€25k on sporty car...

NewApproach

I know, its another of those 'oh not again' threads, but I need your advice...

My cousin is looking to buy a new car for himself, he has c€25k to spend. He is 24, so would be after something that looks well, indeed he seems to have his heart set on a Beemer. Is this a wise choice? I know they're great cars, but could his money be any better spent?

Here are a few I found from Carzone that I thought would be up his street:

http://www.carzone.ie/search/BMW/3-Series/320-cd-M/200843190620066/advert

http://www.carzone.ie/search/BMW/3-Series/320CI/200845190770025/advert

In regards to petrol v diesel, I suggested that as his mileage is only 14k per year, that he woulod be better off going for a petrol, especially considering that they are likely to be cheaper when purchasing. Is this wise?

I mentioned a Alfa Romeo GT to him, he seemed only lukewarm:

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Alfa-Romeo/GT/1.8-Luss/200840190232270/advert (this seems to be astonishinly good value to me)

Anything else that should be considered??

Thanks!

Bandara

Buy an 2002 M3

Silver-Tiger

Hammertime wrote: »

Buy an 2003 M3

FYP

He'll deffo find a 03 mint M3 with that money, Maybe maybe a 04

NewApproach

Hammertime wrote: »

Buy an 2002 M3

Wish he would but the running costs would be unreal!

He drives a Golf at the minute, I think its the 1.4 one, so even stepping up to a 320i would be a big step in regards performance

Dubdude

If i had me 25k to buy whatever id get this

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Volkswagen/Golf/GTI-TURB/200844190715453/advert

Lex Luthor

I'd have the GT over the BM any day, but not the 1.8 petrol.

Either the 2.0 petrol if you must or the 1.9 JTDm. Push the boat out and get a 3.2V6 but hard to get...

Irishpimpdude

Dubdude wrote: »

If i had me 25k to buy whatever id get this

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Volkswagen/Golf/GTI-TURB/200844190715453/advert

Looks like crap i don't like them golfs i would say he would be better off with the bmw or alfa imo good picks

copacetic

If he has 25k cash he should import.

NewApproach

Lex Luthor wrote: »

I'd have the GT over the BM any day, but not the 1.8 petrol.

Either the 2.0 petrol if you must or the 1.9 JTDm. Push the boat out and get a 3.2V6 but hard to get...

So would I! There are plenty of 3.2s in the UK, dont tend to be much more expensive than the lesser engined models, but the VRT would be alot more

Lex Luthor

NewApproach wrote: »

So would I! There are plenty of 3.2s in the UK, dont tend to be much more expensive than the lesser engined models, but the VRT would be alot more

ya thats the killer at the moment for the high CO2 cars...should have got them in before the changes....

NewApproach

NewApproach wrote: »

So would I! There are plenty of 3.2s in the UK, dont tend to be much more expensive than the lesser engined models, but the VRT would be alot more

This being a prime example

Ferris

+1 on the golf

You'd get this for 25k:

http://cars.rte.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=1107935

Or an Astra OPC:
http://cars.rte.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=1169268

Or a Focus RS:
http://cars.rte.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=1234698

Hot hatches ftw!

Lex Luthor

NewApproach wrote: »

This being a prime example

still be near to €20k to bring it in....

there was one same as this on carzone a few weeks ago, same year/mileage for 20k aswell

Bandara

NewApproach wrote: »

This being a prime example

Completely unsaleable

you better intend keeping it forever

Lex Luthor

Hammertime wrote: »

Completely unsaleable

you better intend keeping it forever

I don't agree....if they are rare enough in this country and sold at a good price, it will sell

Ferris

Lex Luthor wrote: »

I don't agree....if they are rare enough in this country and sold at a good price, it will sell

I don't know why you guys are talking about 3.2 alfas when the OP already said that an M3 would be too much in terms of running costs.

Also M3's are well priced at the mo (same as uk) and they're impossible to shift, I can't imagine a 3.2 Alfa faring any better when they are slower and not as good on the road as an M3 no matter how good a noise they make.

NewApproach

Ferris wrote: »

I don't know why you guys are talking about 3.2 alfas when the OP already said that an M3 would be too much in terms of running costs.

Also M3's are well priced at the mo (same as uk) and they're impossible to shift, I can't imagine a 3.2 Alfa faring any better when they are slower and not as good on the road as an M3 no matter how good a noise they make.

Well in fairness I did put up a link to the 3.2 alfa
Lost the run of myself I suppose!

Just spoke to him, and he said he wont go for more than a 2.2 engine.

He seems very keen on the BM, and said it needn't necessarily be the coupe.

I really dont know nearly as much about BM's as some of the rest of you on here, so your thoughts are very welcome!!

For a start, I would have thought a M Sport pack would be a near neccessity.

HashSlinging

If he has 25k + the golf this would be my choice, way nicer than a BMW.

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Alfa-Romeo/Brera/3.2/200842190522423/advert

E92

NewApproach wrote: »

Wish he would but the running costs would be unreal!

He drives a Golf at the minute, I think its the 1.4 one, so even stepping up to a 320i would be a big step in regards performance

A 320i will have *plenty* of power. 170 bhp and 2.2 litres will see to that.

A "sports car" isn't just about speed, it's about handling and a good sounding engine that loves to be revved too and that's where rear wheel drive and BMW straight 6 comes into its own; the straight 6s make a great noise and they love to be revved, so I'm sure your cousin will be delighted.

Just make sure if he does go down the BMW route to get a 6 cylinder engine and not one of those crappy 4 cylinder models(the diesel is good but diesel never was, is and will be sporty plus 02-04 320ds seem to blow their turbo every 60k or so too).

The Golf, Focus, Astra etc are very good cars in their own right, but I don't see how they can fulfill the OPs criteria. Just because they might have more power than the 320i doesn't mean they're better per say(though I admit to not having driven any of the properly fast versions of these cars but the standard ones are quite simply not as good as a rear wheel drive car is going to be for handling even though they're still a lot better than some of the other cars on sale).

NewApproach

E92 wrote: »

A 320i will have *plenty* of power. 170 bhp and 2.2 litres will see to that.

A "sports car" isn't just about speed, it's about handling and a good sounding engine that loves to be revved too and that's where rear wheel drive and BMW straight 6 comes into its own; the straight 6s make a great noise and they love to be revved, so I'm sure your cousin will be delighted.

Just make sure if he does go down the BMW route to get a 6 cylinder engine and not one of those crappy 4 cylinder models(the diesel is good but diesel never was, is and will be sporty plus 02-04 320ds seem to blow their turbo every 60k or so too).

The Golf, Focus, Astra etc are very good cars in their own right, but I don't see how they can fulfill the OPs criteria. Just because they might have more power than the 320i doesn't mean they're better per say(though I admit to not having driven any of the properly fast versions of these cars but the standard ones are quite simply not as good as a rear wheel drive car is going to be for handling even though they're still a lot better than some of the other cars on sale).

Thanks for that e92, I agree with everything you say. I already advised him that if he gets a 16 or 18 model, he will always be left thinking 'what if...'.

I think to be honest it will be a BMW he goes for at the end of the day, just a question of what model!

conceited

Every tom dick and harry has a bmw ....
Go with a toyota supra or an evo .

pyramuid man

How bout this .
Is a two litre and they are as rare as anything on the road and they are a mental motor.

conceited

Thats a horrible car.
It looks like a focus.....

NewApproach

pyramuid man wrote: »

How bout this .
Is a two litre and they are as rare as anything on the road and they are a mental motor.

€17.5k is an awful lot to pay for an 03 Focus, even if it is an RS model...

Ferris

E92 wrote: »

The Golf, Focus, Astra etc are very good cars in their own right, but I don't see how they can fulfill the OPs criteria. Just because they might have more power than the 320i doesn't mean they're better per say(though I admit to not having driven any of the properly fast versions of these cars but the standard ones are quite simply not as good as a rear wheel drive car is going to be for handling even though they're still a lot better than some of the other cars on sale).

I agree that a 'real sports car' should be rwd but the OP's mate drives a fwd golf so rwd would be a big change for him. Also you can get a nearly new GTi/OPC/ST for the money he is talking about. Also while I do like BMW's the e46 is not as good as everyone seems to think. The 2.2L 320 uses the same petrol as the hot hatches (25-30mpg) mentioned and costs more to tax while not being as powerful. They also suffer from serious suspension wear - broken rear springs, front arm bushes, twisting subframes etc and their ignition coils fail too.

Add to that that I have driven both a Gti and a 320i (and a 325i) and the Golf was simply more fun than the BMW's!

OP if your mate goes for an e46 make sure he gets it checked out thoroughly, a good one is great but a bad one is a nightmare.

JJJJNR

conceited wrote: »

Every tom dick and harry has a bmw ....
Go with a toyota supra or an evo .

Agreed on the evo. Supra is wayy past it though.

siralfalot

jeebus, since when is a 320i considered a sports car, its a shopping trolly for yummy mummys!! :P

question: how practical does the car need to be?

my personal choices would be something along the lines of these:

link

link

link

or there is always the old reliables, Scoobys and Mitsu Evo

Notch000

what does your cousin do anyways when hes 24 & has 25K to spend on a car ??? is it daddys money ??

JJJJNR

Notch000 wrote: »

what does your cousin do anyways when hes 24 & has 25K to spend on a car ??? is it daddys money ??

Hmm maybe he stayed in School.

conceited

I want to be english can anyone help me?:rolleyes:

Biro

E92 wrote: »

A 320i will have *plenty* of power. 170 bhp and 2.2 litres will see to that.

A "sports car" isn't just about speed, it's about handling and a good sounding engine that loves to be revved too and that's where rear wheel drive and BMW straight 6 comes into its own; the straight 6s make a great noise and they love to be revved, so I'm sure your cousin will be delighted.

Just make sure if he does go down the BMW route to get a 6 cylinder engine and not one of those crappy 4 cylinder models(the diesel is good but diesel never was, is and will be sporty plus 02-04 320ds seem to blow their turbo every 60k or so too).

The Golf, Focus, Astra etc are very good cars in their own right, but I don't see how they can fulfill the OPs criteria. Just because they might have more power than the 320i doesn't mean they're better per say(though I admit to not having driven any of the properly fast versions of these cars but the standard ones are quite simply not as good as a rear wheel drive car is going to be for handling even though they're still a lot better than some of the other cars on sale).

It should be noted at this point that just because it's RWD doesn't mean it's automatically better than any FWD.
The 320i even with the 2.2 I6 will be only luke warm, but it sounds like he wants a beemer so off with him. The fact that he said it doesn't have to be a coupe shows that he doesn't want a sporty car at all, he just wants a car that his mates think is a sporty make.
I'd rather a Mk V GTi to a 320i, I'd rather a 330i over a Mk 5 GTi, I'd rather an Evo 8 over a 330i. But there ya go. Doesn't matter what I'd like, tell your mate to find a good example of a 320i and make sure to haggle like mad. He'll be happy.

E92

siralfalot wrote: »

jeebus, since when is a 320i considered a sports car

It's not. A sports car is something like a Z4, Mazda MX-5 etc.

It's merely something sporty that also happens to be reasonably sensible.

And it has rear wheel drive, an important ingrediant in making a car handle well, which is what something sporty should do.

Because it's a straight 6, it also has a great sounding engine. And it will be fast enough, 170 bhp will be plenty in a car that size. 0-60 in 8.2 is hardly bad. Though a 325i or 330i will have yet more power(especially the 330i with 231 bhp) and more performance (0-60 in 7.2 and 6.3 respectively)if it's required for the OP's cousin.

I admit I just don't like the sound of a 4 cylinder engine, and that I far prefer the sound of a 6 cylinder engine. Even a high revving VTEC screamer does nothing for me. A Subaru flat 4 is the only 4 cylinder engine that makes a good noise, a very good noise at that.

I've been a Ford fan for quite some time but I think the RS is just far too much of a boy racer special appearance wise.

I'm sure it handles very well, after all the standard one is the best in the class for driving pleasure.

It's the only thing really that stands a chance if somebody's got their mind set on something from Munich.

jozi

siralfalot wrote: »

jeebus, since when is a 320i considered a sports car, its a shopping trolly for yummy mummys!! :P

question: how practical does the car need to be?

my personal choices would be something along the lines of these:

link

link

link

or there is always the old reliables, Scoobys and Mitsu Evo

Did you miss this post?

11K Sterling for an Elise!!!!

it's sporty!

B00MSTICK

If it were me I'd grab an S2000.
Not only is it a hoot but very reliable, tops some satisfaction chart too IIRC.

~120bhp per litre, 9k redline and 6 speed gearbox, very sweet if he can make do with 2 seats.

Lex Luthor

conceited wrote: »

I want to be english can anyone help me?:rolleyes:

thats an awful thing to say.....:eek:

Dolph Starbeam

25k on a sports car, easy;

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/478108.htm

or

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/787322.htm

NeVeR

350Z
http://www.cbg.ie/Car_Detail.aspx?ID=2541336

Lexus
http://www.cbg.ie/Car_Detail.aspx?ID=2520457#

Evo
http://www.cbg.ie/Car_Detail.aspx?ID=545751

Type R
http://www.cbg.ie/Car_Detail.aspx?ID=1987826

Skyline
http://www.cbg.ie/Car_Detail.aspx?ID=2282843

JJJJNR

Boxster! keep the change..

hmm might go for this myself!

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Porsche/Boxster/2.5-Conv/200840190270861/advert

Dolph Starbeam

JJJJNR wrote: »

Boxster! keep the change..

hmm might go for this myself!

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Porsche/Boxster/2.5-Conv/200840190270861/advert

The only reason anyone buys a boxster is because they can't afford a 911:p Not that i can though:o

siralfalot

MOG7 wrote: »

25k on a sports car, easy;

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/478108.htm

or

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/787322.htm

stunning cars, but no way would you get one home and on Irish plates for less than €25k unfortunatly, if you could, I'd have one myself

conceited wrote: »

I want to be english can anyone help me?:rolleyes:

WTF are you on about?:rolleyes:

JJJJNR

CL500 for 19k

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Mercedes-Benz/CL-Class/500-REDU/200840190224597/advert

NewApproach

E92 wrote: »

It's not. A sports car is something like a Z4, Mazda MX-5 etc.

It's merely something sporty that also happens to be reasonably sensible.

E92 has hit the nail on the head here.

When I said sporty, I meant something that isnt a dull, bland, run of the mill car, instead something that looks well with reasonable performance. While some on here would think a 3 series is bland and common, more wouldnt, and it is the type of car my cousin is looking for.

While I appreciate all the suggestions, the likes of an S2000 and Boxster aren't really what my cousin is looking for.

As a possible alternative to a 3 series, how would people on here rate the Lexus IS?

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Lexus/IS200/220-D/200839190143283/advert

JJJJNR

Might get this for 25 if he's pushy.

http://www.carzone.ie/search/SEAT/Leon/2.0T-FSI/200847190906485/advert

bibi-phoque

JJJJNR wrote: »

CL500 for 19k

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Mercedes-Benz/CL-Class/500-REDU/200840190224597/advert

That would be my choice....a very cheap CL500! You get comfort and sporty. Can't believe this car was over 100k€ a few years ago...
for a pure sporty, I'll go for a Clio V6 (they are quite rare now..) or a lotus Elise.
But if the guy is looking for a BMW 320, I doubt he would consider any of these cars! Obviously, he is looking for a confortable car with more power than his Golf and a good look. I myself was between 2 cars a year ago, a BMW 320i and an RX-8. No comparison obviously, but that was the 2 cars I wanted. Went for the RX-8 fortunatly :-)

siralfalot

bibi-phoque wrote: »

That would be my choice....a very cheap CL500! You get comfort and sporty. Can't believe this car was over 100k€ a few years ago...
for a pure sporty, I'll go for a Clio V6 (they are quite rare now..) or a lotus Elise.
But if the guy is looking for a BMW 320, I doubt he would consider any of these cars! Obviously, he is looking for a confortable car with more power than his Golf and a good look. I myself was between 2 cars a year ago, a BMW 320i and an RX-8. No comparison obviously, but that was the 2 cars I wanted. Went for the RX-8 fortunatly :-)

RX-8!!! now why didn't I think of that??

http://www.octane.ie/ads/car.php?id=3620

E92

NewApproach wrote: »

E92 has hit the nail on the head here.

When I said sporty, I meant something that isnt a dull, bland, run of the mill car, instead something that looks well with reasonable performance. While some on here would think a 3 series is bland and common, more wouldnt, and it is the type of car my cousin is looking for.

While I appreciate all the suggestions, the likes of an S2000 and Boxster aren't really what my cousin is looking for.

As a possible alternative to a 3 series, how would people on here rate the Lexus IS?

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Lexus/IS200/220-D/200839190143283/advert

The Lexus will have less power but Japanese reliability and like the 320i it will have a straight 6 and RWD, which are big plus points in my book. Dunno what they're like to drive but I'm sure that straight 6 is a very good engine, Toyota VVTi engines are usually very good though they need plenty of revs to deliver some performance. The Japanese reliability isn't to be dismissed either, it will probably be a more reliable car than the 320i(though the straight 6 BMWs are bulletproof usually, it's more the fact that some of the suspension components go on the 3 series that causes me to say the 320i is going to be less reliable).

Their sister car the Altezza tends to be associated with the skanger element though(FWIW the Altezza would have a fair bit more power but it is only a 4 cylinder engine), and it won't have the image or the nice interior of the BMW, but choosing a car on image or the badge is pretty lame IMHO.

I really don't know which would suit your cousin the best tbh, but the BMW does have a reputation for being better to drive and with more power is obviously faster.

bibi-phoque

siralfalot wrote: »

RX-8!!! now why didn't I think of that??

http://www.octane.ie/ads/car.php?id=3620

Check this one out! Much better value...
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Mazda/RX-8/231BHP-E/200847190933916/advert

(that's mine but I'm going back to France soon!!)

NewApproach

siralfalot wrote: »

RX-8!!! now why didn't I think of that??

http://www.octane.ie/ads/car.php?id=3620

It crossed my mind alright but I thought between the high running costs and the Mazda badge, it would be suitable for what he is looking for.

But a great car I agree

bibi-phoque

I can confirm the running cost, 250 miles is as far as she goes with a full tank. Still though, I enjoy every minute of it.
Funny enough, the people that come to check it out are also looking at BMW... Probably the fact that it is a "real" confortable 4 seats coupé.
it's a shame about the turbo blowing up on the BMW 320D, because this is a very good car (after 2002).

Lex Luthor

MOG7 wrote: »

The only reason anyone buys a boxster is because they can't afford a 911:p Not that i can though:o

I thought that what a Caymen was..

a boxster is in a class of its own

R.O.R

E92 wrote: »

The Lexus will have less power but Japanese reliability and like the 320i it will have a straight 6 and RWD, which are big plus points in my book.

:eek: look a little closer at the ad and the car. It's the new model so there was/is no IS200, ad says it's the IS220d.