Fun, reliable, rust free and £2k

[leafspring]

Alright I've got my £300 DatsunNissan Sunny snotter to stay mobile whilst I save up, but I'm impatient.

So I was wondering what reliable, rust free, sporty car I could get for around the £2,000 mark (which is what I should have by June 2014)

• Rust Free
• Bombproof Reliability
• RWD
• £2000-£2500

Condition will take precedence over age and mileage... so a rock solid 80's motor is just as acceptable as a 2006 car with 100k+miles and a FSH

[dan11219]

Pretty obvious, but a mint rust-free mk1 mx5?

[leafspring]

That's probably what I'll end up with

but is there anything with a bit more go?

[orangesrule]

Something like this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2003-MAZDA-RX-8-231-PS-S... plus an engine rebuild

[carinaman]

http://www.pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyI...

How flexible are the requirements?

VR6 Corrado isn't RWD. A facelifted Jaguar S-Type V6 manual would give you RWD without the sportiness.

Lexus IS200 or hotted up JDM version?

[ging84]

depends what you mean by rust free

if you've noticed you don't really see cars on the roads any more with visible body rust, this is not because we've all got richer, just that car bodies are much better protected against corrosion
but the mechanical parts under-neither can be a very different story

[carinaman]

6 cylinder E39 Alpina B10, though unlikely to find one for that money. There was one on Autotrader a while back that was up for £2200 to reappear with a trader with a >50% mark up.

[Patch888]

Mk1 MX5.

[Patch888]

Mk1 MX5.

[leafspring]

My Fiesta was killed by rust around the sub-frame & body mounts and this Sunny will need a patch on the n/s sill for the next MOT... that kind of thing, surface rust that can be wire brushed and painted I can live with.
I'll take a nicely set up FWD car if its something special.

I had a S-Type but that lasted less than a month before the engine decided to spit its oil out all over the garage floor (that was a pre facelift 4.0 though)

[carinaman]

Garlick's MX-5 after he's spent all that money on it. Don't forget to point out the knocking exhaust to chisel a bit off.


Is there a definitive list of RWD cars somewhere on PH that we can direct posters that want RWD to?

[VinceFox]

E36

[carinaman]

It sounds like a Primera GT would be ideal, but not RWD.

200SXs are available for that money?

[dai1983]

Mk3 MR2?

I may have been thinking about one with a 2zz or v6 engine in all day

[Darkslider]

dan11219 said:

Pretty obvious, but a mint rust-free mk1 mx5?

You won't find a rust free MX5 these days unless you import one from Japan yourself or are lucky enough to find one that's had a shedload of welding and the front chassis legs replaced already.

[TheThing]

Mk2 MR2.

[orangesrule]

VinceFox said:

E36

Just seen the bombproof bit, yeh 328 e36 coupe fits the bill.

[Benbay001]

carinaman said:

A facelifted Jaguar S-Type V6 manual would give you RWD without the sportiness.

You can get the sport version with firmer suspension.

[VinceFox]

Gaz. said:

VinceFox said:

E36

Rust free? Finding a rust free one wasn't the work of a moment when I bought one in 2009. I wouldn't even bother looking now.

Theyre out there. At that money if you want a 2 door manual i'd look for base spec 328s.

[Happy82]

Are older Skylines down to that price yet?