Right, cheers for all of the posts and opinions, and enough about RUST!! Whatever I buy it will be in good nick and well looked after, I like my cars to be mint, hence why I'm looking at sub 30k clios.

From what most of you have said it looks like the golf is out of the question. I am no hooligan but do like to have a bit of a chuck about when nobody's looking. And if the golf is similar to my polo then the handling is unacceptable, I'm sure it would improve with some work but from what McLovin (great name btw) says I don't think it's for me.

Anybody got any ideas on sub-£5k alternatives? I don't think I've overlooked anything but would like to hear your thoughts!

i seem to remember reading somewhere the 130 bhp engine is more reliable than the 150 version. Also, check that its been run on the correct pd oil,especially if its done high miles.

Do you know what the differences are between the two?

i know its been sold but these are great fun and pull really well

http://pistonheads.co.uk/sales/1564047.htm

Save up a bit more and buy a Mk5 Golf GTI :)

anyone who says that modern diesels are shit has obviously never owned one.

I had a 58 reg Audi A4 2.0 tdi for a week. It absolutely ruined my mk2 GTi in terms of acceleration and top speed. And whereas it cost me avg £40 a week just going to work and back in the golfy, in the derv i put £20 and still had fuel left at the end of the week even after a few cheeky races on the dual carriageway. But the really nice thing about it was that it could be driven slowly very easily and was genuinely very pleasant to drive.

Also going 4's up with your mates doesnt feel like carrying a ton of bricks around, hardly noticed a difference in acceleration and cornering.

At the end of the day diesels are getting better and better, car manufacturers seem to be moving away from petrol engines in favour of the higher powered diesels which also happen to return much better mpg.

I say another 10 years and petrol engined NEW cars will be a rare thing tbh.

we'll have to don the smog masks if everybody drove a diesel

they can be fast in a straight line, but you cant change down a gear for a corner and still be in the powerband you gotta work the gearbox to fuck - they're crap! imo

also when i drive my mums 2.5tdi A4 avant i find that on a motorway run from southsea to preston or manchester at about 90mph most of the way my bmw 1.9 petrol uses about 5-10quid less fuel each way

Edited 15 April, 201016 yr by doug

Doug - I didn't realise minis were that cheap! Personally I prefer the clio to the mini though, and can get a better one for less. The clios engine is more fun to rev the tits off too

People go on about torque but at the end of the day, it's power that gets the adrenaline pumping! 170bhp @ 3500rpm is not the same as 170bhp @ 6500rpm!

I hear what you are saying Matt but the time is now, not 10 years into the future! On my budget I wont be getting some brand new twin turbo diesel engine, it'll be a 7 year old 60k golf!

PS doug - my dad has a 2litre diesel and it doesn't get much over 40mpg even with this helium filled slippers!

I think it could be down to the fact that the people who drive diesels aren't the sort of people who rev the nuts off their cars and some people who drive petrols do, increasing the gap in fuel consumption.

Edited 15 April, 201016 yr by Lyons

I think it could be down to the fact that the people who drive diesels aren't the sort of people who rev the nuts off their cars and some people who drive petrols do, increasing the gap in fuel consumption.

I would disagree with that. I used to 'rev the nuts' off my Polo GTi and my S3 and I don't think my driving style has really changed since I got the Jetta. Yet I'm still getting 40+mpg.

Also, you asked about 1.9TDi 130 and 150 engines. I looked into a MK4 GT TDI before getting the Jetta. The main problem the 150 has, is the camshafts wear significantly if the correct PD specific oil isn't used. UKMKIV's has some good information on this, referred to as 'chocolate cams'.

Doug - I didn't realise minis were that cheap! Personally I prefer the clio to the mini though, and can get a better one for less. The clios engine is more fun to rev the tits off too

People go on about torque but at the end of the day, it's power that gets the adrenaline pumping! 170bhp @ 3500rpm is not the same as 170bhp @ 6500rpm!

I hear what you are saying Matt but the time is now, not 10 years into the future! On my budget I wont be getting some brand new twin turbo diesel engine, it'll be a 7 year old 60k golf!

PS doug - my dad has a 2litre diesel and it doesn't get much over 40mpg even with this helium filled slippers!

I think it could be down to the fact that the people who drive diesels aren't the sort of people who rev the nuts off their cars and some people who drive petrols do, increasing the gap in fuel consumption.

I think you should stop posting now. You are set on the Clio.

Dont bothere with a Mini unless your getting a cooper s, there not the lightest or smallest (compared with most hot hatchbacks) the cooper which most people seem to think "ohh its cooper it must be quick" are only about 110bhp in a heavy car compared to a polo. They handle pretty decent I think, havn't drove one myself. A cooper S has more around the 160bhp figure.

Diesels are good if you need to journey alot or do motorway miles, if you expending country road fun you won't get it. I brought a diesel as I was commuting via motorway 160 miles per week yet only working 3days a week. Saved me a fortune, now I've changed jobs due to last year university work meaning I couldn't do many I'm doing about 30miles a week for work. This does make me think about changing to another nippyer petrol which I can throw around more.

The basic Cooper is nippy enough but hampered by strangely long gearing. They also have one of my pet hates of most new cars and that's artificial feel to the steering.

i drive a remapped early cooper S when I'm at work sometimes and i think its so much fun to drive. having sitting at 30 in 3rd then just flooring it is fun, nice and quick and the charger whines i usually prefer larger engined cars but the low down pull combined with the chuckability is a good combination, i think the steering is weighted quite nicely, artificial but its not too bad. would prefer it if my 318is had steering that felt the same

interior is a bit cack, made to look funky rather than practical and the steering column is well low

personal preference at end of the day, but you should defo test drive one before you go for the clio!

I thought the steering was perfect in my IS, but then, I put a new rack and pair of track rods on it.

its a bit too light i think. i just hate the amount of lock you have to wind on to coax the back end out, but that might be down to the lack of power also tbh

would do something about it but cant really be bothered modding anything untill its got 6 cylinders and over 200bhp lol

Try a Z3 rack, if you do decide to do anything about it.

Put a golf anniversary next to a clio with wings.... I know which i'd rather have! The Golf is a far more grown up car!

My brother and stepdad have both got derv golfs, and they're beasts, especially the GTTDI 130 with the 6 spd box, will sit at 100+ all day no problem, plus you can get 56-58 mpg out of them

Plus lets not forget you can have a full recaro interior in a golf....

Put a golf anniversary next to a clio with wings.... I know which i'd rather have! The Golf is a far more grown up car!

My brother and stepdad have both got derv golfs, and they're beasts, especially the GTTDI 130 with the 6 spd box, will sit at 100+ all day no problem, plus you can get 56-58 mpg out of them

Plus lets not forget you can have a full recaro interior in a golf....

Yep, look how much better the Clio looks!

i've driven both of these cars and the handling on a golf is really quite shit. You don't feel anything like you do in the clio, around the town driving the clio is definitely the best one, however it doesnt suit longer jounreys aswell as a golf does, i think someone mentioned the aniiversary edition, iv been in one of those and liked it a lot. End of the day mate it's all about the type of driving your going to do and your daily drives.

And seeing as my dad works for renault and brings back a lot of the newer cars now, i have to say i prefer the older clio 182 to the newer i think 197. So i think that shows it is a good car, boring interior though.

Yeah but I know which car i would rather spend my time actually sitting in....

You get Recaros in the 182 if you want. Don't forget you buy a Renaultsport to drive, not look at gay shiny interiors.

Yer, I don't know about anybody else but when I drive I tend to look at the road, not the dashboard...lol. I must concede, the clio's driving position is pretty piss poor though.

The diesel does make a whole lot of sense as I do quite a lot of motorway driving and will probably be doing even more soon! It's just at the weekends and in the evening when the golf might frustrate the hell out of me. I have driven a low spec mk4 golf before and it was quite awful to go round corners in. It just keeps sucking me back in with the cruis-ability and MPG, oh and dirt cheap insurance!

I am planning to get a 306 rallye jointly with my friend to track but I can't see this making me want to sacrifice the handling of my daily...having never had a track car before I could be wrong about this though?

Yeah, the driving position is poor. The driving position was equally poor in my old VTR, but it does mean you are unlikely to fall asleep which I would imagine is a big problem for Mk4 Golf owners

Have you thought about an E46 320d if you really want a diesel?

i was about to say have you considered a bimma? for 5k you can buy a lovely machine and you get the full package, a decent car and interior combined with something that handles really rather well

Yer I considered a 323/328 but not a diesel, I fear a 320d might be too slow for me, they were only about 140bhp back in the day (the era I would be buying it from) My dad has an E90 with 170bhp and it's ok but doesn't seem to move especially quickly because of it's weight. I think I would love some RWD action though!

The next step up is a 330d but I would be a bit scared of a turbo popping its clogs at that price range.

Edited 15 April, 201016 yr by Lyons

Put a golf anniversary next to a clio with wings.... I know which i'd rather have! The Golf is a far more grown up car!

My brother and stepdad have both got derv golfs, and they're beasts, especially the GTTDI 130 with the 6 spd box, will sit at 100+ all day no problem, plus you can get 56-58 mpg out of them

Plus lets not forget you can have a full recaro interior in a golf....

Yep, look how much better the Clio looks!

Sorry i forgot to say how funny this post was :lol: :lol: