£3000 for fun

[anonymous-user]

Hi all,

I've recently moved house and now am in the very fortunate position where I live so close to work that I don't need to worry about how economical and comfortable my car is. So I think it's about time I got my first ever petrol car (I know...) and I'm looking to spend about £3000. Essentially I'm just looking for something to have a bit of fun in (but not so much fun that the insurance companies start rubbing their greedy little hands together), I was thinking a hot hatch but I'd welcome to opportunity to look at other body types.

Also, anything 20+ years old would be worth mentioning as classic insurance is a damn sight cheaper than anything else. Not to mention the fact that a classic hot hatch (205 GTI for &3k?) would be the dream.

So some suggestions on what I spend the next few nights annoying the Mrs by looking at would be much appreciated!

[ambuletz]

Mazda Mx-5

[culpz]

ambuletz said:

Mazda Mx-5

I'm not usually a massive fan of the above car but anything where fun gets mentioned, for a budget of about your amount, you really can't do much better. You could also consider a Toyota MR2 if RWD is your thing.

If you don't mind FWD then you've got a plethora of warm/hot hatches to choose from. Personally, for that money, i'd be going for a decent Clio 172/182. You've got an almost endless list of other options if they don't quite float your boat though.

[nitrodave]

mr2 mk2 rev3 turbo.

Best bang for buck I've experienced. Pretty cheap to buy, very easy to tune up to 300bhp, simple to work on, plenty of parts available and great fun to drive.

Should be able to buy and insure for under £3k easily

[g7jhp]

Most good 205 GTI will be more expensive.

Try a Clio 172/182 or Mini Cooper S

[Patch888]

Early standard EP3 would be just right.

[swisstoni]

Can't you just chuck some criteria into autotrader or classiccarsforsale, etc ?

[s m]

g7jhp said:

Most good 205 GTI will be more expensive.

Try a Clio 172/182 or Mini Cooper S

What about a 306 Gti-6/Rallye if you like the flavour of the 205Gti?

[williamp]

can yoy get a 944 for that price still? 924?

How about an MGF

or even the M100 Lotus Elan which will need work at that price but...its a Lotus Elan.

[Nickp82]

Mazda rx8? Buy one with engine issues but no rust for circa £800, get it rebuilt for circa £1200 and boom, an interesting (imo) rear drive coupe with 50/50 weight balance for £2k!

[petrolbloke]

If 96 is your year of birth then classic insurance may be tricky to find at your age.

Some good suggestions on this thread so far. A few more ideas:

Toyota Celica (gen 6 2.0 or gen 7 facelift)
Toyota Corolla T-sport (should be cheaper to insure than a Civic Type R for example)
Toyota Yaris T-sport (as per the Corolla but more warm-supermini than hot-hatch)
Suzuki Ignis Sport (I've heard that they are good fun little cars)
VAG 1.8 turbo cars (A3, TT, Golf, Leon, Octavia) - not as fun as some of the other options but there are plenty about in your budget
Plenty of BMW options at that price too - E30/E36/E46 3 series

[TurboHatchback]

Hot hatches are great if you need the practicality of a hatch but IMO they can't compare to the enjoyment of a convertible sports car (said as the current owner of a Clio Trophy and an MR2 Roadster). I would heartily recommend a 2003-onwards MR2, I think they offer the best total fun/£ of anything on four wheels at the moment. I imagine MX5s are great too though I don't fit in them and they have serious rust issues.

[pti]

nitrodave said:

mr2 mk2 rev3 turbo.

Best bang for buck I've experienced. Pretty cheap to buy, very easy to tune up to 300bhp, simple to work on, plenty of parts available and great fun to drive.

Should be able to buy and insure for under £3k easily

That's where my money would (and did previously) be going. Great cars.

[Boosted LS1]

TR7 v8 convertible and strap some turbo's on ;-)

[vanman1936]

Mr2 Rev 2 Turbo I had was great - £150 insurance also.

MX5 Turbo also very good, selling mine if interested 😉

[Jasandjules]

I can't argue with a MK2 MR2 - Turbo T-Bar if you want a little extra poke...

[rex]

Jasandjules said:

I can't argue with a MK2 MR2 - Turbo T-Bar if you want a little extra poke...

That's exactly what I bought for a road trip to the Shetland in April. Was going to sell it straight on but still enjoying it. Should sell it really as it is a 5th car but it gets under your skin.