I agree the ride is very stiff, but the interior is really nice, and the rev gauge... say no more

A little update on this.

After MUCH thought (and I do mean MUCH thought) Ive decided that for now Im sticking with the VRS.

I simply cant find anything the affordable side of 30k that really appeals to me offering a big enough step up from the Octy.

There are things that can match its performance but they are no where near as practical and the more Ive thought about things, the more I realise I do find the mix of performance and practicality very useful.

However, I do know what I'd move to next; im just waiting for the prices to slide a little more...

...and Im awaiting the hate mail on this one....

... BMW 3 series 335i M Sport Touring.

It might even be a 5 series with that lump if it didnt feel too 'big' on the road. They appear very rare indeed and new, they are out of my price range by quite a degree - with just the four main options I wanted, the local BMW dealer was offering 10% off with an additional 2k off from BMW UK - a good discount for a new BMW but still way to expensive but still £42,600 to start with (without the other options I would like)!! Im watching the second hand market on these with great interest...

Thanks to all the contributors of this thread, the posts have been genuinely useful offering me a good selection of options.

And now the VRS is staying for the foreseeable future, I just need to decide whether to let JKM do the K04 conversion (or sell it on to one of you guys that have PM'ed me!).... :P

Lee

Good decision Lee.

Do I win a donut? :P

Good decision Lee.

Do I win a donut? :P

Yeh, feel free to drive down to North London to collect it mate

Thanks for your help on this one Tom; the local tuners have a customer with a 335i remapped and its showing 365bhp and over 400lb/ft torque - its done over 30k miles in that form and doesnt miss a beat. That sort of performance wrapped up in a practical estate body is an ideal next step for me when the prices come down. Oh, and Ive never ever heard a quaility of audio as I did from one earlier in the week - it had the Individual Audio Upgrade and OMG it sounded simply out of this world.

Lee