I'm forcing myself to sell the VXT so we can put more money down as a deposit for a house. Painful, i know, but I have to grow up *a bit* i s'pose?

So...

I've got a budget of about 11-12k that i would like to stick to for my next motor and the only cars that fit my criteria of:

- 4/5 doors
- Rapid
- Good handling (all relative!)
- Moderately refined
- Decent residuals
- Sensible running costs
- Good build quality

*appear* to be the VAG range of cars. Specifically the Seat Leon Cupra R. In Black or Red...

225bhp easily remapped to 270bhp for

 

My next-door neighbour has one. He's more than happy with his.

Quite refined - certainly more of a cruiser than the Civic Type-R, costs are sensible, as quick as the S in a straight line, and well put together.

The downside; handling / grip is poor for a car of that type. He's been out in both my S and also my CTR when I had that. I can comfortably take corners at speeds he said his car would simply run wide at.

For what it is, I like it.

 

You are buying second hand, yes? I am just saying this because you will not get the Leon for your budget, new.

The Man and I test drove one before we bought the S and nearly bought a new one (black was the colour ) but the dealer, even though he was keen to make the deal, took us for idiots when we were negotiating prices so we lost trust in him and pulled out.

Apart from that we liked it a lot, obviously as we were in the process of buying one. It definitely fits you first 4 criteria. I think it fits the others too but cannot comment on the residual as I have no knowledge of this.
Personally, in my non technical girly opinion, I liked it in inverse proportion to the Civic Type R we test drove. Sorry to CTR fans but I could not get on with it and found it too frantic. I really did not get on with the Civic. I found the Leon more sophisticated and easier to drive and I enjoyed when we opened it up instead of being just scared in the Civic.

I have no idea how it would compare to the VXT, but it is definitely no where near as exciting as an S. It is a lot more sensible and practical as an everyday car than a VXT and S2000, of course. Before I get flamed I did not say that you cannot have a VXT or an S2000 as an everyday car (our S is an every day runner).

I hope this helps a bit.

 

I toyed with getting an Leon Cupra R 4 years ago when I ended up buying my CTR. Although I didn't drive one my impression from sitting in it was that it looked like any other Leon - a bit bland and boring. Especially when compared to the Civic with better seats and gear knobs in unusual places.
I'd think the weight would be more than a Civic too. Have you thought about the Octavia Rs?

 

Now we test drove that one too. The test drive was all messed up by the dealer so I did not drive it but I can tell you it brought a big smile to The Man's face. As a passenger I liked it too.

The dealer was an absolute **** so we could not consider buying one. We definitely thought it should have been worth investigating further.

 

I have.

But I really cant get over the looks...

Ok, the LCR is no svelte beauty, but it looks quite aggressive and much better than the vRS IMO. The other half wants a Golf FFS - ok car to be fair, but so ORDINARY...

The -ve points for the CTR is that it's a bit common, it's also a 3-door. Lots also appear to have been tweaked to some degree or other and frankly, that puts me off! I also find the in-cabin noise levels to be too high (even when compared to the S and VXT!). Admittedly, it's a more 'sporty' proposition, but i want a bit of a halfway house, tbh.

The next car i get will have to cater for both me and my partner and she is pretty intolerant of the sacrifice of refinement for the sake of speed - which is where the LCR comes in. I can still make good progress on most roads, while still cosseting her and providing her with a Starbucks cup holder!!

 

Leon and Octavia (actually all VAG cars) are a bit dull to drive, doubly so after the VX I'd wager.

It depends I suppose on how old you want to go - it's amazing what can be had for little money these days though, especially as cars are becoming more reliable for longer - a quick trawl through PH brings up;

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/95032.htm

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/100740.htm (OK, not 4 doors and no back seats, but hey, just tell her it's a Clio....)

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/107219.htm

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/103639.htm (OK, fuel economy might not be a strong point on this one).

All a shed load more interesting than anything VAG are producing.

Lots of fairly recent metal if you're prepared to think a bit differently to the crowd.....

 

you said something about residual values?

A Seat?

don't make me laugh

it hurts

 

For what it's worth I think they're pretty decent

 

Surely an