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Apologies: what should i buy post...
swanny - 22/6/26 at 09:09 AM

hello,

Apologies for this but i'm a bit stuck and cant quite make up my mind.

I'm looking for an engaging, quick every day car. reasonably low mileage (below 80,000) and up to ten years old. Also cant have a big fast barge of a car as the wife needs to drive it when I have the other car and she wants a 'focus sized' car as a maximum. (four seats needed too)

It will share a drive with an electric cupra born, which will do most of the short journeys.

Looking for something genuinely quick and fun (my kit car at present is more stately than out and out fast, its a v8 Royale sabre)

I wanted to avoid ridiculous car tax, so crossed off Mazda MPS and a rotary RX8, I also need a tow bar. Not for anything heavy just a camping trailer, so crossed off Audi S3 and the golf R TSI as they are both not homologated for tow bars.

I seem to be left with the obvious Golf GTI, (which tend to be at the top end or beyond of my price bracket (13k) or the more quirky options of Volvo V40 T5, or the Peugeot 308GTI

have I missed anything obvious?

Does anyone have either the volvo or the peugeot? I've had volvos before and liked them. I just wondered whether long term an auto wont be that much fun, whereas the peugeot comes in manual.

thanks

nick205 - 22/6/26 at 01:46 PM

No advise.

Ref. "Audi S3 and the golf R TSI as they are both not homologated for tow bars."

Is this because they're FWD hatches with 4WD rear diffs under the boot floor (taking up tow bar fitting space)?

roadrunner - 22/6/26 at 04:19 PM

Audi S4 is not much bigger than a Focus, and massively tuneable.

JC - 23/6/26 at 06:50 AM

Seat Leon or Skoda Octavia VRS? Same oily bits as a Golf but cheaper.

nick205 - 23/6/26 at 07:29 AM

quote:
Originally posted by JC
Seat Leon or Skoda Octavia VRS? Same oily bits as a Golf but cheaper.



Fair comment!

Had an 04 plate Seat Leon Cupra TDI (company car) some years back.
Cheaper than equivalent VW Golf or Audi A3, but underneath all parts had VW/Audi logos on.
Ragged it to death for 4 years (it wasn't mine) not a peep out of it.
(It ate front tyres at a pretty healthy rate though)

swanny - 25/6/26 at 11:05 AM

quote:
Originally posted by nick205
No advise.

Ref. "Audi S3 and the golf R TSI as they are both not homologated for tow bars."

Is this because they're FWD hatches with 4WD rear diffs under the boot floor (taking up tow bar fitting space)?


I'm not sure. i did see one comment that suggested VW/Audi didnt think anyone buying a hot hatch would want to tow something so never bothered.

I do wonder if complicated rear bumpers with diffuser like designs might be partially to blame too?

swanny - 25/6/26 at 11:07 AM

I'll have a look at seat and skoda. playing around with searches there are some 2.0 A3s with none too shabby performance that might be a decent compromise too.

thanks

coyoteboy - 26/6/26 at 06:53 PM

quote:
Originally posted by nick205
No advise.

Ref. "Audi S3 and the golf R TSI as they are both not homologated for tow bars."

Is this because they're FWD hatches with 4WD rear diffs under the boot floor (taking up tow bar fitting space)?


Doubt it, my GT4 has a huge rear subframe and a rear-mounted fuel tank and it still got a towbar option

swanny - 30/6/26 at 10:38 AM

just to update you, as I'm sure you've all been wondering what I bought.... :-)

I decided to get an A3 2.0 petrol tfsi. seems plenty quick enough, nice leather interior and has stamps from Jack Barclay Bentley in the service book when it lived in central london :-)

loggyboy - 30/6/26 at 10:44 AM

Look at the hot Renaults if you want a fun engaging drive without forking out too much. Theyre always at the top of the Journo's best chassis lists.

coyoteboy - 30/6/26 at 02:35 PM

Having only owned one Renault (Megane), I would never own another Wasn't a bad drive, but it had every electrical fault possible, rusted to death in 12 years and had so many replacement plastic engine parts I lost track. Loved it like that friend you don't want to go to the pub with because he'll clearly start a fight and drag you into it.

[Edited on 30/6/2026 by coyoteboy]

swanny - 2/7/26 at 01:33 PM

quote:
Originally posted by loggyboy
Look at the hot Renaults if you want a fun engaging drive without forking out too much. Theyre always at the top of the Journo's best chassis lists.


did est drive a 308 gti and it was very rapid! i did a bit of research and got a bit spooked by some scary looking brake rebuild costs and felt that the iittle steering wheel was going to annoy me.

paul