MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
OK, so I have £4-5k to spend on a used car.
Here are my criteria:
- Able to fit a bike (preferably two) with the wheels off and the rear seats down
- 'Warm' hatch: 0-60 in <10secs, decent handling, but economical (35mpg+ combined) and cheap to insure
- Less than 10 years old and no more than 60k on the clock
- Road tax <£150/y
At the moment I'm most tempted by a MK7 Ford Fiesta Zetec S 1.6. I also considered a 2nd generation Suzuki Swift Sport and a Renault Clio 197, but I think the former might be too small, and the latter too expensive to run (and potentially unreliable).
Consider Mini cooper as well and fabia vrs as well as a polo gti if u can find one.
Any reason for not using a roof rack?
Love my new Fiesta. Bikes on the roof, kit in the boot, plenty of space to spare.
Skoda octavia vrs?
When I had my Ibiza FR TDi it fitted 2 bikes in the back with wheels off.
Fabia Monte Carlo TDI or TSI, brilliant cars.
http://www.motors.co.uk/used-cars/skoda/fabia/trim/monte-carlo/
OK this one's a bit leftfield but: Fiat Panda 100HP, if you can find one they are good fun & peanuts to run/insure - I miss mine!
Had a 197 and 2x Cooper S which were both good too, 197 very involving, although both a step up in hotness + potential costs compared to a Swift/Panda/Fiesta, in my experience.
Saw a guy at the weekend fit two cyclo cross bikes in the back of his Tesla. You'd maybe need to add a few noughts on the end of your budget though! 😉
My venerable Civic Type-S 2.0 manages that apart from tax and age (and has been known to fit three people and three bikes inside the car).
Mondeo - just as cheap to run, loads of space, handle well
We had a look at Fabia Monte's or Ibiza FR (in hatch and ickle estate model). By heck they were fun...
We ended up with a Ibiza ST in lower power model (due to time pressure of a dead car, simplicity and cost) mrs_oab found the Ibiza more comfy and preferred it as a car.
The Fabia /Fabia Estate is a more practical small car in my view - and I am a foot taller than mrs_oab so more headroom would have been good. Having said that, we can easily get two bikes in back of the Ibiza estate and it barely looks like an estate. I am impressed with the thing - maybe I am too used to lumpy diesel estates and people carriers, but it goes round corners so nicely, and is perfect in town.
Fiesta.
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Used cars with 0-62 <10 seconds and <10 years old.
You can work out the VED bit yourself :p
I'd be going a bit older though cos i've got a soft spot for these:
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/seat/leon-cupra/2004-04-seat-leon-cupra-r--grey--apr-stage-2--300bhp--76k-miles-fsh/6326697
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Is 300BHP still 'warm' 😀
rocket jr's was absolutely indestructible & the most reliable car I've known. The mk7 seems completely debugged and gives you the feeling it'll go on and on and on and indeed it does. Great motor, engaging to drive and the 1.6 lump delivers punchy performance. Wouldn't hesitate to buy another one.At the moment I'm most tempted by a MK7 Ford Fiesta Zetec S 1.6
Got a 2l Focus S. Very happy with it. Warm enough?
How about a Fiat Bravo (07 to 14 reg).
Are you looking for petrol or diesel?
Petrol 1.4 turbo 150 hp is 0-62 in 8.5s and 39.8mpg combined on paper.
Diesel 1.9 turbo 150hp is 0-62 in 9.0s and 50.4 mpg.
I have the diesel one, easily get 2x 29er hardtails in with front wheels off only. And does get the 50mpg in real life (mostly motorway and b-road with a fair bit of town).
They're also generally overlooked and therefore cheaper than comparable vehicles.
My Wife has got an Ibiza FR - 12 plate, which I drive now as she has the 'family wagon' for karting the baby around in.
The 3 door isn't massively practical for getting bikes in & out, but it is do-able. The Fabia would be more practical, but not sure if they do a 'warm' version.
But, it is bloody good fun to drive. It's the 2 litre diesel, which does 0-60 in about 8 seconds I think and handles really well.
Not sure I'd recommend it, if bike carrying comes high up the priority list. It's fine, but there are probably better solutions out there. The Ibiza ST mentioned above for example, but I don't think they do a 'warm' version.
Fiesta would be hard to beat, I would think.
You're setting the bar a bit low I'd say, I had 2 bikes in the back of a Metro back in the day.
Follow the pistonheads link. You'll get 2 bikes in pretty much any car (as long as you're happy to take wheels off)
At the moment I'm most tempted by a MK7 Ford Fiesta Zetec S 1.6
For the money it's where I'd be looking in all honestly. Or to put it another way, it would be top of my test drive list.
We're in the bigger family / motorway car club now, but for a while I was trying to persuade the better half she needed a Fiesta ST or 500 Abarth.
The Fabia would be more practical, but not sure if they do a 'warm' version.
Mk2 Fabia vRS also comes in petrol flavour too: http://carproductstested.com/cars/2013-skoda-fabia-vrs-hatch-review-supercharged-turbod-pocket-rocket-will-eat-many-tyres/
I'd be careful looking at a mk1 - they were very quick and tuneable diesels. At least two friends created proper mischievous machines, at least one of which has died magnificently*.
*The car. Not the driver, fortunately!
Early Mkii Leon FRs are that sort of money now.
200bhp, 0-60 in 7s, chassis derived from the MKV Golf GTI, cheap to insure as SEATs are less attractive to thieves and cheaper to repair than a lot of other makes. VED is probably more than £150 a year but its not really a big part of the running cost of a car - I don't know why people sweat over saving less than £100 a year in tax to then drive a car they might not like
Attached least two friends created proper mischievous machines, at least one of which has died magnificently.
😯 The car I hope.
Pimpmaster Jazz - MemberMk2 Fabia vRS also comes in petrol flavour too
Yeah, my thinking was that 180bhp or thereabouts and 0-60 in around 7.5secs is a bit 'warmer' than the OP seems to be after.
Pimpmaster Jazz - MemberI'd be careful looking at a mk1 - they were very quick and tuneable diesels.
I had the Ibiza Sport 130 (before they rebadged it FR) as my last car, which was the same running gear as the original Fabia vRS. I was gonna suggest it, but you'd struggle to get one under 60k miles, I would have thought.
They also did the Ibiza in 150bhp (FR) or 180bhp (Cupra) petrol spec with the 1.8T engine.
Or the previous generation Ibiza Cupra TDi if you preferred diesel. 160bhp & 0-60 in 7 secs or so....
Easier to get a bike in the back of the previous Ibiza.....but they are getting a bit long in the tooth now - no modern gizmo's as such...
Here you go.....
As mentioned above, this is what I drive now....the new shape 2 litre diesel. This is a bloody good price for one. I enquired about trading it in a year ago & they offered me £7000 as trade price...
One year older..EP3 Type R.
Why 'warm' hatch?
If warm why not a Impreza sportwagon 2.0R
BMW 118D or 120D? Plenty of room with the seats down, built well, plenty of poke and well sorted rear wheel drive handling. A bit less obvious than other warm hatches too.
They also did the Ibiza in 150bhp (FR) or 180bhp (Cupra) petrol spec with the 1.8T engine.
I had the same 180bhp lump in my first Octy. A few niggely problems with it (coil pack recall, having to clean the throttle body every 6 months or so). Very good fun though, especially with a Pipercross filter. 😀
Friend has his remapped too. Very quick, but it became a bit of a monster to drive in any vaguely relaxed way, shape or form.
My venerable Civic Type-S 2.0 manages that apart from tax and age (and has been known to fit three people and three bikes inside the car)
It does fit the bill, and is a lovely car, and certainly a more comfortable/civilised car, BUT, as a warm hatch
Early Mkii Leon FRs are that sort of money now.
Beats it hands down.
The Leon is like a hyperactive puppy that wants to play all the time, but yet can still behave itself when taking grandma out for a Sunday roast.
[quote="Pimpmaster Jazz"]I'd be careful looking at a mk1 - they were very quick and tuneable diesels. At least two friends created proper mischievous machines, at least one of which has died magnificently*.A colleague had, as you say, a proper mischevious machine loosely based on the vRS, that exploded hugely during a track day. Took them about an hour to collect all the bits and clean up the oil. Ended up with half the engine and a good chunk of the gearbox in the boot.
Then he had to get the cars mortal remains back home (400 km) without any other transport.
Now drives a Volvo estate and trailers the (extensively repaired) vRS to track days.
Took them about an hour to collect all the bits and clean up the oil.
😆
Wow.
Can't honestly remember what went in Jake's, but have a feeling it may have been the head gasket.
I think either the crank/con rod came out of the sump or the piston came out of the end of the block.
Or both.
At speed.
willow1212 - MemberBMW 118D or 120D? Plenty of room with the seats down, built well, plenty of poke and well sorted rear wheel drive handling. A bit less obvious than other warm hatches too.
The 118d would need a remap, ours just felt incredibly dull
A £1,200 Clio 172 is the real answer here (when ignoring the age limit)
I have a Fabia VRS Mk2 and you won't find one worth having for your budget- pre-2013 ones have been known to have large amounts of trouble with the engine drinking oil and having to be replaced and they're all now out of warranty. The same goes for 2010 onwards Ibiza Cupras and Polo GTIs.
The Monte Carlo is more a trim level than anything else, but they do come with sports suspension and big wheels with decent low profile tyres which means, compared to a normal Fabia, they're a lot of fun in the corners. You will need the 105hp (1.6tdi or 1.2 turbo petrol) to get under 10 seconds 0-60 though.
I'd get a Fiesta Zetec S (well, really I'd have an ST but they're much more money). They are great to drive, although they sacrifice some practicality compared to a Fabia. The cabin is terrible too, buttons and angles everywhere.
Just bought my daughter one of the 1 litre Ecoboost Fiesta's - it's the 125hp model and remarkably quick for such a small engine. Handles well too - actually reminded me a bit of the 205 GTi I had back in the day.
Handles well too - actually reminded me a bit of the 205 GTi I had back in the day.The old 205 swapped ends quicker than a porn star..
Thanks for all your suggestions.
Looks like the Zetec S still tops my list, unless I can be convinced that I can get a bike into the back of a Swift.
If it's not a Type R then it's got to be a Golf GTI OP.
It ticks alot of boxes and like the Type R, buy right and it'll experience almost zero depreciation.
Just don't buy a V70 Volvo. You'll experience wallet free fall.
I've had a fat bike in the back of my swift no problem. Seats fold down easy. Much more cabin space in the swift than a fiesta too.
Will probably source a set of OEM aero roof bars soon enough though as I have a couple of Thule racks. Roof bars are the way forward once you've used a set.