GTOs and 300ZXs. Are there any I'm not mentioning ? Don't really want a BMW or Merc. How does the new Celica match up with handling with the Front Engine, Front Wheel Drive design ?

Cheers,

Richie.
 
The GTO's and 300zx's are 4wd anyway and getting on a bit in years now, however Supras are rwd and were made up to 1998 and are almost bulletproof (a 1998 twin turbo will set you back around £10k and will cost a lot to insure but you get sub 5.0 secs 0-60).

Have a look at an import Nissan Silvia S15...the new version of the 200sx, not available from Nissan UK. Awesome car, very nice to look at and cheapish to insure and run. Failing that an S14 200SX will be well within your budget and were sold in the UK until a year or two ago, £10k should get you the best example available. I have one myself and love it, the boot space is surprising.

edit: oh yes, Celicas are wet...
 
You may have a problem with bootspace in the Supra or Mitsi GTO as they would both struggle to hold more than a newspaper.

I looked at both cars a few years ago when I wanted something similar to yourself but the lack of boot space knocked them off the list and I ended up with a Peugeot 406 Coupe which is rather nice with the 3.0 litre engine and it isn't as thirsty as one might imagine.

Four seats, a huge boot but front wheel drive
 
I bought a Vauxhall Omega MV6
 
gringottsdirect said:
Nissan 300ZXs are rear wheel drive. :cool:

Doh, my mistake, the brother in law has a 300zx and a Lamborghini Diablo (which is 4wd), I got the two mixed up...sorry. :blush:

Soarer woul be a great choice...the plain 3 litre non turbo is ok to insure and not too bad on gas...
 
So very nearly bought a V8 soarer back in January... bought an RX7 instead...and the rest, as they say, is history... ( as is the RX7 ) :rolleyes:

:devil:
 
I had a Soarer for a couple of years and it fits the bill admirably except that they are getting on a bit now. The 3 litre and 4 litre engines are the same as in the Supra and various Lexus models and are fast and reliable whilst the 2.5 litre twin turbo is more exotic.
 
As I said, at the moment I have an MR2 (mk2) that surprisingly I can get the buggy into the back of so I would say a Supra would be big enough.

What are Soarers like at handling ? Aren't they quite big ?

Richie.
 
They're big, and heavy, but the one I tested was a very nice handling car for something of that size, and nice regardless of size to be honest.

Not sporty in the RX7 sense, but certainly not flabby either.
Luvverly motor too, the 4.0 V8 is a thing of beauty.
 
richjthorpe said:
As I said, at the moment I have an MR2 (mk2) that surprisingly I can get the buggy into the back of so I would say a Supra would be big enough.

The boot only has a depth of a few inches and you most certainly will not be able to fit a buggy in.
 
Maybe it just me, but shouldn't you now be looking at safety aspects rather than performance?
I'm not suggesting you'll be driving like a madman when baby is on board, of course not, but when he/she is in the car performance will be the last thing on your mind. So for that reason I will suggest a good compromise, something like an Audi A8 a couple of years old will be within your budget.

Or how about the RX8? Isn't that RWD? Maybe a bit more expensive but the reverse opening door will be ideal for acessing the baby seat in the back.
 
Honestly the S15 Silvia seems to be what you are looking for...
 
mikeyinmotion said:
Maybe it just me, but shouldn't you now be looking at safety aspects rather than performance?
I'm not suggesting you'll be driving like a madman when baby is on board, of course not, but when he/she is in the car performance will be the last thing on your mind. So for that reason I will suggest a good compromise, something like an Audi A8 a couple of years old will be within your budget.

Or how about the RX8? Isn't that RWD? Maybe a bit more expensive but the reverse opening door will be ideal for acessing the baby seat in the back.

When you say safety aspects, what ones are you thinking of ? The fact that coupes don't have rear doors ? All cars will have decent side impact systems, especially performance cars as they stiffen the whole boy to minimise role. If anything a dinky little Metro or the like would be far dangerous in my eyes but there are plenty of those that women use to transport the kids to school.

Audi A8 is far too big. This car wont be the main family car, it will be the odd couple of days where I have to take the kids to the in-laws and my wife brings them back for example.

Test drove an RX-8 a while back. That engine just doesn't have the torque, it was flat as a fart ! And too expensive :)
 
Decadence said:
Honestly the S15 Silvia seems to be what you are looking for...

Is that the same as the 200SX ?
 
Skyline has a WAF factor of zero !

The S15s are like hens teeth. Can't find much on the internet unless it's upgrades and drifters ! Even less for sale and only one under 10k.

Maybe the S14.....

Cheers all,

Richie.
 
What about an Audi S3? Great build quality, very practical, quite good looking and can scare a scooby or two.
 
jamesvtidohc said:
it is a 200sx, but version s15 and is an import.

hows about a skyline?

Yep, it's the brand new (couple of years old) version of the 200sx...not available in Britain. They also do a Varietta roadster version but that would be no use for you as it is a 2 seater.
 
As the car is for occasional use, I reckon you should choose from the cars below. I have driven them all, and they are all great.
Plus, they have an air of practicality about them :)

- Alfa 156 GTA (FWD though- lovely cars (I have a 147 GTA))

- Audi RS2 (just fantastic, and so iconic in Nugaro Blue)

- Audi S4 (Newer that RS2 but not as cool)

- BMW E34 M5 touring (I know it's a BMW but these are uber cool)

- Jaguar XJ-R (I used to have a 6 cylinder one - V8s should now be in budget)

- Lancia Integrale

- Mercedes C43 or W124 E500/500E (I know they are Mercedes, but these drive fantastically)

- Porsche 928 S4



-
 
i can reccommend a 200sx. really love them although doesnt even come close to the Mr2 turbo i had (sold now unfortunately) but obviously has a lot more space.

The celica is really nice too even though its front wheel drive handles beatufully and doesnt drint the fuel.

Wish i could afford a fun car!

mark
 
I'd take a look at a Toyota Aristo V300 ;).

Basically it's a Lexus GS300 but with the Supra 2JZ-GTE from factory. Japanese Import, and VERY RARE! But some nice examples do seem to pop up on Autotrader from time to time.

I've got one myself and I must say it definitely shocks ALOT of people!! :).

Here's pictures to mine...www.cardomain.com/id/skeet94 :).

It's got TONS of boot space...enough space for three in the back...and it's fully kitted out in terms of luxury. Also handles much better than the UK spec standard GS Series also has ARS (Active Rear Steering), and tiptronic as standard. Picked mine up for £8250 this time last year, so is definitely possible within your budget :).

Did I say I eat M3's, Scoobie's, S14/S15 200SX up for breakfast? ;)
 

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