Small, used hot hatch. Opinions please.
Discussion
After 3 years in an e92 BMW I'm looking at a small hot as my next daily. Never had a hot hatch before and I'd like something a bit newer and cheaper to run than the BMW but still good fun to drive. I probably won't buy for a few months yet so just starting to do a but of research.
At the moment I have 3 cars on my radar and would appreciate honest opinions from anyone who has owned or tried them.
Fiesta ST3 from 65 plate with the suspension revisions. These seem the obvious choice and every review places it as the best drivers car. Only downsides are it's a bit in your face and prone to getting nicked.
208 GTi prestige. I really like the look of these, a but more subtle than the ford and less common. I can't find much info on them other than that reviews say it's good but not as good as the fiesta. But that's new car reviews which tend to focus on how good they are on track and also the fact that the Pug is more expensive new. At 4 years old it's actually a lot cheaper than the fiesta which makes a difference.
Mini cooper s 2.0 from 14 plate. A bit pricier than the other 2 but then it has more kudos and character. Made by BMW too so there's a bit of familiarity there for me. It has the best interior IMO and there's a bit more choice in terms of colour and trim. Might take time to find one with the right options though.
Any thoughts or alternatives welcome.
Budget will be around £9k and priorities are supermini size with 3 doors, great fun to drive but also useful as a daily, decent equipment levels.
At the moment I have 3 cars on my radar and would appreciate honest opinions from anyone who has owned or tried them.
Fiesta ST3 from 65 plate with the suspension revisions. These seem the obvious choice and every review places it as the best drivers car. Only downsides are it's a bit in your face and prone to getting nicked.
208 GTi prestige. I really like the look of these, a but more subtle than the ford and less common. I can't find much info on them other than that reviews say it's good but not as good as the fiesta. But that's new car reviews which tend to focus on how good they are on track and also the fact that the Pug is more expensive new. At 4 years old it's actually a lot cheaper than the fiesta which makes a difference.
Mini cooper s 2.0 from 14 plate. A bit pricier than the other 2 but then it has more kudos and character. Made by BMW too so there's a bit of familiarity there for me. It has the best interior IMO and there's a bit more choice in terms of colour and trim. Might take time to find one with the right options though.
Any thoughts or alternatives welcome.
Budget will be around £9k and priorities are supermini size with 3 doors, great fun to drive but also useful as a daily, decent equipment levels.
The Fiesta is the pick in terms of fun but if you can find a Peugeot Sport 208 GTI then you'll hit the sweet spot of a less common car with handling that's very close to the Fiesta but imo a nicer interior.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Or you could get a last of the line 2.0 Clio RS which will land you a great final edition, these will also depreciate slower than the 3 on your list.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Or you could get a last of the line 2.0 Clio RS which will land you a great final edition, these will also depreciate slower than the 3 on your list.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
I have a 330i E92 at the moment.
I came from a couple of Mini Cooper S and can thoroughly recommend them. My favourite was an R53 which is pre-2006 and supercharged.
Only driven the later F56 as a courtesy car and it seemed a nice place to be and quick enough. Maybe a little more detached than the previous versions.....but compared to the E92 it will be like a go-kart....
Mike
I came from a couple of Mini Cooper S and can thoroughly recommend them. My favourite was an R53 which is pre-2006 and supercharged.
Only driven the later F56 as a courtesy car and it seemed a nice place to be and quick enough. Maybe a little more detached than the previous versions.....but compared to the E92 it will be like a go-kart....
Mike
mike9009 said:
I have a 330i E92 at the moment.
I came from a couple of Mini Cooper S and can thoroughly recommend them. My favourite was an R53 which is pre-2006 and supercharged.
Only driven the later F56 as a courtesy car and it seemed a nice place to be and quick enough. Maybe a little more detached than the previous versions.....but compared to the E92 it will be like a go-kart....
Mike
We used to have an R53 JCW. Mental little car, but, sadly getting to the point where they are expensive to run due to the age of them.I came from a couple of Mini Cooper S and can thoroughly recommend them. My favourite was an R53 which is pre-2006 and supercharged.
Only driven the later F56 as a courtesy car and it seemed a nice place to be and quick enough. Maybe a little more detached than the previous versions.....but compared to the E92 it will be like a go-kart....
Mike
I can probably help a bit on this as I have a LCI manual E92 M3 & a 66 plate ST3.
ST is great, as they say it seemingly pivots around an invisible stake in the centre of the car, sounds good with the symposer, barely if at all feels turbo’d, likes to be revved & I get 37mpg. But the driving position is crap, the seats far too high & the seat bases very snug, & I’m slim.
Cheers.
ST is great, as they say it seemingly pivots around an invisible stake in the centre of the car, sounds good with the symposer, barely if at all feels turbo’d, likes to be revved & I get 37mpg. But the driving position is crap, the seats far too high & the seat bases very snug, & I’m slim.
Cheers.
Many thanks for the excellent replies guys.
A little more background..
Before the Beemer I’d had a string of high revving NA cars, Ford puma, Celica, MR2, Civic Vtec. I always said that I didn’t really want to go turbo as I enjoyed the character of those engines. Originally I was looking for a hot hatch so checked out the Civic type r (FN2) and the Clio rs200 mk3. On test drives neither really inspired me. I found the type r too similar to my 1.8 civic and the clio felt very cheap and the ride was shockingly hard. I also drove a fiesta ST even though they were beyond my budget and I was totally blown away by the performance in comparison. So I was all ready to get a turbo hatch when I spotted the e92 on a local forecourt. The sound of that 6 pot sold it to me and I bought it there and then having always wanted to try a BMW. I’ve kept it longer than usual and it has been very good. A last hurrah for the NA engine you could say but it is now time to go down the turbo route.
I do like those 208 Gti by PS and the reviews are very good. But it’s a 2k premium over the standard car and I have some concerns. Often those performance upgrades that turn something into a track day hero make it less use as a daily on our terrible roads. Also those special parts will cost more to replace. Wouldn’t rule it out though, I think it’s definitely worth a drive.
When I drove the ST I didn’t notice the seat much but since then I have sat in a few and yes, it is a bit tight on my backside and I’m not that big either. Worse still was an Abarth 500 I tried, it was like sitting on the side bolsters.
A little more background..
Before the Beemer I’d had a string of high revving NA cars, Ford puma, Celica, MR2, Civic Vtec. I always said that I didn’t really want to go turbo as I enjoyed the character of those engines. Originally I was looking for a hot hatch so checked out the Civic type r (FN2) and the Clio rs200 mk3. On test drives neither really inspired me. I found the type r too similar to my 1.8 civic and the clio felt very cheap and the ride was shockingly hard. I also drove a fiesta ST even though they were beyond my budget and I was totally blown away by the performance in comparison. So I was all ready to get a turbo hatch when I spotted the e92 on a local forecourt. The sound of that 6 pot sold it to me and I bought it there and then having always wanted to try a BMW. I’ve kept it longer than usual and it has been very good. A last hurrah for the NA engine you could say but it is now time to go down the turbo route.
I do like those 208 Gti by PS and the reviews are very good. But it’s a 2k premium over the standard car and I have some concerns. Often those performance upgrades that turn something into a track day hero make it less use as a daily on our terrible roads. Also those special parts will cost more to replace. Wouldn’t rule it out though, I think it’s definitely worth a drive.
When I drove the ST I didn’t notice the seat much but since then I have sat in a few and yes, it is a bit tight on my backside and I’m not that big either. Worse still was an Abarth 500 I tried, it was like sitting on the side bolsters.
ChrisH72 said:
Many thanks for the excellent replies guys.
A little more background..
Before the Beemer I’d had a string of high revving NA cars, Ford puma, Celica, MR2, Civic Vtec. I always said that I didn’t really want to go turbo as I enjoyed the character of those engines. Originally I was looking for a hot hatch so checked out the Civic type r (FN2) and the Clio rs200 mk3. On test drives neither really inspired me. I found the type r too similar to my 1.8 civic and the clio felt very cheap and the ride was shockingly hard. I also drove a fiesta ST even though they were beyond my budget and I was totally blown away by the performance in comparison. So I was all ready to get a turbo hatch when I spotted the e92 on a local forecourt. The sound of that 6 pot sold it to me and I bought it there and then having always wanted to try a BMW. I’ve kept it longer than usual and it has been very good. A last hurrah for the NA engine you could say but it is now time to go down the turbo route.
I do like those 208 Gti by PS and the reviews are very good. But it’s a 2k premium over the standard car and I have some concerns. Often those performance upgrades that turn something into a track day hero make it less use as a daily on our terrible roads. Also those special parts will cost more to replace. Wouldn’t rule it out though, I think it’s definitely worth a drive.
When I drove the ST I didn’t notice the seat much but since then I have sat in a few and yes, it is a bit tight on my backside and I’m not that big either. Worse still was an Abarth 500 I tried, it was like sitting on the side bolsters.
Do I recognize your username from celica-club ? A little more background..
Before the Beemer I’d had a string of high revving NA cars, Ford puma, Celica, MR2, Civic Vtec. I always said that I didn’t really want to go turbo as I enjoyed the character of those engines. Originally I was looking for a hot hatch so checked out the Civic type r (FN2) and the Clio rs200 mk3. On test drives neither really inspired me. I found the type r too similar to my 1.8 civic and the clio felt very cheap and the ride was shockingly hard. I also drove a fiesta ST even though they were beyond my budget and I was totally blown away by the performance in comparison. So I was all ready to get a turbo hatch when I spotted the e92 on a local forecourt. The sound of that 6 pot sold it to me and I bought it there and then having always wanted to try a BMW. I’ve kept it longer than usual and it has been very good. A last hurrah for the NA engine you could say but it is now time to go down the turbo route.
I do like those 208 Gti by PS and the reviews are very good. But it’s a 2k premium over the standard car and I have some concerns. Often those performance upgrades that turn something into a track day hero make it less use as a daily on our terrible roads. Also those special parts will cost more to replace. Wouldn’t rule it out though, I think it’s definitely worth a drive.
When I drove the ST I didn’t notice the seat much but since then I have sat in a few and yes, it is a bit tight on my backside and I’m not that big either. Worse still was an Abarth 500 I tried, it was like sitting on the side bolsters.
ZX10, the 208 in that ad is probably the nicest colour scheme. I can't stand that 2 tone job with the different back end or the Matt finish ones that look wrapped. Not a fan of black wheels either but they go pretty well with the red or the off white and in any case a change of wheel colour is cheap enough.
That one is a bit cheaper as mileage is a bit high. I wouldn't mind spending a little more for a less leggy one if it was the right car. They are very exclusive and I reckon it would hold its value okay. I would need to find one to drive back to back with the standard car, perhaps at a dealership.
That one is a bit cheaper as mileage is a bit high. I wouldn't mind spending a little more for a less leggy one if it was the right car. They are very exclusive and I reckon it would hold its value okay. I would need to find one to drive back to back with the standard car, perhaps at a dealership.
Get yourself to a main dealer to see which set up you prefer, mileage wise it's high but as long as it's been looked after also if you're not doing big miles then you'll bring the mileage back into line.
Or as you said pay a bit extra & get one with half the miles:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Or as you said pay a bit extra & get one with half the miles:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Hmmm yes, the white one looks nice.
My BMW is black and I don't think I'd go there again. Looks great when it's clean but a day later it's like I never bothered. Also black with black wheels is a bit...black!
I do around 9k a year and keep my cars 3 years maximum. Quite a few I've had for a lot less time than that. In fact the shortest lived was a Pug 207 diesel which lasted 8 months. God I hated that car. Bought it to try and save money but it was awful and I vowed never to have another Peugeot. But that was ten years ago and I think they've got their act pretty well sorted now with some very good motors.
My BMW is black and I don't think I'd go there again. Looks great when it's clean but a day later it's like I never bothered. Also black with black wheels is a bit...black!
I do around 9k a year and keep my cars 3 years maximum. Quite a few I've had for a lot less time than that. In fact the shortest lived was a Pug 207 diesel which lasted 8 months. God I hated that car. Bought it to try and save money but it was awful and I vowed never to have another Peugeot. But that was ten years ago and I think they've got their act pretty well sorted now with some very good motors.
Get yourself to a main dealer to see which set up you prefer, mileage wise it's high but as long as it's been looked after also if you're not doing big miles then you'll bring the mileage back into line.
Or as you said pay a bit extra & get one with half the miles:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Then you have to decide if the lower mileage car is worth the extra 2k.
Or as you said pay a bit extra & get one with half the miles:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Then you have to decide if the lower mileage car is worth the extra 2k.
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