Went to go to the skip today only to find my car has been nicked from round the corner. Super news! Maybe I will see it again but if I don’t, what should I replace it with? It was a Focus ST3, about 6 years old.

Things I liked about it: quick, petrol, estate, nice practical boot space, fun to drive. Things I didn’t like so much: front wheel drive only went through lots of tyres (would prefer 4wd with that amount of torque). Things I don’t want in a new car: diesel, something boring, something that’s going to catch the eye of the neds.

I know there is a 4wd Octavia VRS estate and that would be right up my street if it wasn’t a diesel. Always liked the idea of stealth cars too. How I am going to pay for this car TBC but I hope to get 6k from the insurance and will finance the rest somehow. Think £20k or £25k budget in total.

what does the hive mind think??

So you want a fast petrol estate with 4wd and understated looks

Has to be an Audi S4 Avant, supercharged 3.0 V6 pushing out 330bhp, 25k will get you a 2014/15 or even a 2016 one, go for a black edition one with under 50k on the clock, they are all autos with the flappy paddles behind the steering wheel

That will be my next car

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201911144357194?radius=1500&model=S4%20AVANT&year-from=2014&sort=relevance&onesearchad=Used&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=New&make=AUDI&aggregatedTrim=Black%20Edition&price-to=25000&postcode=po36dy&advertising-location=at_cars&maximum-mileage=50000&page=1

So “boosted” means “knicked”?

Correct?

I’d phone the Po Po sunny..

Golf r estate, take the badges off and maybe even replace with gtd ones. Monster fast, petrol, 4wd, practical and not even that expensive to run.

Check you out Bikebouy, you’ve got all the street lingo these days.

Yes boosted as in nicked – Po Po have been duly informed!

How is a six year old car nicked these days? I thought they had immobilisers. Or was it a key less transponder effort.

S3 5 door. Slightly less dull and more economical than an S4 (I’ve had an S4, have an S3 currently). Nicer interior than a Golf R estate.

Yes keyless ignition. Both key fobs are still here in the house so I have no idea. Maybe you can spoof the car somehow? Window was broken for access, there is glass on the pavement where it was parked.

I thought it was about fitting wider aspect ratio tyres that seemed to be the ‘thing’ at some point in history, which obviously made the car handle badly. Go me.

How is a six year old car nicked these days? I thought they had immobilisers. Or was it a key less transponder effort.

By using the OBD port. Fiesta STs in particular are a favourite at the moment.

Window was broken for access, there is glass on the pavement where it was parked.

I rest my case.

Unfortunately modern cars are very easy to nick. All you need is a laptop and the relevant program and the connecting cable and away you go. Something we found out a couple of years ago when someone half inched our T5.

thanks so far, informative on the car tips and also how they get nicked! I guess I should also be thinking about how to prevent the next car from getting stolen…

Yes boosted as in nicked – Po Po have been duly informed!

You could get a lovely van for that kinda dosh.

VW Phaeton 6 litre petrol fails on the estate front, delivers on the others

I guess I should also be thinking about how to prevent the next car from getting stolen…

on my Transit (which shares the dodgy security of all Fords 😂) I’ve installed a small metal strongbox and relocated the OBD port into it.

Spend 3k on the car and the other 23k on fuelling the best cycling enjoyment for the next 10 years.

Your nicked car may be used as a getaway car then torched

Volvo V60 T6 Polestar 3.0

Think you would get a low miles 2015+

Fast and doesn’t brag about it

Dodgy ford locks…. our Transit (64 plate) went walkies even without a window being broken. Tumbler key in the door lock, and 20 seconds at the OBD and it’s gone!

(The things you learn AFTER the event!)

Fast Fords being (easily!) stolen from street corners to be used as getaway cars… It’s like the 90’s never went away!

Spend 3k on the car and the other 23k on fuelling the best cycling enjoyment for the next 10 years.

10 years? How boring your life must be! I don’t think £23k would last me 6 months of enjoying myself on a bike…

Golf r estate

Unless you MUST have something different for whatever reason, I can’t think of anything that fits the criteria better… Can still be had on an (almost) affordable lease deal too… A bit predictable for sure, but anything else is going to be significantly flawed in some way, except maybe the Seat Leon Cupra ST equivalent, which is essentially the same car just not as nicely finished, and with much worse residuals…

Definitely going to consider the Golf option, that wasn’t on my radar but Autotrader ads look promising. Couple of A4s also look interesting. After the event and reading these posts I’m surprised it took 6 years for my car to get taken. I think I will miss it 🙁

I had a golf r estate on lease for two years. Ticks all of your boxes. If you get one, I have the Thule wingbars and a pair of Thule bike carriers to fit, still in the garage 😉

BMW 330i Touring

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201906179094853

If you do go for a Golf R, make sure it’s parked on next doors drive. Or at least spec it with keyless entry so you’re not woken up by somebody politely asking for the keys.

Or you could get a Focus 1.6 Ecoboost Estate for around 10k-12k which lets face it is far more than quick enough for uk roads ((180bhp 7.5 seconds, 140 mph)) and less likely to get ‘boosted’  and a GSX R1000 with the remainder. That way if you want to go properly quick it will take some skill, a track and you’ll probably only damage yourself.

I’m no captain slow but what is the point of a fast car in the UK unless you track it? In which case you wan’t be wanting an estate

….unless you need a getaway car obvs

You can get the Octavia vrs in petrol and 4wd. Alternative is the seat Leon. Slightly left field is a skoda superb 280, golf r underpinnings in a bigger body. All are in your budget if you go for an 18 plate.

I guess I should also be thinking about how to prevent the next car from getting stolen…

Get one of these. Boost it with some fat wheels and lowered suspension so it handles sweet. Remove the mufflers and run a straight pipe out the side, plus a lumpy cam and a bonnet scoop with K&N air filter. You will be the envy of the block.

Each to their own and all that, but if I was getting £6k insurance payout and wanted a quick, petrol, 4×4 sleeper estate I’d be looking long and hard at a Subaru Legacy GT Wagon and not worrying about having to find ~£20k from somewhere.

Passat R36 in estate form?

£25-£30k?
How about you buy a house in a nicer area with a drive and a double garage.
Then the next nice car you get might not get boosted

You can get the Octavia vrs in petrol and 4wd. Alternative is the seat Leon. Slightly left field is a skoda superb 280, golf r underpinnings in a bigger body.

Pretty sure you the VRS is only available in 4×4 in diesel. Superb 280 is a great shout though for a stealthy option.

Thanks for your concern Singletrackmind, I live in a 5 bedroom house in one of the nicer parts of Edinburgh, I guess car theft can happen anywhere!

Thanks for the other tips, I will walk down to the local car souk later and look at the Skodas again.

“Boosted” you say, my good man?

If that is the case, no immobiliser nor alarm will prevent the professional thieves involved from stealing your lovely automobile.

I suggest the “Five O” should be looking out for the cast of “Gone in Sixty Seconds.”

Doesn’t boosting a car involve a turbo charger?

I can honestly say that I never want to sit in a Golf R ever again. The suspension is harsh beyond belief (and I had a old 2.5 l Focus ST at the time) the turning circle is terrible and the boot was tiny although that wasn’t the estate. Honestly the 330i touring that I now have is way better than the old Focus and streets ahead of the Golf. Faster, more comfortable, more practical and more economical too.

With that money i’d buy a boring estate and something small and fun as well. I have a fast estate but the reality is an estate can never be fun and most of the time I’m just paying lots in fuel for the increasingly infrequent 4 second burst up to the speed limit.

I’m planning to sell the estate and use the gf’s jazz for bike duties and mx-5 for fun (although I’ve found the jazz is just as lively if provoked).

If you’re set on fast estate, do it properly and get an M5 V10 and save the extra 10k to fix it (edit:this may catch the eye of the neds though…)