Help with something a bit sporty

mikey72

Alfa Romeo 159, the diesel. All the looks and performance of an Alfa Romeo, the mpg of the ultra reliable diesel. In fact, any of the Alfa diesels would fit the bill.

aqueoushumour01

if running costs are an issue then i would avoid the older (pre 2005) alfas - when things need doing (even the routine wear and tear items) they are expensive to fix and you would need to set aside a significant percentage of the purchase cost each year on running it. hyundai coupes are relatively cheap and if you care more about the looks than performance you even have the 1.6 litre version to save on fuel. otherwise, some of the hot hatches look decent and have a good turn of speed.

motorguy

toffeentom wrote: »

Children are older now and thinking of trading in my 10 year old trusty Picasso for something a bit sporty but no idea what.

I have a budget of up to around 5k and I still need four seats. I've always fancied a Mazda RX8 but crossed that off the list when i saw the fuel consumption. I do a fairly high mileage.

I'd be grateful for any ideas

thanks
(wanna be trendy mum)

Are you thinking 'coupe' sporty or 'fast' sporty?

If you want ignorant fast then a Subaru STi will give you four seats and power.

For hot hatch sporty, then probably Golf GTI, Focus ST.

If you want a sporty coupe then try something like a BMW 330Ci, Mercedes CLK, Audi TT

motorguy

mikey72 wrote: »

Alfa Romeo 159, the diesel. All the looks and performance of an Alfa Romeo, the mpg of the ultra reliable diesel. In fact, any of the Alfa diesels would fit the bill.

The 159 is a dynamically average car at best.

Its also a very heavy car which doesnt help.

The 150BHP diesel is a decent enough engine, but its hard to consider it 'sporty'. Also, its same unit as used by vauxhall and is known to give trouble.

So if by 'sporty' you plan on just looking at it, rather that driving it, then yes, its a pretty car that looks better than it actually is.

JQ.

The issues with the RX8 are not about fuel consumption they are about dead engines through improper use - steer well clear unless you are able to become an expert very quickly.

Things that crossed my mind :
Mercedes CLK
Renault Clio 182 or could just squeeze a 197
BMW 330 coupe
Subaru Impreza
BMW 120d - surprisingly nippy and sporty
Audi S3

However, my choice would be £2,500 on a mint condition MX5 and £1,000 on a Nissan Micra for when you need 4 seats. Smile per mile, you won't beat an MX5.

motorguy

JQ. wrote: »

The issues with the RX8 are not about fuel consumption they are about dead engines through improper use - steer well clear unless you are able to become an expert very quickly.

Things that crossed my mind :
Mercedes CLK
Renault Clio 182 or could just squeeze a 197
BMW 330 coupe
Subaru Impreza
BMW 120d - surprisingly nippy and sporty
Audi S3

However, my choice would be £2,500 on a mint condition MX5 and £1,000 on a Nissan Micra for when you need 4 seats. Smile per mile, you won't beat an MX5.

I've had a couple of MX-5's recently and i have to say that they are superb little cars. You can get them for as little as a few hundred and very usable ones for £1200-£1500.

Fantastic little cars.

andygb

s_b wrote: »

and reduced to sell
i wonder why?
this is an enthusiasts car at this age no way a daily long distance worker
even i wouldnt want it as a weekend car its too old
have you looked under these at this age
i ran a mile last time i had a good poke around
i could see pound notes fluttering away everywhere

madness to even suggest spending ones hard earned on it:eek:

nice car by the way

You have never owned one then, and are just repeating what you have heard from others?
I have never been let down by an Alfa (300,000 plus miles in them), and the only huge bills will occur if you use main "stealers" for servicing and the rest.
I would love to know what you found underneath an Alfa, just after having a "poke around", probably no different to any other car today.
I can only suggest that it was a very long time ago if you could see "pound notes" fluttering away:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

mikey72

MX-5? Remind me again, how many seats are there in an MX-5?

A._Badger

s_b wrote: »

i draw the honourable member to post 1

My apologies.

then again, if it were me I'd still buy an MX-5. And sell the kids.

s_b

andygb wrote: »

You have never owned one then, and are just repeating what you have heard from others?
I have never been let down by an Alfa (300,000 plus miles in them), and the only huge bills will occur if you use main "stealers" for servicing and the rest.
I would love to know what you found underneath an Alfa, just after having a "poke around", probably no different to any other car today.
I can only suggest that it was a very long time ago if you could see "pound notes" fluttering away:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

ive said my bit
if you seriously believe that the OP would want a £260 a year road tax petrol guzzling 3 litre v6 then i seriously suggest you go for a check up from the neck up because you is the only person in the country that would use this 10 years old italian car as a daily user and a mile cruncher