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I'm having a bit of a crisis.
After being stuck in boring diesel euro boxes for the last few years, I finally changed jobs a few months ago and bought an E65 BMW 745i, I thought it would make me happy, but it doesn't really. The engine is lovely, it's supremely comfortable, it eats fuel.
Basically, I have a budget of £4k and want something more characterful whilst still being suitable for my use.
The requirements would be; -25mpg and over -Reliable -Interesting -Some degree of practicality would be handy (DIY and towing), but not necessary -2 seats minimum
Of course, there is another option to split my budget over two vehicles so that I've got a practical, reliable, boring daily and something silly for the weekends.
Any suggestions?
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I have this as my daily driver, which ticks all of the boxes except I don't suppose it's really that interesting, but it's very nice and the overall spec stands out from 99% of other you see. I spent 6 months looking for the right one.
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Specialist Bodyshop & Fabrication Classic, Retro, Prestige & Custom Small Repairs to Concours Restorations Mechanical Work Vintage to Modern
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I may have a BORINGLY reliable 2002 Accord 2.0 VTEC SE for sale soon. Uber low mileage at 53k with Full History. Has Air Con, Climate control, Airbags, Cruise Control, Switchable 4sp Auto, Power Steering, Remote locking, Electric Tilt/Slide roof, alloys etc etc
Was owned by Honda UK until owner retired with car becoming his wifes daily. EVERY receipt for anything done on it including recent Cambelt and Service. Price will be around £1850 leaving you plenty for a 'Toy'
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96 E320 W210 Wafter - on 18" split Mono's - Sold :-( 10 Kia Ceed Sportwagon - Our new daily 03 Import Forester STi - Sold 98 W140 CL500 AMG - Brutal weekend bruiser! Sold :-( 99 E240 S210 Barge - Now sold 02 Accord 2.0SE - wife's old daily - gone in PX 88 P100 2.9efi Custom - Sold
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EmDee
Club Retro Rides Member
Committer of Autrocities.
Posts: 5,932
Club RR Member Number: 108
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Daily driver recommendationsEmDee
@emdee
Club Retro Rides Member 108
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Well going by this: The requirements would be; -25mpg and over -Reliable -Interesting -Some degree of practicality would be handy (DIY and towing), but not necessary -2 seats minimum I'd say all of the suggestions so far are boring! Everyone thinks you need an estate car when a Honda S2000 would fit that bill! Anyway, since everyone is just going to suggest the car they own (or are trying to sell) it's all a bit pointless. What cars do you like? Any particular contenders? I used to have an 05 Leon Cupra R that was pretty good at this sort of thing.
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I'd say all of the suggestions so far are boring! I used to have an 05 Leon Cupra R that was pretty good at this sort of thing. Basically what I suggested but less practical
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Dez
Club Retro Rides Member
And I won't sit down. And I won't shut up. And most of all I will not grow up.
Posts: 11,784
Club RR Member Number: 34
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Daily driver recommendationsDez
@dez
Club Retro Rides Member 34
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Well going by this: I'd say all of the suggestions so far are boring! Everyone thinks you need an estate car when a Honda S2000 would fit that bill! Anyway, since everyone is just going to suggest the car they own (or are trying to sell) it's all a bit pointless. yeah, by that token, heres my daily driver. i do at least 200 miles a week in it, often more- -25mpg and over- check (just). -Reliable- check. only breakdown ive had was running out of fuel. -Interesting - definately check. cant go anywhere without someone wanting to ask questions about it. -Some degree of practicality would be handy (DIY and towing), but not necessary -check- its a pickup! -2 seats minimum- check. oh and it was less than £4k as well. so, what you need is a 1930 citroen with a 2L pinto in it it would seem- happy to help in sorting that little problem out for you
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Last Edit: May 1, 2015 9:37:41 GMT by Dez
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EmDee
Club Retro Rides Member
Committer of Autrocities.
Posts: 5,932
Club RR Member Number: 108
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Daily driver recommendationsEmDee
@emdee
Club Retro Rides Member 108
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I'd say all of the suggestions so far are boring! I used to have an 05 Leon Cupra R that was pretty good at this sort of thing. Basically what I suggested but less practical The Cupra R had completely different underpinnings to the VRS - proper suspension, 4 pot Brembos, thicker rollbars, shorter steering rack, not to mention the BAM 225 engine from the TT/S3 - When you say VRS I think diesel. That said, I was just about to edit my post to add that I sold the LCR because I found it a bit boring. Dez has it. You should buy a 1930 pickup.
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Last Edit: May 1, 2015 9:32:10 GMT by EmDee
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Dez is pretty good at Top Trumps isn't he.... Lol
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96 E320 W210 Wafter - on 18" split Mono's - Sold :-( 10 Kia Ceed Sportwagon - Our new daily 03 Import Forester STi - Sold 98 W140 CL500 AMG - Brutal weekend bruiser! Sold :-( 99 E240 S210 Barge - Now sold 02 Accord 2.0SE - wife's old daily - gone in PX 88 P100 2.9efi Custom - Sold
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Well going by this: I'd say all of the suggestions so far are boring! Everyone thinks you need an estate car when a Honda S2000 would fit that bill! Anyway, since everyone is just going to suggest the car they own (or are trying to sell) it's all a bit pointless. yeah, by that token, heres my daily driver. i do at least 200 miles a week in it, often more- -25mpg and over- check (just). -Reliable- check. only breakdown ive had was running out of fuel. -Interesting - definately check. cant go anywhere without someone wanting to ask questions about it. -Some degree of practicality would be handy (DIY and towing), but not necessary -check- its a pickup! -2 seats minimum- check. oh and it was less than £4k as well. so, what you need is a 1930 citroen with a 2L pinto in it it would seem- happy to help in sorting that little problem out for you Great! That's the sort of suggestion I was looking for- turned up to 11! I'm afraid everything else leaves me feeling a bit cold - all of the other suggestions would need to be supplemented with a hobby car - making the accord the only viable option!
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See - I am a realist lol...
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96 E320 W210 Wafter - on 18" split Mono's - Sold :-( 10 Kia Ceed Sportwagon - Our new daily 03 Import Forester STi - Sold 98 W140 CL500 AMG - Brutal weekend bruiser! Sold :-( 99 E240 S210 Barge - Now sold 02 Accord 2.0SE - wife's old daily - gone in PX 88 P100 2.9efi Custom - Sold
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adam73bgt
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 4,940
Club RR Member Number: 58
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Daily driver recommendationsadam73bgt
@adam73bgt
Club Retro Rides Member 58
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I was going to suggest something like my Saab 9-3 Aero but in reality its probably not interesting enough (though a couple of mods will see it making more power than all the usual hot hatch suspects ) MGB GT -25mpg and over: easy -Reliable: generally, only breakdown was when the wipers packed in on a rainy M69 -Interesting: avoid minilites and they can be -Some degree of practicality would be handy (DIY and towing), but not necessary: its a hatchback -2 seats minimum: 2 seats plus a bench seat in the back for your 3 foot nothing friends
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Smiler
Posted a lot
I no longer own anything FWD! Or with less than 6 cylinders, or 2.5ltrs! :)
Posts: 2,492
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I would s a Scimitar but as even their brochure can only boast 'up to' 22MPG it fails.
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www.Auto-tat.co.uk'96 Range Rover P38 DSE (daily driver) '71 Reliant Scimitar SE5 GTE 3.0ltr Jag V6 Conversion '79 Reliant Scimitar SE6A 3.0ltr 24valve Omega Conversion '85 Escort Cabrio 2.0 Zetec - Sold '91 BMW 525i - Sold '82 Cortina 2.9i Ghia Cosworth - Sold '72 VW Campervan - Sold '65 LandRover 88" - Sold
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tenman
Part of things
m00000000000
Posts: 899
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PMSL, with criteria as wide as that you could almost go get a paper copy of autotrader (remember them???) and stick a pin into it....
if your not that arsed about space and you wanna be a hooligan, get an S14 200SX, surprisingly good on fuel when off boost, and amazingly poor on it when being a hooligan. Maybe a Beams engined Altezza would do, but not an IS200, for an N/A 2ltr its really poor on fuel. more practical getting expensive now but old RWD Volvo's are good reliable quirky and fun cars. Smart Roadster might be a good cheap choice at the moment...
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Last Edit: May 1, 2015 13:16:07 GMT by tenman
RWD Fanatic...
2003 BMW 320d Wagon (getting old and boring) 1996 Mini Kensington (SWMBO's)
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How about a reliant scimitar or if you can find one in your budget which will be tricky but do come up occasionally a 928. You might need a degree in electrical engineering to fix it but it won't be boring.
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sweaty palms slip off joystick
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On the other hand why don't you get a van. I've got an Astra van and it's a great little van
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sweaty palms slip off joystick
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Rob M
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,915
Club RR Member Number: 41
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My daily work commute, the trip to do the monthly shop, the runs down to Essex and back, basically everything that's mundane is done by our 'boring' euro box' which is modern, economical and can be driven by a lobotomised chimp. When I REALLY want to enjoy driving I jump in the 80s Merc or my Lotus. Thing is, if I used one or both of those cars on a very regular basis to do the things my modern does those cars will begin to feel mundane, boring and no longer the joy they now give me. Buy something mundane and then buy something to drive that will give you plenty of enjoyment. Each to their own though.
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,256
Club RR Member Number: 170
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Daily driver recommendationsChasR
@chasr
Club Retro Rides Member 170
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I have not owned anything as interesting as Dez's car for a daily but I have owned interesting cars in their own right, well in comparison to what else is in the car park. I'd love to suggest something out there but the reality is that I would be basing it on my circumstances ; my garage is almost unusable for working on leaving me only to work on my driveway. I also have a number of commitments elsewhere (helping out the odd car show, climbing, a few drink out before I even get to work!) leaving me little time to work on the car at the mercy of the weather. With that in mind my decisions will seem boring and biased. I have owned the following as a daily and enjoyed them, but I will not kid myself into thinking that it was easy as I have found it now (but then maybe I am lazy...): - 2 MGBs - Dolly Sprint - Spitfire 1500 - Stag 3.0 V8 - Pug 205 GTi - Volvo 740 2.0i and 2.3i - Escort XR3i Cabrio 1.6i - Various hot hatches (Pug 106 and 306 GTi (6)). - VW Beetle - Porsche 944 S2 - Porsche 944 Turbo Out of that list I would have said that both Porsches never let me down and that the Spitfire came close (the 'box was playing up and it was the 3rd box the car had seen in a lifetime). The Stag never did but Jesus I was always running around the damn thing to keep it going. With the Pug I was too until the end, but I had learned a bit by then too! The CB MGB was fine and so eventually was the later RB MGB but both especially the latter had their share of niggles! The Escort has to be on the best retros I have ever bought in terms of condition but even that has not been smooth sailing as my thread will detail. Sure it was fine over a few months, but the use of it is showing things up... Don't get me wrong, I love the car and enjoy driving it, but I would hate the car as a daily ; it would need an oil change far too often, constant attention to the bodywork with Mk3's reputation for rotting before your eyes (I remember my dad's XR3i being rotten to core before its 10th birthday!) and other issues (spares are almost none existent and are now becoming pricey, and almost made of unobtanium ; try finding a good set of working RST clocks or a good dash for sensible money now...). If this sounds like a whinefest please look away. I guess I have grown sick of constantly working on cars as opposed to doing what I want to do with them ; drive them! Isn't that what owning a Retro is all about after all as well as doing some of the fun stuff? Maybe I am the lone ranger on that count or simply been unlucky with retros with my friends being so as well. My tune may have been different if I had a garage to play with truth be told. However, if by some miracle this is still being read I had a similar budget to play with a few months ago but pocketed some of it and went with a very different choice to what I set out. Here is what I considered but it was verging on boring: - Audi TT 225 - great bit of power and unique looks despite the image but the plethora of issues with the ones I saw put me off them (cambelts needing doing, everyone had minor electrical faults and almost all had iffy clusters (inaccurate temp gauge being the main one). - Mini - They do rot for England even with new(ish) panels but they do have a selection of great quality spares available for them unlike MGs and Triumph parts IME. - Mazda MX-5? - The choice of RR I know and they do rot for fun unless you keep an eye on them but they are superb fun! In the end I went with a controversial and disappointing choice for a few, a Clio Sport 172. Half of your budget would get you a very good one. Yes there were cheaper examples out there than mine but they also looked tired and didn't have niceties like mine has (new branded rubber on Speedlines all round, great interior etc. etc.). Initially I was lukewarm towards but I soon was loving it on the journey back. It reminded me alot of my 205 GTi and a little of my 106 GTi but with more grunt, and I hate to say it, it felt quicker than I remember a 205 Mi16 feeling! They do also meet your criteria loosley of being: -25mpg and over - Check - I see high 20s around town and have seen 42MPG on motorway runs via the tank to tank filling method -Reliable - I have done 2,000 miles so far and it has been superb - I have just given it a service -Interesting - This depends. Personally I think it is and it seems Williams fans think so to a degree as well as the trackday brigade ; they really are that great at handling. -Some degree of practicality would be handy (DIY and towing), but not necessary -2 seats minimum - Try 5 seats, although 4 would be a better bet! Issues? Yes. These include: -Image ; whilst the chavs may be moving on from these the memories are there. The anoraks however are sticking with them. -Cambelts ; They are a pain in the to do and thus not pricey ; timing them up requires specialist tools which are not cheap and access is super tight on them, even for the aux. belt to be removed! -Quality ; I don't find it terrible but the 'feel is not as good as some German rivals. For me it gives it character. For me with that budget I would be tempted to get something a little boring but fun and reliable. I would have said to get 2 cars but I struggled to get a good car that was a little fun full stop for just below half of your budget. That and classics do seem to have risen in price alot. The amount I paid for my Spitfire in generally great conditon would now buy you a rot or bodge box that would have you crying into your beer. On that note, I am beginning to wonder if a midlife crisis is kicking in. Maybe I bought too much wibblepoo in the past, maybe I got conned by too many sellers talking of a 'simple fault', maybe I overinduldged in rust buckets in my 20s. Did I enjoy it? Yes! Would I have done it if I didn't have another daily at the time? Not a chance ; I never would have had a daily bar maybe the Porsches, potentially the Spitfire and 'B and 205.
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Last Edit: May 1, 2015 23:58:11 GMT by ChasR
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Maybe, an BMW 325ti is more the hooligan car you're after. Or does it need to have more style to be more interesting?
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Click picture for more
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I bought a Capri 1.6 laser ??
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1994 BMW 525i touring 2004 BMW Z4 sorn and broken 1977 Ford Escort 1982 Ford Capri getting restored 1999 Mazda B2500 daily driver.
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