Quote:
Originally Posted by Dandare
I'm familiar with the Octavia VRS (tdi 170bhp) as my sister/husband have one which i've driven. I don't really need, or want something that bit bigger though it is quick & a pleasure to drive.
My Clio RS has been faultless, i may be lucky as i do read (on ClioSport) about what can & does go wrong, i'm thinking i could also get lucky with a Megane 225 too, lol. I'm partial to Renaults having had a number of GT Turbos in a previous life 
Tbh, the Focus & Golf are looking just a bit too expensive, the Leon 225 R (mk1) certainly looks a good bet, 5 doors always handy, good size boot, descent build quality (keep reading about door seals going though...), 32+mpg & an easy 260ish bhp upgrade. Only thing which niggles me are the looks, just a bit dated & not sure about it's ar5e end, lol. Also, i hope the driving position isn't the same as an Ibiza as it'll be out of the question !
I need to get out & arrange to drive some of these cars when i have time. |
The 170tdi Lumps are ok, not great as they all have DPF's which cause no end of troubles, plus they've all had an injector recall due to them failing - Not a case of if but when.....
I'd probably prefer the 140bhp TDi and just get it mapped, they go just as well but don't have dodgy injectors or the DPF to go wrong. My Leon (Mk2 FR Tdi) is the 170bhp and so far so good but I know it could still cause me problems another day.
At the end of the day your budget is all that dictates it, if you can afford it get the Golf GTi, if not I'd seriously look at either a higher mileage Leon FR (2.0 T FSI) or go for a really nice good condition 05 plate Cupra R (225) - It may look a bit dated but they're still great cars, if it's too old looking for you I guess you'll have to either up your budget or just get a high miler - Some of which aren't an issue if they've been serviced regularly, it's just the resell value that can put you off if you decide to sell it in 12 months...
The whole VAG range of cars are good, in my opinion it's just if you want to over-pay for the Audi or VW or get something that's at least mechanically as good in the Seat or Skoda - Just not as refined or nice inside in most cases
What about a Civic Type-R? They're good fun, quite poor on fuel but pretty reliable and the EP3 is still better then the newer model.
I know what you mean about Renaults, I've had loads in my time too (2 x Clio 16v's, 1 x 5 Turbo and a Megane 225) - all were good but equally all had niggles / faults.... The problem is the Megane 225 is quite a modern car so has a lot more to go wrong then your Clio, so many things are electronic (keyless entry and start for one). The cambelt change is around £1200 from a dealership due to having to take the Engine out - I got mine done by a specialist for £500 which helped but it's still a big job.
Window regulators are the other things that constantly go on the Meganes, I had 2 replaced in 3 months but if you look on the megane forum you'll see hundreds of complaints and posts about it.
Sometimes you will just get lucky, but it's probably safer to play it sensible and go with something that "most" people find to be reliable, rather then play the numbers game and hope you get a good one.