Cheap fun for the twistys?
Discussion
Telecaster_ said:
I live on the edge of the Peak District so I'm looking for something reasonably cheap ( I actually have a decent budget but I'm loathe to spend it on a nice car without a drive, garage or even parking anywhere near the house) for some weekend fun. Won't be used for any form of commuting or other rubbish, purely for when I fancy a drive.
Things I would like - roads are mainly short squirts between tight bends and hairpins, I was thinking of something blown for that surge of torque between corners, would also like something small as they're all narrow lanes. I was thinking Clio 182 but I've no idea what the engine is like, is it a typical peaky 16v motor or a bit more torquey? Good handling and brakes a must, I've cooked the brakes on various things going over the peaks, if not standard then an easy upgrade from a bigger model in the family for instance, I don't want to be forking out for aftermarket Brembos.
Budget is less than £3k ideally, as I said, it will sit outside away from the house in all weathers so anything nice is just a waste of money.
The 172/182 engine is a peach. Decently torquey and pulls well, but steps up nicely beyond about 4k with the variable timing.Things I would like - roads are mainly short squirts between tight bends and hairpins, I was thinking of something blown for that surge of torque between corners, would also like something small as they're all narrow lanes. I was thinking Clio 182 but I've no idea what the engine is like, is it a typical peaky 16v motor or a bit more torquey? Good handling and brakes a must, I've cooked the brakes on various things going over the peaks, if not standard then an easy upgrade from a bigger model in the family for instance, I don't want to be forking out for aftermarket Brembos.
Budget is less than £3k ideally, as I said, it will sit outside away from the house in all weathers so anything nice is just a waste of money.
Telecaster_ said:
For torque I was thinking of coming out of a lot of low speed bends and hairpins and wanting a nice amount of acceleration before the next one, TBH I've never had much luck with N/A motors, it always feels like your waiting for something to happen and it never does.
I've got a 172 cup and a saab aero, i've just taken both over Exmoor tonight for a comparison.The saab aero has loads of torque however i have to brake a lot more for corners compared to the cup so i just use that torque to blast out of corners which i've slowed down for.
My cup is on kw coilovers and you just don't have to brake for that many corners, you to have to work the engine but it pulls fine in 2nd/3rd out of corners.
Also it doesn't use much fuel even thrashing it around b roads , around 33-34mpg.
Re the meganne a neighbour had one and returned it as it always had something wrong with it, when it was working it was lovely but it wasn't often working.
The cup is a simple car , no zennons, air con, abs to go wrong , i find the seats pretty comfy but all the money has been spent on the handling with the cup not soft touch plastics etc.
Edited by egor110 on Friday 3rd June 22:42
Krikkit said:
The 172/182 engine is a peach. Decently torquey and pulls well, but steps up nicely beyond about 4k with the variable timing.
I must admit, for fun/££ they look about the best option, £2k-2.5k gets you a fairly decent one as well, where as that money on most other things just gets you a complete snotter.
.
MX5 has to be near the top of the list. Just a great car for driver/car parity.
Ought to mention there are faster cars, more powerful cars, and cars with more ultimate grip, but the Mazda MX5 just seems to be extremely well balanced in almost all respects and I've not heard a bad word said about it. Plenty of Japanese imports also available which are pretty much rust free (till they get here).
Ought to mention there are faster cars, more powerful cars, and cars with more ultimate grip, but the Mazda MX5 just seems to be extremely well balanced in almost all respects and I've not heard a bad word said about it. Plenty of Japanese imports also available which are pretty much rust free (till they get here).
he means a Citroen Xantia Activa. The car that corners flatly due to the suspension system . I wouldn't call it a b road basher thou, as it weighs nearly 1.5 tonnes. And 50k cars maybe 15 years ago, now they are getting on and expensive to keep going.
http://images.pistonheads.com/nimg/29323/Citroen-X...
http://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-eurocars/citroe...
http://images.pistonheads.com/nimg/29323/Citroen-X...
http://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-eurocars/citroe...
You'll get a VERY nice condition Clio 172 CUP for 2.5K
I'm biased but as others have pointed out they are great little B-road gremlins.
Make sure to check the belts, dephaser pulley and water pump have all recently been done and by a reputable outfit. At this price point they should have been.
I'm biased but as others have pointed out they are great little B-road gremlins.
Make sure to check the belts, dephaser pulley and water pump have all recently been done and by a reputable outfit. At this price point they should have been.
CX53 said:
They're like hen's teeth! Always fancied trying one myself, but a RHD one seems impossible to find yet alone one with a V6 petrol. Even the standard Xantia with a V6 is a rare thing these days.
On the fun front though, is it really fair to compare it to a Clio 1*2?
You chooseOn the fun front though, is it really fair to compare it to a Clio 1*2?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LG0eJY_1470
Stickyfinger said:
One word....ACTIVA
The best way round corners and to embarrass 50k cars and well within budget.
(I know a V6 rhd coming to market soon as well)
I thought they had a 2 litre turbo petrol engine pushing out 145 BHP? But yeah, great car..Swedish Car magazine Teknikens Varld run an "elk" test, yes the one that killed the original A class Merc and the Activa was 3 KMH faster than anything, including 911 GT3s!The best way round corners and to embarrass 50k cars and well within budget.
(I know a V6 rhd coming to market soon as well)
Edited by Stickyfinger on Saturday 4th June 00:07
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