£8K on a Hot Hatch

[Born Too Slow]

Hi all

As it always happens, my inner teenager is aching for a Hot Hatch, I previously owned an MG ZR which I loved, and it met an untimely death, now I have a new job and some more money to spend...

I've been looking into getting a decent hot hatch for my commute to work, weekend trips and occasional blast to Oxford, I do around 15-18 miles daily journey wise, I have a MK2 MX5 which I love, but will soon be too uneconomical to repair by its next MOT

I was just wondering if anyone could shed some light on their previous experiences

I've looked into...

1. 2006 - Late 2007 Ford Focus ST: Seems to be sensible choice in every regard, plenty about, mid point for power, decent interior and Mountune modifications can be done locally

2. 2006-2008 Mazda 3 MPS: Most power, but high tax band, I've heard high maintenance too, good interior, but I've heard the driving experience is unfulfilling

3. 2006-2009 Honda Civic Type R: I really want an EP3, but clean examples are hard to come by

4. 2006- Renault Megane 230 R26: Always fancied one of these, and it seems to fall into the category similar to the Focus, fairly sensible choice, but as always, people like to sh*t all over Renault

5. 2006 - Mini Cooper S John Works: I like the idea of a 218bhp Mini Cooper, but I couldn't see myself driving one

6. 2007- Astra VXR: Fairly sensible choice, but it'd involve going far, many of the local ones for sale have some history haha

7. 2009- Corsa VXR: Newest model out of my choices, smaller than the other choices, but I've heard horror stories of clutches and gearboxes being almost service items on these

8. 2007- Golf GTI: Very sensible choice, and can be found in good spec for very reasonable prices, but I always imagined them to feel almost underperforming compared to other cars in the class

I've also considered cars such as 2009- RX8's, 2005 Nissan 350z's etc

Just wanted to see if people would share their thoughts

Thanks!

[Born Too Slow]

Thanks for the responses guys

I have "read" the FN2 is awful, I have yet to try one, I've tried an EP3 and it was fun, I am keeping a fairly open mind about all of these cars, I love the look of them and I love a decent VTECH

I have considered buying an ST, then having the Mountune 260 work done later in the year, there's a few in my local area with good history

I forgot to add the BMW 130i to the list, I like the 3 door M sports, but finding one without very high mileage at a reasonable price has put me off a little

[Born Too Slow]

I've looked at a few E46's on Auto trader

I'm 25, and currently my insurance on the MX5 cost me £700 last year, with a renewal due in May, running costs are always in the back of my mind, which is why I've shyed away from some nice 350Z's and a few RX8's

so it'd be a bit touch and go, but a decent Manual M3 would be a real treat, I'd avoid the SMG's

Wouldn't pass up a well specced Clio 197 Trophy either, the only reason I looked straight at a Megane was pricing, a relative Clio of the same year was hovering around the same price

Thanks guys! Seeing all these responses for a new user is great!

[Born Too Slow]

I have seen few RS250's, I see one for just under 8K on Auto trader, luckily I'm in no rush right now (Unless the MX5 craps itself)

Part of me wants to hang on and russle up a little bit more money, and go for a budget of 10K, I fear that would only make the choice harder, by the MX5's next MOT due in Sept, I could definitely get 10K

I really like the shape of the EP3's, the one I tested was really fun to drive, and still had an old school feel to it, I'll keep it closely in mind

A friend of mine has an R32, and he swears by it, I'd like to see a decent 2.0 Audi S3 creep down to the £8K mark, they seem to be sticking to about 10K above.

With 7-8 to spend the ST is seeming like the sensible all round choice,

Anyone got any thoughts on the Astra/ Corsa VXR or the Mazda MPS?

Thanks for all the feedback, I really appreciate it!

[Born Too Slow]

Poopipe said:

R26 plus bork fund (which you'll need) and go faster fund (which you'll want)

To be fair, the phase 2 seems less prone to catastrophic and repeated failures than the phase 1 but you'll still want a couple of grand tucked away in case the worst happens.
It's also worth making sure you're within a reasonable distance of an rs specialist (ie be near Leeds) unless you want to be driving a long way for work.

Brilliant cars though, they really are stunning on a b Road, handle motorway duties very well (pretty good on fuel too) and aren't a pain in town either.

If I didn't love my cup I'd have binned it at the first 4 figure bill, or the second, or the third...

Technically I do have a few extra thousand set behind, but I'm limiting to £8K as to not leave myself short if something does go wrong (or in the Focus ST case, heading to Mountune)

Unfortunately I am nowhere near Leeds haha, and my local Renault dealerships don't have the greatest customer service reviews

Just out of curiosity, what happened to your Megane?

I know all of these cars have their common faults, but I've done some searching and couldn't find a solid awnser on the Megane

[Born Too Slow]

Hudson said:

EK9's will be suffering from scene tax as all the 12yr olds want to drive them with 2" of ground clearance and post it on instagram, therefore an un-fked one will be pretty pricey.

I would love an unmolsted Civic Jordan however

We've got a few toss pots in the town like that

EK9's and EP3's ruined by stupid vertical windscreen decals, crappy aftermarket spoilers and dustbin exhausts

We've even got a Yellow Jordan Civic that's around, but I don't think they've ruined it yet...

I've looked into an Abarth Punto a while back, but unfortunately there's a few makes of car I'm not allowed to own due to family experiences in the past, Fiat is one of them, otherwise I'd be looking for a clean Fiat Coupe Turbo

Even though it hasn't come under discussion in this thread yet, there's a nice white Vauxhall Astra VXR Nurburgring that's come up for sale locally (Bit apprehensive about going to have a look, as I've seen the way the guy drives it...)

A fairly clean FN2 Civic Type R has come up for sale too, but as of Saturday, I'm out of town for 7 days, so I won't be able to view anything

Thanks for all the responses guys...

[Born Too Slow]

Poopipe said:

It's a bit unfair to complain about the popped engine and worn out turbo really since the car is running 300ish bhp.

But.
Front suspension arms/bushes,swivelly bits on the front hubs, abs sensors,coils,injectors(no proper fuel filter),fuel pipes (huge cost due to terrible design),gearbox and engine mounts are all pretty common at the 70k mark

And then there's electrics - £500 to fit and code a stupid little control module that gets wet because of terrible design. 400 a side for window looms which get wet because of terrible design ( cheaper options are available to be fair).airbag lights due to a terribly designed connector,erratic washer pumps...
The list is pretty much endless really.

I've had everything bar injectors and coils go wrong on mine, I have been very unlucky compared to most though so probably not the best example.
A low mileage standard one should be a decent bet,

There's a good specialist for mechanical bits in Essex and there's at least one well known one somewhere quite far south

Thanks for the detailed list, the couple I'm looking at are fully standard F1 models and sat around the 60K mark, I'd be taking the old man along with me, he has a keen eye and 30 years of garage experience behind him

But as with any car, it can be reliable or it can be a nightmare

I'd definitely do some research locally on specialists, but nearby I know only of a Ford and a Vauxhall specialist in the Torbay area without resorting to a dealership

Thanks again everyone for your input

[Born Too Slow]

danp said:

You mention the 350Z so you don't really need the 4 seats and practicality of a hatch?

And the mx5 has had it so don't you fancy more of a "sports car"?

I could totally live with a two seater (No children, very few passengers runs, although I would like a bigger boot than the MX5 offers)

my concern with the 350z and RX8's were running costs, I also looked at a couple of Supercharged SLK's, as well as a considering a CLK 500

Both later variants of the 350Z and RX8 are in the £490 per year tax band, and the RX8 seems to require a lot of time and maintenance, I heard horror stories of servicing, one guy suggested a litre of Mineral Oil per 1K miles, every time you change the plugs, ignition coils need changing too as well as clutches only lasting between 20-30K

Just seemed to put me off an RX8, as well as low teens in MPG around town (which doesn't overly bother me)

[Born Too Slow]

james_gt3rs said:

Considered any of the rally reps? Impreza, GT4 etc

I quite fancy a WRX (many 2004-2008 STI's seem to hit the 10K+ mark)

GT4's are great, but its the same issue as a EP3, finding one that is fairly unmodified as well as being clean and well maintained haha

[Born Too Slow]

danp said:

Does it need to be a coupe? Or perhaps a roadster with hard top?

How about facelift 3.0 Z4 coupe/roadster - low tax, efficient and pretty solid reliability wise.

Boxster possibly more of a gamble engine wise but a better steer by all accounts.

S2000?

I'd personally have any of those over a hot hatch if I didn't need the practicality.

I'd probably give the Boxster a miss, I like a fairly sizable boot for trips

A Z4 Coupe or S2000 with a Hardtop are viable

I use a hardtop on the MX5 and it truly made driving it more enjoyable