Same old, same old.
Finally got round to actually buying something new, but I'll be buggered if I can find anything worth buying, that's not at the other end of the country.
There were loads around when I was looking a couple of months back !
Astra Coupe Turbo is still hovering round the top of the list. I fancy an '04 car, so it's still got most of the manufacturers warranty left. Very cheap insurance too - DirectLine want £50 *less* than they currently charge me for the TI. Makes a nice 240bhp once AmD have fettled it.
Budget is £12K. The more modern the better. Reliability is of great importance - I don't wanna be visiting my garage more than is necessary :)
Alfa Romeo GTV V6 is very tempting - but I don't think I dare. Keenly priced. Want a Turbo really though.
Audi S3 is just about in budget - but it's gonna be an oldy high miler. Hmmm.
Octavia vRS is another option - but I think they're fugly.
I really want a Leon Cupra R, but they're overpriced - they seem to hold their value crazily well.
Celica 190 looks a great buy, and would be my first choice if it didn't have the engine-from-hell :)
Accord Type-R an even better buy (HID as standard etc. etc.) - but engine-from-hell again.
I could comfortably afford a brand new 206 GTi180 or a Clio 182 (mmmm, standard HID again) - I've disregarded them already though (teeny tinbox cars). Should I look closer at these two ?
New Vectra is keenly priced - there are plenty of 3.2 V6s in budget. Common and bland though, and not particularly quick. Spotted that they do a 3.0 V6 Diesel though ! 180bhp ! What's it like ? Do GM stick that engine into anything else ? I quite fancy 220bhp (once chipped) of Derv power !
If the Passat W8 was £3-£4K cheaper, then I'd have bought one already. But they're not :( It's likely to be my next car after this one though.
Anything I've missed ?
I've found a mint 200SX locally. It's a year 2000 on an X-plate with 40K, and it's a Touring, so it's got all the toys and full cream leather. It's a nice shade of blue, and a manual (which seem very rare for some reason). It's *well* under budget too, which is always nice. Are they actually any good ? I'm not sure about RWD - will I crash and die ? My biggest concern is that they're old (launched in '94) and bland bland bland. Hmmm. I think I'll go and look at it at the weekend. They're not particularly quick as standard - can I cheaply get a nice power hike ?
That's about it for now :)