Although determined to stay in the fold and get a MkII vrs to replace the Mk1, on a budget of possibly £16000 what other options are there to consider? New or used would have to be on the practical but vrs side of the fence, would have to be as quick or quicker than at least the vrs tdi. I'm thinking along the lines of BMW 330d if going diesel (may have to be derv due to fuel prices now).

Will kick myself if i don't ask and then change my mind once committed.

I know this is a Skoda forum and I am intending to stay that way but someone must have other opinions.

The two cars that come to mind in a similar vein to the vrs would be a Golf gti or Seat Leon fr.

Passat TDi

im not trying to be a smart *** here but what id do is first set your max price( i even **** myself off by going oooooooooh look thats only 1000 more and then look thats only 800 more than that you know:)) get yourself a copy of autotrader and see what you can afford, youd be suprised what you can get bmw, audi wise. but be sure to factor in the higher service and repair cost, good luck with the search.

- Leon FR,

- 120d, 330d or 335d a bit older.

- Mondeo ST220, Focus RS although the TDCi is quite nippy.

- Saab 9-3 aero with 180PS twin turbo derv

Merc C2xx D

Volvo V40, Xc70 Estate

depends on how old you want to go....a 330 is going to a lot older at that price range than a leon FR or a focus ST

you will be looking probably at 2003/2004 330 for that price range with 40000 upwards on the clock (as an average)

same money will probably get you an 07 focus ST or astra VXR or even a vectra VXR or a leon FR (not a cupra yet though)...an st220 will be cheaper again

will also buy you a tidy scooby (along with its tight servicing schedules)

BMW 320d

Renault Megane sport or something 170bhp dci engine

Golf GT TDi - same 170 as vRS but with DSG if you want

Honda Accord 2.2 d

A bit of Italian flair is called for -

New Bravo JTD or Alfa 147/156 or GT Coupe with 2.4 JTD

enough choice?

Thats better, thanks, gives me something to look about at.

Have to say the Octy II isn't as reliable as the Octy I in my opinion.

330d would be a great car but they are very expensive. A lot of them are pretty tired examples too. ST Focus can be an expensive toy to run, my mate reckons he gets 25mpg on a good day. Golfs are a bit dull to be in. Not much GT in the the GT. Doesn't feel special if that makes sense. Alfa's are gorgeous. My mate has a Brera and he's had little trouble. He thinks Alfa has come on leaps and bounds.

330d would be a great car but they are very expensive. A lot of them are pretty tired examples too. ST Focus can be an expensive toy to run, my mate reckons he gets 25mpg on a good day. Golfs are a bit dull to be in. Not much GT in the the GT. Doesn't feel special if that makes sense. Alfa's are gorgeous. My mate has a Brera and he's had little trouble. He thinks Alfa has come on leaps and bounds.

I certainly wouldn't spend my hard earned cash on an Alfa. On a positive note they don't seem to rust like they used too but I'd still always be worried about it actually working everytime I got in it!

As for alternatives my answer will be predictable as always, - Golf GTi. I'd say an R32 but if your budget is 16k you're going to be struggling to get one of those.

Mondeo ST (either the Petrol or Diesel)

Sometimes still wonder myself whether i should have gotten one instead of the vRS

Mondeo ST (either the Petrol or Diesel)

Never.

Never.

gotta admit the st220 (not the very latest shape mondeo its the previouse model is a bloody nice car.

The mondeo is the work of the devil. Tempts you in with good reviews but when you buy one you soon realise the quaility of almost all of the car is very poor:thumbdwn:. I owned one for 6 months and couldn't wait to get rid of it. Lost £2500 in depreciation. The only plus point was the heated front windscreen. Stick to VW owned companies and I dont think you can go wrong.

New shape Passat Sport (2l TDI 140) and map it don't think £16k would get the 170bhp.

Mazda 6 Sport diesel.

Saab 9-5 2.2 TDI Aero or Vector not sure model range.

Volvo S60 D5

New shape Passat Sport (2l TDI 140) and map it don't think £16k would get the 170bhp.

Mazda 6 Sport diesel.

Saab 9-5 2.2 TDI Aero or Vector not sure model range.

Volvo S60 D5

I test drove a S60 D5 - nice car but a bit of a cruiser. Starting to look dated now I think.

..... Stick to VW owned companies and I dont think you can go wrong.

I beg to disagree about VW `Quality`

I beg to disagree about VW `Quality`

2nd that well overrated

I must say that I don't think the interior quality is as good on the mk 5 Golf as it was on my mk 4 Golf.

I beg to disagree about VW `Quality`

Tricky one this, the build quality of my Fabia VRS was a real let down (lots of rattles etc..) however, my MkV Golf and Octavia are up there with the best of them