Advice please - £5k for a fun runaround

[Musby]

Hi all,

Been reading the forums for a while, but first time posting.

I'm looking to replace my ageing Mk5 Golf 1.6 with something fun for around £5-6k. Not too fussed about practicality, but it should be reliable and something that makes you grin!

Doing a short commute on twisty roads, some motorway driving. Oh and it must be a petrol, don't mind about engine size (within reason!)

So far, I've narrowed it down to the following:

Suzuki Swift Sport 2012-2016
Civic Type R FN2
Mk5 Golf GTI
Mazda MX-5 NC
Abarth 500
Audi TT Mk1
1 series / 3 series

A lot of people sing the praises of the Clio 182/197 and Megane 225's, but I'm worried about the reputation that French cars have. Are they as unreliable as people make out?

Are there any other options I should be considering?

Cheers

Edited by Musby on Saturday 10th March 09:35

[Musby]

Bump to the top - any thoughts?

[Integroo]

If you don't need the practicality, I think I would go two seats and rear wheel drive. MX-5, MR2, 350Z, Z3/4.

[culpz]

I've always fancied an Abarth 500. They sound great for a 4-pot as i believe they don't have any silencers from factory. They seem to make a really nice rasp from the standard exhaust system. Out of that lot, that's what i'd go for.

However, the Clio 172's/182's are alot cheaper to buy and quicker. Great hot-hatches for not alot of money. They're more reliable than you think and only tend to suffer a few minor electrical gremlins but rarely anything serious.

The 197's are heavier and nowhere near as good on fuel in comparison. They never quite lived up to their predecessors. 225's are also good cars but the R26 is the one to go for but they can be a fair bit pricier to run that the Clio's.

[SiT]

If your looking for fun you want to keep the weight down, TT/1 Series/MK5 Gti etc i wouldn't say would be fun really.

The Swift Sport is a great little car, hired one at The Ring when we went and it was a great little car, driven a few on road since and I would say it is fun.

Owned an Abarth last year with Essesse pack which was cracking, one of the most infectious little cars I have driven! Its all there really, light weight, noise, go kart handling, cheap to run and iconic so thats a good shout.

Clio is also a great consideration, I owned a Liquid Yellow Clio 200 (appreciate its a bit more than your looking to spend but same applies) it was very raw, it had Cup Pack and handled like it was on rails. It gained universal praise from my wife who nearly divorced me when I bought it but a few weeks in and she was loving it! This would also be a good recipe for fun, same reasons as the Abarth really; lightweight, fun, cheap to run although they do lack in the noise department.

Civic is a great car and scores on all the same fronts as the above two but with added practicality being a bit bigger, plus you get Honda reliability although I wouldn't go for FN2 - again a bit heavy, you would be better getting a much nicer example of an EP3 in my opinion. Its thought of as the better car and I remember a TG/Fifth Gear where they pit the EP3 against the FN2 and it was the older car that triumphed.

I love the MX5 but no experience with these personally, but clearly have a good following on here just depends on how the 2 seater aspect would affect you??

Some great cars out there for £5k thats for sure, if you can stretch I wouldn't let the mileage of this put you off and almost certain not to lose much more money - https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Good luck and keep the thread updated with your journey and final decision.

Si

[ZX10R NIN]

As well as the Clio's take a look at the ST-3 Focus they're a sweet (although not as sweet as either renault) & have a stonking engine:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Leftfield Option:

Corsa VXR

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Astra VXR (but these can suffer with a gearbox issue)

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

[Musby]

Thanks for all the responses and suggestions, some nice alternatives I hadn't considered in there!

After speaking to the missus, she's now vetoed anything that can't fit a mountain bike in or on it - which pretty much eliminates the roadsters, which is a shame!

That's a bit concerning about the skittish handling of the FN2. The EP3 is a good shout, guessing it's just a case of finding one that hasn't been ragged, with good history.

The Abarth 500 does sound interesting, though I read an article from an owner somewhere that highlighted so many faults it put me off a bit. Any other Abarth owners out there who can comment?

ST-3 is also intriguing. Are there any known faults/expensive replacement parts I should be aware of? Ditto the Corsa VXR?

Still unsure about the Clio's... Might have to take a test drive to help make up my mind.

Again, thanks for all the responses so far, keep the suggestions coming!

[egor110]

Musby said:

Thanks for all the responses and suggestions, some nice alternatives I hadn't considered in there!

After speaking to the missus, she's now vetoed anything that can't fit a mountain bike in or on it - which pretty much eliminates the roadsters, which is a shame!

That's a bit concerning about the skittish handling of the FN2. The EP3 is a good shout, guessing it's just a case of finding one that hasn't been ragged, with good history.

The Abarth 500 does sound interesting, though I read an article from an owner somewhere that highlighted so many faults it put me off a bit. Any other Abarth owners out there who can comment?

ST-3 is also intriguing. Are there any known faults/expensive replacement parts I should be aware of? Ditto the Corsa VXR?

Still unsure about the Clio's... Might have to take a test drive to help make up my mind.

Again, thanks for all the responses so far, keep the suggestions coming!

Where i go running i quite often say a bloke with his down hill mountain bike plus pads stuffed in the back of a clio 182 .

Re the test drive go to a track day then watch how many of the clios drive home rather than get ferried around on a trailer.

[mike74]

As far as I'm concerned the clio 182 reliability isn't questionable.... it's abysmal.

Owned one for 5 years now,still on only 68k miles, but at no point has it NOT had something wrong with it... electrics, mechanics, sensors, cabin leaks you name it.

Cost me around £500-£600 a year in repairs throughout my ownership.

And I find it doesn't even handle all that well, probably needs a full suspension refresh, but I'm not prepared to throw more money at it.

[SiT]

I think if you look past the 182’s and consider a 197 it’s a bit of a different proposition, having said that even if a 182 does have its problems (which car doesn’t at £5k) they are relatively cheap prts wise to keep going.

Here’s an example - https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2...

Also thought last night, what about a Cooper S - ticks all your boxes and that supercharger whine is something else -

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2...

Abarth is acheiveable -

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2...

Best colour and has Essesse Pack - https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2...

Si

[culpz]

We now just need Nanook and TameRacingDriver and then we've got the full house

I understand that not everyone rates the little Renault Sport Clio's but i still maintain that they're a performance bargain.

[culpz]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

I'm genuinely interested but have you actually had a drive of one? I'm only asking as your comments make it seem like you haven't. If that's the case, i'm not sure how you can be quick to jump to such a conclusion.

You also appear to have mentioned that most of the OP's suggestion are now ageing, yet you're still recommending MX5's and MR2's quite happily.

Btw, you're also supposed to get your hands around the steering wheel and not your head. I can now see why your view of the Clio is so tainted

[irocfan]

I mate of mine is into his mountain-biking and was seriously considering a Civic Type R which may get what you want.

He actually ended up getting an RX8 (no idea if he could fit the bike in there - however I'd be surprised if you couldn't.

If it weren't for the biking requirements I'd be suggesting the 350Z or Crossfire

[nickofh]

When my boys are a bit older I really want to scratch the convertible itch.

This is top of my list and about the money I will have. Remap to 280 hp should make it more fun in the sun! Nice sounding 3.0 , rear wheel drive and seats for two and two little ones. Perfect.

[culpz]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Yet they still remain very popular, both as track cars and daily drivers, sometimes even a mix of both.

In what ways do you believe the Clio to be overrated?

[carparkno1]

I have a MK5 GTI - whilst they aren't the last word in "fun", they are extremely refined and 200bhp is still plenty to muck about in. Depends on what balance you want really of day2day vs all out hooning.

[egor110]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Re the steering when was the last time the bushes , trackrods etc replaced ?

It always amuses me when people buy a old car and moan that it feels tired , it is tired stuff wears out but it can all be replaced same as the clio's giant steering wheel.

O/P 5k would also get you a 172 cup .

[Musby]

Thanks for the replies guys, my shortlist is now looking more like a "long list" . But it's been a great help hearing your thoughts.

The Crack Fox said:

How about something left-field and appreciating? E30 cabriolet with any 6 pot engine, if you can find a rust free one?

Hmmmm, very interesting! I used to drive an old E30 318i estate, it cost 500 quid and was in great nick. Was great fun too! Can't believe how much the prices have risen. I'll keep 'em peeled, see if a bargain pops up.

SiT said:

Also thought last night, what about a Cooper S - ticks all your boxes and that supercharger whine is something else -

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2...

That's a good shout, however I previously had an R50 Cooper for a year and whilst it was great fun it nearly bankrupted me! (gearbox ate itself, electrical gremlins, cost of run flats etc) Are the R56s an improvement in terms of reliability?

SiT said:

Abarth is acheiveable -

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2...

Best colour and has Essesse Pack - https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2...

That is quite a looker, and would love to get an Essesse if possible, but that particular one only has part history . Will keep my eyes open though, another cheap one might crop up.

carparkno1 said:

I have a MK5 GTI - whilst they aren't the last word in "fun", they are extremely refined and 200bhp is still plenty to muck about in. Depends on what balance you want really of day2day vs all out hooning.

Thanks, good suggestion! From what I've read it does seem to be the most accomplished hot hatch, and lots of people have suggested I get one. Buuuut I'm coming from a Mk5 Golf (which hasn't been entirely reliable, I might add!), so starting to think I'd like to try something a bit different.

The Swift Sport is still the front runner, and whilst speed is secondary to the "fun" element, I would like whatever I choose to have bit of poke... Any Swift Sport drivers able to chime in?

[MRobbins1987]

Clio 172/182 cup's are a superb little hot hatch but something always required attention or was on the list to do with mine. I got mine after an e92 335I and I would much rather have the clio on my drive than the bmw, easily up there as one of the greats in my opinion.

I wouldn't bother with the fn2, your budget should get you a really nice ep3, they are great for a blend of daily/fun in my opinion.

[avenger286]

If a swift sport is a front runner have you thought about a Twingo 133?
A better drive that the ss its a lot more raw and yes I have driven both.
I have owned my 133 for 5 years with just a yearly service and wear and tear items replaced. They don't seam to have the gremlins that the 172/182 have.