£8K on a Hot Hatch

[mattwhite709]

Great shout always fancied one of these. Edition 30 will always hold value more or appreciate too as its limited edition.

Or have you looked at a MK2 TT? Prices have dropped a lot now MK3 is out.

pinseeker said:

Golf gti edition 30. With the subtle body kit, pescara alloys and customary remap (300bhp), you have the car the mk5 gti should have been from the start.

More of a very good all rounder than a hot hatch focused on the driving experience, like the megane r26.

[MrBarry123]

Whilst they drink disproportionately too much for the power they provide, I'd opt for the Focus out of that list. Every time I've been in one there's just something about them which seems particularly satisfying - perhaps the extra cylinder?

If not, then I'd get the best GTI you can for that money - preferably with the 17" alloys. Great looking things.

[rich85uk]

Another FN2 Type R vote here

after reading the internet stories on here i was shocked it went well and handled even better when i test drove one, the gearbox and engine combination is just sublime but most importantly it was fun to drive at legal speeds

[Mr Tidy]

Born Too Slow said:

I forgot to add the BMW 130i to the list, I like the 3 door M sports, but finding one without very high mileage at a reasonable price has put me off a little

Just keep looking - the N52 engine in the 130i is fantastic! My Z4 Coupe has the same one, but maybe check it had has a new water-pump (new genuine part is around £500)!

[HJMS123]

Born Too Slow said:

Technically I do have a few extra thousand set behind, but I'm limiting to £8K as to not leave myself short if something does go wrong (or in the Focus ST case, heading to Mountune)

Unfortunately I am nowhere near Leeds haha, and my local Renault dealerships don't have the greatest customer service reviews

Just out of curiosity, what happened to your Megane?

I know all of these cars have their common faults, but I've done some searching and couldn't find a solid awnser on the Megane

I had an R26 for over a year and it was 100% reliable. I spent loads giving it fresh tyres, brakes and a full service inc belts.

There is a chap in Bolsover who knows them like the back of his hand and charges dirt cheap labour rates.

[Vocht]

Thought about something a little different like the Abarth Punto Evo?

You can get a decent one like this just under budget and they really are a good laugh! Quite rare too with only a few hundred on the road in the UK.

[Hudson]

EK9's will be suffering from scene tax as all the 12yr olds want to drive them with 2" of ground clearance and post it on instagram, therefore an un-fked one will be pretty pricey.

I would love an unmolsted Civic Jordan however

[Patch888]

I was in a similar situation in October and went with the Focus ST. After a few tweeks its a much better car then standard (which was pretty good anyway).

Prior to that i ve owned an ep3 and fn2. Both were great cars but totally different power delivery to the ST. Go out on a few test drives. The focus is a really good all round motor.

[Born Too Slow]

Hudson said:

EK9's will be suffering from scene tax as all the 12yr olds want to drive them with 2" of ground clearance and post it on instagram, therefore an un-fked one will be pretty pricey.

I would love an unmolsted Civic Jordan however

We've got a few toss pots in the town like that

EK9's and EP3's ruined by stupid vertical windscreen decals, crappy aftermarket spoilers and dustbin exhausts

We've even got a Yellow Jordan Civic that's around, but I don't think they've ruined it yet...

I've looked into an Abarth Punto a while back, but unfortunately there's a few makes of car I'm not allowed to own due to family experiences in the past, Fiat is one of them, otherwise I'd be looking for a clean Fiat Coupe Turbo

Even though it hasn't come under discussion in this thread yet, there's a nice white Vauxhall Astra VXR Nurburgring that's come up for sale locally (Bit apprehensive about going to have a look, as I've seen the way the guy drives it...)

A fairly clean FN2 Civic Type R has come up for sale too, but as of Saturday, I'm out of town for 7 days, so I won't be able to view anything

Thanks for all the responses guys...

[Squirrelofwoe]

Hudson said:

EK9's will be suffering from scene tax as all the 12yr olds want to drive them with 2" of ground clearance and post it on instagram, therefore an un-fked one will be pretty pricey.

I can't say I've seen many Barried EK9s for sale, in fact all six of the ones for sale currently on Pistonheads look very tidy. There is a scene tax involved of course, which consequently makes them more expensive than an equivalent DC2 Integra (although I doubt this will be the case for too long), but the £8k budget the OP mentioned buys any of the six aforementioned PH EK9s.

There are a ton of Barried non-Type R civics of that era, some of which have been made up to look like the EK9, some in a far more 'artistic' direction, but genuine EK9s tend to avoid this in my experience- probably due to their price!

Yes quite a few EK9s will have one or two modifications, but that is true of pretty much any Japanese performance car, and at least in that price bracket they tend to be reasonably sensible modifications rather than a simple fart-can exhaust and chopped suspension... My DC2 for instance came with a Mugen exhaust manifold, ARC air intake, genuine Volks TE37s etc- not to everyone's taste but they were subtle mods that improved the performance (wheels aside) and cost more than the average Barry spends on an entire car. EP3s on the other hand seem to be a whole different ball game, and I do not envy anyone trying to find a tidy one of those.

[Poopipe]

Born Too Slow said:

Poopipe said:

R26 plus bork fund (which you'll need) and go faster fund (which you'll want)

To be fair, the phase 2 seems less prone to catastrophic and repeated failures than the phase 1 but you'll still want a couple of grand tucked away in case the worst happens.
It's also worth making sure you're within a reasonable distance of an rs specialist (ie be near Leeds) unless you want to be driving a long way for work.

Brilliant cars though, they really are stunning on a b Road, handle motorway duties very well (pretty good on fuel too) and aren't a pain in town either.

If I didn't love my cup I'd have binned it at the first 4 figure bill, or the second, or the third...

Technically I do have a few extra thousand set behind, but I'm limiting to £8K as to not leave myself short if something does go wrong (or in the Focus ST case, heading to Mountune)

Unfortunately I am nowhere near Leeds haha, and my local Renault dealerships don't have the greatest customer service reviews

Just out of curiosity, what happened to your Megane?

I know all of these cars have their common faults, but I've done some searching and couldn't find a solid awnser on the Megane

It's a bit unfair to complain about the popped engine and worn out turbo really since the car is running 300ish bhp.

But.
Front suspension arms/bushes,swivelly bits on the front hubs, abs sensors,coils,injectors(no proper fuel filter),fuel pipes (huge cost due to terrible design),gearbox and engine mounts are all pretty common at the 70k mark

And then there's electrics - £500 to fit and code a stupid little control module that gets wet because of terrible design. 400 a side for window looms which get wet because of terrible design ( cheaper options are available to be fair).airbag lights due to a terribly designed connector,erratic washer pumps...
The list is pretty much endless really.

I've had everything bar injectors and coils go wrong on mine, I have been very unlucky compared to most though so probably not the best example.
A low mileage standard one should be a decent bet,

There's a good specialist for mechanical bits in Essex and there's at least one well known one somewhere quite far south

[Born Too Slow]

Poopipe said:

It's a bit unfair to complain about the popped engine and worn out turbo really since the car is running 300ish bhp.

But.
Front suspension arms/bushes,swivelly bits on the front hubs, abs sensors,coils,injectors(no proper fuel filter),fuel pipes (huge cost due to terrible design),gearbox and engine mounts are all pretty common at the 70k mark

And then there's electrics - £500 to fit and code a stupid little control module that gets wet because of terrible design. 400 a side for window looms which get wet because of terrible design ( cheaper options are available to be fair).airbag lights due to a terribly designed connector,erratic washer pumps...
The list is pretty much endless really.

I've had everything bar injectors and coils go wrong on mine, I have been very unlucky compared to most though so probably not the best example.
A low mileage standard one should be a decent bet,

There's a good specialist for mechanical bits in Essex and there's at least one well known one somewhere quite far south

Thanks for the detailed list, the couple I'm looking at are fully standard F1 models and sat around the 60K mark, I'd be taking the old man along with me, he has a keen eye and 30 years of garage experience behind him

But as with any car, it can be reliable or it can be a nightmare

I'd definitely do some research locally on specialists, but nearby I know only of a Ford and a Vauxhall specialist in the Torbay area without resorting to a dealership

Thanks again everyone for your input

[macky17]

Buy the ST and mountune it. Truly terrific car - comfortable, sounds epic and handles much better than you'd think with a decent geo setup (bit of extra toe-in). Mp260 is genuinely rapid - and I'm no stranger to performance (garage). I'm getting 24-25mpg without trying too hard or doing many long trips so not too bad.

Megane and fn2 harder edged and probably more fun when you're in the mood. Bloody hard and uncomfortable when you aren't.

VW = a little dull. Owned an ed30 and got bored.

[Poopipe]

Born Too Slow said:

Thanks for the detailed list, the couple I'm looking at are fully standard F1 models and sat around the 60K mark, I'd be taking the old man along with me, he has a keen eye and 30 years of garage experience behind him

But as with any car, it can be reliable or it can be a nightmare

I'd definitely do some research locally on specialists, but nearby I know only of a Ford and a Vauxhall specialist in the Torbay area without resorting to a dealership

Thanks again everyone for your input

Just a few things that jump to mind..

Watch for.. clunking under braking (lower arm bushes-200odd quid or swivel hub bearings - more but not ruinous)

A cough at idle is probably injectors (pretty cheap to replace), they often have an uneven idle because megane but it also doesn't mean it's not broken.

Airbag light may or may not light up if you move one of the seats - not a problem If that's the only reason it does it.

Anyway, good luck

[TameRacingDriver]

Another vote for FN2. Silly cheap now for what you get. Add some Eibachs, fast road setup and Hondata (you can sell this for the price you buy it) and you've got a cracking little hot hatch. Totally underrated for me.

[macky17]

TameRacingDriver said:

Another vote for FN2. Silly cheap now for what you get. Add some Eibachs, fast road setup and Hondata (you can sell this for the price you buy it) and you've got a cracking little hot hatch. Totally underrated for me.

Do the eibachs improve the ride? The one I tested (on 18s not 19s) was the most uncomfortable car I've ever driven.

[TameRacingDriver]

macky17 said:

Do the eibachs improve the ride? The one I tested (on 18s not 19s) was the most uncomfortable car I've ever driven.

Yes they do. I didn't find the FN too bad actually, but the Eibachs definitely improve it.

[rb5er]

The FN2 is so stiffly sprung. Nice direct steering but the Focus ST is massively more playful and for me more fun too.

[LankyLegoHead]

To throw my hat into the Ring, I'd personally have another Mk5 Golf GTI in a heartbeat. Fantastic car, didn't feel any compromise in any area. Also highly tune-able!

Good luck in your search OP.

[rb5er]

LankyLegoHead said:

To throw my hat into the Ring, I'd personally have another Mk5 Golf GTI in a heartbeat. Fantastic car, didn't feel any compromise in any area. Also highly tunable.

Zzzzzz, so boring