Car choice: Fun coupe with a full warranty

Nick Lee wants a cool coupe that is great to drive. He prefers his cars to come with a manufacturer’s warranty and has a budget of around £17,000

(Vauxhall)

A car for the head

Manufacturer warranties are a good thing and cover you for the unexpected. Mostly though, you should not have to worry about too much on two- or three-year-old cars. I think that the Vauxhall Astra GTC 2.0 VXR is worth a good look. It has a (limited) top speed of 155mph and gets to 60mph in under 6 seconds. It also looks sensational with a bunch of body modifications that are hard to miss. A 2015 example I found at a Vauxhall dealer with just 11,220 miles was on for £17,999, or £324 a month.

(Toyota)

A car for the heart

If there is one car which has come to represent sheer driving pleasure then it has to be the Toyota GT86. Compared to the Astra it will only reach 140mph and get to 60mph in under 8 seconds – but it is the style in which it performs. It is a proper, old-fashioned driver’s car which gives loads of old-fashioned feedback to the driver. We found a 2015 example which had just arrived at a dealer. It had just over 19,000 miles, with 17 inch alloy wheels, metallic paintwork and service history. All for £16,450.

If you would like James Ruppert to help with your car choice, email james@freecarmag.com. For more motoring views visit freecarmag.com