£6,000 Budget Car

[4Az]

If you had £6k to spend, which one of the following would you buy and why?

Must be capable of...
•1 or 2 track days a year
•Cope with daily redline visits/abuse
•Commuting, which includes about 5-10k a year motorway miles
•Euro 4 petrol or Euro 6 diesel, so in line with the upcoming congestion (or ULEV) charges in Birmingham
• Ideally be Less than 80k miles with FSH & still be within price range
•Doesn't need to be that practical, only really needs to accommodate 2 people max (me and the mrs).

•Mk2 Audi TT 2.0 TFSI
•Mk5 VW Golf GTI
•R56 Mini Cooper S (60 plate on, N18 engine)
•FN2 Honda Civic Type R
•Something else?

Edited by 4Az on Wednesday 3rd July 17:25

[Krikkit]

BMW 130i would be my choice, your budget would leave you with a few quid to do a bit of refurbishment ready for the track too.

[Shaqq]

I'm a Honda fan so i'd lean towards the FN2 over anything else.

[4Az]

Krikkit said:

BMW 130i would be my choice, your budget would leave you with a few quid to do a bit of refurbishment ready for the track too.

Nice recommendation, forgot about the N52. N/A 3.0 6 cyl goodness.

Bit rare though (probably why I forgot about them), so must be hard to find a decent example within such a small market.

Will defo be adding it to the list though.

[RazerSauber]

My E87 120D was able to keep pace with an R53 Cooper S so I hope the R56 is quicker! That being said, the Mini should handle well, I have a laugh driving my mums when I can. That would be my choice out of that list. Alternatively, the 130 as mentioned.

[4Az]

RazerSauber said:

My E87 120D was able to keep pace with an R53 Cooper S so I hope the R56 is quicker! That being said, the Mini should handle well, I have a laugh driving my mums when I can. That would be my choice out of that list. Alternatively, the 130 as mentioned.

N47 timing chain issues & the fact it's not Euro 6 strike the 120D off the list. its a shame really, as 123D sounds mega on paper.

I've had an R53 before. They're not really a straight line speed car, but a reduced pulley and I/c brings them alive.

I've added the E8* 130i to the list

[DoubleD]

£6k will get you a Renault Megane RS250. Look no further.

[4Az]

DoubleD said:

£6k will get you a Renault Megane RS250. Look no further.

A decent example is a bit more than £6k.

Nice cars though.

[ZX10R NIN]

I'd say go for the Focus ST-3 you can get a good example for your budget & the aftermarket scene is huge so upgrades for track work needn't cost the earth, now the Megane RS is the better steer but the Focus isn't far off, plus that 5 cylinder lump is a peach.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

ST-2

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

[Mr Tidy]

4Az said:

RazerSauber said:

My E87 120D was able to keep pace with an R53 Cooper S so I hope the R56 is quicker! That being said, the Mini should handle well, I have a laugh driving my mums when I can. That would be my choice out of that list. Alternatively, the 130 as mentioned.

N47 timing chain issues & the fact it's not Euro 6 strike the 120D off the list. its a shame really, as 123D sounds mega on paper.

I've had an R53 before. They're not really a straight line speed car, but a reduced pulley and I/c brings them alive.

I've added the E8* 130i to the list

I had a 123d for 6+ years which seemed great after 3 years in an E46 320td!

But then I bought a Z4 Coupe with the 3 litre N52 and I realised what could have been.

So I got an E46 325ti Compact as a daily and even that was way more fun than my 123d!

I've now got an E90 330i with the N52 engine as a daily, mainly because they are way cheaper than a 130i.

But I still have a Z4 Coupe for entertainment!