Clio 182 or Toyota MR2 or EP3 type-R

[treeroy]

eyup

I am looking at buying a car for £2000 or less.

Clio 182 was what I have had in mind for ages, but I am also being tempted by the MR2 (mk3).

Civic type R ep3 I have seen a few for less than 2 grand, whether they are decent condition is another matter but it looks possible/.. I think?

I want something that's not expensive to run. and something which I can modify a bit. Every day car and will do the odd track day.
I aim to test drive them soon.

All three cars are similar insurance and tax and all are OK on fuel (i know Honda would end up using the most )

Any thoughts?
Feel free to suggest alternatives (not mx-5).

Thanks

[designforlife]

I would go ep3 having owned a dc5... the K20 really is just one of those engines that deserves to be experienced.

That said the mk3 MR2 is also a great steer apparently.

I would say Honda parts are a bit more expensive, and theres a lot of scene tax on the aftermarket stuff.

Toyota has decent parts support through the dealers for OEM items.

Look for both and buy the best example of whichever you find....be wary of rust.

[treeroy]

designforlife said:

I would go ep3 having owned a dc5... the K20 really is just one of those engines that deserves to be experienced.

That said the mk3 MR2 is also a great steer apparently.

I would say Honda parts are a bit more expensive, and theres a lot of scene tax on the aftermarket stuff.

Toyota has decent parts support through the dealers for OEM items.

Look for both and buy the best example of whichever you find....be wary of rust.

I would have thought that aftermarket parts would be / could be cheaper for the type R because there's a bigger market of them?

[designforlife]

The scene tax on honda aftermarket parts is pretty massive, there is high demand for genuine JDM aftermarket parts, and a limited supply.

For example a Gruppe M carbon fibre cold air induction kit retails at £830... the "cheap" Tegiwa copy of this kit is still £375...

[griffter]

I’m on a couple of Honda Facebook groups, and I’m always amazed at how many people by a cheap ep3, throw a load of aftermarket bits on it then break it for parts because it’s rusty or doesn’t run. I’d be very wary at the bottom end of the market, and make sure you’re paying for the car, not the “tuning” bits. Not a lot of people seem to spend money getting cheap cars up to scratch before “upgrading “ them.

[designforlife]

griffter said:

I’m on a couple of Honda Facebook groups, and I’m always amazed at how many people by a cheap ep3, throw a load of aftermarket bits on it then break it for parts because it’s rusty or doesn’t run. I’d be very wary at the bottom end of the market, and make sure you’re paying for the car, not the “tuning” bits. Not a lot of people seem to spend money getting cheap cars up to scratch before “upgrading “ them.

100% agree...they are usually owned by younger guys that don't see rust or bodywork as a priority and aren't willing to pay to sort it.

That said, the EP3 isn't as bad for rust as Mazdas or Mitsubishis of a similar age.

[griffter]

Also: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[treeroy]

designforlife said:

100% agree...they are usually owned by younger guys that don't see rust or bodywork as a priority and aren't willing to pay to sort it.

That said, the EP3 isn't as bad for rust as Mazdas or Mitsubishis of a similar age.

Bodywork is not a priority for me :-) really am not fussed if the paint has faded a bit or has some dents and scratches. Rust can kill a car so that is a concern to me (my last car an MX-5 had to be scrapped within 1 year of ownership because rust was so bad).

designforlife said:

The scene tax on honda aftermarket parts is pretty massive, there is high demand for genuine JDM aftermarket parts, and a limited supply.

For example a Gruppe M carbon fibre cold air induction kit retails at £830... the "cheap" Tegiwa copy of this kit is still £375...

Interesting. I am familiar with tegiwa - not sure how many other tuners and suppliers there are for Honda mods? I assumed there'd be a fair few.

[p4cks]

Clio all day long

[treeroy]

I just drove a MR2 as the first car I've looked at. I wasn't that impressed by it. Didn't help that it was on ditchfinders so very twitchy on the road. I'm sure that would be fixed by better tyres.
But it felt really slow.
Nice place to be, nice noise and driving position - but it just felt really slow, even at high RPM. I am coming from a relatively powerful car so I knew it would feel slower, but it just didn't feel like it had much shove at all tbh. :/

[Speed Badger]

I have had all three of these multiple times in fact and the answer is Yes.

[treeroy]

hmm. I drove a Clio 182 yesterday and wasn't very impressed. Does seem to handle well although I knew this from the number of them you see on track.
Driving position is a bit strange, you feel high up and also that you are on the edge of the car, really close to the outside of the car.
I thought out of the three cars, the Clio would take my fancy quickly, but it wasn't the case. I'm sure it'd make a fine car but didn't blow me away.
Fingers crossed for the ep3 to excite me a little, need to find one to drive maybe this week.

[redandwhite]

you need to factor in a cambelt on the clio is 25% of the cars value, Honda (not sure about MR2) is chain driven so no worries as long as service history.

for your budget you will be looking at the bottom of the marked for the 1*2/EP3 - therefore in terms of blowing you away, probably not with tired old suspension etc