RE: The Unusual Suspects: PH Blog
Discussion
eglin said:
Two cars I often consider as cheap potentially fun warm hatches are the Suzuki Ignis Sport, and the Mitsubishi Colt Ralliart. Couldn't tell you the last time I saw either of them on the road as well.
If you're near Bristol I'll do a drive-by if you like just so you can see the magnificent Ignis on the road!It's a great little car, loads of fun to drive, handles very well. Would be great to have a little more power but it's very cheap to run and insure as it is and not slow. Find it more enjoyable than my previous MX-5 most of the time (apart from not being able to spin the car around on the spot quite as easily).
cant in all honesty say it was a hothatch .but in 1976 when just passed driving test at 17 me and a mate took
this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89xcrJd5zfw
down the west end and soho for an afternoon of driving in the hot summer of that year........it was an unbelievable laugh.
this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89xcrJd5zfw
down the west end and soho for an afternoon of driving in the hot summer of that year........it was an unbelievable laugh.
smashy said:
cant in all honesty say it was a hothatch .but in 1976 when just passed driving test at 17 me and a mate took
this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89xcrJd5zfw
down the west end and soho for an afternoon of driving in the hot summer of that year........it was an unbelievable laugh.
Did you see Miss Pink Cat and Sly and Gobbo? this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89xcrJd5zfw
down the west end and soho for an afternoon of driving in the hot summer of that year........it was an unbelievable laugh.
Being of a particular age all of the cars mentioned were not really unusual suspects but aspirational.
Two suggestions
One I owned; not a hatchback, but I owned a low mileage Mitsibushi Lancer 2000 turbo which for a young lad at the time was truly mindblowing. 'Motor' magazine figured it at 0 - 100 in 18.7 (ish) seconds in 1980.
The second I nearly owned and I am surprised it wasn't mentioned earlier. A Rover 220 Turbo - 3 door, not the 420 turbo four door, or the 'tomcat' 220 turbo. A salesman let me have a shot and, again, it rocked my world. High Mileage and dubious history stopped me buying that one.
Two suggestions
One I owned; not a hatchback, but I owned a low mileage Mitsibushi Lancer 2000 turbo which for a young lad at the time was truly mindblowing. 'Motor' magazine figured it at 0 - 100 in 18.7 (ish) seconds in 1980.
The second I nearly owned and I am surprised it wasn't mentioned earlier. A Rover 220 Turbo - 3 door, not the 420 turbo four door, or the 'tomcat' 220 turbo. A salesman let me have a shot and, again, it rocked my world. High Mileage and dubious history stopped me buying that one.
pmr01 said:
Being of a particular age all of the cars mentioned were not really unusual suspects but aspirational.
Two suggestions
One I owned; not a hatchback, but I owned a low mileage Mitsibushi Lancer 2000 turbo which for a young lad at the time was truly mindblowing. 'Motor' magazine figured it at 0 - 100 in 18.7 (ish) seconds in 1980.
The second I nearly owned and I am surprised it wasn't mentioned earlier. A Rover 220 Turbo - 3 door, not the 420 turbo four door, or the 'tomcat' 220 turbo. A salesman let me have a shot and, again, it rocked my world. High Mileage and dubious history stopped me buying that one.
A couple of good ones there! I remember the Lancer Turbo well - back in the 80s a girl I knew had one and it was amazingly quick. Even now the straight line go would show up a few performance cars, back then, quick stuff like the RS Escorts, 323i and 2.8 Capris got left flounderingTwo suggestions
One I owned; not a hatchback, but I owned a low mileage Mitsibushi Lancer 2000 turbo which for a young lad at the time was truly mindblowing. 'Motor' magazine figured it at 0 - 100 in 18.7 (ish) seconds in 1980.
The second I nearly owned and I am surprised it wasn't mentioned earlier. A Rover 220 Turbo - 3 door, not the 420 turbo four door, or the 'tomcat' 220 turbo. A salesman let me have a shot and, again, it rocked my world. High Mileage and dubious history stopped me buying that one.
Even a friend's Lotus Sunbeam wasn't as quick. I always wanted one but they weren't that common
The 220 GTi/GSI Turbos were similar as well - very quick but not many people knew about them. I bet there aren't too many left.
I liked the odd ball choice in my youth. As did my dad.
He bought a 12 month old talbot samba rallye back in the early 80s. Rare little thing back then & nowadays even more so.
I wanted that car so bad. We sold it to a lad who lived locally. I hoped he keep it till I was old enough to buy it back!!
I had a 5 door rover 216 gti. Loved it, 130bhp, twin cam. Renault 19 16v executive. Great car in its day.
Rover 220 turbo coupe. Quick on a dry day & a car I wish I kept.
Had a pug 106 gti when I sold them in 2002. One of my fave company cars was a seat Ibiza sport 130 tdi. Very deceptive.
He bought a 12 month old talbot samba rallye back in the early 80s. Rare little thing back then & nowadays even more so.
I wanted that car so bad. We sold it to a lad who lived locally. I hoped he keep it till I was old enough to buy it back!!
I had a 5 door rover 216 gti. Loved it, 130bhp, twin cam. Renault 19 16v executive. Great car in its day.
Rover 220 turbo coupe. Quick on a dry day & a car I wish I kept.
Had a pug 106 gti when I sold them in 2002. One of my fave company cars was a seat Ibiza sport 130 tdi. Very deceptive.
rolo0151 said:
I liked the odd ball choice in my youth. As did my dad.
Rover 220 turbo coupe. Quick on a dry day & a car I wish I kept.
A friend owned a Nightfire Red one when they were nearly newRover 220 turbo coupe. Quick on a dry day & a car I wish I kept.
They put the wrong diff in them really and should have waited for the 620ti type one which suited the car better
Can remember hanging on to the back of an early E36 M3 in Dakar Yellow in a late evening run down the bypass towards Wales. The driver of the BM slowed right down to clock what was sticking with him
I just bought a E46 325ti . Black , black cloth trim and the sport pack bumpers, 6 speed box. It is a fantastic fun everyday car. Had they put an LSD in the back, would have made it even more fun. Paid £1800 for mine and the only problem is the drivers window one-touch operation goes mad sometimes.
MrTree said:
mikey k said:
Great thread
I love "unusual suspects" and have had a few in my time
(off the top of my head)
Saab 93 Hirsch Troll R
Volvo T4 wagon
Volvo C30 2.5T
Golf VR6 hiline 3 dr
Great choices im a volvo nut and are fond of saabs and as a kid always wanted a VR6 Good choice!I love "unusual suspects" and have had a few in my time
(off the top of my head)
Saab 93 Hirsch Troll R
Volvo T4 wagon
Volvo C30 2.5T
Golf VR6 hiline 3 dr
The Saab was bonkers! 285 BHP peak torque at 1500 rpm and FWD
Makes my current M135i feel "main stream" but its not!
I wish I had deep enough pockets and a large enough garage to have kept a few of them
s m said:
A friend owned a Nightfire Red one when they were nearly new
They put the wrong diff in them really and should have waited for the 620ti type one which suited the car better
Can remember hanging on to the back of an early E36 M3 in Dakar Yellow in a late evening run down the bypass towards Wales. The driver of the BM slowed right down to clock what was sticking with him
Yes, bloody quick little thing in its day but terrible to keep under control. They put the wrong diff in them really and should have waited for the 620ti type one which suited the car better
Can remember hanging on to the back of an early E36 M3 in Dakar Yellow in a late evening run down the bypass towards Wales. The driver of the BM slowed right down to clock what was sticking with him
I had a corrado vr6 for a number of years. Much nicer thing to live with & the noise was very addictive!
rolo0151 said:
s m said:
A friend owned a Nightfire Red one when they were nearly new
They put the wrong diff in them really and should have waited for the 620ti type one which suited the car better
Can remember hanging on to the back of an early E36 M3 in Dakar Yellow in a late evening run down the bypass towards Wales. The driver of the BM slowed right down to clock what was sticking with him
Yes, bloody quick little thing in its day but terrible to keep under control. They put the wrong diff in them really and should have waited for the 620ti type one which suited the car better
Can remember hanging on to the back of an early E36 M3 in Dakar Yellow in a late evening run down the bypass towards Wales. The driver of the BM slowed right down to clock what was sticking with him
I had a corrado vr6 for a number of years. Much nicer thing to live with & the noise was very addictive!
The later type one made quite a difference to the amount of 'snatch and weave'
I should probably get down in the trench and put my tin hat on before I suggest this , but:- -- the MK3 1.9 Litre 16 valve Golf GTI.
I was totally surprised by it, in that the "everyone knows that the MK3 Golf GTI was rubbish" aura that it came with was dispelled, and by quite a long way.
Number One Son had sold his good wheels, plus house and bought in London. 12 months later and some spare cash finally back in hand, he'd gone & bought himself a slightly tired but straight MK Golf GTI off fleabay. In faded red. For £1,500.
It got parked with Dad out here in south Buckinghamshire "just for a bit Dad" while he was going through the slow process of getting an on-road inner London street parking permit for it.
After the spiders had finished making many multiple connections between MK3 Golf and the house with their webs I decided it should be given a run "to charge the battery up". So, I pumped the tyres, checked the oil and washer bottle levels and took it up the M40 to a business meeting north of Birmingham one day.
Surprise number 1; given the usual traffic volume in the overtaking lane of the M40, we could keep pace with the man in the new M60 era BMW M5 in front. Guess who was having more fun per pound?
Surprise number 2: the original owner had specified the sports seat option; which were Recaros, I think. I am very "Princess and the Pea" about car seats as I've got a dodgy disc in my lower spine. They were fabulous; got out after 2+ hours as fit as a flea. Same story on the return leg and the realisation that it ran sweetly, everything worked, suprisingly-good interior fit and finish still evident, nothing rattled or fell off. A genuine, pleasant surprise. Maybe not worthy at the original VAG new car price, but at £1,500 I was very, very tempted to make Number One Son an offer he couldn't refuse for it.
I'll get in that trench right now.......
I was totally surprised by it, in that the "everyone knows that the MK3 Golf GTI was rubbish" aura that it came with was dispelled, and by quite a long way.
Number One Son had sold his good wheels, plus house and bought in London. 12 months later and some spare cash finally back in hand, he'd gone & bought himself a slightly tired but straight MK Golf GTI off fleabay. In faded red. For £1,500.
It got parked with Dad out here in south Buckinghamshire "just for a bit Dad" while he was going through the slow process of getting an on-road inner London street parking permit for it.
After the spiders had finished making many multiple connections between MK3 Golf and the house with their webs I decided it should be given a run "to charge the battery up". So, I pumped the tyres, checked the oil and washer bottle levels and took it up the M40 to a business meeting north of Birmingham one day.
Surprise number 1; given the usual traffic volume in the overtaking lane of the M40, we could keep pace with the man in the new M60 era BMW M5 in front. Guess who was having more fun per pound?
Surprise number 2: the original owner had specified the sports seat option; which were Recaros, I think. I am very "Princess and the Pea" about car seats as I've got a dodgy disc in my lower spine. They were fabulous; got out after 2+ hours as fit as a flea. Same story on the return leg and the realisation that it ran sweetly, everything worked, suprisingly-good interior fit and finish still evident, nothing rattled or fell off. A genuine, pleasant surprise. Maybe not worthy at the original VAG new car price, but at £1,500 I was very, very tempted to make Number One Son an offer he couldn't refuse for it.
I'll get in that trench right now.......
andybu said:
I should probably get down in the trench and put my tin hat on before I suggest this , but:- -- the MK3 1.9 Litre 16 valve Golf GTI.
I was totally surprised by it, in that the "everyone knows that the MK3 Golf GTI was rubbish" aura that it came with was dispelled, and by quite a long way.
Number One Son had sold his good wheels, plus house and bought in London. 12 months later and some spare cash finally back in hand, he'd gone & bought himself a slightly tired but straight MK Golf GTI off fleabay. In faded red. For £1,500.
It got parked with Dad out here in south Buckinghamshire "just for a bit Dad" while he was going through the slow process of getting an on-road inner London street parking permit for it.
After the spiders had finished making many multiple connections between MK3 Golf and the house with their webs I decided it should be given a run "to charge the battery up". So, I pumped the tyres, checked the oil and washer bottle levels and took it up the M40 to a business meeting north of Birmingham one day.
Surprise number 1; given the usual traffic volume in the overtaking lane of the M40, we could keep pace with the man in the new M60 era BMW M5 in front. Guess who was having more fun per pound?
Surprise number 2: the original owner had specified the sports seat option; which were Recaros, I think. I am very "Princess and the Pea" about car seats as I've got a dodgy disc in my lower spine. They were fabulous; got out after 2+ hours as fit as a flea. Same story on the return leg and the realisation that it ran sweetly, everything worked, suprisingly-good interior fit and finish still evident, nothing rattled or fell off. A genuine, pleasant surprise. Maybe not worthy at the original VAG new car price, but at £1,500 I was very, very tempted to make Number One Son an offer he couldn't refuse for it.
I'll get in that trench right now.......
I ran a Mk3 16v for 4 or 5 years. For years 1 and 2 I would have totally agreed with you. Engine powerful enough that it never felt wanting on backroads or motorway, great balance on the limit, beautifully slick but mechanical gearshift action and fantastic seats. All this and it was comfortable, practical daily family transport. I thought it was close to the perfect all rounder, which is what in my mind a hot hatch should be. I was totally surprised by it, in that the "everyone knows that the MK3 Golf GTI was rubbish" aura that it came with was dispelled, and by quite a long way.
Number One Son had sold his good wheels, plus house and bought in London. 12 months later and some spare cash finally back in hand, he'd gone & bought himself a slightly tired but straight MK Golf GTI off fleabay. In faded red. For £1,500.
It got parked with Dad out here in south Buckinghamshire "just for a bit Dad" while he was going through the slow process of getting an on-road inner London street parking permit for it.
After the spiders had finished making many multiple connections between MK3 Golf and the house with their webs I decided it should be given a run "to charge the battery up". So, I pumped the tyres, checked the oil and washer bottle levels and took it up the M40 to a business meeting north of Birmingham one day.
Surprise number 1; given the usual traffic volume in the overtaking lane of the M40, we could keep pace with the man in the new M60 era BMW M5 in front. Guess who was having more fun per pound?
Surprise number 2: the original owner had specified the sports seat option; which were Recaros, I think. I am very "Princess and the Pea" about car seats as I've got a dodgy disc in my lower spine. They were fabulous; got out after 2+ hours as fit as a flea. Same story on the return leg and the realisation that it ran sweetly, everything worked, suprisingly-good interior fit and finish still evident, nothing rattled or fell off. A genuine, pleasant surprise. Maybe not worthy at the original VAG new car price, but at £1,500 I was very, very tempted to make Number One Son an offer he couldn't refuse for it.
I'll get in that trench right now.......
After three years I was bored of it, those little tweaks I thought it needed seemed to grow. The meaty steering was slow and vague and robbed feedback and fine control, the variable delay in throttle response that robbed the decent engine of fine control, the glassy brakes. It all meant that the car was only fun when I could drive it on its limit, but below that speed there was no reward. 3 tenths felt no different to 8 tenths. With a bit more finesse and feedback to the throttle and steering it would have been perfect for me, but as it was all I really missed in the end were the seats.
It did, however, do enough to make me understand the appeal of the Golf GTI.
Edited by kiseca on Thursday 20th November 19:36
Leins said:
Sampaio said:
Leins said:
The only diesel AMG, but does it count as a hot hatch?
I had no idea AMG had made a diesel car! Looking up the specs it shows a power output of 228bhp which is incredibly disappointing though...They did a very limited run of SportCoupes with the supercharged 3.2 AMG engine too though
But even today the most powerful diesel C-Class has "just" 261bhp, not much more than the top-spec diesel in 2001.
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