If you were buying a car for €4000 right now, what would you get?

Dkhuts

Just curious to see what people would be buying in this day and age, and hopefully influence be on my next car purchase. So any recommendations are more than welcome.
Im currently looking at a 2009+ honda civic 1.8 vtec. I do a lot of milage but a modern diesel is just full of problems, also looking for something with a bit of power and thats moderately ok for tax. Hondas being proper reliable and the tax being either 390 or 570 it seems like a good option. That being said im 21 with a full license and im getting quoted 1.3k for insurance which isnt too bad atall. If you were my shoes what other options would you go for? I was looking at audi a3 and corollas but theyre about 100hp and id want atleast 120. Was looking at a few bmws 2.0i and a4s 1.8 tfsi but id only grab a 2008 model which will bring up the insurance.

CountingCrows

Newer shape Accord?

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/honda-accord-es-gt-2008/21558539

duffman3833

Whats a lot of mileage? 15k+ or more?
I recently went from a diesel Saab 93 to a BMW 320i saloon. 390 to tax, not the worst of fuel, about 33mpg mixture of country roads and town. Insurance went up 100 euro and im 29. Although if you got the lower 120bhp 320i its cheaper to insure as it would have only went up a few euro but i went for the 170 bhp version
Honda would be a good call in terms of reliability

blindside88

Octavia vrs could be an option. Decent poke, good bit of space and reliable

selectamatic

Late reg mk1 superb or mk1 octavia.
Cheap tax and simple old school tech great mpg
A remap would leave either at about the 150bhp mark. Half your budget should get one.

They're usually very handy insure.

Shefwedfan

You have 4k, you are 21 and you want a specific Bhp

Based on your requirements and what you listed above you are spending over 30% of your budget on insurance and tax? Personally that is crazy to me.

Bhp is not the only thing that is a consideration in a car. Weight is a huge factor. Smaller car then less Bhp required. You mention A4 and then A3? the A3 is a lot smaller so with the same Bhp as the A4 will be a lot quicker.

If I was you I would look at Seat Ibiza, Golf etc cars in that bracket. Why anyone at 21 would want to buy a Superb or an Octavia??

Just google hot hatch....

P.S the whole remap thing is not strictly legal, you can do it of course but you are supposed to tell your insurance company what you have done to the car. So if you crashed and insurance work out car is remapped, your insurance can be invalid. Just an FYI....your choice if you want to remap or not

endacl

Saab

selectamatic

Shefwedfan wrote: »

You have 4k, you are 21 and you want a specific Bhp

Based on your requirements and what you listed above you are spending over 30% of your budget on insurance and tax? Personally that is crazy to me.

Bhp is not the only thing that is a consideration in a car. Weight is a huge factor. Smaller car then less Bhp required. You mention A4 and then A3? the A3 is a lot smaller so with the same Bhp as the A4 will be a lot quicker.

If I was you I would look at Seat Ibiza, Golf etc cars in that bracket. Why anyone at 21 would want to buy a Superb or an Octavia??

Just google hot hatch....

P.S the whole remap thing is not strictly legal, you can do it of course but you are supposed to tell your insurance company what you have done to the car. So if you crashed and insurance work out car is remapped, your insurance can be invalid. Just an FYI....your choice if you want to remap or not

From what I see around the country young males tend to drive a lot more octavias and superbs than a3s or ibizas. Golfs and seat Leons are a popular choice too.

Also there's generally less than 100kg between an a4 and an a3.

And in general 21 year olds can't insure "hot hatches"

Shefwedfan

selectamatic wrote: »

From what I see around the country young males tend to drive a lot more octavias and superbs than a3s or ibizas. Golfs and seat Leons are a popular choice too.

Also there's generally less than 100kg between an a4 and an a3.

And in general 21 year olds can't insure "hot hatches"

You don't need to buy the specific 200+Bhp to have a "hot hatch". Lot's of options with hatch back, at least you are not signing off your life at 21 and driving around in a Skoda family wagon.....

The A4 and A3 was an example that Bhp is not the only consideration, if you are comparing a A4 then a car a lot lighter will be quicker.

Small french cars can be brill as well....loads of options that are quick and cheap to insure.

Do people not get bored of just posting on every single thread about a Skoda Superb/Octavia....

Bandana boy

When I was your age about 20 years ago i went for a 1.3 Toyota Starlet
for its size 1.3 was very powerful and it was very fast .
My missus had a 1.4 Corrolla at the time and the starlet was far faster/nippy .
I did about 30K miles a year back then and I think the advice to drop the size of the car is a great suggestion.

selectamatic

Shefwedfan wrote: »

Do people not get bored of just posting on every single thread about a Skoda Superb/Octavia....

You never seem to tire of getting worked up any time people suggest one or the other that's for sure...

It's solid suggestion for someone who does a lot of driving and is after reliability.

Has anyone suggested you get a 35k electric on PCP yet? You'll save so much money on fuel and depreciation over the next five years you'll be able to buy a Tesla with the savings.

Shefwedfan

Deleted User wrote: »

Has anyone suggested you get a 35k electric on PCP yet? You'll save so much money on fuel and depreciation over the next five years you'll be able to buy a Tesla with the savings.

You just did, congrats but I dont think the OP mentioned electric



Or having 35k to spend

lalababa

Am I getting this right from your post OP......you want a post 2009 saloon with 120+BHP with relatively low tax, preferably petrol over diesel, under 4k. Anything else apart from obvious reliability &mpg??
Suggest Honda Civic, Volvo s40 1.8/2L

Dkhuts

Shefwedfan wrote: »

You have 4k, you are 21 and you want a specific Bhp

Based on your requirements and what you listed above you are spending over 30% of your budget on insurance and tax? Personally that is crazy to me.

Bhp is not the only thing that is a consideration in a car. Weight is a huge factor. Smaller car then less Bhp required. You mention A4 and then A3? the A3 is a lot smaller so with the same Bhp as the A4 will be a lot quicker.

If I was you I would look at Seat Ibiza, Golf etc cars in that bracket. Why anyone at 21 would want to buy a Superb or an Octavia??

Just google hot hatch....

P.S the whole remap thing is not strictly legal, you can do it of course but you are supposed to tell your insurance company what you have done to the car. So if you crashed and insurance work out car is remapped, your insurance can be invalid. Just an FYI....your choice if you want to remap or not

4k is the budget for the car only not for the insurance. I remapped my old car and the engine blew so im not planning on doing it anytime soon. I was looking at the golf actually yeah but ibiza is a bit too small. Also 100hp is a bit too low, had a corolla with 100hp also a light hatchback but was lacking a bit in power... was enough for me as a starter car tho

Kilboor

https://www.facebook.com/JDMAuctionWatch/posts/1265786390264030?__xts__

Great on fuel op

Dkhuts

duffman3833 wrote: »

Whats a lot of mileage? 15k+ or more?
I recently went from a diesel Saab 93 to a BMW 320i saloon. 390 to tax, not the worst of fuel, about 33mpg mixture of country roads and town. Insurance went up 100 euro and im 29. Although if you got the lower 120bhp 320i its cheaper to insure as it would have only went up a few euro but i went for the 170 bhp version
Honda would be a good call in terms of reliability

I do about 500 - 700km per week. Im liking the bmws but heard a few horror stories about the egines but also other people swear by them

Dkhuts

lalababa wrote: »

Am I getting this right from your post OP......you want a post 2009 saloon with 120+BHP with relatively low tax, preferably petrol over diesel, under 4k. Anything else apart from obvious reliability &mpg??
Suggest Honda Civic, Volvo s40 1.8/2L

Youre spot on there, yeah around 4k dont mins going a bit over. Id prefer a saloon or coupe but a hatchback isnt a deal breaker. Havent actually thought about the volvos... theyre produced in china from what i know, do they make their own engines

Dkhuts

Kilboor wrote: »

https://www.facebook.com/JDMAuctionWatch/posts/1265786390264030?__xts__

Great on fuel op

Thats a lovely example, if only this country didnt punish you for being a young driver and having an old car! I actually have an e30 atm that i was gonna use as a weekend car but will try and see if the insurance will cover me on it until the end of the policy and use it as a daily while i wait to buy a new car

selectamatic

Dkhuts wrote: »

I do about 500 - 700km per week. Im liking the bmws but heard a few horror stories about the egines but also other people swear by them

The 2.0 n47 diesel has the timing chain issues it's a roughly 1k fix if caught in time or a new engine if not.

The 2.0i engine has plenty of niggly issues too but they're cheaper fix. I'd not fancy one though. Not enough torque or power for the car imo.

Dkhuts

selectamatic wrote: »

Late reg mk1 superb or mk1 octavia.
Cheap tax and simple old school tech great mpg
A remap would leave either at about the 150bhp mark. Half your budget should get one.

They're usually very handy insure.

Replying to @blindside88 aswell, id assume yous are talking about the 1.9 and 2.0 tdi? Ive had abit of a horror story with morern diesels recently, although it was a PSA engine. I know VAG 1.9 engines were bulletproof, had a seat leon a few years back with 350k miles and it still ran like it was brand new. That was before all the dpf and electronic injection ****e came to be. I would consider a 1.9tdi but would be hesitant

Dkhuts

CountingCrows wrote: »

Newer shape Accord?

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/honda-accord-es-gt-2008/21558539

Was looking at the accord petrols yeah nice enough cars but i wouldnt get a diesel honda personally

Dkhuts

selectamatic wrote: »

The 2.0 n47 diesel has the timing chain issues it's a roughly 1k fix if caught in time or a new engine if not.

The 2.0i engine has plenty of niggly issues too but they're cheaper fix. I'd not fancy one though. Not enough torque or power for the car imo.

I think theres an unwritten rule that a real bmw should be a straight six in terms of power and reliability. That being said theres not a hope id get insured on a 2.5 or 3.0 bmw. I heard about the n47 timing chain issues, id definitely stay away from them and would go for a 320i, preferably coupe but saloon is nice too

Eric Cartman

lots of c class mercs and is250's for that money.

Dkhuts

Eric Cartman wrote: »

lots of c class mercs and is250's for that money.

If it wasnt for the mad tax then i would definitely go for an is250

tuxy

Dkhuts wrote: »

If it wasnt for the mad tax then i would definitely go for an is250

If it wasn't for the high tax band they would be much more expensive to buy.

Eric Cartman

Dkhuts wrote: »

If it wasnt for the mad tax then i would definitely go for an is250

c200 come with cheap tax and arent a bad drive

selectamatic

Dkhuts wrote: »

Replying to @blindside88 aswell, id assume yous are talking about the 1.9 and 2.0 tdi? Ive had abit of a horror story with morern diesels recently, although it was a PSA engine. I know VAG 1.9 engines were bulletproof, had a seat leon a few years back with 350k miles and it still ran like it was brand new. That was before all the dpf and electronic injection ****e came to be. I would consider a 1.9tdi but would be hesitant

Mk1 octavia 100bhp and mk1 superb 115bhp would be old school pd tdi. And they don't have the dodgy bxe 1.9tdi that is in many 105bhp 1.9tdi mk2 octavias. The 2.0tdi's are the newer cr tdi's.

If you go the n/a petrol route it's hard beat the reliability but some of the tfsi vag stuff and some other turbo petrol stuff is no more reliable than some of the diesel counterparts.

As you said the 1.8 civic would be a very good option for ya.

Dkhuts

tuxy wrote: »

If it wasn't for the high tax band they would be much more expensive to buy.

Theyre worth every penny

Dkhuts

Eric Cartman wrote: »

c200 come with cheap tax and arent a bad drive

Reliability wise id assume theyd be the same as a bmw 320i?

Eric Cartman

Dkhuts wrote: »

Reliability wise id assume theyd be the same as a bmw 320i?

theyre small exec saloons, theyre pretty reliable , would cost only a few quid more than an avensis etc... to keep. both nice to drive with a bit of power through the right wheels. Look for one in the elegance spec if you can, makes little odds to the sale price but you get more bits, heated seats were always optional and a nice find if theyre on it. Parts are readily available from europe and loads on the roads. You wont have any more or less issues than most other saloons with a bit of poke.

blindside88

Dkhuts wrote: »

Replying to @blindside88 aswell, id assume yous are talking about the 1.9 and 2.0 tdi? Ive had abit of a horror story with morern diesels recently, although it was a PSA engine. I know VAG 1.9 engines were bulletproof, had a seat leon a few years back with 350k miles and it still ran like it was brand new. That was before all the dpf and electronic injection ****e came to be. I would consider a 1.9tdi but would be hesitant

You could get a petrol vrs if you wanted to avoid diesel