I’m 23 and currently drive an old 1.0 Nissan micra K11 it’s very reliable and costs me little to run, however I live at home get £100 disposable income a week and don’t have a girlfriend or do anything exciting with my time (when I’m not at work) so I’m really tempted to buy a 2.0 GX Subaru Impreza estate something under £1000

As I’m sick of everybody taking me for a mug on the road in the micra and it just being slow and generally disappointing, also at 23 I don’t want to drive a small hatchback I’m not 17.

What should I do?

Keep the micra and get more biking adventures sorted.

A sub £1000 impreza sounds like complete money pit. How about a focus?

Focus is a bit dull perhaps

c£1k and bike duties – this?
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/ot-honda-accord-tourer-1200

Get the Subaru, if you can’t buy a stupid car when you are 23 you never can.

When I was 21 I got a pontiac, it was the most ridiculous car buying decision I ever made (and that’s a deep pool) but I had a laugh for a while and it wasn’t the end of the world when I got rid of it for about a tenth of what I paid.

Maybe keep the micra for when it goes tits up

£1000 worth of body kit for the Nissan Micra, obvs 😉

You’re 23 and you only have a grand. Buying a £1000 Subaru is a stupid idea. Be realistic.

Turbocharge the Micra immediately.

Damn, sweepy is right. I sound like a old grump by comparison.

I’m only going for the estate as it’s cheaper to buy and I don’t care if it’s a bit battered, just want something fast and cheap, bike duty isn’t really that important, I hardly ride (who does on here anyway 😉 )

Got the grand to insure the scooby?

As I’m sick of everybody taking me for a mug on the road in the micra and it just being slow and generally disappointing, also at 23 I don’t want to drive a small hatchback I’m not 17.

In the scooby they will just expect you to be a dick, do something stupid and the cops will probably decide to take a look at you more often (well unless it’s in the garage having whatever went wrong this week fixed)

I can do my own car repairs if that helps, just changed the box in the micra last week

Pick up a little hot hatch, Clio 172 can be had for under a grand and when it goes bag you won’t be able to hear it over all the rattling 😀

Speaking of body kits

When the Impreza breaks it will cost a small fortune to fix and even the non turbo ones drink fuel like there’s no tomorrow.

or at least they used to …

2.0 Subaru won’t be fast. Has 120ish bhp

I don’t understand how folk are taking. You for a mug in a Micra how does that manifest it’s self ? How will a mediocre at best imprezza (at least it’s not a 1,6 gl) stop this ?

Can you weld ? Rear inner arches rot for fun. I looked into wagon and Forrester’s (2.5xts)for the wife a couple years back …. Then she had a crash and they became uninsurable on em.

I think people are confusing the a 2.0 GX the OP is suggesting with a WRX/STI or other turbo’d Impreza.

A naturally aspirated Impreza is going to be properly slow (saying maybe after driving a Micra…) lugging the extra weight of AWD around but should b fe fairly reliable and have sensible running costs/insurance etc.

There are better cars out there for the money that will be faster/cheaper/nicer than the Impreza but the principle is spot on – ditch the Micra and get something better.

I passed my test in a 106, as soon as I could insure it I bought an Alfa which was bigger, felt safer and was much quicker than the little Pug.

Plenty of decent cars out there for a grand. Civic maybe? Nippier and maybe cheaper to fix than a subaru unless you are actually going to need the 4wd regularly

I miss my impreza still to this day. Had two on the bounce with the 2nd having a ppp on it. It’s been a very efficient and roomy 4 years since I got the mazda however.
Oh and as above the gx is a puke of poo, the wheels look so lost in the arches!

muckytee – Member
I can do my own car repairs if that helps, just changed the box in the micra last week

🙂

2.0 Subaru won’t be fast. Has 120ish bhp

This, it’s a GX, not a WRX. Driven by farmers, more dull than a Focus.

I went Micra -> warm hatch.

If you care even the slightest amount about cars (and I know some people on here do not), a micra is really quite tragic. Go get something else.

I had a an Impreza GX – they aren’t that slow, and a damn sight faster than a micra.

You could look for an old Celica – you may get an OK one for a grand – something like this…

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201703022856838?model=CELICA&make=TOYOTA&sort=price-desc&price-to=1000&radius=1500&advertising-location=at_cars&postcode=s417lf&onesearchad=Used&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=New&page=1

…and you should get a bike in the back with a bit of juggling.

…and get a stupid car while you are young. I regret not doing so!

K11 are alright, cut the springs, strip ALL the weight out, and treat it mean. There’s a bit of original mini in their thinking if you squint.

N/a Impreza are horrible, I’d rather have the micra and the cash please.

…and get a stupid car while you are young. I regret not doing so!

Why do you have to be young to have a stupid car? I’m mid 30s with a family and have a stupid car (admittedly not my daily), my old man is 70 and has a selection of properly stupid cars.

That honda from the classifieds looks like the perfect bike wagon.

No image- not nickable
Reliable- more cash for bikes
Reliable – drive to the middle of nowhere without wondering if it will get you home.

When I was about your age I went for a octavia vrs. It’s still about having neither killed me or broken significanty in the last 9 years. I tried a imprezza turbo at the same time and thought I’d be skint due to fuel bills or dead due to crashing it at speed.

I drove a Micra when in London as didn’t get used much and didn’t matter what happened to it when parked in the street.

Then I got a Puma – get one of those.

Smart money says Micra.

A non-turbo Impreza is almost as bad image-wise as the Micra!! Looks like you aimed for a WRX but failed. At least the Micra will become a classic in the next decade.

I had a Mini and a Rover SD1 V8 when I was 23 so I understand the thought process you’re going through. Get something that’s not obvious and preferably Japanese to save on repair bills, maybe an old Lexus IS200?

Kayak23 – Haha! Brilliant 😉

Stretch your budget a touch and get a Fiesta ST (around £1300-£1500)

get £100 disposable income a week and don’t have a girlfriend or do anything exciting with my time

They’ll be queuing up…. 😉

Sub £1000 purchase price Subi could (will) cost far more than that to own and maintain. Plenty of fun cars around between a 1 Micra and an Imprezza ! Wife has a 1600cc Micra CC, the little convertible. How about looking at a Mazda MX5, we have had a few threads you need tobuy the right model. Maybe £1000 isn’t enough for a good one, not sure

Again, we’re talking non turbo GX. This is nothing like the hallowed WRX STI that you imagine it’ll be. It’s like getting an NA 4 door R33 when you’re dreaming of an R32GTR.

Is a Civic Aerodeck VTi available around that price? Surprisingly good chassis, space for the bike, solid mechanicals.
Failing that if you just want something fast in a straight line with space, then a Saab 95 aero wagon. Don’t expect the chassis to be anything other than crap though.

Don’t get a 1×2 Clio unless you want to be fixing it every week. Wonderful when they work, but the constant niggles in my 172 cup made me want to set fire to it on a weekly basis. It’s like it was actively trying to piss me off.

…and get a stupid car while you are young. I regret not doing so!

+100

My parents had way too much influence when i was younger over my car buying (they did pay for at least one car, and half of another)

I wanted a golf GTI, i got a volvo 440 (not turbo petrol, but TD)
I wanted an astra van for bike carrying, i got a clio, and covered the inside in chainring marks.

I’ve promised myself when i have kids i’ll never do this; let’s see!

EDIT: what about a 3 series bmw. RWD, manual. can be had around that budget – wagon/saloon/coupe/ compact flavours. won’t be anymore economic on fuel than a scooby but they’re pretty reliable – and easy to work on because the block is longitudinal.

…and get a stupid car while you are young. I regret not doing so!

+101 (although I don’t regret it as I actually did it and it’s great!)

Get a kit car – cheap to insure and can be as fast as you want (within reason), Yes you will need to be ok mechanically and will need to be inventive with parts and mods.

I’m 23, got a GTM K3, the car is well under a tonne (~850kg with me in the passenger seat) and got about 170bhp so goes like a rocket. It’s also mid/rear engine, rear wheel drive so great fun in the wet/doing autosolos. I also claim it’s practicable as it’s got hard top (removable)

As it’s a kit car it’s dirt cheap to insure (~£260) and parts are cheap as most are off cheap cars (mainly rover metro and mgf for mine) It is worth getting decent breakdown cover as while you are sorting the teething problems RAC will be your best friend! 😆

I’ve got a bike rack for it too, so can carry 2 bikes and a passenger!

Anyone who says you can only get a silly car when you’re young and childless is making lame excuses.

^^ Can you get much camping gear in that! 😀

2 of us (not the toddler in the photo, an actual grown up) went and camped by Llandow before a track day, so a tent and boot full of tools (because it breaks a lot) , we were fine and dandy!

May have had to take most of it out (including passenger) to get over the speed bumps in to the car park though.

Came here to say Mk2 MX5 – beaten to it by Jamba.

I got mine for £950, at this time of year you should be able to pick one up pretty cheap. If you don’t do loads of miles they are on classic car insurance which is about £200 a year. Drive the MX5 for fun, keep the Micra for practicality.

Mx5s are cheap and reliable (as long as the body is solid) and spares are plentiful, but running 2 cars on a budget can be a right pain in the arse.

You’re talking an extra 280 tax, 50 quid MOT, and, in a 20s, I’d guess at least 500 a years for insurance to run a second car 🙁 as well as the satellite issues like storage, maintenance costs etc.
I’d take one slightly less fun but more practical car every day of the week, if budget is an issue (and without sounding like a dick, 100 quid spare a month does represent budget being an issue for a second car)
My silly car spend a lot of time unused for similar reasons.