Spend my money!

cooper_man

With my new job im getting a new car, just wondering what people think?

Im looking at a few options:

2002-2003 cooper s mini

2001-2003 bmw e46 (323ci pref)

2000-2002 audi tt (225bhp)

2001-2004 toyoto celica (vvtli 190bhp)

2002-2003 golf gti 1.8 turbo

2006 golf 1.6 comfortline

What do people think? huh.gif

I was really considering between the bmw and the audi but with the huge price retention on the bini s and the fact that you get a LOT for your money with the celica, im really confused!! sleep.gif

What do you think? Is the bini a girly car?

There are other cars out there like mr2 (or mr's'), elise, vx220 etc, all cars i like but i need a bit of space in the rear and boot because this car iwll be used for gumball at the end of the year. smile.gif

galwaytt

ok, I give in but seeing as you've typed it twice..............what's a "bini" ? :rolleyes:

And, strange have an ordinary 1.6 hatch amongst an eclectic collection of cars........?

cooper_man

sorry, im used to typing bini. Im a big member in the classic miniclub and its a sad reality that they either refer to them as bini's or MINIS to distinguish them from minis.

Anyway, its not a standards 1.6 hatch. Supercharged cooper s, 0-60 in sub 7 seconds....

ballooba

323ci all the way.

Minis are for girls.
TTs are a bit 'look at me'.
Celica would probably be my second choice, but I would still take the BMW.
Golf GTI is the male equivalent of the Mini. Think D4 Jocks spinning down the Stillorgan dualler.
Golf comfortline is a bit boring imo.

Anan1

cooper_man wrote:

Anyway, its not a standards 1.6 hatch. Supercharged cooper s, 0-60 in sub 7 seconds....

I think he means the Golf.

bazz26

cooper_man wrote:

Anyway, its not a standards 1.6 hatch. Supercharged cooper s, 0-60 in sub 7 seconds....

I think he is referring to the Golf 1.6 Comfortline.

Regarding the original question:

I would forget about the Golf. The MkIV GTi is nowhere as good as the MkV GTi, you will be very disappointed. The MkV 1.6 Comfortline should not even be considered in the list you have compiled.

The BMW 323Ci is a good choice, the straight six engine should be a good cruiser and it is practical enough considering it is a coupe. Room for two people in the rear and a decent size boot.

The MINI Cooper S is another good choice but probably alot less practical than the rest especially if space is a requirement. Great car to drive though, it just sticks to the road. The MINI is only a girly car if what other people think of you or the car you drive really bothers you.

The Celica is another good choice but it would have to be the 190bhp VVTi-L version. As you said alot of kit for the money.

The Audi TT is nice especially the retro interior but they are still expensive. It would definately have to be the 225bhp Quattro version though. They are not without their niggly problems though or so I have heard.

milltown

Unless I'm mistaken the 323Ci passed away in 2000. From then on the choice was 320Ci (smaller engine, 2.2 vs. 2.5, than the 323 but same power and only slightly less torque) or 325Ci (2.5l with I think about 20 extra horsies over the 320).

C_Breeze

out of the list ..based on shape&design , Power(relative to engine size for tax and insurance) , and image and price .... i would definitely without a doubt go for a nice Celica Tsport 190. (hopefully my next car )

Stephen

I'd go for the Celica 190 too, but if money was no object i'd get the TT

cooper_man

I work in the motor industry and deal with lots of different cars everyday and I still cant make a positive decision! lol

The only concern I have for the celica is, i Know one garage who has imported 70 since the start of december. Will they flood the market? Will it be difficult to sell in a years time?

What about the cooper s lads? No positive opinions, I know baazz is keen! lol

HashSlinging

what about a SEAT LEON Cupra R, plenty of power, room for the mates, and a real headturner compared to the other chest wig things you have mentioned.

Fanboy

Cooper S is NOT a womans car. They are little rockets, and as mentioned above, stick to the road.

I would buy an Audi S3 if i had the cash now.....

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=502535

You're talkin in or around the same money for a TT. 270BHP - 1.8T

HungryJoey

Something like this for a Cupra R ? Definetly a MKIV GTI beater..

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=546245

Because if you were looking at CupraR's I'd consider the UK. There is no short supply over in the UK for CupraR' 225BHP.

Although if you weren't a fan of a CupraR, My self I would have to pick the BMW 323i Coupe. 2.5L With 170BHP ?

Hj

Fanboy

Seen as Joey brought it up...if you're looking to get a car for 20-25K...you'd save a fortune heading over to mainland UK, even after travel/VRT, you'd be looking at saving 15-20% (Upto 5K i'd say). Just look at the UK autotrader for example.

HashSlinging

The cooper S isnt a womans car, but very much an old mans car. I know 3 old lads with them. 323ci could do the business if not a fan of the hatchbacks, but I think for the few numbers in Ireland the Cupra R has the edge, if your looking for something different.

Gatster

Having test driven all of them apart from the mini, if you didn' need the space I'd go for the Celica. I'd still happily consider one myself, but feel the interior lets it down. Following that the 323ci then the TT. TT in third because I don't really like small engine turbo cars for some reason, but it sticks like glue.

If you wanted a hatch, I'd go for the Cupra as previously mentioned.

Biro

Forget the Mk 4 Golf, no matter what's in it, unless it's an R32.
Mini is an excellent drivers car, but despite what seems like a fairly big footprint of the car, it's tiny inside. And rather cheaply laid out, the silver paint tends to come off the dash. I was disappointed in the interior in the one I drove. Still though, thats personal taste.
BMW, 320Ci is the 2.2 litre straight 6, thats a comfortable car with nice handling included, and fairly well built. Good for long journeys, and nice engine with fairly good torque.
Celica T-sport, engine needs revs, but rewards in abundance when you give it some! Very sharp chassis, really rewarding to drive and easy to place on the road. Toyota reliability. (need to replace the lift-bolts on vvtl-i engines fairly regularly).
TT is the only one I haven't driven, so can't really comment fairly on this one.

The Celica really has a lot going for it... price, power, looks, comfort and handling, and a reasonable boot!

themessiah

Nissan 350z maybe? 276bhp

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2003-Nissan-350Z-3-5-V6-Fairlady_W0QQitemZ130063497673QQihZ003QQcategoryZ18238QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


or if you want rear league room,
330i Sport Saloon 30,000 miles
http://www.cargiant.ie/cars/detail.asp?Id=313318

thers also a 2006 Skoda VRS 2.0 on autotrader for 14000 aswell.

failing that , vx220 theres not many in Ireland

http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/www/cars_search.asp?searchform=&modelexact=1&lid=search_used_cars_full&photo=1&state=none&sort=3&hassearched=Y&make=VAUXHALL&min_pr=75&source=0&model=VX220&max_pr=&agerange=&mileage=&miles=1500&trim=&keywords=&postcode=sw19+3tz&ukcarsearch_full.x=78&ukcarsearch_full.y=11

2003 VX220 , 8000miles , £13950
2001 VX220 , 24000miles 10000

unkel

Tough one! The Cooper S is a cracker of a car - if you love driving through the twisties, go for it. Need more space and a bit more elegance and refinement, but still a great drivers car, go for the BMW E46 (coupe?)

HashSlinging wrote:

The cooper S isnt a womans car, but very much an old mans car. I know 3 old lads with them

Most owners of binis are female. I wouldn't be surprised if most owners of the cooper S are male. How do you define "old"? I can't recall seeing anyone over 35 driving a bini - male or female

And why would an old lad buy a cooper S? As a cure for a midlife crisis, one would need a heavier dose