Fun cheap rwd car?

[Ben93]

I'm after a fun to drive rwd car been looking at the old mk 2 mr2 turbos but they're far and few between and seem to jump from 3k up to 8k but in similar condition.
Ideally I'd like a jap car but I only want to spend around 3k as it wil only come out rarely for a bit of fun or a track day.
Any suggestions on cars I can get for that price that are at least 180+bhp I don't mind if it's not the most reliable of cars but ideally not breaking every trip and has source able parts.

[Ben93]

Also not fussed if it can't be jap as most are stupidly expensive for an old rust pile

[Hoofy]

I guess you have to define fun. An old BMW Compact might tick the boxes if power isn't on your list of things that contribute to fun. I had a £300 MGF that was definitely what I would call fun thanks to a hard suspension.

[Ben93]

Ideally some power behind it for track days. I can't bring myself to getting an mgf due to the stuck I'd get for having a hairdressers car 😂

[s m]

Hoofy said:

I guess you have to define fun. An old BMW Compact might tick the boxes if power isn't on your list of things that contribute to fun..

You can get a 190bhp one for under 3k - pretty reliable and cheap fun on 205s

[justinio]

MX5... next

[daveco]

s m said:

Hoofy said:

I guess you have to define fun. An old BMW Compact might tick the boxes if power isn't on your list of things that contribute to fun..

You can get a 190bhp one for under 3k - pretty reliable and cheap fun on 205s

And bizarrely the 325 compact is fitted with the 6 speed gearbox when only the facelifted 330ci got this as well.

The performance figures put it slightly quicker than a MkV Golf GTI too.

[s m]

daveco said:

s m said:

Hoofy said:

I guess you have to define fun. An old BMW Compact might tick the boxes if power isn't on your list of things that contribute to fun..

You can get a 190bhp one for under 3k - pretty reliable and cheap fun on 205s

And bizarrely the 325 compact is fitted with the 6 speed gearbox when only the facelifted 330ci got this as well.

The performance figures put it slightly quicker than a MkV Golf GTI too.

Yes, late ones come with a 6-speed box

The gearing is shorter than the coupe/saloon so they are 9mph down top on on a 330, but only a couple of tenths behind to 60 ( and they have to make 2 changes to hit 60mph because of the shorter gearing )

[Hoofy]

Ben93 said:

Ideally some power behind it for track days. I can't bring myself to getting an mgf due to the stuck I'd get for having a hairdressers car ??

Ha. Yeah, well, no self-respecting hairdresser would drive an MGF with half the hydragas missing. It has a stupidly hard suspension that means you feel every little crack or bump in the road. I suspect most hairdressers go for Range Rovers and Q7s nowadays, as they're the most comfy cars on the road.

[warcalf]

Only just meets your power requirements but I think it's an obvious one... MX-5

[ChilliWhizz]

warcalf said:

Only just meets your power requirements but I think it's an obvious one... MX-5

Yes but he's already stated he can't have a hairdressers car

[RobM77]

Is a 200SX in budget? Nice balance and decent handling. I prefer the n/a engine of a BMW straight six, but I suspect 200s might be cheaper.

[culpz]

Those suggesting the obvious PH default answer for such a question, clearly did not read the OP's requirement for at least 180 bhp. Unless you're wanting to get one and turbo/supercharge it or buy one already set-up as such, then it's not quite in-line with what they're after. This could be a potential option though, in all seriousness.

As others have already stated, the 325ti Compact's are cheap, 190 bhp and RWD. They should also be fun. Aren't they fairly heavy though and not far off what a E46 coupe/saloon weighs? I know that's not in the stated criteria but could be an important factor to consider. I could be wrong but i'm sure i read that, not long ago, on here.

[callahan]

You might scrape into an early Boxster, if you're lucky: http://www.boxa.net/forum/topic/74190-sub-%C2%A335...

Might be a bit rough though....

[culpz]

RobM77 said:

Is a 200SX in budget? Nice balance and decent handling. I prefer the n/a engine of a BMW straight six, but I suspect 200s might be cheaper.

The days of 200SX's being cheap are well and truly over. Well, definitely when comparing them to the prices of 325 Compact's, anyway.

[HannsG]

Is the Celica RWD?

[Ben93]

I like the look of the 325i take it 120k miles is nothing on a bmw any obvs problems to look for the ones I'm looking at now are about 1580 full history 100 to 120k miles. Also the reason I want the power is to get the back wheels to spin up as I will probably like to take it to a drift track too. That and I'm fed up of my slow st heap toyota derv with its peeling paint and everything else that's sh!t 😂 I am keeping that as my daily as it's reliable other than the wafer thin paint but want a weekend car so the 325 seems viable I can't stretch too much money as have some important stuff to pay out for otherwise I'd of gone and bought something like a 200sx or a supra but I think they're relatively overpriced due to people hyping them up. Most have more rust than I've ever seen 😂

[shakotan]

HannsG said:

Is the Celica RWD?

Only if you go back to the A60 from the 80s, and earlier models, and none of those will either be in budget or have the required power without major modifcation.

[anonymous-user]

Mazda RX-8

[Jakdaw]

RX8