50k What to Buy

djan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121793228#Comment_121793228

Fair enough, with the i8 while consumption is surprisingly low, servicing and maintenance will be a bit costlier. I'd go for something with a 6 cylinder petrol as it's something that is slowly disappearing. Strongly suggest last gen BMW M2 as its wonderfully balanced with plenty of power, IMO best looking BMW of recent times and still quite practical even for a 2 door.

Having said that, these types of cars are pure heart over head purchases so just get out there and test drive them and see what you like. Performance figures are great and all but unless tracking it often it's about the feeling you get driving it rather than a couple seconds here and there and the presence or lack thereof a LSD.

XsApollo

This is what I would buy.

https://www.donedeal.ie/view/36039198

BMW M3 2015

or get an older M3 or 4 and keep the difference for fuel and servicing.

Saying that I agree with poster above, I’d go out and try out some cars, M2 , M3 , M4 .

but if you want something newer with performance, it would more than likely have to be a Golf R or 2 series wouldn’t it?

goochy

He doesn't want bug maintenance costs

3d4life

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121794047#Comment_121794047

= Toy or large Lex ?

( assumed : bug = big )

goochy

Any M BMW I am talking about . Yes sorry meant big

XsApollo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121794047#Comment_121794047

I’ve read the thread I don’t see the OP say anything about maintenance cost.

goochy

Said he's not a millionaire , think you know what he means by that and didn't want the i8

celtic_oz

A new model 3 starts at 42K?

I know its a pain but you'll save a fortune on fuel and maintenance thereafter

bazz26

As per the original post. The OP wants a hot hatch.

drunkmonkey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121796035#Comment_121796035

He's proably going to suffer way less depreciation on a hot hatch. Need to factor that into your maths. It'll also be way more fun to drive.

Fabio

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121790269#Comment_121790269

Why are the photos never sharp on Donedeal? Do they downscale pics or something? This looks like a crayon drawing tbf.

goochy

FFS - TESLA 3

antfin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121796631#Comment_121796631

A 2 year old Model 3 Performance would be in budget. Cheapest way to 0-100kmph in less than 3.5 seconds!

goochy

die of boredom

User1998

To be fair a Model 3 Performance is not one bit boring and would absolutely smoke anything that has been mentioned so far and shouldn’t be overlooked. OP didn’t say anything about specifically wanting a hot hatch. They said something sporty too. I’d pick one over everything else thats been mentioned.

djan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121796666#Comment_121796666

The whole concept of a hot hatch is about a fun nimble drive with decent power and not just straight line performance.

antfin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121796828#Comment_121796828

What did you find unentertaining about the handling of the Model 3 Performance? It's one of the fastest cornering cars that I've ever driven. If you take a corner at 100kmph you're back to 150kmph in literally seconds! You're probably not going to find it easy to slide it around corners on account of the AWD but the S3XY buttons solve that with ability to activate track mode. Not that many people will be driving in that manner most of the time!

goochy

its fast but it may as well be a household appliance

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121796937#Comment_121796937

You’ve never driven one have you

My mate drives a 7.5 GTI and even he was impressed by a Standard Model 3, not even the performance model.

Luna84

I have no way of charging an electric vehicle.

Vinnymcdonnell

Having owned at some point most of the cars mentioned in this thread already, I'll give you my opinions and in order of what I would recommend looking at.

• Hard to beat a Porsche of any flavour which would be in budget. Cayman & Boxster's are fantastic driving cars. For a 911, you will be looking at an older car and only buy a manual 911. Boxster & Cayman, ideally manual again but the PDK is grand, Only buy an S version or higher in these though. The Porsche Club of Ireland is also very good, lots of Trackdays organised, Drive most Sundays and they do good weekends away and day outs for great prices.
• GR Yaris - Probably be the one I recommend the most if it has to be a hatch, you have the urge to drive it like a pr1ck everywhere as it just eggs you on. Extremely capable on backroads and trackday
• Megane RS275 - Would be in budget and a proper drivers car, do not go near the 280 which is the newer version however
• Golf R/GTI - They are grand as a daily, would say if it was Golf you want get a GTI Performance in Manual. The R's are fast, but under very hard driving the Gearboxes get confused and brakes are not up to standard. The GTI Performance is also a better car for backroad blasts
• M2 - The standard ones are ok, great daily and good driver, however the one you want is the Comp which is out of budget
• BMW 140i - Sound great with an exhaust, fast. However have funds in the bank for when the pistons decide to eat the wall
• Tesla M3P - Don't bother, I have owned 2 of these and they are entertaining for the 1st 2 weeks. It is alos only quick up to 180km/h, after that your hot hatch will be back up to you and overtaking the Tesla. Disregard the comments above of it being a great car on bends...........it is not

cnocbui

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121796881#Comment_121796881

Not this nonsense again.

AWD does not give you one scintilla of extra potential cornering speed, it only gives you increased potential to accelerate out of a corner if grip is sub optimal.

AWD tends to make most cars heavier, as does massive great batteries, so unless countered by a larger tyre contact area and/or higher coefficient of friction tyre compound, they would tend to be negatives. Larger tyres means heavier tyres larger wheels and so more unsprung weight.

Cornering speed potential is a function of vehicle weight, the coefficient of friction between the tyre contact area with the road surface and the suspension geometry. Your maximum cornering speed is only available when you are not either braking or accellerating, so 2WD vs AWD would be irrelevant. Your rubber contact area with the road only has X amount of friction/grip, accelerating or breaking uses some of that grip, thus reducing how much is available to resist the centripetal force of the mass of the car cornering.

You can find many YT videos of laptimes with modern hot hatches. Usually those with AWD will be bested by the 2WD Civic Type R.

The car with the highest cornering potential I have ever driven was a Fiat X-19. Mid engined, 2WD, but weighed only 980 Kg, and you could take a 90° corner at about 40-50 kph. I could lift it's wheels - tyre and rim - with one finger.

A Tesla M3 LR battery pack weighs 530 Kg and the cars are heavy which is why they chew through large, heavy expensive tyres at a hell of a rate. Teslas are heavy; to get that mass to corner at speed, well there's no such thing as a free lunch, and the currency is tyres.

Gumbo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121797155#Comment_121797155

I got over 41,000 km from my there’s and 4 years on an AWD M3P. Michelins.

Internet FUD in EV’s eating tyres gets posted daily.

Also, the poster didn’t mention anything about the AWD giving a greater cornering speed. So no point rambling on about that irrelevance.

They stated “You're probably not going to find it easy to slide it around corners on account of the AWD”

Gumbo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121796937#Comment_121796937

The Golf?

goochy

Golf R one of best cars ever made - regardless of cost

carsfan2

Used 2021 (212) Audi S3 SPORTBACK *QUATTRO* 2.0 TFSI 310BHP AUTO 5DR in Dublin (carzone.ie)

How about this? Slightly over budget but a great all rounder with very low mileage.

djan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121796881#Comment_121796881

Never said that it is an unentertaining car but it does not fit the profile of a hothatch, which is what the OP is looking for. A tesla M3 is not a nimble car by any stretch of imagination and while planted due to low centre of gravity it is not as quick to chuck around as say a Golf GTI. The Golf weighs a whopping 500kg less and you cannot change the laws of physics here. But yes if you want straight line speed and rapid acceleration up to about 160km/h, EVs absolutely dominate.

cnocbui

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121797204#Comment_121797204

Well, my bad for believing what Tesla owners say. Go complain to your fellow Tesla owners about their FUD:

https://teslatuneup.com/tesla-model-3-tire-wear/

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121797660#Comment_121797660

Anyway lads OP has no way of charging so a Tesla is a non runner. Although I do think some folk should drive one first before calling them boring and shooting down the idea immediately.

Gumbo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121797660#Comment_121797660

So similar complaints from the VW owners group. 10,000 miles from a set of tyre is very low on an R considering the average tyre should last 25,000 miles which is my experience too.

https://www.vwroc.com/forums/topic/13486-tyre-life/

Anyway, im dragging it further off topic.