First RWD car

[Hachiroku]

Evening PH guys!

Hoping you can help me with my dilemma

I want to get a second car in the next few years and know I want something RWD, cheap and simple. The lightweight, low-power recipe is very appealing and I'd love something I could do a bit of drifting in.

Problem is my Brother has an MX-5 mk2 so I don't want one of those, I'd rather not have the typical Volvo 340 or 360, and while I could get a decent Toyota AE86 cheap, I'd have to get it imported from Japland at considerable extra cost.

Thinking maybe an early 3 series ?? Needs to be relatively cheap to insure though.
[apologies if this topic is in the wrong section, I'm new to this]

Edited by Hachiroku on Friday 15th March 21:48

[LuS1fer]

The early E30 had some nasty lift off oversteer. How about something unwanted yet cheap like the 325 Compact?

[IanMorewood]

Something 1970's ish and British.

[Reks]

e30 318is would seem a good bet. Not far of the performance of a 325 but much cheaper to insure.

[orangesrule]

Just got my first rwd car, bmw e36 328 touring, hardly lightweight as standard. But pushing 200 brake, and cost me £550 with a bit of tax and ticket. I was in the same position as you, I could have spent 4-5k, but wanted somthing i could properly abuse without worry...£550 is almost disposable. Insurance is £540 FC for me at 21.

[danjama]

Mr2. Any mk.

[Debaser]

LuS1fer said:

The early E30 had some nasty lift off oversteer.

No it didn't. E30s have progressive handling and are very easy to drive at the limit.

Unfortunately the PH vehicle dynamics experts like to pretend anything with semi trailing rear suspension is a death trap.

[LuS1fer]

Debaser said:

No it didn't. E30s have progressive handling and are very easy to drive at the limit.

Unfortunately the PH vehicle dynamics experts like to pretend anything with semi trailing rear suspension is a death trap.

It was when I drove one. There was no pretending involved.

[Debaser]

LuS1fer said:

Debaser said:

No it didn't. E30s have progressive handling and are very easy to drive at the limit.

Unfortunately the PH vehicle dynamics experts like to pretend anything with semi trailing rear suspension is a death trap.

It was when I drove one. There was no pretending involved.

If the one you drove had nasty lift off oversteer it wasn't a representative example.

[DanGPR]

E36s are just as cheap if not cheaper than E30s now, and its far easier to find a tidy one.
Lexus IS200, straight 6, rwd
MGF or Mr2
Mazda rx8s are dirt cheap now.

[Hachiroku]

RX-8 is really tempting given the cost. But ideally something fairly mechanical or at least with a conventional engine I could do my own maintenance on would be better. Would consider a mk1 MX-5 as I've heard they're so good.

[VinceFox]

Your cheapest route to manual rwd is the e36 now. Theyre not great power to weight tho and all the suspension bushes will need doing. It's either that or an mx5.

[vrooom]

Where is cheap ae86 ? no such thing....

[Hachiroku]

They can be had for around £4000+ for an average on in Japan. However that does incur shipping, modification, registration costs plus insurance premiums

vrooom said:

Where is cheap ae86 ? no such thing....

[E30Addict]

Debaser said:

LuS1fer said:

Debaser said:

No it didn't. E30s have progressive handling and are very easy to drive at the limit.

Unfortunately the PH vehicle dynamics experts like to pretend anything with semi trailing rear suspension is a death trap.

It was when I drove one. There was no pretending involved.

If the one you drove had nasty lift off oversteer it wasn't a representative example.

+1

I had an E30 318is and I lost count of the amount of times I told they were "lethal". As long as you don't take liberties they handle brilliantly and are progressive on the limit. The example you drove may have had knackered suspension and/or crap tyres which will make them sketchy to drive.

[deltashad]

I had the old e36 sport compact 318ti. Was great for getting its backside out. Looked decent. Had a sporty interior. Decent mpg and 140 bhp of 16v thrashiness. I still like them.

[clarkey540i]

E36 318is Coupe was my first RWD car. I later got a 328i coupe too. They're really good little cars and will keep up with a great deal of modern "performance" cars down a tight B road. The 318is handled a bit better because of the lighter front end, and felt more progressive when the back end came out, but it didn't have the sport suspension so that might be why. I got a 1999 three years ago for 900 quid.

[anonymous-user]

mgf are pretty much safe fun, and mid ship. . they are a good drive not hardcore but good feel.

[deltashad]

Surprisingly easy to hold a drift in the mgf.

[mjb1]

Morris Marina?