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Buying A New Motor

worldclassmusician

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worldclassmusician

worldclassmusician

Posted
Posted

Hey folks,

in the market for a new car. Looking for something fast, fun, quality, reliable and also something where you don't get shafted in the service department. As I'm in my car loads, I'd like integrated bluetooth for my phone, and preferably a way of connecting my iPhone to the car too.

Currently on a Merc and previously had a BMW. Pretty expensive in the service department and i'm getting a bit bored with the merc.

Had a go in the new STI 330s and was pretty impressed with the drive, amazing accel, lovely grip and seemed like an all round solid car. I was offered a new scooby STI for £23k from Camelon. If I get a scooby, i'm intending on buying new but don't know if that's perhaps a stupid idea? I also see that the sedan version is coming out at some point in the near future, and don't know whether or not to hang off for that, but I'm thinking that this may not appear in the UK for some time. I'm looking to buy around September.

Other cars I'm considering are;

Honda Civic Type-R MUGEN 200

Golf R

Focus RS

Audi S3

Evo x 300/330(second hand though)

I do a lot of driving as I'm a musician and so fuel economy does play some part in my car choice. Any thoughts would be appreciated, or if you think perhaps there are other cars I should be looking at, feel free to enlighten me!

Cheers,

Tony

RS Grant

RS Grant

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Out of the cars you're considering, I'd probably go for the Focus RS.

However, with that sort of cash burning a hole in my pocket, I'd be looking along the lines of a BMW 335d and then getting an Evolve Re-Map on the thing... mmmmm torque-tastic, but then you have already had a BMW. However although the service costs are slightly higher, they are at far longer intervals than most of the more focused stuff in your list so I think it'd even itself out to a negligable difference in the long run.

Cheers,

Grant

scooby222

scooby222

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out of your list id go with the impreza or the s3

hondas too frantic and not quite quick enough for my liking

golf r dont know much about but doesnt seem special enough for the price tag

focus, nice car but suspensions rock hard, fuel economys down with saloon impreza sti's and theyre getting a bit too common lol

evo, very hardcore for an everyday drive

s3 has probably the nicest interior,fuel consumption on a par with the others bar the civic,4wd which is nice to have

current sti has best interior so far,and with a few tweaks will outpace all but the evo easily

for fuel on all of them your going to be mid 20s to low 30s and servicing will probably be pretty similar to what your already at - they are performance cars after all, you pay to play!

thefastone

thefastone

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Not sure about when the sedan is being released in the UK, although I belive that they are, perhaps Gav (Scoobyseller555) might have more info on the release dates for them?

worldclassmusician

worldclassmusician

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  • Author
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Cheers so far guys,

can you get the STI in black? From the subaru website I see a dark grey (which I like), silver, red & white. Reading a few reviews, i've seen some in black. Looks lovely, but unsure if this is specific to the 330s (a special edition?)

The Golf doesn't seem that impressive for £30k does it! And the focus, yeah, I'm thinking they're getting a bit popular. Same with the type-r, hence I'm looking at the mugen200 which is really just a bodykit for a few grand extra.

The S5 seems perhaps a bit 'normal' from the looks point of view. But if I could get the STI in Black I'd be well inclined.

Anyone know anything about the £23k brand new thing going on now or if/when it is supposed to end?

Cheers for the link to the Scooby for sale, lovely car, but i'm after a warranty. Do love that shape though!! Had a bad experience with Merc!

scooby222

scooby222

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think black is on the 330s - on the sti i think its actually midnight blue though you need to look very very closely to realise its not black....same as the bugeye sti's, they were never done in black the v5's actually list them as dark blue.....

however im sure morning will bring the hatch contingent out - Del, Glynn, Brian??? ;)

lewisscoob

lewisscoob

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Sensible hat on...

I would say none of the above if you are planning doing a LARGE mileage. I personally would be going down the diesel route, something along the lines of a Seat Leon FR TDI or the other VAG equivalents.

Its all down to personal choice though. If I was travelling up and down the country on motorways and dual carriageways then the first thing I would be looking for is comfort, then fuel economy then performance. The newest diesels can do all three with the sacrifice of handling to a certain extent.

Sensible Hat off....

Go for the 330s, you know it makes sense!

Id be interested to see the responses of other forums on that particular group of cars...

Chris180883

Chris180883

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I'd avoid the focus rs quite a few have mapping problems causing the engine to backfire damaging the inlet manifold/engine 4 out of 7 cars I've had to put engines in now!!!

mystery machine

mystery machine

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Welcome!

If you're happy enough with the hatch's looks, then I'd suggest that the STI330 would be a fantastic car to own and to drive - the hatch STIs seem to have gained generally very positive reviews to date. Impreza turbos make fine all-weather cars (severe snow excepted), which could be very useful for someone who's travelling to gigs/sessions in a variety of places, on a variety of roads, in a variety of weather conditions...

Other cars I'm considering are;

Honda Civic Type-R MUGEN 200

...

Focus RS

Would you really want to go front-wheel drive after the Beemer and the Merc? And jeez-oh, that's a wh*re of a lot of money for a Civic! :P

I'm not convinced about the EVO X as a driver's car - what with its five-speed box, characterless engine and softened handling. The previous EVOs I gather were great cars, but with their very short service intervals I guess they wouldn't make much sense to a high-mileage driver like yourself - also a bit uncompromising compared to the other cars mentioned so far :)

Audis are always fashionable and the S-series have great engines, but what's the latest story on the handling? Certainly up until recently they had a strong rep for being 'grippy but dull', which may or may not be an issue for you.

The Golf R might be worth a hurl, although I wonder if the 4MOTION system has been improved in recent years. IIRC it was essentially a front-wheel drive system, only applying power to the rear when front traction is lost - hmmmmm ;) ('decent' 4WD systems like the STI's are rear-biased).

I'm struggling to think of any alternatives... does it have to be brand new? With your budget I could be sorely tempted by a secondhand M3 B)

All the best ;)

P.S. Which instrument do you play? :)

Edited by Mystery Machine
worldclassmusician

worldclassmusician

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Defo a great car, let's hope he's the harmonica player! ;)

I'm the keyboard/singer/sax player, but we have a van! At the moment, it's probably between the Scooby, Mugen and S3. If it is the scooby, i'm going for the Dark Grey colour.

Brian made a good point today on FB. There's some kind of offer on at the mo where you can get a new STI for £23k, or £28k with PPP, wheels, and other extras. Anyone know when/if this offer ends?

I'm not ordering the car until September, so I'm thinking that when the new reg comes out, the offer may go.

My ideal price is no more than £25k and to be honest, I intend on upgrading the wheels, etc in any case and so if I could find a 330s in dark grey and under a year old then that would probably be the way to go. Camelon Sub had this very car, but in Silver. Not keen on the colour and right now is not the perfect time for me to buy.

mystery machine

mystery machine

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http://subaru.co.uk/offers/the-sti-with-fr...ade-as-standard

If I can get the standard car for £23k, aren't I better just doing that and then adding the wheels and PPP myself, won't it be cheaper?

Looks like this offer ends, so long as I get my car delivered by Sept 30th. Bonus!

What does the STI hatch's PPP consist of?

On the last rev saloon it was purely an engine-related upgrade - exhaust bits, fuel pump, intercooler hose & ECU, for which they charged about £2000 when bought separately...

Edited by Mystery Machine
mystery machine

mystery machine

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Posted (edited)

OFF-TOPIC POST (sorry)...

I'm the keyboard/singer/sax player

Do you play much blues on that sax?

I was watching a Buddy Guy (Chicago blues guitarist) DVD recently and his saxophonist played a solo that absolutely blew me sideways. Not usually a fan of wind instruments in blues (save for harp), but this was seminal... ;)

Edited by Mystery Machine
wrxmania

wrxmania

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Posted
What does the STI hatch's PPP consist of?

On the last rev saloon it was purely an engine-related upgrade - exhaust bits, fuel pump, intercooler hose & ECU, for which they charged about £2000 when bought separately...

The ECU is removed from the car and mapped by Prodrive at Prodrive now to take account of the info stored on it about the car already.

Refitted with a new exhaust (different CAT and resonator removed).

That's it ;)

trogg

trogg

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Other cars I'm considering are;

Honda Civic Type-R MUGEN 200

Golf R

Focus RS

Audi S3

Evo x 300/330(second hand though)

Honda Mugen; Track biased car, I believe, so wouldn't recommend it for general use and traveling to work etc.

Focus RS; know a couple of people who have/had them. A bit of a 'chav' image and becoming increasingly popular. Of the two people I know that had them one still has his, the other sold it within a few months.

Golf/Audi; are they not the same thing in different bodies? Add a Sciroco to the list for the full set.

Evo; I'd probably opt for a Scooby instead.

What about a Renault Megane R26 etc?

Or, do you need much luggae space and 4 seat? If not what about a Lotus, Elise or Exige? Elise would be more live-able with day to day??

When you say high mileage, how many miles are you talking about?

Edited by trogg

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