Keeping it short and sweet; car shortlist challenge for you!

[mikeyr]

So, we've got a short bit of driveway which can take an R53 Mini; one currently resides there but after a couple of years we fancy a change.

The remit is to find something under 2.5k which will work as a reliable school run/daily commute car as well as make us smile at the weekend. It's got to have that fun factor but also fit three people.

Our options look limited at the moment; these are my initial thoughts. Can we expand my list?

Opinions on choices so far welcome also. Note that I've owned the first two previously.

Clio 182
Ford puma
Fiesta ST
Ignis sport
Panda 100hp
C2 Vts (unconvinced!)
Yaris SR (ditto!)

I'm not interested in the VWs or Pugs at this price range. Anything else obvious I'm missing?

[Silenoz]

Suzuki Swift Sport?

[seadragon]

I second the Swift Sport.

Clio 172 always gets good feedback. Maybe a decent lower mileage one.

[ayman82]

I've driven/owned two of your list, Clio 182 and Panda 100hp, both good cars, I've got a Clio 172 now, will do smiles and miles, and up to 45mpg on the clock. Panda is a good car, but can be very bumpy.

[cheddar]

Another vote for the Clio, so much quicker than you think, agile, dog on a lease exuberance and a brilliant all round weekend car, surely at the bottom of its depreciation curve now

[TWPC]

Renault Twingo RS 133
Alfa Mito 1.4 TB MultiAir

[maxwellwd]

You could get a really nice Puma for that money, I have literally done the same thing. Great cars, cheap spares and clean ones can only really go up in value. The key is to find one that has been garaged all its life, as they do like rust!

[mikeyr]

Thanks - I'll add the Swift in as it seems to be in price range.

I like the Twingo RS but don't think I've got any chance of getting one in the price range? Alfa Mito is over 4 metres (according to the web) so outside the criteria sadly.

I had a 182 (which I bought for about £700!) and it was a good car but mine was rather tired. If I could find a mint 182 (belts done, etc) in the price range I would seriously consider going back. Is the 172 equally amusing? I'd like my purchase to be fun so that even if I've been pottering to work and back all week in it I might still want to take the long route home occasionally.

I did spot a cracking 325TI compact but again, it's over the 4m limit. Aghhh!

[mikeyr]

Should have added, also had a Puma in the past but again it was quite tired and started to rust (appeared a couple of months before I was due to sell it which was frustrating when I'd had a rust free example which as you'd know is a rare old thing!).
Could get a mint one for that money but I would be constantly worrying about the wheel arches

[TheVole]

Yaris T-Sport
EP3 Type-R (though it will be rough at this price)
Suzuki Swift Sport
MG ZR 160?

[mikeyr]

Afraid both the type r and MG are too long.

The Twingo was suggested and seems to be a few about. Are they any good?

[culpz]

Clio gets my vote. If you've had a 182 before, try a 172. Some claim that they actually feel quicker and pull a bit better from low down. Still revvy, but perhaps slightly more effortless. Either way, they're both almost the exact same car.

[smn159]

What don't you like about the Mini?

What's the cost to change and could you address what you don't like about the Mini for the money?

We've also got an R53 and TBH nothing on your list strikes me as being an improvement on it

[mikeyr]

smn159 said:

What don't you like about the Mini?

What's the cost to change and could you address what you don't like about the Mini for the money?

We've also got an R53 and TBH nothing on your list strikes me as being an improvement on it

I like the Mini but had it for couple of years and just feel like a change. Obvious changes would be pulley and some sort of brake upgrade. It's been rock solid reliable but sometimes feels a bit 'grown up' for want of a better term.

[ZX10R NIN]

+1 on the Clio

[smn159]

mikeyr said:

I like the Mini but had it for couple of years and just feel like a change. Obvious changes would be pulley and some sort of brake upgrade. It's been rock solid reliable but sometimes feels a bit 'grown up' for want of a better term.

Fair enough. If you do end up keeping it though an R56 brake upgrade transforms it - when I bought ours I felt that the original brakes were borderline dangerous

[mikeyr]

Agree the brakes are pretty crummy as standard! Don't get me wrong, I like the car but you know what it's like; after a while it's nice to try something different.

[ayman82]

I had a 182 a few years ago, and have recently come back to a 172. The 172 is slightly lighter and a little more nimble, it will be doing mainly track miles, but has been fine so far.

[mikeyr]

No one seems to be pushing towards the Fiesta ST180?

I'm drawn to the Panda and Twingo, both should be easy to fit on the drive and look like they'd be fun without worrying about licence losing! Anyone had both/either and want to comment?

[Mr Tidy]

I sold a BMW 325ti Sport in February for just under £1,500.

RWD and 192 bhp - it worked for me!