I need an alternative suggestion !!

martydunf

Ok I was all set on getting a Celica T-Sport (190bhp) but now I'm not too gone on it anymore and I want something different.
What attracted me to the car in ther first place was the power of it and how it can get quite good mpg depending on how you drove it (~36mpg)......& also being able to get insured on it.:)

But now I'm not so gone on the looks of it any more and would appreciate it if ye could suggest alternatives! (No Integras please people because I won't get insured on one!) Something that has both savage looks and plenty of poke!

Cheers!:D

niceirishfella

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/853801.htm
or this one with lower miles. http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/848548.htm

ok, sorted .........Next Question?

homer90

niceirishfella wrote: »

ok, sorted .........Next Question?

martydunf

yeah the rx8 was always at the back of me mind but 1 thing bothers me about it and thats the rotary engine which needs to be rebuilt every 60k miles? correct??

is this expensive to do? do most garages do this??

That put me off the car really tbh. but if i were thinking getting an RX-8 i reckon i'd go for the RX-7 instead

sunshinediver

martydunf wrote: »

Ok I was all set on getting a Celica T-Sport (190bhp) but now I'm not too gone on it anymore and I want something different.
What attracted me to the car in ther first place was the power of it and how it can get quite good mpg depending on how you drove it (~36mpg)......& also being able to get insured on it.:)

But now I'm not so gone on the looks of it any more and would appreciate it if ye could suggest alternatives! (No Integras please people because I won't get insured on one!) Something that has both savage looks and plenty of poke!

Cheers!:D

I was in the same boat as yourself, I wanted something with plenty of poke, good MPG and savage looks. Having considered options including GTIs (crap MPG) and the occasional Impreza (even worse MPG) I went for an E46 BMW 320 CD M sport. Plenty of frugal petrol models available too. With the M sport kit, 18in wheels and rear LED lights it looks the dogs Bo11ox. Can also be imported quite cheaply atm. IMO the BMW will always look classier than any japanese equivalent.

sunshinediver

niceirishfella wrote: »

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/853801.htm
or this one with lower miles. http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/848548.htm

ok, sorted .........Next Question?

He said something with good MPG

martydunf

sunshinediver wrote: »

I was in the same boat as yourself, I wanted something with plenty of poke, good MPG and savage looks. Having considered options including GTIs (crap MPG) and the occasional Impreza (even worse MPG) I went for an E46 BMW 320 CD M sport. Plenty of frugal petrol models available too. With the M sport kit, 18in wheels and rear LED lights it looks the dogs Bo11ox. Can also be imported quite cheaply atm. IMO the BMW will always look classier than any japanese equivalent.

I was looking at them across the water alright but when vrt is included there roughly in 16-18k region and i thought that was kinda expensive for my budget. I'd have bout 10k to spend.
I've heard stories bout the runflat tyres being fairly rouigh on our roads aswell...

niceirishfella

martydunf wrote: »

I was looking at them across the water alright but when vrt is included there roughly in 16-18k region and i thought that was kinda expensive for my budget. I'd have bout 10k to spend.
I've heard stories bout the runflat tyres being fairly rouigh on our roads aswell...

ahhhhhhhhh, here we go, 10k.........thats Glaza Turbo money......you're gonna have to under that mattress to revise that budget.

right, for savage looks with a bit of poke, this is for you. I dunno if it has run flats tho?
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/328409.htm

sunshinediver

martydunf wrote: »

I was looking at them across the water alright but when vrt is included there roughly in 16-18k region and i thought that was kinda expensive for my budget. I'd have bout 10k to spend.
I've heard stories bout the runflat tyres being fairly rouigh on our roads aswell...

There's a lot of petrol and diesel models on autotrader.co.uk for an asking price of about 7-9k. You can probably get a grand off these at least. The VRT will be cheaper for the diesel model. I wouldn't worry about the runflat tyres, they only come standard on the E92 models.

Atomic Pineapple

sunshinediver wrote: »

With the M sport kit, 18in wheels and rear LED lights it looks the dogs Bo11ox. Can also be imported quite cheaply atm. IMO the BMW will always look classier than any japanese equivalent.

:rolleyes:


Pity you cant get insured in an Integra, it meets your requirements spot on.

Have you tried an Integra Sir?

If you cant get insured in an Integra I doubt you'll get insured in an Rx7

martydunf

draffodx wrote: »

:rolleyes:


Pity you cant get insured in an Integra, it meets your requirements spot on.

Have you tried an Integra Sir?

If you cant get insured in an Integra I doubt you'll get insured in an Rx7

I never thought of the SIR 'teg....what bhp are they?? would they be similar to the t-sport celica ?

victor1

Would recommend the celica over the rx8 (have had both)as you have commented on mpg's - I had celica albeit the 140bhp and was great on petrol, approx 36-40mpg as far as i recall and being toyota rock solid. The rx8 although a seriously fast car(had the 231 bhp model) has absolutely horrific mpg esp if you are taking it on low gear journeys, approx 13/15 mpg, would nearly make a grown man cry. But in saying that if u want a performance sporty type motor you will ultimatley have to suffer poor mpg
First of all whats your budget and also would there be any restrictions with regard high tax brackets/insurance?
I can wholehearthedly recomment the celica, but if you would like something different, what about a 350Z(but again mpg would make ya cry):
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Nissan/350Z/200903191469800/advert
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Nissan/350Z/v6/200840190249484/advert

Lotus:
http://www.cbg.ie/Car_Detail.aspx?ID=2400704(this one is quite ugly imo)
But this one is class:
http://www.cbg.ie/Car_Detail.aspx?ID=2515119

martydunf

victor1 wrote: »

Would recommend the celica over the rx8 (have had both)as you have commented on mpg's - I had celica albeit the 140bhp and was great on petrol, approx 36-40mpg as far as i recall and being toyota rock solid. The rx8 although a seriously fast car(had the 231 bhp model) has absolutely horrific mpg esp if you are taking it on low gear journeys, approx 13/15 mpg, would nearly make a grown man cry. But in saying that if u want a performance sporty type motor you will ultimatley have to suffer poor mpg
First of all whats your budget and also would there be any restrictions with regard high tax brackets/insurance?
I can wholehearthedly recomment the celica, but if you would like something different, what about a 350Z(but again mpg would make ya cry):
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Nissan/350Z/200903191469800/advert
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Nissan/350Z/v6/200840190249484/advert

Lotus:
http://www.cbg.ie/Car_Detail.aspx?ID=2400704(this one is quite ugly imo)
But this one is class:
http://www.cbg.ie/Car_Detail.aspx?ID=2515119

The Lotus never crossed my mind tbh. I always imagined them as being quite high maintanance and expensive to buy. The Lotus is sure to be a rarer car on the road. I'll have a read up on them on parkers to see what i think. Thanks victor1

Biro

The RX8 doesn't need an engine rebuild every 60k miles. The RX7 did. What happened is that the rotor tips needed replacing on the RX7's, which is an engine out job, so similar to an engine rebuild, while not technically being one. Probably expensive and not something that just any garage will do. The RX8 however does not need this, and there is no known mileage to replace the rotors as yet really. They do need to be owned by someone who has a clue though and remembered to keep the oil topped up. They use a little oil in order to keep the rotor tips lubricated, it's not a design flaw it's a design feature.
Insurance on the RX7 will be more expensive than the Integra, and probably not much less for an RX8. For 10 grand you won't get a decent BMW 320 coupe diesel, you'll get a bag of crap. What would be better is a 325i. 320 is slow, unless it's the petrol 2.2, that's just about OK.
Not a lot else, the Elise is outside your budget, but an excellent car. You could look at an S14 or S15, although the S15 isn't the best handling car, nice bit of power though. Probably also outside the budget.

martydunf

Having looked on carzone theres plenty of s14a's under 10k.
if i were to go for a silvia (which i had previously considered) it'd have to be a turbo ya?
the s15 spec r, which is x10, better looking than the s14a is just too expensive.

i hear that turbo'd cars in general require a lot more TLC than a N/A, is this true?

victor1

martydunf wrote: »

The Lotus never crossed my mind tbh. I always imagined them as being quite high maintanance and expensive to buy. The Lotus is sure to be a rarer car on the road. I'll have a read up on them on parkers to see what i think. Thanks victor1

Maintaince - probably, but think some of the newer ones(not sure what year) have whats basically the vvpi/L toyota engine (not sure there though , maybe someone else knows for definite), but a 1.8 you've got cheap road tax(ish), assuming its a plain 1.8 insurance unless the sports class of car makes it more expensive -

reviews:http://www.edmunds.com/lotus/elise/review.html?mktcat=style+review+page&kw=2008+lotus+elise+100968303+style+review+page&mktid=ik344168

http://www.whatcar.com/Search/@22Lotus%20Elise%20Open%20(99-)@22/UsedCarReviews/ViewCount!1/abn/default.aspx

s14 silvia

im selling this gsr lancer if your intrested http://www.adverts.ie/showproduct.php?product=89967

Biro

victor1 wrote: »

Maintaince - probably, but think some of the newer ones(not sure what year) have whats basically the vvpi/L toyota engine (not sure there though , maybe someone else knows for definite), but a 1.8 you've got cheap road tax(ish), assuming its a plain 1.8 insurance unless the sports class of car makes it more expensive -

reviews:http://www.edmunds.com/lotus/elise/review.html?mktcat=style+review+page&kw=2008+lotus+elise+100968303+style+review+page&mktid=ik344168

http://www.whatcar.com/Search/@22Lotus%20Elise%20Open%20(99-)@22/UsedCarReviews/ViewCount!1/abn/default.aspx

The Elise 111R is the one with the Toyota 190bhp engine, from the Celica. The 111S and any other variant have the Rover engine.

victor1

oooooookk then, .... guess which one to avoid:),??I'll give a clue its the rover one:)

Biro

victor1 wrote: »

oooooookk then, .... guess which one to avoid:),??I'll give a clue its the rover one:)

Actually, the Rover engine is too harshly criticised, it's not that bad! Doesn't improve with age though... quite the opposite in fact!

victor1

ah come on, there's being harsh and not being harsh,a rover enginve Vs the VVTL celica engine to all extents and purposes the rover engine would have to be regarded as a heap O Sh!+,

Biro

victor1 wrote: »

ah come on, there's being harsh and not being harsh,a rover enginve Vs the VVTL celica engine to all extents and purposes the rover engine would have to be regarded as a heap O Sh!+,

Not as much as you might think. Read reviews, it has it's pro's. Still I'd only consider the Toyota engine, but that's not to say I think the Rover engine is crap. They did have one or two good ones! (OK, only 2 ever, but that's another story!)

kuro_man

Have you considered a Fiat Coupe 20v turbo? One of the best looking cars ever made.

You should be able to pick up immaculate 1999-2000 for around €3-6,000, maybe even a "plus" or a "Limited Edition (LE)". They have skirts, 6-speed box, leather and push-button start. Have a look on fcc.org for buyers guide.

Key thing is to buy an unmolested one: lots of them have been chipped/boosted etc. which can bugger the engine. A trip to the UK might be necessary to find a nice stock one.

They are highly reliable and practical car with 5 cyclinder engine, 220hp, 26+mpg and a decent boot.

Heres a nice example for beer money:
http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/774919.htm

martydunf

kuro_man wrote: »

Have you considered a Fiat Coupe 20v turbo? One of the best looking cars ever made.

You should be able to pick up immaculate 1999-2000 for around €3-6,000, maybe even a "plus" or a "Limited Edition (LE)". They have skirts, 6-speed box, leather and push-button start. Have a look on fcc.org for buyers guide.

Key thing is to buy an unmolested one: lots of them have been chipped/boosted etc. which can bugger the engine. A trip to the UK might be necessary to find a nice stock one.

They are highly reliable and practical car with 5 cyclinder engine, 220hp, 26+mpg and a decent boot.

Heres a nice example for beer money:
http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/774919.htm

I had previously considered the Fiat Coupe alright but I remember reading somewhere that is was a pretty tricky job to do an oil change to this particular car! It involves something like having to drop the engine slightly to get at the sump screw or something so this put me off this car as I wouldn't fancy having to go the garage every time to get a service done.

Thanks all the same for the suggestion tho kuro man:)

victor1

Biro wrote: »

Not as much as you might think. Read reviews, it has it's pro's. Still I'd only consider the Toyota engine, but that's not to say I think the Rover engine is crap. They did have one or two good ones! (OK, only 2 ever, but that's another story!)

Ok, i'll change my grading to mostly crap instead of total crapola:D,i did hear that the rover75 is supposedly an ok car?

Biro

victor1 wrote: »

Ok, i'll change my grading to mostly crap instead of total crapola:D,i did hear that the rover75 is supposedly an ok car?

I hate the Rover 75. Hated it before I drove it and afterwards I REALLY hated it.

martydunf

Is the vvtL-i engine that the Celica uses the same engine thats in the Lotus Elise?

Biro

martydunf wrote: »

Is the vvtL-i engine that the Celica uses the same engine thats in the Lotus Elise?

Yep.

victor1

martydunf wrote: »

Is the vvtL-i engine that the Celica uses the same engine thats in the Lotus Elise?

yep vvtL is the 190bhp model, vvti the 140bhp in celica's

martydunf

so the elise produces 190 bhp? and has the same top speed and 0-60 times??

victor1

engine does, but think you can get supercharged version with higher 220/230 bhp, the car would to 0-60 in about 5 seconds, quicker than celica as its an extremely light car, prob one of lightest cars in its class around

Biro

martydunf wrote: »

so the elise produces 190 bhp? and has the same top speed and 0-60 times??

I doubt it, the 111R is probably around 5.5 seconds to 60, the Celica T-sport is just over 7. The Elise is probably 200kgs at least lighter. It's a completely different car. The Celica is one of the best handling front wheel drive cars, but the Elise is one of the best handling cars full stop.

niceirishfella

Vauxhall VX200 - cheaper and more reliable by all accounts

kuro_man

martydunf wrote: »

I had previously considered the Fiat Coupe alright but I remember reading somewhere that is was a pretty tricky job to do an oil change to this particular car! It involves something like having to drop the engine slightly to get at the sump screw or something so this put me off this car as I wouldn't fancy having to go the garage every time to get a service done.

Thanks all the same for the suggestion tho kuro man:)

This is not true. Some mechanics liked to take the engine up to change the timing belt (every 70k miles) because room was tight, but it can be done in situ. Regarding oil change, the sump screw would be accessible from the bottom but even if it was not, it can be vacuumed out the dipstick pipe anyway - much easier and cleaner method. Vacuum chambers for oil-changes can be bought on fleabay.

martydunf

Biro wrote: »

I doubt it, the 111R is probably around 5.5 seconds to 60, the Celica T-sport is just over 7. The Elise is probably 200kgs at least lighter. It's a completely different car. The Celica is one of the best handling front wheel drive cars, but the Elise is one of the best handling cars full stop.

But I'm guessing the Celica would be a better daily driver car??

ncc98071

I had a celical 190bhp for two years and done 40000 miles in that time
Very reliable car and fun to drive as well,

victor1

martydunf wrote: »

But I'm guessing the Celica would be a better daily driver car??

Yes rock solid, new model very classy looking, and a fair bit of pep from it

martydunf

Ok looks like I'll revert back to my original decision of the Celica....it'll do until I can offord a DC5!!:D

Biro

martydunf wrote: »

But I'm guessing the Celica would be a better daily driver car??

Yep, much easier to live with.

kuro_man

martydunf wrote: »

Ok looks like I'll revert back to my original decision of the Celica....it'll do until I can offord a DC5!!:D

don't buy a car you don't love! Keep looking, it generally takes me 18 months to buy a car. I'm over it now and moving on with life.

CianRyan

Considered an MX5?
Handling is second to none, 1.8l engine, cream leather interior.

http://www.octane.ie/ads/car.php?id=3722
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Mazda/MX-5/FRESH-JA/200840190281571/advert 1.7l
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Mazda/MX-5/200902191422563/advert 2l

If you really wanted too, you can take out the AC and stick in a V8, there's MX5s out there with 500+hp.

Plus they look class.

Barr

What about a Mitsibubishi FTO - great fun for the money and plenty of poke

martydunf

CianRyan wrote: »

Considered an MX5?
Handling is second to none, 1.8l engine, cream leather interior.

http://www.octane.ie/ads/car.php?id=3722
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Mazda/MX-5/FRESH-JA/200840190281571/advert 1.7l
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Mazda/MX-5/200902191422563/advert 2l

If you really wanted too, you can take out the AC and stick in a V8, there's MX5s out there with 500+hp.

Plus they look class.

I wouldn't be too gone on the MX-5 thb the looks of the car just dont suit me!


I have considered the FTO alright but I had difficulty in trying to get enough information on 1. I'd imagine parts for it would be rare enough and pricey at that!! Insurance would probably slaughter me aswell!:o


Sorry for been so fussy people!:rolleyes:

Ferris

CianRyan wrote: »

Considered an MX5?
Handling is second to none, 1.8l engine, cream leather interior.

http://www.octane.ie/ads/car.php?id=3722
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Mazda/MX-5/FRESH-JA/200840190281571/advert 1.7l
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Mazda/MX-5/200902191422563/advert 2l

If you really wanted too, you can take out the AC and stick in a V8, there's MX5s out there with 500+hp.

Plus they look class.

+1

Mx5's ftw, they're such a nice car to drive that you won't care who's looking at you. A nice set of wheels and a front splitter and they look cool too.