Need help choosing a toy!

[ignis]

Not to big then you have a hatch @ 3.2 million

VW Golf 'R' 5.2 sec 0-100 [0-62mph]

Audi RS4 is faster at 4.6 secs

Subaru WRX STi at 4.6 secs and cost 3.9 million.

[IMHO]

@OP: You have enough money to buy a Coxter Cayman, test drive that and you'll soon forget about hot hatches. Erased form memory. Not in the same league.

[Lampang2]

Not to big then you have a hatch @ 3.2 million

VW Golf 'R' 5.2 sec 0-100 [0-62mph]

Audi RS4 is faster at 4.6 secs

Subaru WRX STi at 4.6 secs and cost 3.9 million.

If ever the golf R400 makes it.

0-100 3.9s

[frankphuket]

In my opinion the 0-100 figures are not as important as I thought anymore.

I had similar thoughts and actually own two cars which come very close to what the OP is owning: a MINI Cooper S JCW GP R53 with manual gear....plenty of fun and a Golf GTI which is tuned to about 260 hp. Both go plenty fast when pushed, but I am no racer and I think for Thai roads etc those are plenty and more to have fun in. The Golf of course is more practical as every day drive..the Mini more weekend fun with the manual. A manual in my opinion will always be more fun....at least for me.

[Jitar]

Franks point about 0 to 60 is correct but the OP set the 6 sec target. Personally I would look at the options and consider a compromise in some area for preferences in others.

The whole point of hot hatches was good performance / practical / affordable price. Basing a performance car with these aims on a FWD hatchback makes sense. However the GTI and the R Type are now pushing the limits of the concept. The standard GTI, Mini Cooper and Benz A250 / CLA250 have around 200hp. That's about enough for a FWD, even with traction control and torque vectoring etc but the 0 to 60 is above the OP's target of 6 sec. I like the Mini and the Benz CLA250 / GLA250 for what they are. Not super fast but not super expensive either and still sporty enough to be a fun toy without dramas. Golf GTIs are great cars in countries where VW has some support, but Thailand is not one of these. AFAIK, Golfs in LOS are now all grey market deals which is a big disadvantage (IMO).

The higher power 4wd models like the Golf R model and Benz A45 push the price level to crazy levels for a rock hard rocket sled. Proper sports cars are a good alternative like the 370Z, Boxster, Cayman or even the Lotus Elise / Evora.

[giddyup]

I don't think anything mentioned here will touch one of these Nissan GTR's, 0-60 in 2.9 secs, and the price I'm pretty sure is less that 8 mil, but I'm not 100% sure. Best value super car in the world.

[Dellie]

Alot of cars suggested that I would love to have but I should clarify that Im only looking at proper retail new cars with warranty and after sales services available throughout the country. All grey imports are ruled out.

[Jitar]

Unfortunately "after sales services available throughout the country" limits you to the major Jap brands, Ford, Chev, Benz and BMW. Dealers for the low volume brands are scarce outside of BKK, Phuket and Chiang Mai

[canthai55]

I must say that I am confused. Your budget is 8 million baht. Who cares if it breaks down while on a trip to Nakhon Nowhere ? A few thousand baht will see it loaded onto a Ro-Ro truck and taken to the nearest dealer, BKK, CNX, wherever.

[jonw8uk]

A year or so ago i hired a 2.7l mark 1 cayman for a weekend through a rental company in bangkok

Went to khao yai for the weekend and ringed the shit out of it around the roads there. Im no racing driver, but it was fun, the car has great poise and sounds good with the boxer 6 wailing right behind you, but to be honest, it wasnt as quick as id hoped, you have to nail it all the time to get it going and the PDK was disappointing for me. Im sure the latest model is improved: The interior is a massive improvement, and it looks so much better outside too, but the performance figures arent so different - there is a lack of torque IMO

not long after whilst back in the UK for a visit i took an M235i for a test drive. The turbo 6 in that sounded good and went like shit of a shovel. Even the 8 speed auto ( non dual clutch) felt quicker (?)

Bmw thailand do sell m cars officially and the m3/m4 are around 10 mil, sooooo extrapolating a little id guess if the m2 comes to thailand it will be around 8 mil. Even more power and torque than the 235, M SPORT dual clutch auto, m3 brakes etc should make it a proper animal.

Whilst the cayman was surprisingly more practical (storage space wise) than i thought, obviously its a 2 seater, so if it was my 8 mil, and i didnt want to save 100k gbp buying a golf r!! Id wait to see if the M2 makes it here

[mortenaa]

I have a M3 for sale.. E92 2008. Around 3.7 MB... 0 - 100km/h in ~ 4s. Top speed 300km/h. Its in top shape, and a really fun weekend drive. And its not a gray market car

[worgeordie]

I am puzzled, just were are you expecting to drive at the

speeds you are looking for?,Thailand is not really a country

to get much enjoyment out of a super car,the first thing to

go would be the floor, ripped out ,with the pot holes,speed

bumps,but keep on dreaming,

regards Worgeordie

[Gutenberg]

I am puzzled, just were are you expecting to drive at the

speeds you are looking for?,Thailand is not really a country

to get much enjoyment out of a super car,the first thing to

go would be the floor, ripped out ,with the pot holes,speed

bumps,but keep on dreaming,

regards Worgeordie

Thailand is a great country for fast cars.

[ignis]

0 - 100km/h in ?

​lets see..... no matter where you have to stop almost always a motorbike will stop in front of you... traffic lights, then look out as almost always 1 - 10 cars will still jump the lights so you can only go a few meters or run into the cars jumping the lights..

Yes an open road where there is no one or any cars about, you can stop and do 0 - 100km/h in less then 6 seconds..... but what's the point in that ?

if mostly driving in town a Tuk Tuk with a 550cc engine will get there faster then any 8 million baht car both with the same number of passengers.

[JAS21]

I am puzzled, just were are you expecting to drive at the

speeds you are looking for?,Thailand is not really a country

to get much enjoyment out of a super car,the first thing to

go would be the floor, ripped out ,with the pot holes,speed

bumps,but keep on dreaming,

regards Worgeordie

Thailand is a great country for fast cars.

Yes, pretty exciting drive ...but unfortunately a complete <deleted> to do that here.

I have to admit in my younger days I wasn't that responsible either... I did belong to a well known Motor Club in the UK. Someone who met my ex wife years later said to her "who did you marry" and she said me ... he said "is he still alive"

[Jitar]

Some performance car owners manage to drive sensibly on public roads and some pickups drive like the guy in the video.

Why such negative responses to considering a car with good acceleration?

I am puzzled, just were are you expecting to drive at the speeds you are looking for?,Thailand is not really a country to get much enjoyment out of a super car,the first thing to go would be the floor, ripped out ,with the pot holes,speed

bumps,but keep on dreaming,

regards Worgeordie

The OP didn't mention driving at High Speed and already said "No super low ground clearance making it impossible to drive on Thai roads"

Super cars are not under 8M baht.

Yeah, it not easy to find places to enjoy any car in LOS but it can be done. If all else fails there are Track days at Bira.

0 - 100km/h in ?

​lets see..... no matter where you have to stop almost always a motorbike will stop in front of you... traffic lights, then look out as almost always 1 - 10 cars will still jump the lights so you can only go a few meters or run into the cars jumping the lights..

Yes an open road where there is no one or any cars about, you can stop and do 0 - 100km/h in less then 6 seconds..... but what's the point in that ?

if mostly driving in town a Tuk Tuk with a 550cc engine will get there faster then any 8 million baht car both with the same number of passengers.

Maybe the OP just likes to have a car capable of good acceleration? Doesn't need to use the capability all the time, or even often.

The point of any toy is fun.

[frankphuket]

Some performance car owners manage to drive sensibly on public roads and some pickups drive like the guy in the video.

Why such negative responses to considering a car with good acceleration?

I am puzzled, just were are you expecting to drive at the speeds you are looking for?,Thailand is not really a country to get much enjoyment out of a super car,the first thing to go would be the floor, ripped out ,with the pot holes,speed

bumps,but keep on dreaming,

regards Worgeordie

The OP didn't mention driving at High Speed and already said "No super low ground clearance making it impossible to drive on Thai roads"

Super cars are not under 8M baht.

Yeah, it not easy to find places to enjoy any car in LOS but it can be done. If all else fails there are Track days at Bira.

0 - 100km/h in ?

​lets see..... no matter where you have to stop almost always a motorbike will stop in front of you... traffic lights, then look out as almost always 1 - 10 cars will still jump the lights so you can only go a few meters or run into the cars jumping the lights..

Yes an open road where there is no one or any cars about, you can stop and do 0 - 100km/h in less then 6 seconds..... but what's the point in that ?

if mostly driving in town a Tuk Tuk with a 550cc engine will get there faster then any 8 million baht car both with the same number of passengers.

Maybe the OP just likes to have a car capable of good acceleration? Doesn't need to use the capability all the time, or even often.

The point of any toy is fun.

Agree to a 100% with the last statement. Now, be careful some cars might be extremely fast (the Nissan GT-R comes to mind) but to really have fun in it you would have to go nearly balistic in speed. I would say that is maybe why the OP is looking for smaller cars/hot hatches. The smaller the car the more fun at slower speeds you can have. My Mini GP is more fun than the Golf GTI simply because it is smaller and its a manual (power is very similar although I believe the GTI is faster overall, but being very poised overall, it needs more speed to get fun)....not sure this makes sense...it does to me.

[frankphuket]

I wouldn't be too concerned about non grey vs grey to some extend. Both of my fun toys are grey...and I do manage to service them. Yes it takes more effort and sometimes you got to step in and order things byself, but it is probably cheaper that way than a regular BMW service or so. (order stuff for my GTI from the USA).

Issue with grey would be resale, although all of those toys do loose value quite a bit, niche market.

Actually was trying to sell my lovely little Mini GP for a while....out of pity as i use it so little (2 seats only reducing the family function a bit.........), which of course I knew before but my 'heart' said so nicely "buy it...buy it" that other criteria just faded away...

Unfortunately it being a manual and many or most people do not understand the rarity of this model just didn't generate any decent price, so I just kept it for the time maybe someone comes along....or it becomes an 'antique' or classic jewel....ahem....in a few years or lifetimes or so

[JaseTheBass]

Thais don't buy manual cars because they need one hand for the steering wheel and one for the phone.

[Gutenberg]

Super cars are not under 8M baht.

Super only in Thailand.

Considering a 60,000-80,000 EUR car (= the 8m baht segment in TH) to be a super car is really off.

It is more like it is just super expensive.

[Dellie]

@OP: You have enough money to buy a Coxter Cayman, test drive that and you'll soon forget about hot hatches. Erased form memory. Not in the same league.

Sorry but it has to be a little bit practical aswell. I have now ruled out 2 seaters completly as I might have to use it to pick up the kids from school or activities when the wife is out with the everest. So again a performance sedan or hatch is what Im looking at. No sports cars. Going to test drive the subaru wrx in BKK and see if I can live with the ugly spoiler. It does offer very good performance at a great price.

[frankphuket]

How about an AUDI TT quattro with about 230hp, seems they are pushing quite a few out now with from what I saw quite a big showroom somewhere in BKK. It has obviously only small back seats, so not sure this qualifies for the trip to school depending on age. It surely looks better than a Subi, might now have the performance but is no slouch and the interior is actually a really nice place...i believe they go now for 3.99m or the whereabouts.

Their website is rather poor but they are pretty active on facebook. Maybe worth a check out after the Subie....I would forego a little 'go' for a bit more 'class' interior.

See it this way....Subies interior will not be any better than the Everest and for 90% of the time you won't need the performance difference of the Subie. Before I would go for a Subie i would go for a BMW Active Hybrid probably if we are into saloons now and not hot hatches anymore or semi sport or GT cars.

just my 2 cts....

[ignis]

Guess your own 2nd car option is the best as fit all your need...

Question will Thailand have the 2016 upgrades ??

http://autoweek.com/article/car-news/more-power-2016-mercedes-amg-cla45-gla45-goosed-375-hp

Edit: will the All New BMW M2 be made here ? or are all the 'M' cars imports ?

[jonw8uk]

Guess your own 2nd car option is the best as fit all your need...

Question will Thailand have the 2016 upgrades ??

http://autoweek.com/article/car-news/more-power-2016-mercedes-amg-cla45-gla45-goosed-375-hp

Edit: will the All New BMW M2 be made here ? or are all the 'M' cars imports ?

M cars are all imports

[Gutenberg]

The Mercedes CLA 45 would be a great toy if you really need the 6 sec 0 to 100 time. Pity about ~6M.

The A250 / CLA250 / GLA250 are still pretty good (0 - 100 mid - high 6 sec range) and a lot better value at ~2.5M but not real AMG and FWD only in LOS.

BMW Active Hybrid 3 would be under 6 seconds, 4.2M. Cheaper, Bigger and more usable back seat than the CLA45 if that floats your boat.

BMW 328i ~3.1M should be ~ 6 sec but not really a sporty toy.

Real BMW M3s etc are gonna be expensive and grey market if you can find one.

The new MX-5 2.0L is supposed to be around 6 sec if Mazda get around to importing it to LOS.

CLA45 AMG dropped to 4,7 mb.

[mike324]

Alot of cars suggested that I would love to have but I should clarify that Im only looking at proper retail new cars with warranty and after sales services available throughout the country. All grey imports are ruled out.

9 year warranty on pretty much all porsche models offered by AAS, go for the Cayenne!