This could be seen as sexist - but I need you Dads' opinion on a sexy/cool car...

[Finbar]

Hi there all Dads especially petrol heads

I am in the lovely postion of being able to buy a new car . What I wantis a car that turns your head..

BUT
it can't be a flash convertible adn it has to be under £20k.
I love Golf GTI's - but tell me ...what else would make you look twice a the driver ( and yes, I am in the midddle of an early mid life crisis!!)

Go on - what are the cool cars out there?

[Finbar]

bump

what other cars are in the Golf GTI category?

[fannyannie]

Finbar - if you're not in a rush I can ask DH for you when he gets in.

He's in the process of thinking about hopefully getting another car (2nd hand though not new) - but has all the relevant magazines (uptodate) at home (Parkers, Auto Exchange etc etc etc etc etc etc etc ) so I'll ask him his opinion.

[NomDePlume]

Sexy/cool car ?

lol @ midlife crisis

Have asked DH.

Seat Leon Cupra - good value, well built and not so obv wankish as the other hot hatches.

Whatever you do, DON'T get a mini, in any guise.

[NomDePlume]

The Golf is a good shout too though

[likemylife]

Hi Finbar

I have a new Honda Civic 2.2 Diesel and it is fabbb . I have the EX version which comes with sat nav, climate control, cruise control and loads of other 'toys' as standard! It's a company car so i didnt have to pay for it but i think the list price was approx £18k new.

Good luck!

[evenfattercatkin]

How rude! I have a mini!

But I would agree that the Leon is a fab car. DH has the Leon FR and it is great. would recommend it highly!

[DaddyCool]

hmmm, not my thing. get a 4x4

[NomDePlume]

oooops

It's the new mini in particular I was referring to (waits for catkin to say hers is a new one...). Cod calls them 'menopause minis', it made me lol @ the generalisation, but then I looked at mini drivers in my local area they nearly always have a bottle blonde of a certain age behind the wheel.

[evenfattercatkin]

No offence taken. Mine is not technically 'new' - I've had it for a year!
And i'm only 28!! (and not blonde!! )

[NomDePlume]

you are obviously the exception, catkin

[MaryBS]

I'm a girly, but I'm still a petrolhead (although you wouldnt know it from my family car!)

How about a Subaru Impreza 2.5 WRX STI - although you'd have to shop around to get it for under 20K

[MrsBadger]

you want my dad's opinion? [boggles]
he'd recommend the new Vectra estate (sigh)

will ask DH

[MrsBadger]

not a subaru
esp with air intake on bonnet
I don't care how fast they go, they still look naff

[fannyannie]

ahh but if you got an Impreza you'd have my DS's head turning CONSTANTLY....... he's obsesseed with them LOL.

[lesliephillips]

I have a Seat Leon Cupra and I love it...but am selling it if you want it finbar?

[DrDaddy]

What petrolheads would buy?
One of my colleagues at work is a complete petrolhead and managed to pick up a 4 year-old BMW M5 V8 400hp 20 inch rimmed quad chrome tail-piped bad boy for £18K.(They are £65K new). At 0-60 in under 4 secs and a top speed of 160mph (limited), that would turn some heads.

[poppy34]

dh suggested alfa romeo gt blackline - apparently you can get a 2 litre one for under 20k.



he is now in an orgy of car looking on the net ...

[MunnziesDH]

one of these is what you want

[MunnziesDH]

[MunnziesDH]

Or if you want to be more serious
I'd look at a decent 'classic'.

Such as a Merc 190 Cosworth (2.5 V6 Cosworth tuned, very nice) You can get a decent one for about 10K. They only start at a C plate tho I think.

Id stay away from anything Alfa as they cost an absolute fortune when they go wrong (as they quite often do)

Or if you want a more modern car maybe a Honda Civic Type R or maybe WhatCar?'s hot hatch of the year 2006 the Skoda Octavia vRS 5dr which you can pick up for £17,500 or something similar to these. The thing with buying a brand new (or nearly new) car is that they all look kinda the same. And the best Golf GTI by the way is the MK I, the original. None of the others really had the guts that the old one did.

[MerryMarigold]

nothing bmw that's for sure

mazda (rx8?) - there's a 'sporty' one which can still take a family

[Slacker]

TVR Cerbera, says DH (who's still regretting selling his)

Porsche 911 - will be quite old for under 20k but still a brilliant car

Or a Maserati 3200 - will definitely turn heads

Ferrari 308
Honda NSX

[Finbar]

wow thanks for allthis. I currently have a Seat Leon and do like the Cupra version ( and of course they'e allGolfs underneath!).

Totally agree with the min in genralisatin - sorry!
No sports/performance cars needed - have two children to fit in.

I hadn't thought of a Honda - aren't they the domain of the even older generation?

I think I need more understated oomph IYSWIM.

I had a Golf GTI yeas ago and it was the best car I've ever had.

[saadia]

Have you thought of Audi, recently bought an A4 and it does seem to turn heads. When I took it to the garage for a minor repair recently the bloke seemed very excited about it when I gave him the keys.

[ajj]

What about a Mitsubishi FTO?