2k Rally Car... Sort of.

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Wanted: Daily hack for short journeys in and around town, must be able to handle speed bumps, be fairly inexpensive to run, compact, reliable, relatively quick and darty and a minimum of four seats (I'm a breeder!).

Thinking: Petrol, manual, hot-hatch or similar.

Been considering: Mini Cooper S, Ford Puma, Ford Fiesta ST, Fiat Panda 100HP, VW Lupo GTI,
Mazda RX8 (bit low riding, and why so cheap?).

Your suggestions, experiences are welcome.,

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Thanks for the replies, yeah seen a few RX8 advertised with recent engine rebuilds.

Good point regarding suspension on Mini. I vaguely remember test driving a Cooper S ten or so years ago and it was pretty firm.

Clio and Swift are both good shouts.
Any word on Panda 100HP ownership?

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mikeyr said:

Final comments on this as hadn't seen the bit about 4 seats - both Cooper and Puma have limited rear space (and boots) but the Puma in particular has limited rear headroom too.

My kids only 8mths so leg/headroom aren't too much of an issue.

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Toyoda said:

Yaris T-Sport ticks all the boxes. You might hit lucky and find a 5 door too!

That'd keep the father in law happy, he's a Toyota fan.

Also liking the Ignis Sport as suggested earlier.

How about a Mini Cooper S on smaller wheels, 16s maybe?

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caelite said:

Be careful with Cooper S's. The old supercharged ones I think are fairly bulletproof, but the generation between 07 and 13 I think have a PSA 1.6 turbo. It is a fantastic engine to drive & is fairly economical, but it does have some design faults which can result in timing chain failure. They are fairly easy to spot so don't let it put you off, just make sure to do your research before buying.

Yeah, budget only allows for the older S'charged models, plus I like my bonnet scopes functional.

Anything to look for when buying an old mini?

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Yeah Twingo is a good shout too. Anyone got any experience of taking an MR2 spider over speed bumps? Wifey thinks we should have four seats. I think we can get away with a two seater. (Have a family car already for those wondering about my 8mth old).

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Gareth1974]aps said:

Yeah, budget only allows for the older S'charged models, plus I like my bonnet scopes functional.
quote]

The bonnet scoop on the supercharged car was functional, it was for decoration only on the subsequent turbo model.

Yup.