Yet another "Help me buy a new car" thread

leviathan

leviathan

Snores like a puppy
Joined
Oct 7, 2007
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Location
Frankfurt
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Tesla Model 3
Yes, there's been quite a few of these here lately. And now came a time, where I also stand before the choice, what to drive in the next few years, and I might need your help with this one.

My A6 has done a good job being my first car, but I think it's time to go on. From driving it the last 2 years, I realized a few things about what I want from the next one:
  • It needs to be smaller (I drive alone most of the time, don't really need the boot space, and it's not very easy to park a big car in a European city these days)
  • It needs to look better (the A6 is a great, but utterly boring looking thing)
  • It needs to be sportier (again, the A6 is fine to drive, but not sporty whatsoever)
  • It will not be a used car
  • It probably will also stay German :)

The idea is to give the Audi in as a first payment, and finance the next car over 2 to 3 years. Some calculations on the back of a laptop told me the list price of what I can afford - it's somewhere around ?30k.

The best option I could come up with so far is the VW Scirocco 1.4 TSI with a 7-gear DSG. It looks beautiful, I quite like the interior, it has the German quality to it, and the pricing is bang-on. I am getting a test drive in one of those next week to see if it's really what I want.

But I don't want to choose from one option. I know very well that there are lots of other hot hatches, smaller saloons and similar around. What would you guys recommend buying in my situation?
 
Aston Martin said:
A 1.4 170 horsepower engine with DSG? Seems kinda pointless okay to me.
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Fixed it for you ;)

I support your thoughts on the Scirocco, the only competitor I can think of off the top of my head is a BMW 1-series and I don't like those.
 
LeVeL said:
a fail to see how a scirocco is better than an e46 M3. Yes, I did see that you said no used cars, but if you want sporty, I'd reconsider that
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On the technical front, I see your point clearly. The main problems here come from the financial side - fuel consumption, insurance and taxes. A new Scirocco is considerably better on all three of those, insuring a used M3 for me (being a 20-year-old with 2 years of driving experience) will be even worse than the A6 is now.

DanRoM said:
Take a look at the BMW 1 series and the Ford Focus ST.
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The 1-series is a good car, but I don't really fancy it's looks. Also, while the Scirocco is not the roomiest by any measure, I found it somehow even more cramped in the 1-series I've been in.

The ST, on the other hand, seems to be worth a closer look. I'll drop by at a dealership next week to see how I like that - somehow I managed never to have been in a Focus before.
 
AiR said:
Fixed it for you ;)
Click to expand...

Sorry, didn't realise they had 170 BHP.
A 125i coupe is just over budget, personally i'd have that. The 135i is nearly 40k so thats too far over budget.
 
GTI please. Maybe a 135i?
 
What's wrong with a Golf GTI?

If you want to stay with German cars, spend no more than 30000 Euros, want something practical, solid, reliable, with steady value and nevertheless fast and with fun to drive, you basically HAVE to go for the Golf GTI.

Ok, it's not the most exciting car to look at, but the trouble with most exciting looking cars is, that they are either unpractical, over the top or unreliable.
 
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But the Scirocco is a GTI with sensible engine choices and some style. Same car. Buy buy. And as you won't be carrying around a fifth person, you save fuel! Now if that isnt practical I don't know what is! :p
 
The problem with the Scirocco is, that it is not "IKEA compatible", which is my definition of practical.

To go on a shopping trip at IKEA, you either need a car with a reasonable amount of cargo space or the option to hook up a trailer.

The Scirocco has neither.

It also is only a 2+2 seater and not a 4-seater (the back seats are only good for children).

That is why I -- given the choice -- would always prefer the Golf, even if I like the Scirocco very much as a fun car. But that's all it is: A fun car.
 
I wouldn't go with the Scirocco simply because it's maximum cool has now passed. It's on the way to becoming a car for twats with stupid hair styles.

If you must buy one don't get the 1.4. It's a screamy little bugger.
 
GTI vs Scirocco is a hard choice. The GTI (6th generation) is actually slightly more expensive. And it looks way more boring, since it's a Golf, which is basically every 2nd car on German roads. But it indeed is a million times more practical...
 
It's not small...

alfa-romeo-159-ti.jpg


But it's smaller than a A6 :D
 
I think he mentioned he wanted to stay with a German product ;)

By the way: I'm currently trying for 4 weeks already to get a test drive in the new GTI. It seems the VW dealers have big difficulties in getting their hands on one.
 
well the 159 did have former vw "technical designer" or smth.. cant remember the details.
 
That's exactly why I started this thread. Thank you, I haven't really even thought about an Alfa, but now you mention it... I just went onto their website and played around with the configurator a bit, the 1.8 TBi comes out at pretty much the same price as the 1.4 TSI Scirocco. *makes a mental note to visit yet another dealership*

But what about the reliability? Is it actually really that bad with the Alfas, or could a new car be OK for the first few years (after which I'll probably get rid of it anyway)?

Btw.: the car being German is a mere wish, not a requirement. So if there are any other great ideas, out with them.
 
My m8's dad drives a 159 JTD, it's reliable in a it keeps running kind of way.
But there are lots of little niggles, mainly electric. If you dont get all the options you should be ok though :D
 
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