Upgrade to a "fun to drive" car

A

alkit

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Hi,

I'm a 30 year old single guy.

My current car is a Honda Jazz 1.5EX that my folks bought me in 2010.
I just finished paying off my house and would now like to treat myself to a new car.

I'm looking for the following:
1) Fun to drive
2) Nice tech (like auto parking, radar distance following, Android integration etc)
3) Something that will accelerate quickly if I need to overtake a car or make a quick right turn.

So far - it is between an Audi A3 and Ford Focus ST

A) With those 2 options, which would be a better fit to MY SPECS above?
B) Any other car in that range you would advise looking at?
C) Is the ST overkill - would the Focus 1.6 Ecoboost be as nice if I don't plan to race on Kyalami race track?

Thanks in advance for the advice!
 
Lovely budget. Obviously answer is a neat 2nd hand Mk7 GTI.

Or possibly a high mileage 2nd hand Golf 7 R.

You just may be able to squeeze the current gen S3 in there.

Otherwise a M135i. Or the current run-out Civic Type R.
 
Buy a Mini Paceman S

Owning a Jazz is pretty sensible. You can go anywhere and not have to so spend a lot on fuel and with fuel going up I may think twice and rather tell you to go abroad. Flashy cars costs more on tyres etc. I've had a Subaru wrx and Mini Cooper S JCW. If you want a fun car to drive get a mini. Ideally the paceman or the cooper s. Get it in red with the white stripes, white roof and a lot of chrome. It becomes a real eye turner.

I won't bother with a VW. Maybe get a Mercedes GLA or a Jaguar. That way you're more sensible or get a SUV.

Because once you get married and start a family the ease of putting kids in and out of the car become tricky.

If you want more flashy get an Audi TT. But Minis are great for driving and if you choose the right colour schemes then girls will love you more.
 
Audi is pricey on maintenance and a Mercedes A class is nicer than the Audi A3.

I own a golf 7. Honestly it's junk. My brother had the ford. It fell apart in pieces. Eventually he went back to Mini too
 
https://goo.gl/images/BMUree

The Paceman S 1.6 is just a tad slower than the GTI type R. So imagine how much faster the 2 litre 4wd is.

Also see the pic. Much nicer than the oh so common GTI which every kid racer rides.
 
Such "boring" cars. A Renault Megane GT Turbo would be ony shortlist to go test drive.
 
Firstly, props on being out of debt at such a young age.

It depends on what you define as "fun" though. Honestly, I've had more fun driving smaller, slower cars but with "character" than I have with fast cars.

For reference: I've driven a few fast Audis owned by friends and relatives (2004 S4, 2006 RS4, 2009 S3) - I had much more fun in a Fiat Panda 100HP.

That's a subjective thing though.
 
silkenphoenixx said:
Firstly, props on being out of debt at such a young age.

It depends on what you define as "fun" though. Honestly, I've had more fun driving smaller, slower cars but with "character" than I have with fast cars.

For reference: I've driven a few fast Audis owned by friends and relatives (2004 S4, 2006 RS4, 2009 S3) - I had much more fun in a Fiat Panda 100HP.

That's a subjective thing though.
Click to expand...

Yes fun is subjective. Especially when you go full rally driving style just to keep the Panda straight on the road...
 
Upgrade to a "fun to drive" car

FiestaST said:
Lovely budget. Obviously answer is a neat 2nd hand Mk7 GTI.

Or possibly a high mileage 2nd hand Golf 7 R.

You just may be able to squeeze the current gen S3 in there.

Otherwise a M135i. Or the current run-out Civic Type R.
Click to expand...

Do any of those have Android Auto?

Which is what I presume he meant by android integration.

I find it shocking how lacking these features are.

Skipping all the rest in the same boat I would probably have a GT86.
 
SauRoNZA said:
Do any of those have Android Auto?

Which is what I presume he meant by android integration.

I find it shocking how lacking these features are.

Skipping all the rest in the same boat I would probably have a GT86.
Click to expand...

The latest new spec 7.5 & updated A3/S3 have them. 2nd hand it was an optional extra later on in the model line. So if AA is mission critical OP is not gonna find much fun cars in the R450k bracket with AA unless you do the aftermarket move.
 
I drove a mini cooper s around kyalami and it was a fkn blast. Not the fastest out there but by no means a slouch, and it handles like a go kart.
 
alkit said:
Hi,

I'm a 30 year old single guy.

My current car is a Honda Jazz 1.5EX that my folks bought me in 2010.
I just finished paying off my house and would now like to treat myself to a new car.

I'm looking for the following:
1) Fun to drive
2) Nice tech (like auto parking, radar distance following, Android integration etc)
3) Something that will accelerate quickly if I need to overtake a car or make a quick right turn.

So far - it is between an Audi A3 and Ford Focus ST

A) With those 2 options, which would be a better fit to MY SPECS above?
B) Any other car in that range you would advise looking at?
C) Is the ST overkill - would the Focus 1.6 Ecoboost be as nice if I don't plan to race on Kyalami race track?

Thanks in advance for the advice!
Click to expand...

Go drive a real car ...

Subaru wrx sti blobeye or hawkeye
S2000
mx-5
Toyota 86
200sx
 
Last edited:
What about the Opel Astra Sport Plus 1.6T?

Had Android Auto, can parallel park on it's own, brake on it's own , LED Headlamps, lane departure warning with Auto steering and traffic sign recognition
 
Last edited:
Opel nearly bankrupt?

Sumen said:
What about the top spec Opel Astra?
Click to expand...

Isn't opel nearly bankrupt?

Renault's are nice but their resale values aren't and Subaru's guzzle fuel and after 3 years is worth half.

So mini or the Jazz Sport? Rare to find a jazzy sport but I've driven one in Asia and was pretty impressed. That way you don't break the bank.

My buddy sold his Porsche and bought a house cash. Then took a loan to buy a Range Rover for 1.2 million. Two years later decided to immigrate and got 400k for it. Still had a 700k bond still owing. And at the end he bought a Jazz. Ironic
 
I'm sure soon you will be starting to have your own family soon, unless you are gay. Rather think ahead and get SUV I can think of Mazda CX 5 (with your healthy budget you will be left with a bit of change if you buy demo), Hyundai Tucson or stay within Honda family top of the range Honda HR V.

I would not advice anyone to get Volkswagen for safety reasons.
 
Maruti.learns2rock said:
I'm sure soon you will be starting to have your own family soon, unless you are gay. Rather think ahead and get SUV I can think of Mazda CX 5 (with your healthy budget you will be left with a bit of change if you buy demo), Hyundai Tucson or stay within Honda family top of the range Honda HR V.

I would not advice anyone to get Volkswagen for safety reasons.
Click to expand...

Why an SUV? I hate SUVs, they're bloated and block visibility for any other road users.

Normal saloon cars are more than enough for most families, heck even hatchbacks do just fine for their practicality. Any of the hot hatchbacks mentioned here will sort out a wife and two children with ease.
 
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