Most 'bang for your buck'?

[JagXJR]

T0MMY said:

I reckon my £3750 car would out-accelerate all of them

This is kind of a silly question though, we need an actual budget and a definition of "bang". Most fun car for shed money has got to be an MX5. Fastest accelerating car for shed money is probably something japanese and turbocharged. Fastest round a track for your money is probably some kind of kitcar or if not road legal, a cheap single seater. If we're just talking "good value" sportscars then there are loads of possibilities.

Edited by T0MMY on Friday 23 January 11:19

That's exactly what I have been saying!

ETA

MX5? Got my Alfa for 1K and it is faster and more comfortable than an MX5 (note reliability is not quoted as a criteria lol).

What is your fast £3750 car that will out-accelerate Germany's finest?

Edited by JagXJR on Friday 23 January 12:55

Edited by JagXJR on Friday 23 January 12:55

[T0MMY]

JagXJR said:

That's exactly what I have been saying!

ETA

MX5? Got my Alfa for 1K and it is faster and more comfortable than an MX5 (note reliability is not quoted as a criteria lol).

What is your fast £3750 car that will out-accelerate Germany's finest?

I'm pretty sure I'd find the MX5 far more fun but these things are subjective though so no point arguing it! They're very good if you get your fun in the corners but they are indeed not very comfortable and not very fast.

My £3750 car is an MNR Vortx, which if you rate bang for buck in terms of all round performance, involvement and fun is going to be very hard to beat I'd say. It does accelerate well but pretty slow top speed wise. I bought it for corners though, not going fast in straight lines.

[RobCrezz]

greggy50 said:

100% MR2 Turbo get one for £3 - £4k even with the stock 250hp they are bloody quick. Spend a few quid can get 400hp and then will demolish pretty much anything on the road.

Stock one probably as quick as an XJR maybe tad faster but tune it to 300hp which is quite cheap and it would demolish one in a straight line to be honest.

Can confirm.

When I had one it had a boost controller and an exhaust, so probably around 275 at this time. Raced one at North weald drag racing, gap of around 3 car lengths from launch, which grew over the course of the race, it wasnt close.

However, in gear when rolling im sure it would be closer, but the mr2 turbo is a beast from a standing start, has huge traction.

[JonnyVTEC]

In 2002 I paid £800 for a 1994 Rover 220 GSI turbo. When 200bhp wasn't in the mid spec cars! 150mph car gave pretty impressive in gear acceleration. Probably the best bang for buck I have paid for a car.

[JagXJR]

T0MMY said:

I'm pretty sure I'd find the MX5 far more fun but these things are subjective though so no point arguing it! They're very good if you get your fun in the corners but they are indeed not very comfortable and not very fast.

My £3750 car is an MNR Vortx, which if you rate bang for buck in terms of all round performance, involvement and fun is going to be very hard to beat I'd say. It does accelerate well but pretty slow top speed wise. I bought it for corners though, not going fast in straight lines.

The Alfa looks nicer imho and I can actually fit in it, couldn't with the MX5 hence never driven one. Did test drive an MX6 once but it did not quite track straight somehow so did not buy it.

The Alfa suspension actually toes in on corners similar to 4 wheel steer (or so I have read), certainly corners far faster than I have the inclination to.

Which Vortex do you have? Seems there are several versions? Certainly looks fun for dry days at least

Edited by JagXJR on Saturday 24th January 09:27

[JB8]

Surprised no one has mentioned the Ford Puma yet.

You can pick one up for less than £500, one of the best handling FWD cars out there, the engine begs to be revved, and the close ratio gearbox is excellent.

If it didn't rust and had a 6th gear, it'd almost be the perfect car.

[daveofedinburgh]

JB8 said:

Surprised no one has mentioned the Ford Puma yet.

You can pick one up for less than £500, one of the best handling FWD cars out there, the engine begs to be revved, and the close ratio gearbox is excellent.

If it didn't rust and had a 6th gear, it'd almost be the perfect car.

Friend of mine had a Puma when everyone else in our social circle was driving FWD Jap stuff (EK9 Type-Rs, DC2 Integras etc). Well-researched performance modifications were done on what was regarded at the time by all of us as a rather cheap, undesirable 'F*rd'. It was actually a very pleasant little thing in pretty much every respect, even though no one wanted to admit it.

Given the price now, they really are great cars.

Rust, as stated, is the problem. They are also a bit 'effete' to my eye, but then at ~£500 quite a good compromise if 'bang for your buck' is the primary consideration. I couldn't, as they have something of 'the Mrs' car' about them...

[T0MMY]

JagXJR said:

The Alfa looks nicer imho and I can actually fit in it, couldn't with the MX5 hence never driven one. Did test drive an MX6 once but it did not quite track straight somehow so did not buy it.

The Alfa suspension actually toes in on corners similar to 4 wheel steer (or so I have read), certainly corners far faster than I have the inclination to.

Which Vortex do you have? Seems there are several versions? Certainly looks fun for dry days at least

It's an early RT with the outboard suspension and a Yamaha R1 engine. Maybe a bit unrealistic to get one for the price I paid as I was extremely lucky to get one so cheap. It was a non-runner but needed very little to get back on the road. Realistically you'd be looking at £7000+ for something similar but probably still hard to beat in pure "bang for buck" terms as these kind of track oriented kitcars can be quicker than supercars on most racetracks.