Best Sports Car for £2000-£3000 please?

[Eth2312]

I am told this is not a topic for true "Sports Cars" so in the aim to not disapoint you, should you contine to read on this topic/thread is actually about getting a good hot hatch and some potentional sports car for £2000-£3000, dont say i didnt warn you if you read on


Hi,

My brother is in the mind set of getting a weekend car, their current one is in need of some heavy repairs and is not worth keeping anymore, instead he wants to put the money towards getting something new and he wants something "sporty" i am told.

Options at the moment are Mazda RX8, Focus ST 170 and some VW Golfs V6 4 Motions that we have seen. the budget is £2000-£3000 but closer to £2000 as possible.

I appreciate it’s not a lot but it’s just a weekend car and spends most of its time in the garage hence why he does not want to spends lots.

Read a couple of reviews on several cars now and the RX8 is looking best value for money but again, although they might not all be true the RX8 is a car that needs to be looked after for peak performance and reliability, my brother is not that man so perhaps something less needy.

Anyone got any other suggestions we can consider??

Thanks

PS. although old school cars are great fun such as the M3 evo's and might be the obvious choice here (if the budget permits) my brother is again not into old school looks or feel, he prefers something easy to get on with and preferably as new as possible for the money he is offering.

Edited by Eth2312 on Monday 9th January 15:48

Edited by Eth2312 on Monday 9th January 15:49

[Morba]

sports car? mx5.

[Gad-Westy]

MX5 inevitably although maybe worth looking at a MK3 MR2 and Porsche 944 as well. None of the cars you mention sound like weekend sports cars to me but we all have our own definitions.

[Rammy76]

Eth2312 said:

Hi,

My brother is in the mind set of getting a weekend car, their current one is in need of some heavy repairs and its just not worth keeping anymore, instead he wants to put the money towards getting something new along with their current weekender and he wants something "sporty" i am told.

Options at the moment are Mazda RX8, Focus ST 170 and some VW Golfs V6 4 Motions that we have seen. the budget is £2000-£3000 but closer to £2000 as possible.

I appreciate it’s not a lot but it’s just a weekend car and spends most of its time in the garage hence why he does not want to spends lots.

Read a couple of reviews on several cars now and the RX8 is looking best value for money but again, although they might not all be true the RX8 is a car that needs to be looked after for peak performance and reliability, my brother is not that man so perhaps something less needy.

Anyone got any other suggestions we can consider??

Thanks

PS. although old school cars are great fun such as the M3 evo's and might be the obvious choice here (if the budget permits) my brother is again not into old school looks or feel, he prefers something easy to get on with and preferably as new as possible for the money he is offering.

I think the ST170 is more regarded as a warm hatch than a 'sports car'. Same for the Golf really.

There are numerous RX8 threads that discuss their many pros and cons, but in all honesty from my experience if he is not one for looking after a car then the RX8 will be a money pit.

The MX5 has got to be worth considering surely?

[Eth2312]

Gad-Westy said:

MX5 inevitably although maybe worth looking at a MK3 MR2 and Porsche 944 as well. None of the cars you mention sound like weekend sports cars to me but we all have our own definitions.

Agreed, ford and VW are not exactly sports car but then my brother is new to this so I don’t think he understands what having a sports car is, I guess his line of thought is a fast "sporty" car

MX5 is a good option, although I should have mentioned it needs at least 4 seats as he has a little one and a wife to transport to the shops on their weekend persuits.

Hence why the RX8 was an idea but he is not the type of guy to ever look under the bonnet and take note of anything needing attention, he just waits for a light to come on the dashboard and books it into the garage without even trying to see what the light means, worrying I know!

[Eth2312]

Rammy76 said:

I think the ST170 is more regarded as a warm hatch than a 'sports car'. Same for the Golf really.

There are numerous RX8 threads that discuss their many pros and cons, but in all honesty from my experience if he is not one for looking after a car then the RX8 will be a money pit.

The MX5 has got to be worth considering surely?

like it, warm! that’s what I said but he’s not on the same train of thought as me and thinks they are sports cars.

I like the RX8 and think it would be good for him but if he doesn’t look after it, well it will become a money pit hence why I suggested he looks elsewhere.

MX5 as before is a good car but should have mentioned it needs at least 4 seats, doesn’t leave much I know that will be a true sports car but I guess I should change this to "looking for something sporty for between £2000-£3000"

[Codswallop]

Mk1/ Mk2 Mx5

Mk2/ Mk3 Mr2

MGF/TF

Smart Roadsters are begining to fall into the 3k bracket if you keep an eye out for them.

BMW Z3 may also be worth considering if your bro wants something more cruisery.

Edit: Damn you OP for adding the 4 seat requirement just now!

Ok, how about;

MG ZS 180

MG ZT 190 (these are bargains atm, and look and handle great by all accounts)

Honda Accord Type R

Ford Puma

Clio 172/182

Nissan 200sx (may be too old and ropey for his requirements though...)

Porsche 944 (ditto the above)

Edited by Codswallop on Monday 9th January 14:18

Edited by Codswallop on Monday 9th January 14:19

[Adam190]

Celica 190/T Sport

190 Bhp, great handling and good looks. Also reliable and well achievable in your budget.

Or if you want 2 seater action it has to be MX5!

[r1ch]

MR2 Or MX5

[RedRose123]

If you spend a little more you could get a Honda S2000

[Eth2312]

Codswallop said:

Mk1/ Mk2 Mx5

Mk2/ Mk3 Mr2

MGF/TF

Smart Roadsters are begining to fall into the 3k bracket if you keep an eye out for them.

BMW Z3 may also be worth considering if your bro wants something more cruisery.

Edit: Damn you OP for adding the 4 seat requirement just now!

Ok, how about;

MG ZS 180

MG ZT 190 (these are bargains atm, and look and handle great by all accounts)

Honda Accord Type R

Ford Puma

Clio 172/182

Nissan 200sx (may be too old and ropey for his requirements though...)

Porsche 944 (ditto the above)

Edited by Codswallop on Monday 9th January 14:18

Edited by Codswallop on Monday 9th January 14:19

My apologies, should have stated that in my first thread. The clio he will not touch (i like them bearing in mind) but the weekender he has now is a clio and he just wouldnt get another, not been a bad car to him but he wont pay more money for the same car even though the one he has is a 1.6 and not the sport version.

I'm like the ZS, I used to own one when they were newish (long story but it ended up on its roof on the motorway and lets just say that was the end of that) good handling car and nippy but I think he might have a bit of snobbery towards the badge, my brother expects BMW things for Ford money you see, I need to educate him on the car market, but everytime I do thats why he says the RX8 but I'm worried he will end up piling money into it becasue he wont look after properly.

Will see if the 4 seats is a must as if not then that gives us much more to play with!

[Eth2312]

RedRose123 said:

If you spend a little more you could get a Honda S2000

Like your thinking!

[Eth2312]

Morba said:

sports car? mx5.

good shout chap but forgot to mention the 4 seats needed...my bad!

[andye30m3]

Eth2312 said:

RedRose123 said:

If you spend a little more you could get a Honda S2000

Like your thinking!

I'd try and find the extra £1k and go for an S2000

[Rammy76]

Eth2312 said:

Rammy76 said:

I think the ST170 is more regarded as a warm hatch than a 'sports car'. Same for the Golf really.

There are numerous RX8 threads that discuss their many pros and cons, but in all honesty from my experience if he is not one for looking after a car then the RX8 will be a money pit.

The MX5 has got to be worth considering surely?

like it, warm! that’s what I said but he’s not on the same train of thought as me and thinks they are sports cars.

I like the RX8 and think it would be good for him but if he doesn’t look after it, well it will become a money pit hence why I suggested he looks elsewhere.

MX5 as before is a good car but should have mentioned it needs at least 4 seats, doesn’t leave much I know that will be a true sports car but I guess I should change this to "looking for something sporty for between £2000-£3000"

I see why the RX8 makes sense now, it is as good a compromise as a 4 seater sports car gets. My friend had one (231) and it was serviced and looked after but the engine still failed at 55000 miles. He was offered a rebuild by Mazda at £5900 but found a specialist in Docaster that did it for around £3000. I thought he just had bad luck but judging by other stories on here it seems more common than I thought.

I owned an ST170, very fine FWD hatch that handled extremely well with nice steering feel. It could go if revved hard but a combination of tall gearing and it being a refined car made it feel slower than expected. The insurance was quite steep too for some reason, I'd still recommend one though if he's keen.

[Ved]

GTFour. Four seats, fast as hell, built like a tank.

[RedRose123]

How about an old SEC Mercedes, I had an SEL for 4 years and that was a great car. There are some cheap ones on ebay -

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1989-MERCEDES-420-SEC-AU...

[GroundEffect]

4 seats? Not a sports car

[Matt UK]

Eth2312 said:

RedRose123 said:

If you spend a little more you could get a Honda S2000

Like your thinking!

...if only it were not a 2 seater.

OP, may I ask - if this car is just as a weekender, what car is your brother driving / have access to during the week?

[andye30m3]

maybe a Porsche 944?

May have the advantage of good value classic insurance as a bonus