Advice on what car to get next

[GTI_Kyle]

Wanting advice/opinions on what car to get next as a toy/weekend car as I have a diesel daily. I'm torn between a facelift focus st3 or a facelift leon cupra . Already had a mk5 gti for nearly 2 years so looking for something a bit different..

I know the leon will be a fair bit quicker when tuned & presuming better to drive, however the st3 does come with a better spec as standard i.e xenons, heated leathers, DAB radio etc...plus they have that exhaust note 

Opinions on both? Anyone on here owned both?

Please bare in mind there both around the same price, with insurance & running costs included 

[Paradox1]

Test drive both and decide.

Most people will say the leon. it is a VAG forum after all

[GTI_Kyle]

I know, just wanted to see if anyone has driven or owned both, and actually preferred the focus.

Just want some opinions on them both to be honest. Open to suggestions to other cars also if anyones got something in mind 

My budget is 9-9.5k

[gman]

If it's going to be a weekend/fun type of car, why not something RWD?    370z would probably be out of budget but maybe an E92 335i?

[GTI_Kyle]

I'm not a massive fan of beemers mate, interiors are quite boring IMO

[Paradox1]

Jap??

Mr2 or something cheap and cheerful

[Facian]

My friends Focus RS was fairly uninspiring so i can't imagine an ST would really tick many boxes as a 'fun' car other than the noise. Pretty dire inside as well.

Does it need to be a hot hatch rather than a coupe/convertible?

[GTI_Kyle]

My friends Focus RS was fairly uninspiring so i can't imagine an ST would really tick many boxes as a 'fun' car other than the noise. Pretty dire inside as well.

Does it need to be a hot hatch rather than a coupe/convertible?

In what way was it uninspiring? Preferably a hot hatch mate ye, cant really see myself in a convertible or coupe.

[Facian]

Everything just felt a bit numb and remote and a bit dull. The seats were nice and it made a good noise but apart from that it didn't feel special, which considering they're ~£20k cars I thought was a bit of a letdown.

Of course with an ST you're getting the noise for a fraction of the price, so they make a lot mote sense

[GTI_Kyle]

I agree considering how much they are still going for, I'd much rather have a mk6r for 4k cheaper. Plus the focus will always have that chav image.

Just had a quote for an 8p pre fl Audi S3, and its only £150 per year more expensive than the st or cupra, and in similar price bracket thoughts?

[Facian]

I do like the look of the S3's but I've not driven one, only the earlier 1.8T version. They tick a lot of boxes in terms of looks, performance, good basis for tuning etc.

[GTI_Kyle]

I've driven a facelift black edition S3, I did like how it drove with solid build quality & that Quattro planted feel. Was abit tame & boring compared to my stg2 GTI though, nothing a trip to RTech wouldn't sort I guess