£4000 budget for a new car.. Looking for something different

[ysidfa]

Hey Peeps

Ive been looking for a new car for a while and Im still completely lost as to what to get :/
It needs to hit certain criterior but retain individuality and reliability.

Criterior:
Efficient (preferebly 35mpg +)
Cheap to insure (Not much higher than group 6 old group)
Sporty/individual looking
reasonably nippy
Preferably less than 40k on the clock

There is a few cars ive short listed but its trying to chose between them and taking other contenders into account.

Fiat Panda 100hp
Renault Clio 1.2 tce (100hp)
Mistu Colt 1.3 (95hp)
Suzuki Swift GLS 1.5
Bravo T-jet 120 active (Bit out of price range with low miles)

Any other suggestions would be greatly accepted

Tom

 

[Eklipze3k]

Honda Beat
Daihatsu Avanzato (not the best example I'll admit)
Suzuki Cappuccino

Suzuki Alto Works if you can find one
Cinq/Sei Sporting

 

[Shadeyman]

Hey Peeps

Ive been looking for a new car for a while and Im still completely lost as to what to get :/
It needs to hit certain criterior but retain individuality and reliability.

Criterior:
Efficient (preferebly 35mpg +)
Cheap to insure (Not much higher than group 6 old group)
Sporty/individual looking
reasonably nippy
Preferably less than 40k on the clock

There is a few cars ive short listed but its trying to chose between them and taking other contenders into account.

Fiat Panda 100hp
Renault Clio 1.2 tce (100hp)
Mistu Colt 1.3 (95hp)
Suzuki Swift GLS 1.5
Bravo T-jet 120 active (Bit out of price range with low miles)

Any other suggestions would be greatly accepted

Tom

How about this .. :yum: (mileage is higher than you specified but very low for a JTD)
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/120869890335

Or this:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/330724379670

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

Hey Peeps

Ive been looking for a new car for a while and Im still completely lost as to what to get :/
It needs to hit certain criterior but retain individuality and reliability.

Criterior:
Efficient (preferebly 35mpg +)
Cheap to insure (Not much higher than group 6 old group)
Sporty/individual looking
reasonably nippy
Preferably less than 40k on the clock

There is a few cars ive short listed but its trying to chose between them and taking other contenders into account.

Fiat Panda 100hp
Renault Clio 1.2 tce (100hp)
Mistu Colt 1.3 (95hp)
Suzuki Swift GLS 1.5
Bravo T-jet 120 active (Bit out of price range with low miles)

Any other suggestions would be greatly accepted

Tom

My order of preference once having removed the French crud :devil:

1-Bravo T-jet 120 active (Bit out of price range with low miles)
2-Fiat Panda 100hp
3-Suzuki Swift GLS 1.5
4-Mistu Colt 1.3 (95hp)

Swift is a nice motor!

 

[ysidfa]

Honda Beat
Daihatsu Avanzato (not the best example I'll admit)
Suzuki Cappuccino

Suzuki Alto Works if you can find one
Cinq/Sei Sporting

Trust you with your Kei cars
If I could get a decent non import Suzi Cappuchino then I would, but insurers dont looks too kindly at Grey imports for 19 year olds :/

Would rather have a mazda autozam AZ1 though

Ill do a few quotes but unfortunately I cant get on ebay at work :/

Tom

 

[ysidfa]

Now Im reasonably happy,
Did an insurance quote for a Cinq Sporting with a non-standard engine and turbocharged.... and its cheaper than the insurance on my car atm!!
But reliability on a turboCinq wouldnt be top class, and not to mention fuel efficiency.

@Eklipze3k whats the overall comfort for reasonably long journeys in your Broom yellow beauty?

Tom

 

[Eklipze3k]

Brilliant to be honest, I've driven it back and forth from here to Elgin a few times - well over 400miles, only stopping once for petrol about midway and it's surprisingly comfortable, once you get used to the typically Italian driving position anyways

You're spot on about fuel efficiency in a turbo'd Cento, I recall blu73 saying he was lucky to get 100 miles out of a tank - check my fuelly for my figures, the 53mpg was on a run up to Elgin and back

 

[ysidfa]

I would love a Sei but it would a tad of a step down from an 07 Gp Active :/
Insurance would be pennies on a standard and a 1.2 16v conversion wouldnt make a massive dent in it aswell...

Whats the handling like?

Tom

 

[Eklipze3k]

I wouldn't say it's a step down, just because it's smaller doesn't make it any worse. If anything, the handling and general willingness of the car to do exactly what you tell it make it much more fun to drive. Having driven a 1.2 and a 1.4 GP, I'd say that the Sei (and Cinq for that matter) is a superior driver's car. The 1.2 (8v or 16v) conversion really do give the car the power it should have had as standard in a sporting (though saying that I'm still rocking the 1108cc! :slayer.

 

[Eklipze3k]

They are also surprisingly spacious for transport purposes - I basically moved house with all of the important stuff in just one trip

 

[ysidfa]

Awesome, might have to try and find one that someones willing for me to take a test drive in. The Punto 75 engine seems like a rather straightforward swap that wouldnt probably take much more than a week to do and the fact they weigh next to nothing also helps.

What you were saying about blu73 s Sei turbo, his is a high boost so he will be getting pants MPG, a low boost, maybe a 0.6 bar boost would give decent enough power increase without sacrificing effiency too much.

Tom

 

[Eklipze3k]

You won't have DoC on your insurance policy will you?

 

[ysidfa]

No, but Ive got a full Military MOD60 license, which gives me up to 24 hours 3rd party insurance on civilian vehicles for job role purposes.

Most dealerships also have certain insurance policys to cover anyone.
And I wouldnt go private because I would want to Part ex my Gp.

Tom

 

[Eklipze3k]

I was meaning to take mine for a spin

 

[AndyRKett]

Criterior:
Efficient (preferebly 35mpg +)
Cheap to insure (Not much higher than group 6 old group)
Sporty/individual looking
reasonably nippy
Preferably less than 40k on the clock

If you are looking for something different and interesting your criteria is a list of what you're not looking for.

one thing you won't get with interesting and different is cheap insurance.

what you are actually asking is what boring newish small cars are about for under £4k which came in some sport or special edition that may almost pass as interesting even if its not.

a general rule of interesting is Cut the roof off, stick a big engine in it, build it your self or buy something at least 35 years old otherwise its just another tin box on wheels with a plastic soul sapping interior

 

[Eklipze3k]

Honda Beat matches everything he's looking for, how many have you seen on the road Andy?

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

Honda Beat matches everything he's looking for, how many have you seen on the road Andy?

LeighJet150 V-tec YO!

 

[Eklipze3k]

Beat doesn't have Vtec, it's only 660cc

 

[AndyRKett]

Isn't the beat minus a roof as per the rules of interesting?

However I would make an exception to the beat Is boring and ugly and they've not made them for over 15 years

 

[Eklipze3k]

Isn't the beat minus a roof as per the rules of interesting?

Yes

However I would make an exception to the beat Is boring and ugly and they've not made them for over 15 years

I'd like to argue with you but since this isn't a thread about how much I value your opinion about cars I've suggested, I'll just ask you to make some suggestions of your own or shut up.