I'm not doing the mileage I used to in the daily, and the commute is only 10 miles each way down some NSL A and curvy B roads, so fancy something a bit more fun, and petrol.
Budget about 12 to 14k
Up to 5 years old
Needs to accommodate large dog in back occasionally, so either estate or hatchback with upright rear tailgate, Golf or 1 series Yes etc, but not Megane No etc.
Fairly quick, tunable helps, fun to drive
mpg and running costs not too much of an issue
On the short list for that budget I have 2013 Octavia VRS estate, 2013 Focus ST3 estate, Mk7 Golf GTI PP hatch, all of those are just a remap or simple tuning kit away from 300bhp, a nice amount for a daily which returns decent mpg.
Have also considered a M135i 2012/3 model, could just about get away with the dog in the boot, but not as practical.
I've heard the ST has torque steer problems which are worse when tuned?
What are your thoughts, what would you get for that budget?