Best cheap, modern, fun handling, small car?

[LEE337]

So I have an 8 mile commute is almost entirely down some very twisty little B roads.
I want to have something fun to drive even when moving at traffic speeds.
Does this car exist?!

Rough requirements:
- Cheap (£500-£3000)
- Modern, post 2008 maybe
- Slow, <100bhp ideally
- Petrol engine, something that likes to be revved (doesn't need to be high revving, just something that even fractionally rewards wringing it out)
- 3 pedals
- Fun handling (not comedy), but something genuinely good to steer, with maybe even decent steering feedback?
- Reasonably safe by modern standards, as will be exclusively driven during rush hours where all the idiots come out!
- I don't mind modifying too

[HustleRussell]

Very late mk1 Ford KA, did they make those until 2007ish?

Fiesta

Fiat Panda (100bhp optional)

Suzuki Swift

Mazda 2

108/C1/Aygo

[Cold]

Suzuki Swift Sport.

[Bennet]

LEE337 said:

I want to have something fun to drive even when moving at traffic speeds.

My advice is, get something with a soft top, and have it down all the time unless it's properly raining. I haven't found anything that contributes to happy motoring more than exposure to the world around you, or makes otherwise boring driving more pleasurable.

[Cylon2007]

Bennet said:

LEE337 said:

I want to have something fun to drive even when moving at traffic speeds.

My advice is, get something with a soft top, and have it down all the time unless it's properly raining. I haven't found anything that contributes to happy motoring more than exposure to the world around you, or makes otherwise boring driving more pleasurable.

This

[A500leroy]

Fiat panda or 500C

[kambites]

Can you get a mk3 MR2 for that budget?

[LargeRed]

Nissan Micra K12

like a go cart, point and press.

[LuS1fer]

Fiat Panda 100hp

[Cabrony]

Bit left field but a Honda CRZ &#129335;&#127995;‍♂&#65039;

[SweptVolume]

Very left field, but maybe a Renault Wind with the Renaultsport 1.6? Your friends will enjoy laughing at its name, and you'll enjoy thrashing its little VVT engine.

[crowfield]

I believe the correct Pistonheads answer is MX5

[Lil_Red_GTV]

If you can push the budget up towards £4k you could get yourself something rear wheel drive and rear engined! A MkIII Renault Twingo!

[Drooles]

I agree with the convertible comments. An MGTF just about fits your age requirements (would be a couple of years too old) and would fit the bill for the other things...

[LEE337]

Thanks all! Some really good suggestions that I hadn't considered.

From a bit of rapid research, for what fits the bill, I think I'm going to try something that might not make a lot of sense to some!

A Suzuki Swift, non-sport - but with an eye to fit sport suspension and brakes.
I don't fancy the sport as I really want super-low power, 120bhp or so and 1000kg is still quite nippy(-ish)

I'll make a thread when I get something and share a link here :-)

[LightningBlue]

Suzuki Swift is decent but why do you want super low power? I’d echo a CRZ if you could get one in budget, very nice to drive and quite rare

[LEE337]

LightningBlue said:

why do you want super low power?

I've got a car for when I want to go fast (480bhp Audi A6)
Wife has a 200bhp Guilietta too if I want nippy / sort of fun to drive

I have a short commute down some really good tight B roads, and want something that I can really pedal at 9/10ths, yet to everyone around me I'm just keeping up with traffic.

[HustleRussell]

Lil_Red_GTV said:

If you can push the budget up towards £4k you could get yourself something rear wheel drive and rear engined! A MkIII Renault Twingo!

Are they actually any good to drive though?

[Cabrony]

LightningBlue said:

Suzuki Swift is decent but why do you want super low power? I’d echo a CRZ if you could get one in budget, very nice to drive and quite rare

They're an interesting car to drive, you can have equal amounts of fun hooning it as you can trying to drive as economically as possible. Best of both worlds if the OP drives twisty but busy roads

[mikeyr]

Slight over bhp levels but Twingo Rs was the most fun and felt fast even though it really wasn't (133bhp i think). An absolute hoot and felt so nimble.