snoopy104

Hi, My name is Neil, i've just finished University and i'm about to begin a career in I.T. I stumbled across this site whilst deciding upon my next choice of car.. I've been all around the hills deciding upon the car I want.. Looking to spend wisely on a used stylish, reliable and comfortable compact executive car. My current car is a: 1995(N) Vauxhall Astra 1.8i 16v Sport 5dr in black, with 150,000 miles on the clock. Had it for about 4 years now and used it as a way to commute to uni, and it's started to creak and rattle and basically sounds like a diesel (sometimes worse than a diesel), totally bored of it and it's time for it to go! Originally looking for: Alfa Romeo 156 - Fell in love with the looks, the name and the perfomance, and the used prices, unsure of reliability and build quality and the front wheel drive layout.. Peugeot 406 Coupe 3.0 V6 SE - Great looking car, fast, cheap and plenty of kit, but very thirsty and front wheel drive only. BMW 3-Series - Pretty much the benchmark in this category, a bit common and far too expensive (don't depreciate fast enough to fall into my budget, unless I buy a really old one or a base model) not great value compared to the alternatives. Audi A4 - Ok, but a little dull and usually high mileage or poverty spec in my price range.. So, the IS200 is what brings me here, although I have only just started looking.. Thanks!

Whoops! My mistake! I must be reading too fast! Thanks!

Thanks for the replies, that helps a lot but raises a couple more questions.. I've looked on Autotrader for a Toyota Altezza and there seems to be some listed as 'Toyota Altezza RS200-Z'... Is there more than one performance spec of Altezza, or are they all the same? Also, I can't find the Altezza listed on the Directline car list, I'm guessing that most insurance companies don't like imports? Which insurance companies are best for this type of car? How much more expensive would an Altezza be to insure over a UK spec IS200 (on average) Would it be cheaper to insure a modified IS200 over an imported Altezza? If the Altezza is basically a tuned up IS200, then is it possible to tune an IS200 to Altezza spec using a chip and maybe imported stock Altezza components (camshafts, etc etc) or would the cost of this outweigh the benefits?...Not that i'm a performance freak and I know that 0-60 isn't the true measure of a cars performance but the 0-60 time of 9.5 sec is the same as my current car, and I would have liked something a bit quicker... Also, what should I do if a car has wheel corrosion? walk away? or is there a cost effective way to get it fixed/prevented? Thanks again!

Hi, I've just finished university and I'm looking to replace my tired old '95 Vauxhall Astra 1.8 sport (150,000 miles on the clock!) with something a little more grown up and refined. I'm looking to spend in the region of £5,000-£7,000 and was initially looking for an Alfa Romeo 156 2.0 T-Spark, 2.5 V6 or a GTA, but after some careful consideration, I think that build quality and reliability may be an issue in the future. I can't really afford to stretch to a 3-series (A bit too brash and obvious, anyway), Mercs are for old people the Audi A4 is still a contender, but most in my price range are tired, high mileage repmobiles. So, I'm here looking for more info about the Lexus IS200, but I have some questions: 1). Is the 'SPORT' with it's limited slip differential worth paying extra for, over the SE? 2). Direct-Line quoted me £426 Fully Comp for a 2001 IS200 SPORT 2.0, but I noticed that on the engine options that there is an S/Charger version, Which comes out at £630 F/C?? I can't find any info about a Supercharged version, only aftermarket supercharger kits?? But why would a mainstream insurance company put S/Charger on it's list if it's an aftermarket modification? There's no S/Charger option for my Astra for instance?? 3). The Supercharger kit costs around £3,000, but I only want to spend around £6,000 on the WHOLE car, the performance of the IS200 seems a little weedy compared to the Alfas that I was considering, is there a worthwhile and cheaper way to noticeably boost performance a bit without killing reliability and fuel economy too much? 4). Since a Lexus is basically a Toyota, will getting it serviced at a Toyota dealership instead of a Lexus dealer be ok? both in terms of resale value, price and ability of the service dept.? The nearest Lexus dealer is over an hour away (on a good day) but I have a Toyota dealership half a mile down the road? 5). Is there anything specific that is worthwhile checking/avoiding when buying an IS200?? (Other than the usual car buying rules) Sorry for the long post, Thanks in advance for any replies!