My first RWD car....

[tomrunner]

Morning All,

Looking ahead to after I have purchased a house in the coming months I am wanting something cheap and fairly easy to work on as a project car. Never had a RWD car before however I am interested to find out what all the fuss is about in comparison to a FWD car. I have had a Suzuki Ignis Sport in the past and loved it. Light, manual gearbox, just enough power and gripped the road very well.

Looking to spend around £1000-£1500. My options that I have thought of that interest me so far are:

- MK3 MR2 (Light, 6speed and LSD if I get the right year - on initial impressions it seems like it would be a sense of occasion with it being a mid engine RWD car)
- IS200 (straight 6 engine, a bit gutless I have been told but again a project car so no doubt I would do something to help with power, manual, very cheap car for the money and plenty of them about. I know it isn't light however I would intend on stripping the interior)
- If I drive both of the above and I'm not fussed for them could be tempted for another Ignis Sport and ignore the whole RWD thing completely.

(Not fussed for the mk1/mk2 MX5s before folk suggest it as I would like something a little bit different, they don't really do anything for me. Also I know I could get an MGF however I have owned a MK1 ZT190 in the past and having swapped it in for the Suzuki Ignis Sport I much prefer the Jap car build quality).

Any other suggestions I have not thought of, or thoughts on a MK3 MR2 or IS200 would be great to hear!

[tomrunner]

Blayney said:

Another vote for the MR2. Now that I have mine I don't mind the value increasing with their reputation!

Check for oil burning, rotten rear subframe. If the steering feels stiff/inconsistent it'll probably be the lower UJ as it's exposed and gets crusty. Check the rad isn't leaking.

Mine had all bar the subframe (from what I can see).

I would try and buy one that isn't too rusty but if I havn't got much of a choice is the sub frame something can be easily changed yourself or is it a mechanic's job? I would say I am fairly ok with a spanner if the task isn't overly complicated haha

[tomrunner]

Slipperywang said:

How about an old 3 series bmw ? Handle well and good reliability. Also very good at going sideways compared to a MR2/MX5.

Had thought about a E36 M3 but they are going up in value not many around for £1000-£1500. Could go E46 but I think running costs could be similar to the ZT190 I had. Plus the E46 BMW image.....I'm not keen on contributing towards it! lol

[tomrunner]

300bhp/ton said:

What do you want RWD for?

You are looking at very different cars, they fact they are both rwd doesn't really mean anything tbh.

Yeah I thought that as I was typing the original post. If I had to put it into a specific criteria it would be:

- RWD
- £1000-£1500 budget
- light weight if possible, if not will strip it
- manual gearbox
- Fairly reliable hence leaning towards jap cars rather than anything else, from previous experiences

Doesn't have to be a specific type of car as long as it ticks the above boxes to be honest. And if I end up test driving them and not liking them I may end up getting another ignis sport

[tomrunner]

Yeah I'm not really fussed for drifting at all. Prefer something for fast road use and occasional track use really. MK3 MR2 is looking increasingly likely!