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[Danman]

Hi All,
I am looking for a Cliosport but there are other nice cars out there which are confusing my very limited mind... especially limited when I am trying to make car purchasing decisions. I have up to £4k to spend on a sporty daily commuter with a Grand Espace as second family car to carry the family. I need good dynamics (especially nice steering feel), spirited characterful engine, a ride that isn't too harsh (or my wife wil kill me), reasonable mpg eg able to hit 40mpg on a gentle cruise, reliable with full service history, less than 80k miles.

Favourite choices
1. Renaultsport Clio 197 between £3k and £4k
2. Renaultsport Megane - Can take 3 at the back and quick. Scared about reliabiliity and economy
3. Peugeot 207GTi - cheaper with excellent economy but doesn't sound like they are competitive dynamically. Cam chain problems
4. Mini Cooper S R56 - Great economy and build quality. Really cramped at the back and cam chain issues
5. Cheap option Fiesta ST - Cheap to buy and to run. Cheap quality and average dynamics

Can you rate these 5 and give me other options?

thanks

Dan

 

[White16valver]

You should drive (and/or get a ride in) your options to see how you like them - I believe they are all decent steers, but you may prefer one over the other for different reasons.

 

[Danman]

You should drive (and/or get a ride in) your options to see how you like them - I believe they are all decent steers, but you may prefer one over the other for different reasons.

 

[Danman]

You're definitely right. I'm at the initial stage and will be test driving some very soon. Are you offering to give me a demo?

 

[Clio_fool]

Who told you a cooper s had good economy?
How far is the commute? 197 would be my choice, or a minty mint 172/182 or possibly a higher mileage 182 trophy?

 

[Bluebeard]

197 won't do 40mpg. Not unless all you do is drive down hill. Probably the most fun when pushing on out of your options. Build quality is average.

Megane; reliability engine wise is pretty good providing it's not been mapped and hammered. Electrics and window reg's are problematic though. Albeit nothing major. Capable car but a bit numb imo. Same mpg as a 197 but with 30 more bhp and s**t loads more torque.

207 Gti; it's a peugeot. Heavy and Lardy. Nice place to sit but doesn't feel like a hot hatch.

R56; not economical at all. No space in the car and suffer from coked up heads unless you're smashing the tits off it every journey. Can chain issue is easily sorted/preventable. Can tune them reliably though.

Fiesta ST; build quality is poor, not that fast, engines are good though and they are actually really good to drive. Interior is woeful. Terrible image (that doesn't bother me personally)


Look at a very tidy EP3? They're good cars. I personally hate them but even I can't deny they're really good. There's a nice one in the for sale section on here too.

Focus ST? Mpg again is poor but they're built well and drive lovely. Not forgetting they map well to become very capable and the noise... oh the noise!

Mazda 3 MPS? I've only driven one for about 20 minutes but I liked it. Plenty of power but the steering was a bit 'meh'. It's something to look at and have a test drive in though?

I'm all out of ideas now as I can't remember driving anything else. Not recently anyway.

 

[Danman]

Who told you a cooper s had good economy?
How far is the commute? 197 would be my choice, or a minty mint 172/182 or possibly a higher mileage 182 trophy?

Shame I can't stretch to a clio 200. I hear that they supported the lack of life down torque of the 197 and improved economy at the same time. I had a cooper r53 which drank when the supercharger was spooling. I heard the r56 turbo s was good on economy but maybe that is just the manufacturer's figures. The commute is 65 miles for 4 days a week. I drove as economically as possible on the commute and cane it on the back roads. The standard 182 is a very attractive proposition.

 

[Danman]

197 won't do 40mpg. Not unless all you do is drive down hill. Probably the most fun when pushing on out of your options. Build quality is average.

Megane; reliability engine wise is pretty good providing it's not been mapped and hammered. Electrics and window reg's are problematic though. Albeit nothing major. Capable car but a bit numb imo. Same mpg as a 197 but with 30 more bhp and s**t loads more torque.

207 Gti; it's a peugeot. Heavy and Lardy. Nice place to sit but doesn't feel like a hot hatch.

R56; not economical at all. No space in the car and suffer from coked up heads unless you're smashing the tits off it every journey. Can chain issue is easily sorted/preventable. Can tune them reliably though.

Fiesta ST; build quality is poor, not that fast, engines are good though and they are actually really good to drive. Interior is woeful. Terrible image (that doesn't bother me personally)


Look at a very tidy EP3? They're good cars. I personally hate them but even I can't deny they're really good. There's a nice one in the for sale section on here too.

Focus ST? Mpg again is poor but they're built well and drive lovely. Not forgetting they map well to become very capable and the noise... oh the noise!

Mazda 3 MPS? I've only driven one for about 20 minutes but I liked it. Plenty of power but the steering was a bit 'meh'. It's something to look at and have a test drive in though?

I'm all out of ideas now as I can't remember driving anything else. Not recently anyway.

.
Thanks for your time and informative reply. Focus St and mps are too juicy for me. I would love to try then but I think they would cost too much to run. I will probably try a Fiesta as I drive my mum's 1.4 and even with its 75bhp was nicely balanced and had nice steering feel. All definitely try a 182 and a 197 and see which one stirs my soul the most. Haven't ruled out a bmw 325, 120i nor a 325 compact for some great wheel drive joy.

 

[White16valver]

You're definitely right. I'm at the initial stage and will be test driving some very soon. Are you offering to give me a demo? :smile:

I have none of the above so am no help whatsoever lol