Challenge: The cheapest cars that are still "PH"

[TameRacingDriver]

OK, I have been asked by someone to suggest a car that could give driving pleasure while simultaneously being as cheap to run as possible... so yes this is a "what car" if you will, but this one might present more of a challenge than most as this one has a few constraints.

Now I realise that we aren't going to be talking about the pinnacle of petrol head motoring here, but I think it should still be possible to get something fun while satisfying all of the criteria, which are:-

• Car should be under £1,000 - not a penny over - so shed territory
• Car should be *reasonably* economical - 30 MPG +
• Car should be 1.5 or under = Cheap tax
• Car should be cheap to insure
• Car should be reliable, and if it does go wrong, should be cheap and easy to fix
• Cheap tyres = no stupidly large wheels

Yet despite all of that, something that can put a smile on your face. Hopefully with a bit of poke to it, and with decent handling.

Diesel or Petrol, it doesn't matter.

Over to the experts

[sawman]

Cincecento/seicento sporting, these cant cost much more than 500 quid these days, cheap to run, and a giggle to hustle about.

[Oxygen2k10]

I will be the first to say the inevitable...... mk1 mx5 1.6.

It ticks every box except for the tax! Tax isn't particularly on these things.

Cheap - tick
Fun - tick
East to work on - tick
Etc

[Steve H]

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3209404.htm

or if it HAS to be below 1500cc then -

http://www.106rallyeforum.com/forum2008/showthread...

[LD1Racing]

If you can find one, then this...



if




sigh, the scrappage scheme has a lot to answer for.

[TameRacingDriver]

Found this, this MUST be a good laugh?

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2011...

[VeeDub Geezer]

Not sure on insurance but how about...

http://pistonheads.co.uk/sales/3234753.htm

[VeeDub Geezer]

Steve H said:

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3209404.htm

or if it HAS to be below 1500cc then -

http://www.106rallyeforum.com/forum2008/showthread...

Or there is the halfway house between the two...

http://pistonheads.co.uk/sales/3241408.htm

[sharpfocus]

[petrolsniffer]

Easy!

205 xs

* Car should be under £1,000 - not a penny over - so shed territory Yep
* Car should be *reasonably* economical - 30 MPG + yep
* Car should be 1.5 or under = Cheap tax yep
* Car should be cheap to insure yep
* Car should be reliable, and if it does go wrong, should be cheap and easy to fix yep (For any nay sayers I just did 800 miles this week in my 1.1 without a hitch and parts are cheap)
* Cheap tyres = no stupidly large wheels yep


http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/3070334.htm

Just try find one

[wl606]

Ford Puma 1.4.

[kwak]

Maybe not an obvious choice, but what about a Daihatsu Charade gtti?

[TameRacingDriver]

Right, so... I'm leaning towards so far...

AX GT - 1.4, 715 kg, 85 bhp, 13" wheels, great fun...

205 XS - Looking for one, but harder to find, and that GT is local. Also GT is lighter = more fun?

Fiat Cinq - Bit too unreliable perhaps? Possibly rather slow compared with the above.

Puma 1.4 - Nice choice - same handling as the 1.7 but would possibly always be in mind that the 1.7 is better. Also rather "heavy" compared with the above = poorer fuel economy?

I would have suggested a Punto 1.2 16v Sporting, but again Fiat reliability. I drove one once mind and it was huge fun for a 1.2. (ETA this was a mk1).

[Johnboy Mac]

[redacted]

[laam999]

TameRacingDriver said:

• Car should be under £1,000 - not a penny over - so shed territory
• Car should be *reasonably* economical - 30 MPG +
• Car should be 1.5 or under = Cheap tax
• Car should be cheap to insure
• Car should be reliable, and if it does go wrong, should be cheap and easy to fix
• Cheap tyres = no stupidly large wheels

Yet despite all of that, something that can put a smile on your face. Hopefully with a bit of poke to it, and with decent handling.

Diesel or Petrol, it doesn't matter.

The last 2 lines are the only points I think suit a PH car, I mean a TVR is what this place is/was all about and that fits pretty much none except fun, uses fuel and possible cheap tyres.

I say spend all the money on a 106 GTI tho, should fill most points

[petrolsniffer]

TameRacingDriver said:

Right, so... I'm leaning towards so far...

AX GT - 1.4, 715 kg, 85 bhp, 13" wheels, great fun...

205 XS - Looking for one, but harder to find, and that GT is local. Also GT is lighter = more fun?

Fiat Cinq - Bit too unreliable perhaps? Possibly rather slow compared with the above.

Puma 1.4 - Nice choice - same handling as the 1.7 but would possibly always be in mind that the 1.7 is better. Also rather "heavy" compared with the above = poorer fuel economy?

I would have suggested a Punto 1.2 16v Sporting, but again Fiat reliability. I drove one once mind and it was huge fun for a 1.2. (ETA this was a mk1).

http://www.flickr.com/photos/triggerscarstuff/sets/72157616006696209/with/3396026735/

Heres a link to an autocar test for comparison i'd say from reading it the ax gt is more ph but they're both still great fun

[TameRacingDriver]

Insurance is a bit pricey on the 106 GTI / Saxo VTS - actually more than a 2.0 Clio RenaultSport!

[sawman]

TameRacingDriver said:

Right, so... I'm leaning towards so far...

AX GT - 1.4, 715 kg, 85 bhp, 13" wheels, great fun...

205 XS - Looking for one, but harder to find, and that GT is local. Also GT is lighter = more fun?

Fiat Cinq - Bit too unreliable perhaps? Possibly rather slow compared with the above.

Puma 1.4 - Nice choice - same handling as the 1.7 but would possibly always be in mind that the 1.7 is better. Also rather "heavy" compared with the above = poorer fuel economy?

I would have suggested a Punto 1.2 16v Sporting, but again Fiat reliability. I drove one once mind and it was huge fun for a 1.2. (ETA this was a mk1).

The AX GT was a great car, I had 2, they were both excellent, very quick for what they are, superb hot hatchery. but I am not sure I would buy a 20 year old AX, my last one was showing its age when I sold it at 5 years old!

fiat cinq or possibly better seicento would be a safer bet I would think, I ran a new seicento for a couple of years and nothing fell off and whilst not as quick as the AX, it has a lot of spirit. But mainly it has that cool dash top tachometer!

[6fire]

How do they feel about classics? A spitfire would be ok for everything (including reliability if they spend a bit of time fettling).

[petrolsniffer]

Forgot to mention while the ax is good they had far less rust protection than the 205 so are more prone to rot

If you can't find an xs you could look for a 205 gt(5 door xs) or roland garrros all of them came with the tu3s engine or a gtx which are later and fuel injected.

I'd avoid all the iron block tu 205's including the uk rallye as they simply won't be as fun as the above