Coupe - Up to €3500 / €4000

1867IE

I'm in the market for coupe around €3500 or so.

All I can think of so far:

Hyundai Coupe, 2003/2004
Audi TT 2001-2004
Toyota Celica 2001-2003

It will be used as an everyday car and I do around 18,000kms-20,000kms (not miles) per year so I need a certain level of reliability.

What else is in this price category, I'm surely missing a lot.

Alanstrainor

Out of your list, I'd be leaning towards the Audi TT, you might want to sit in them though, they can be a bit cramped if you're used to bigger cars.

A BMW 3 Series coupe could be worth a look, however, the engines available may not be suitable.

BKWDR

Out of what you had said, i would steer towards the Hyundai, japanese, reliable and not so expensive parts. Have heard woeful stories of people trying to get TT parts or the cost etc. Just my tupponce

Alanstrainor

BKWDR wrote: »

Out of what you had said, i would steer towards the Hyundai, japanese, reliable and not so expensive parts. Have heard woeful stories of people trying to get TT parts or the cost etc. Just my tupponce

Good point.

They're pretty different cars tbh, the Audi is faster and sportier in general. The Hyundai has the looks, but is not a sporty car compared to the Audi.

Lardy

What about a Mercedes C220 Coupé?

1867IE

Lardy wrote: »

What about a Mercedes C220 Coupé?

Yeah, might investigate this.

Lardy

EDIT: Linky thing didn't work...

Idbatterim

or a merc c180 coupe. With the bm, the only one I would recommend it the 2L, which is sacrilege to bm drivers (and I am one) but even at 20,000 kms per year, youd be putting E60+ into even the smallest cc 6 cylinder, the 2.2L... The E46 facelift m sports are gorgeous cars...

truedoom

Hyundai...just not cool cars. not sure about how the coupe is mechanically, but if it's anything like the other hyundai's it won't break (but you'll wish it did).

Audi - parts/labour on these are massive compared to other cars. nice car though.

Toyota - reliable, but the celica has NO room in the back. I know there are seats, but you wouldn't fit half a dwarf back their comfortably. not sure if that matters (guess not if going for a coupe).

Ardennes1944

Not a coupe but Cooper S?

BKWDR

OSI wrote: »

The Hyundai is Korean, and having owned one, if I had a choice of the others at the time, I wouldn't have picked it.

Apols, Korean.

I think with any of the cars mentioned AND the price range, if you are looking at picking up a Merc or 'high end' Audi you are gonna be looking at NCT every year, looking at parts changing, cost of road tax on anything near 2.0 ltr which will be huge factors.

I only say Hyundai as they are (IMHO) mechanically sound, 1.6 litre entry point for tax and you will not get his as hard insurance wise and won't be heavy on the petrol as the 2.0+ litre beasts

Again not preaching gospel but looking at the bigger picture, some of the 'higher end' cars will just burn a hole in your pocket, especially a 10+ year old one, petrol, tax, insurance and maintenance.

Best of luck with your choice though

bazz26

Depends what you want from the car, the TT would be the performer and looker of that bunch whereas the Hyundai would be the cheap and cheerful and Celica being middle ground.

Peugeot 406 coupe could be worth a look at too, still looks good for a 16 year old design imo, pretty cheap to buy too:


http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/peugeot-406/6722743

Ded_Zebra

For me it would have to be the Celica in 190BHP form. Only 1.8 tax and they even do 40MPG
http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/toyota-celica-vvtli-190-2003/6742663

or if it was my money

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/1997-toyota-celica-gt4/6663011

HandsomeDan

Hyundai of that era is a total piece of crap compared to the others.

colm_mcm

HandsomeDan wrote: »

Hyundai of that era is a total piece of crap compared to the others.

You'll get a much newer Hyundai than audi for the same money. A TT is a potential minefield/moneypit in comparison

1867IE

Now to be fair to all posters, some excellent points have been raised and highlighted here.

I am, however, no close to deciding.

A 406 coupe, whilst a great looker (in red especially) is off the cards as I've had one already.

Excellent excellent points, keep them suggestions coming.

1867IE

I'm also quite surprised at how cheap the Hyundai Coupe is.

€3500 would buy you a 06 one with low miles. Whereas you would get a 02 Audi TT with 120,000miles for the same.

A sign of the weaker Hyundai perhaps.

colm_mcm

A sign that the Coupe was €25k brand new and the TT was almost twice that.

1867IE

I'm reading about TT's being troublesome with instrument clusters and the pickup pipe in the sumpt getting blocked - hence oil starvation to engine & turbo.

Any truth?

colm_mcm

There's more than that to go wrong on them in fairness.

christy02

Mazda rx-8. Few nice ones for circa 3-4k

Foxhole Norman

What about the 407 coupe? Nice looking exterior and a fantastic interior imo.

CianRyan

Foxhole Norman wrote: »

What about the 407 coupe? Nice looking exterior and a fantastic interior imo.

Hardly something to consider next to an RX8 or an AWD TT to be fair.

Foxhole Norman

CianRyan wrote: »

Hardly something to consider next to an RX8 or an AWD TT to be fair.

Well he didn't mention Sports coupe, they were just all he could think of. I know I'd like to have some comfort doing that kind of mileage and the engines in the 407 coupe are decent enough.

Big Nasty

christy02 wrote: »

Mazda rx-8. Few nice ones for circa 3-4k

He does 20k a year, and he said reliable.

E46 320d coupe OP.

CianRyan

Foxhole Norman wrote: »

Well he didn't mention Sports coupe, they were just all he could think of. I know I'd like to have some comfort doing that kind of mileage and the engines in the 407 coupe are decent enough.

Yeah I guess that's true.
Those coupes are nearly luxobarges but they are nice to look at!

Foxhole Norman

CianRyan wrote: »

Yeah I guess that's true.
Those coupes are nearly luxobarges but they are nice to look at!

They are rather large alright! I'm considering one myself...