Second-hand warm/hot hatch for £7k

[BillTheButcher]

Hello all.

I've read through the various used car threads on here which have been very helpful.

I'm trying to find a replacement for my current leased BEV that's going back at the beginning of next year. It's been a great commuter but it is the dullest thing I've ever driven; I want something that's a bit more fun this time.

I don't want to lease again and the APR on PCP/HP deals is so I think I'm going to buy outright this time.

- Maximum of £7k
- Affordable insurance, fuel economy, VED (i.e. no thirsty, large-capacity engines)
- Preferably Clio-sized but could go up to Focus/Golf-sized
- Reliable
- No more than about eight years old
- Must have cruise control, climate control and five doors

I'm thinking of something like an older Clio RS or Fiesta ST but I'm concerned about what I'd get for £7k.

Does this sound feasible or should I just resign myself to another mobile?

Thanks.

[BillTheButcher]

I forgot to add: no diesels!

[mattyprice4004]

I'd go for a late Mazda 3 MPS.
I had two, both excellent and ticks the boxes you mention.

[300bhp/ton]

What sort of mpg?

Also what is an unreliable car? Do car makers really set out to have this as a design criteria?

How many seats do you need? Does it have to be a hatchback?

[Canon_Fodder]

The 5dr Mini F56 is considered pig-ugly by some but it ticks a lot of the boxes...

You may have to hunt for one with 'climate' but frankly the manual AC in a mini is just as good

This baby has the all-important 'Halo' DRLs

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202202262...

[Terzo123]

How about a Seat Leon FR with the 1.4 ACT Engine.

150BHP giving decent performance, 20 quid a year to tax and capable of 50 mpg on a motorway run.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202208208...

[BillTheButcher]

mattyprice4004 said:

I'd go for a late Mazda 3 MPS.
I had two, both excellent and ticks the boxes you mention.

I hadn't considered one of those.

Edit: just had a look at a few ads. It looks like a good car. The only downsides seem to be sub-30 MPG and £360 VED.

300bhp/ton said:

What sort of mpg?

Anything over 30 MPG.

300bhp/ton said:

Also what is an unreliable car? Do car makers really set out to have this as a design criteria?

300bhp/ton said:

How many seats do you need? Does it have to be a hatchback?

Four or five seats. It doesn't have to be a hatchback. An estate would also work but not a saloon or a coupe.

Canon_Fodder said:

The 5dr Mini F56 is considered pig-ugly by some but it ticks a lot of the boxes...

You may have to hunt for one with 'climate' but frankly the manual AC in a mini is just as good

This baby has the all-important 'Halo' DRLs

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202202262...

A few years ago, I had an F55 Cooper S Works 210. I really liked it. I was considering the Cooper/Cooper S this time but I read a lot of articles/blogs/reviews that highlighted poor reliability for the age of car that I can afford.

Terzo123 said:

How about a Seat Leon FR with the 1.4 ACT Engine.

150BHP giving decent performance, 20 quid a year to tax and capable of 50 mpg on a motorway run.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202208208...

Good call. Shame about the stupid cruise control stalk (I remember this from other VAG cars) but that looks decent otherwise.

Edited by BillTheButcher on Friday 26th August 16:24

Edited by BillTheButcher on Friday 26th August 16:26

[300bhp/ton]

I'd put another vote in for the MINI, although I'd probably question if they are really 4/5 seaters. The 4 door or something like a Countryman though.

[Canon_Fodder]

BillTheButcher said:

A few years ago, I had an F55 Cooper S Works 210. I really liked it. I was considering the Cooper/Cooper S this time but I read a lot of articles/blogs/reviews that highlighted poor reliability for the age of car that I can afford.

Ah I see. I thought that in general the F55/56 was pretty solid, certainly in terms of the B38 1.5 engine, but perhaps pre-facelift there were still a few issues...

[Belle427]

Think I’d go Clio but maybe throw a Mk5 Golf Gti or Seat Leon Cupra in the mix.

[BillTheButcher]

300bhp/ton said:

I'd put another vote in for the MINI, although I'd probably question if they are really 4/5 seaters. The 4 door or something like a Countryman though.

Canon_Fodder said:

Ah I see. I thought that in general the F55/56 was pretty solid, certainly in terms of the B38 1.5 engine, but perhaps pre-facelift there were still a few issues...

I had the Countryman Cooper S on my shortlist but I was then put off by the (alleged) unreliability. Maybe I should just stop reading internet reviews...

Belle427 said:

Think I’d go Clio but maybe throw a Mk5 Golf Gti or Seat Leon Cupra in the mix.

Mk5 GTI's a bit long in the tooth now (I had a look at late Mk6/early Mk7 but they're out of budget); likewise, the Leon Cupra.

[cerb4.5lee]

300bhp/ton said:

Also what is an unreliable car? Do car makers really set out to have this as a design criteria?

It was TVRs design criteria to be fair!

[cerb4.5lee]

My first thought was the F56 MINI, and I loved my Cooper S to drive. It was completely reliable for the just over 3.5 years that I had it.

[BillTheButcher]

cerb4.5lee said:

My first thought was the F56 MINI, and I loved my Cooper S to drive. It was completely reliable for the just over 3.5 years that I had it.

First-hand experience beats internet reviews.

I'm not that clued-up on the different generations of Mini. Which one's the F56? (I know I could Google it but since you're here...)

[standards]

GTI Polo? Need the 1.8 not 1.4.
If too steep GT Blue. Some might view this as ‘warm’ only.

Thought more would be advocating Fiesta ST...

[chrisch77]

BillTheButcher said:

First-hand experience beats internet reviews.

I'm not that clued-up on the different generations of Mini. Which one's the F56? (I know I could Google it but since you're here...)

F56 is the ‘current’ shape 3 door MINI that was introduced in 2014, but since mildly facelifted a couple of times. F55 is the 5 door version, F54 is the larger Clubman and F60 the current Countryman.

I recently had one of the earliest F56 Cooper S models and it was a hoot, and totally reliable so I wouldn’t get too hung up on internet horror stories. Now we have an SE.

[cerb4.5lee]

BillTheButcher said:

cerb4.5lee said:

My first thought was the F56 MINI, and I loved my Cooper S to drive. It was completely reliable for the just over 3.5 years that I had it.

First-hand experience beats internet reviews.

I'm not that clued-up on the different generations of Mini. Which one's the F56? (I know I could Google it but since you're here...)

As Chris said it is the current generation that was released back in 2014. Mine was the 3dr hatchback version. They don't seem to suffer from the reliability concerns like the earlier generations did. Plus the BMW engines that they use in the current generation are proven too.

Mine was a hoot to drive, even though many people say that they aren't quite as good fun as the earlier generations. The current generation is definitely recommended by me.

[BillTheButcher]

standards said:

GTI Polo? Need the 1.8 not 1.4.
If too steep GT Blue. Some might view this as ‘warm’ only.

Looks like BlueGT is 1.4 only. Weren't there loads of issues with that engine, or am I thinking of the twin-charged 1.4 that went in the Polo GTI?

standards said:

Thought more would be advocating Fiesta ST...

Same here. I test drove a new Puma ST a few months ago, to see what the 1.5T was like: lovely little car but way out of budget.

chrisch77 said:

F56 is the ‘current’ shape 3 door MINI that was introduced in 2014, but since mildly facelifted a couple of times. F55 is the 5 door version, F54 is the larger Clubman and F60 the current Countryman.

I recently had one of the earliest F56 Cooper S models and it was a hoot, and totally reliable so I wouldn’t get too hung up on internet horror stories. Now we have an SE.

Thank you.

cerb4.5lee said:

As Chris said it is the current generation that was released back in 2014. Mine was the 3dr hatchback version. They don't seem to suffer from the reliability concerns like the earlier generations did. Plus the BMW engines that they use in the current generation are proven too.

Mine was a hoot to drive, even though many people say that they aren't quite as good fun as the earlier generations. The current generation is definitely recommended by me.

Thanks.

I was very keen on the Countryman Cooper S (hatch is too small) when I first started looking. I'll see what the prices are like now.

[ZX10R NIN]

BillTheButcher said:

Thanks.

I was very keen on the Countryman Cooper S (hatch is too small) when I first started looking. I'll see what the prices are like now.

You can get some decent warm options for your budget it all depends on what you want.

Focus Titanium X 180, very good steer with a nice amount of go:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202205125...

Zetec S 180:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202208229...

Alfa Giulietta Sportiva 170, good robust cars that are proving reliable too:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202205175...

DS5 DSport 200:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202206206...

V40 T4 SE 180;

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202208038...

Astra Elite 180:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202208178...

SRI 180:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202208239...

[ChrisH72]

Can you get an F56 Mini cooper s for 7k?