interesting second car

[t.perry99]

So ive just turned 21 and am coming up to 4 years NCD. Leaving university and getting a job means I'm going to be looking to get rid of my 1.2 polo 9n and look for something a bit more fun and preferably something a bit different. Ive looked at the obvious mk6 fiesta st or mk4 golf GTI (1.8T) but i fancy something a little different like maybe a mk3 mr2 (would love a mk2 but prices are significantly higher).
Any suggestions would be appreciated, I just want something decent on fuel (30+ mpg), fun to drive and a little different to the norm.

Cheers

[stevekoz]

Hi, you've not stated a budget. But i've taken it up to about £6k.

First thing that pops into my head is the Suzuki Swift Sport.

They are a great steer and a lot of fun. Reliable, cheap to run and have a nice little following.

Plus they are that bit different from the usual choice of warm hatch on the road. They have a nice little following from a car club/jdm/modification scene point of view which is always good as means that there is a list of aftermarket parts for them should you wish to go down that route.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202012307...

Next maybe the Citroen DS3 THP Sport.

Again, fairly cheap to insure and run and offers a 150bhp petrol engine. Warm but not hot. Quirky design and not an overall bad package. Maybe not the best steer but its good enough to offer some fun.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009304...

A good steer and a quirky nicely designed good steer warm hatch is the Alfa Mito

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202012086...

Again warm and different and don't worry about reliability, no worse than any other make out there at the moment.

Its bigger brother is certainly a good shout - the Giulietta, 170bhp, cheap to run and maintain and again a very good steer and you won't see many of them
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009143...

Few to think about.

[ZX10R NIN]

As Steve has suggested go for a warm hatch insurance will still be a factor so going for something warm makes sense:

208 XY the same as the DS3 DSport Plus above but with imo a nicer interior:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202012046...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009043...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202101077...

Check the insurance but you can get a very nice 208 GTI for your budget:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202012096...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202101097...

Back to the warm hatches & the 1.6T Astra GTC SRI 180 is a nice pick:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010155...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202101037...

Giulietta Cloverleaf these sometime turnout sensible insurance numbers:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202101147...

As you can see from the lists above there are a lot of good fun reliable cars for your budget.

[Gary C]

A MK 3 MR2 is a good car. Better handling than a MK2 as well, more like a budget Elise.

No ideal on reliability though, crashed mine when it was 2 years old

They encourage you to push and are actually a good track day tool as not daft fast but easy on tyres and brakes.

[ChrisH72]

If you get a MK3 MR2 aim for the facelift from 2003 onwards as these were a safer bet in terms of the pre cat issue. Other than that it's a very reliable car, I never had any problems with mine. Decent matching tyres and accurate wheel alignment will keep things safe handling wise.

I also ran a Celica t sport for 3 years and that was actually more fun than the MR2 although obviously not a soft top. Great car with a screamer of an engine. Some people put that 2zz engine into the MR2 which must be an absolute blast.

[Gary C]

ChrisH72 said:

If you get a MK3 MR2 aim for the facelift from 2003 onwards as these were a safer bet in terms of the pre cat issue. Other than that it's a very reliable car, I never had any problems with mine. Decent matching tyres and accurate wheel alignment will keep things safe handling wise.

I also ran a Celica t sport for 3 years and that was actually more fun than the MR2 although obviously not a soft top. Great car with a screamer of an engine. Some people put that 2zz engine into the MR2 which must be an absolute blast.

I would want the first year of Mk3 again as they softened the handling a bit to make them less sharp in later models, but the pre cat issue is worth noting and probably a better choice by the sound.

Edited by Gary C on Thursday 21st January 22:38

[Mouse Rat]

Honda CRZ is a interesting left field choice. Good looking and cheap to run. Ok not quick but not too slow.

[t.perry99]

Some good choices there guys thanks, I do like the sound of the swift sport and the giulietta, never really liked he ds3 or the mito. After seeing the suggestions I think I've realised I want something a little retro as the crx seems to stand out more than the others for some reason.
With the mk3 mr2 is the precat issue something caused by no fault of the owner or can it be prevented by propper maintenance as I've read the oval boring comes as a consequence of letting the oil run too low?

[mat205125]

BMW 123d Coupe is a nice balance of fun, performance, practicality, economy, comfort, and in my opinion it looks great

[t.perry99]

Somehow I completely forgot the 1 series couple existed, i dont like the look of the hatch but the couple is far better looking. Am i right in saying the 123d was the twin turbo 4pot? Are there any major known faults with this engine, I know bmw are prone to cooling issues

[Ash_]

What is your budget OP?

[t.perry99]

Ideally around £4-5 but the lower the better really

[A500leroy]

BMW Z3?

[ZX10R NIN]

t.perry99 said:

Ideally around £4-5 but the lower the better really

So do any of the suggestions work for you?

[talksthetorque]

A500leroy said:

BMW Z3?

BMW Z4?


Also how come nobody has mentioned the MX-5 yet?

[ChrisH72]

t.perry99 said:

With the mk3 mr2 is the precat issue something caused by no fault of the owner or can it be prevented by propper maintenance as I've read the oval boring comes as a consequence of letting the oil run too low?

I can’t say for sure as I never had any problems with mine.

From being a member on the Celica forum I do know that the earlier 1zz engine (also in the mr2) did have a reputation for burning oil. If kept topped up they would run forever but let it go dry and it was game over, which is probably similar with most engines really.

As I understood it, the pre cat thing was a separate issue where the materials would disintegrate and find their way into the engine causing catastrophic damage. It could happen at any time apparently but there were some revisions to the facelift cars which supposedly made it less likely. That said, the guy who bought my 05 plate five years ago removed the pre cats as soon as he bought it as others have done. I checked the MOT status the other week out of interest and it’s still going strong. In fact in 16 years it has not even had a single advisory!

The MR2 is a great car and values are going up. I bought in 2013 and paid £2500 for an 05 with 60k miles on it. Sold it 18 months later for £3000 and now it seems that good ones are up to £4-5k. I chose it over an mx5 because I was familiar with Toyota having the Celica and also the mk2 mx5 has a very bad reputation for rust.

A couple of things to consider. There really is zero practicality with the MR2, so if it’s your only car this could be a problem. No boot, and even the small storage in the front (the frunk) is taken up by the spare wheel. You get a couple of small storage bins behind the seats but that’s it. The facelift has staggered wheels with 16’s on the back and 15’s ont the front so finding matching tyres (which it needs) can be tricky. I had Toyo proxes which were cheap enough but there were not many options in the standard sizes.

[t.perry99]

ZX10R NIN said:

So do any of the suggestions work for you?

They're all good, the ones which are a over budget are only over by 1k, I can wait a little longer and get them if I decide they're the best choice, appreciate them all