Another 'what car'... sorry
Discussion
So, I need something relatively affordable and fun as I venture out of the student world into the real one.
The criteria that's causing me some bother is as follows:
The only thing I can think of currently are a late example of a Lupo GTI with the 6-speed box, however £3k for the 100,000 mile + examples I've seen does strike me as rather expensive! It's a shame they've held their value so well!
Cheers in advance PH!
The criteria that's causing me some bother is as follows:
- Over 100bhp / under 9 sec 0-60
- Decent handling
- 35mpg +
- Insurance under £1k. (for reference, a Clio 182 was quoted as just over £1k for me so thats probably the limit performance wise)
- Preferably 6 gears
- £3 - 3.5k max to buy
- Reliability is key
- Looks decent
- Diesel is acceptable but petrol preferred
The only thing I can think of currently are a late example of a Lupo GTI with the 6-speed box, however £3k for the 100,000 mile + examples I've seen does strike me as rather expensive! It's a shame they've held their value so well!
Cheers in advance PH!
mnkiboy said:
Focus ST170. Fits all your criteria perfectly.
Edit: Apart from MPG. You'd have to drive very gently to get 35mpg, though it could just about do it.
Do you have any idea how these are holding up, now they're getting on a bit? Edit: Apart from MPG. You'd have to drive very gently to get 35mpg, though it could just about do it.
Do they suffer from rust like some Ford's of that era?
Won't quite match all your criteria but one of these Pandas look a hell of a lot of fun...plus quite new so hopefully reliability better than you'd imagine?
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
Was 100hp you wanted right?
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
Was 100hp you wanted right?
Edited by mikeyr on Friday 3rd August 17:51
DanDC5 said:
Proton Satria GTI, well under budget for a good one, handle well, look brilliant, Recaro seats and 133bhp in a fairly lightweight car. The Saxo VTS for the person that wants to be different.
Sorry really not a fan of Protons. 
mikeyr said:
Won't quite match all your criteria but one of these looks a hell of a lot of fun...plus quite new so hopefully reliability better than you'd imagine?
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
Was 100hp you wanted right?
I thought these were much more expensive! More like 4-5k! http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
Was 100hp you wanted right?
Doodles19 said:
Do you have any idea how these are holding up, now they're getting on a bit?
Do they suffer from rust like some Ford's of that era?
Always worth checking rear wheel arches, door sills and boot lids. Some do suffer from rust but nowhere near as bad as the Puma or Ka. There's enough out there to be choosy.Do they suffer from rust like some Ford's of that era?
Doodles19 said:
DanDC5 said:
Proton Satria GTI, well under budget for a good one, handle well, look brilliant, Recaro seats and 133bhp in a fairly lightweight car. The Saxo VTS for the person that wants to be different.
Sorry really not a fan of Protons. Big Fat Fatty said:
Don't dismiss it entirely, go find one and test drive it. It's based on the Mitsubishi Colt so is reliable, good fun to drive and as Dan said, looks great. It may just surprise you.
Pretty sure these wont hit 35mpg though, a friend has had a couple (as well as many Colts - all parts are interchangeable, as are some evo parts) and he didn't get that much.Suspension set up by Lotus, incredible car for the money.
The '6 speed' requirement boggles slightly - Why does it matter, if the gear ratios are correct? It's not needed in most small hatchbacks, hence, they don't have them.
Waugh-terfall said:
What happened to the Twingo?
Brother's having it
Riknos said:
The '6 speed' requirement boggles slightly - Why does it matter, if the gear ratios are correct? It's not needed in most small hatchbacks, hence, they don't have them.
I've got a Twingo RS at the moment. It really needs a 6 speed box. Just over 4k at 80mph is silly.
Doodles19 said:
Do you have any idea how these are holding up, now they're getting on a bit?
Do they suffer from rust like some Ford's of that era?
Just sold one, 2002 £550 with just under 100K on the clock.Do they suffer from rust like some Ford's of that era?
Major downsides are the lack of performance, insurance and fuel consumption. I never saw more than 30mpg out of ours and it would easily dip into the low 20's if at all pushed. The Zetec engine is a wheezy old lump which is quite rough at the top. They handle well, stay together ok but nothing special overall. Never had any rust issues at all just a clutch and a thermostat housing over 5 years. We got the car quite cheaply int he first place, I didn't really want it but the other half did. Served a purpose and they are cheap for what they are now. Budget £800-1500 for a really clean one or sub £800 for anything that needs a bit of TLC. My advice is get a standard 2.0 as they offer most of the performance but are far easier to run.
HTH
bonesX said:
Fabia VRS. Brilliant machine
Quite expensive for what they are though... Seem to be the top end of 3k, even early 4k for a 100k mile car.
yonex said:
I never saw more than 30mpg out of ours and it would easily dip into the low 20's if at all pushed. The Zetec engine is a wheezy old lump which is quite rough at the top.
That's it off of my list then! Cheers for the reply!
Anyone have any experience of Lupo GTi's?
Edited by Doodles19 on Friday 3rd August 15:26
yonex said:
Just sold one, 2002 £550 with just under 100K on the clock.
Major downsides are the lack of performance, insurance and fuel consumption. I never saw more than 30mpg out of ours and it would easily dip into the low 20's if at all pushed. The Zetec engine is a wheezy old lump which is quite rough at the top. They handle well, stay together ok but nothing special overall. Never had any rust issues at all just a clutch and a thermostat housing over 5 years. We got the car quite cheaply int he first place, I didn't really want it but the other half did. Served a purpose and they are cheap for what they are now. Budget £800-1500 for a really clean one or sub £800 for anything that needs a bit of TLC. My advice is get a standard 2.0 as they offer most of the performance but are far easier to run.
HTH
Huh? Sub £800 for an ST170? You let one go for £550? Looking on autotrader the cheapest one is up for £1350 , and i'd be expecting to pay £2500 for a decent one. Major downsides are the lack of performance, insurance and fuel consumption. I never saw more than 30mpg out of ours and it would easily dip into the low 20's if at all pushed. The Zetec engine is a wheezy old lump which is quite rough at the top. They handle well, stay together ok but nothing special overall. Never had any rust issues at all just a clutch and a thermostat housing over 5 years. We got the car quite cheaply int he first place, I didn't really want it but the other half did. Served a purpose and they are cheap for what they are now. Budget £800-1500 for a really clean one or sub £800 for anything that needs a bit of TLC. My advice is get a standard 2.0 as they offer most of the performance but are far easier to run.
HTH
mnkiboy said:
yonex said:
Just sold one, 2002 £550 with just under 100K on the clock.
Major downsides are the lack of performance, insurance and fuel consumption. I never saw more than 30mpg out of ours and it would easily dip into the low 20's if at all pushed. The Zetec engine is a wheezy old lump which is quite rough at the top. They handle well, stay together ok but nothing special overall. Never had any rust issues at all just a clutch and a thermostat housing over 5 years. We got the car quite cheaply int he first place, I didn't really want it but the other half did. Served a purpose and they are cheap for what they are now. Budget £800-1500 for a really clean one or sub £800 for anything that needs a bit of TLC. My advice is get a standard 2.0 as they offer most of the performance but are far easier to run.
HTH
Huh? Sub £800 for an ST170? You let one go for £550? Looking on autotrader the cheapest one is up for £1350 , and i'd be expecting to pay £2500 for a decent one. Major downsides are the lack of performance, insurance and fuel consumption. I never saw more than 30mpg out of ours and it would easily dip into the low 20's if at all pushed. The Zetec engine is a wheezy old lump which is quite rough at the top. They handle well, stay together ok but nothing special overall. Never had any rust issues at all just a clutch and a thermostat housing over 5 years. We got the car quite cheaply int he first place, I didn't really want it but the other half did. Served a purpose and they are cheap for what they are now. Budget £800-1500 for a really clean one or sub £800 for anything that needs a bit of TLC. My advice is get a standard 2.0 as they offer most of the performance but are far easier to run.
HTH
PS - Rover 200vi/BRM / Rover 25 GTi / MG ZR fits the bill pretty well. One of the few cars that will exceed the performance requirements and get the required MPG. More reliable than their reputation suggests too.
Edited by NiceCupOfTea on Friday 3rd August 16:02
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