Fun economical car...

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So depressing writing this but my work location has just shifted 40 miles away and in my current car (Mk1 MX5) that is going to cost me £4000 a year in fuel!

For the first time in my entire driving career I'm looking at getting something...practical

Is there anything that will be genuinely entertaining to drive that will get near 50 mpg or so? I'm thinking that I'm probably looking at getting my first ever diesel but I don't want to pay more than 2 or 3 grand so the current crop of diesel hot hatches will be out. I also have the option of motorbikes...I have a ZX6R trackbike currently but I guess I could get something like a GPZ500 if I must.

Long shot but what could I squeeze out of something like a 106 rallye mpg wise? I'm generally very good at getting good economy in cars.

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I should clarify by the way that fun doesn't need to mean fast; I'm much more into the handling side of things (as proof of this my MX5 replaced a WRX!). What about a 306 or xsara hdi? I had a Xsara VTS and loved the handling but they are quite different from the diesels I guess (probably setup to understeer more so old ladies don't spin into hedges off wet roundabouts).

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vsonix said:

Not a hot hatch, I know, but older pre-facelift e46 330Ds are starting to turn up at around the 4k mark. 50 mpg seems just about possible on long runs if you stick around the speed limit - ours seems most economical at around 130kph which is logical although it will cruise significantly quicker before mileage starts to decrease exponentially, and gets 29-31 round town without having to drive like grandma.

I did think about these as I generally have RWD cars but newer beemers leave me a bit cold. I've had a 318i, 325i and a 328i and found them really boring to drive compared to, say, the MX5. I like the E30s but after that they got a bit too grippy at the back!

Skoda Fabia or Octavia VRS might be an option but I've never heard anyone say VAG cars are genuinely involving to drive.

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I do want to keep the MX5 for trackdays etc. so I guess I need to work out if it's actually cheaper to run a second car than to take the hit on the 35 mpg max I guess I can squeeze out of the MX5. The problem there though is the mileage I'd be putting on it.

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Well as I say, it's not just the fuel cost...putting 20,000 miles a year on an 18 year old MX5 seems like a bad idea, especially as it's a good one, I absolutely love it (favourite car I've ever had) and they're starting to get a bit rare.

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Yes, I'm thinking French is the way to go for nice handling and cheapness. Smart Roadster is an intersting option but then I have 2 impractical cars! If I'm going to get a second car I may as well get something with a proper boot.

The other (very left field) option is something like a Berlingo so I can transport my trackbike around but it might be a bit of a squeeze. I drove one for my old job and actually quite enjoyed it...it even managed a bit of lift off oversteer. Should manage 50 mpg from one.

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gowmonster said:

106/saxo/ax 1.5d for 60+mpg and reasonably good handling.

not in any way fast but thats what you have the mx5 for....

The MX5 is dog slow...130bhp I've sort of grown out of fast cars now though, more power doesn't equal more fun for me. I had the WRX alongside the MX5 on my drive for a while but found I always picked up the Mazda keys on a sunday morning so I got rid.

Fabia VRS seems the best option but I'm considering just using motorbikes now actually. Traffic on the A14 can be a bh and it's nice to be able to filter through it all. I might just turn my trackbike back to road spec, run it into the ground then buy a nicer one for next year.