New Car Option - Vote and Explain Please

c0y0te

OK. I'm currently driving a 1.8T VW Passat Petrol. Nice car, but its the second one I've had. Love the power, love the space inside, so-so on the interior but I'm tall so the space makes the diff.

I've been thinking about the next car when trade in time comes and I was wondering if anyone had experience of the cars in the poll. Vote for which one you think I should choose, and then tell me why. Thanks in advance.

c0y0te

impr0v

BMW 3 Series

I think you'll get a few biased votes because of where different user's loyalities currently lie.

In your position I'd be looking at maintaining the firepower you have because once you get used to the turbo i'd imagine it's hard to go back. I currently drive a '03 1.8t Saab 93 which i bought brand new and would recommend it for the power and the driving experience. The looks are subjective, but it has got a lot of good reactions, and the interior is bland enough. I had a few niggly electrics problems early on, and a bearing went in the steering column within the first few weeks. This manifested itself as vertical and lateral movement in the steering wheel and the entire column was replaced by the dealer. It has been problem free since these issues were sorted out. As I'm sure you know from your current motor the 150bhp and turbo are very useful on the open road, for quick and efficent overtaking and personally I wouldn't go back to a car without similar power. The 1.8t, which is actually a 2 litre engine, will outgun a 2.5l normally aspirated engine. The car has scored highly in most safety tests, including 5 stars in the Euro NCAP's and recently scored highly in an American test for side impact.

For the same money as the 1.8t you will get a fairly well spec'ed S40, which is a nice looking car in its new form, and has been getting fairly good reviews. Similarly safety conscious, the interior looks better than the Saab, though I haven't actually been in one. There is obviously less power, and apart from that I'd imagine the choice between these two comes down to which look you prefer. The Volvo is expected to have fairly strong residuals, and the Saab has a reputation (according to Fx Meister ) of depreciating rapidly. The value of my car has dropped by roughly 10k in a year and a half.

The BMW you will pay more for, especially if you start adding options. It has a reputation for being a very responsive drive, though personally I haven't been in one. In my view it looks bland if not well spec'd, especially now that other cars in the range have progressed, design-wise (progressed or regressed is a matter of opinion). The 316 has a 1.8l engine, and the 318 a 2l. It will probably hold its value better than the others, though the fact that it's the only one of the three with an upcoming new model will more than likely have an effect on this. The boards beemer fan club will be able to fill you in on whatever else i've missed.

You might also consider the new A4, priced about the same as a 318 for a 1.8t or a 2.0l engine.

mike65

Live dangerously get an ex demo Alfa 166 3.0 v6! Well your wallet will think you've gone crazy anyway.

Mike.

unkel

No vote from me yet until I know some more:

What year range would you consider?
What is your budget (including what you expect to get for your current car)
What mileage do you do
What engine size range would you consider (insurance / tax)

What do you want from a car? Wanna float about in a comfy French boat or are you keen driver that wants a real drivers car?

Style / status important?

How long are you going to keep it and how much depreciation can you afford over this period? How important is reliability to you? Where will you have the car serviced?

Sundy

Saab 93 Sports

in my opinion go for a good spec s40 if ur thinking about price, the saab and 3 series are alot more expensive than the volvo.

glynf

BMW 3 Series

The Saab. the 2.2 Tid will be my next car-probably in the next two years.
I currently have the new model S40 (2.0D SE), excellent car, would recommend it. only prob is I find the seat is too soft.Don't Know about the 1.8, Drove the old model 1.8 for a few days, and that had no poke at all.

c0y0te

Well... to answer some of the questions..

I'd like to keep the the power, so a 1.8T would be my ideal option. Not sure if I want to go up in to the 2.5 litre territory (tax/insurance implications etc.)

Budget - I'd guess up to 40K. I'll be trading in the Passat so it shouldn't hurt too much :rolleyes:

Mileage - I only do approx 8-10K per year.

What do I want from a car?... space (I'm tall), power and then comfort. I spend enough time in traffic jams so I might as well be comfortable while I'm stuck there

Open to any other recommendations here as well. Just because I haven't thought of an option doesn't mean I'm not interested in one. What I'd like to do is end up with a short list of cars to test drive. I believe there is nothing like first hand recommendations from people who drive these cars though to 'assist' my thinking, because lets face it, the last person you listen to is the salesman in the garage :eek:

c0y0te

puntosporting

New honda accord either 2.4 vtec petrol lovely driver i realy cant say enough about it or 2.2 ctdi which realy is a great oilburner if you like that sort of thing.

michaelanthony

Jag X-type. Better value than a 3 series. More comfortable. BMW is positively yellow pack compared to the cat.

CrowdedHouse

Audi A4 1.9 TDI (130 bhp) now upped to 2.0/140

I went to the dealers to buy a 1.8T but came away with 1.9 'red i'TDi

I suppose the clincher was much better re-sale value(after 2 years TDI worth up to 4K more than 1.8T I was told) down here in the sticks

Impressive performance - stingy on fuel 50 mpg +, comfortable, good base spec

If you're tall I think you'll find the BMW 3 series cramped,I'm not and I did.

Best of luck with whatever you buy!

c0y0te

When I was buying the passat originally, I tried the A4, but it was too cramped. Mind you that might have been the older model compared to the one out now. Still - the A6 was 10K more expensive than the passat at the time.

I think I will test drive the Volvo, the Audi and the Saab and see where it leads. Thanks for the advice folks.

c0y0te