Fun & Cheap to run for £2k

[Didge3]

I'm in need of a new(er) car in the next 2 months (hopefully as prices drop toward December). Currently have an ageing Saab 9000, whilst pretty rapid the fuel consumption is awful and its 20 years old so bits keep falling off.

I've got a maximum of 2k to spend.

I do mostly city/town driving so needs to be frugal but also needs to be petrol
Can't be a 80s/90s box, as much fun as older slower cars tend to be (I had a 1992 Fiat Panda, great fun for how slow it was!) I need something preferably 2003 onward.
Want some mod-cons, A/C is a must. I'd love cruise control but not essential.
I do a 160 mile motorway journey every few months so must be motorway capable.

Most importantly it needs to be quite fun to drive. I don't want anything too powerful because I do 90% of driving in town and I want to get more than 22mpg in town *cough* Saab *cough*

Don't want anything common as muck either, I've consistently had cars that you don't see very often...
Currently on the maybe list;

• Honda Civic 1.8 EX - Pretty common so going against what I said but has all the mod cons and I like the styling, should be reliable.
• BMW 316/318ti - Always liked the look of these, Dad has an E90 and I love driving it but I'm aware the four cylinders are garbage...
• Daihatsu Copen - Really like slow car fast driving and I think this would be great for it, probably not ideal for the motorway though.

Sorry for the mile long post, not many requirements...

[Paule23]

Nissan Murano - 3.5l petrol engine SUV, great fun to drive, very fast, unusual looks (alongside today's very similar cars).

Running costs are high with c. 23mpg and post 2006 models over £500 pa car tax, but you are probably looking at a pre 2005 model with tax around £250 pa.

[pb8g09]

Hyundai Coupe would be my shout. Can get a looked after one for that money.

[300bhp/ton]

Civic just sounds boring tbh.

I say go drive the Copen if you fancy one. Should be a riot, not fast, just fun. Suspect it will be perfectly fine on a motorway run too.

[james_gt3rs]

I bought a cheap Celica as a run around recently. Good fun to drive, seems reliable so far.

[Didge3]

Thanks for suggestions,
Regarding the Murano I don't want anything remotely that big for city driving or that thirsty.
Celica and Coupe I have considered but I'm just not a fan of either of them, Celica's are pretty common round here too.

Considering a 147 too? I've had quite a few votes for the Copen via friends too... Just means ditching a lot of practicalities.
C4 VTR+ ?
Mazda 2 Sport maybe?

[ninjag]

I'd be looking at:

2003 Honda Accord 2.4 Executive (which you can average around 36mpg mixed driving)
2004 Volvo S40 2.5L 32-44mpg
2006 Skoda Octiva vRS, 35-45mpg

or a little smaller

2006 Ford Fiesta ST 38-49mpg
2006 SEAT Leon Cupra (most of them are 34-44mpg)
2005 Golf but may as well get the GTI as there's only a few mpg difference

[kurt535]

shed loads of cars meeting your criteria on autotrader for that sort of money. i think i end up buying a new car every night before i got to bed cos of their bl**dy app on my phone!!!!

[yellow cento tom]

Fiat panda 100hp ? I had a 147 for a year and loved it but being the age they are now you are always chasing the next problem usually suspension arms. Great fun cars though and are lovley cruisers on a motorway.

[Didge3]

Hadn't thought of the Accord, I think the 2.0 would be plentiful. I want fun not necessarily fast.
The Saab is fun if you can find a nice straight, it sounds really good from 3.5-5000rpm but you can basically never get to those aside from a good A road or the motorway, it does 60 in 2nd gear and near 100 in third so its very impractical to wind it out. I want something I can rag around town.

Volvo is much of the same, don't need anything that fast and not that big. Don't like the Octavia personally.

Fiesta ST have considered, its on the maybe pile bit Fiestas are probably one of the most common cars on the road. Leon Cupra also looked at, quite keen as you don't see that many about...
Does anyone really like the mk 4 or 5 Golf?

Panda HP - I've had 4 Fiat's, feel like something else.

[Didge3]

kurt535 said:

shed loads of cars meeting your criteria on autotrader for that sort of money. i think i end up buying a new car every night before i got to bed cos of their bl**dy app on my phone!!!!

I'm very much in that boat, scouring autotrader constantly. At this rate I'm worried it might get blocked at work!

[Mr Tidy]

I'd forget about BMW 316/318is.

I bought a BMW 325ti Sport in Imola Red just inside your budget in 2014 OP.

It came with full leather, climate, cruise and rear parking sensors - very civilised.

After 23K miles I sold it in February and the OBC was showing 34.9mpg, so not exactly thirsty either. But I didn't commute in it, and 95% of my miles were on dual-carriageways and motorways.

After driving mine a relative decided he needed one, so we found a black 325tiSE for him. Being a facelift it had a 6-speed gearbox, and his had full leather, climate, cruise, parking sensors plus the optional electric sunroof. Then in 2016 he became a Dad, so it had to go - for the top of your budget.

He tended to drive it like he stole it, but his average on the OBC was mid-20s!

There are other options - I had a Seat Leon Cupra some years back that I loved, but a cam-belt and water pump change at a main agent cost me £600+ in 2003, which is about a third of your budget!

At least the BMWs have a cam-chain.

[exelero]

james_gt3rs said:

I bought a cheap Celica as a run around recently. Good fun to drive, seems reliable so far.

So you are part of the Celicrew too?


+1 For Celica, reliable, fun, 30 mpg average 45 ish on Mway

[Koolkat969]

Renaultsport Clio 172/182?

[Didge3]

Mr Tidy said:

I'd forget about BMW 316/318is.

I bought a BMW 325ti Sport in Imola Red just inside your budget in 2014 OP.

It came with full leather, climate, cruise and rear parking sensors - very civilised.

After 23K miles I sold it in February and the OBC was showing 34.9mpg, so not exactly thirsty either. But I didn't commute in it, and 95% of my miles were on dual-carriageways and motorways.

I am a big fan of the ti but a 325 is pushing my cheap to run requirements, tax is high and the mpg I doubt is much better than my Saab in town and if you got 35 on motorway journeys its worse than the 38 my Saab manages! Shame about the 4 cylinder petrols being crap!

[Didge3]

Koolkat969 said:

Renaultsport Clio 172/182?

Also considered, a good one is pushing the budget and mpg won't be all that.

I think everyone is missing the 'cheap to run' part. Cheap to run varies from person to person but I'd like tax to be preferably under £250.
Needs to be capable of at least 30mpg in traffic.

At the moment my test drive list consists of,

Daihatsu Copen
Mazda 2 Sport
Alfa 147
Maybe a Cooper S, not sure.

[300bhp/ton]

Cooper S, as in an R53 will be dreadful on fuel and will really want superunleaed.

[ZX10R NIN]

206 GTI/GTI 180 these are an underrated & forgotten about car but they're a good option

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

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


Celica

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

Focus ST-170

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

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

[C70R]

300bhp/ton said:

Cooper S, as in an R53 will be dreadful on fuel and will really want superunleaed.

Comprehensively factually inaccurate, as ever. The R53 is comparable with other cars of similar performance (e.g. +/-10% with a Civic Type R EP3) in terms of economy, and will run absolutely fine on 95RON.
An early car (02/03) should be available in budget, but read up on the issues associated with these cars.

[Hoolio]

yellow cento tom said:

Fiat panda 100hp ? I had a 147 for a year and loved it but being the age they are now you are always chasing the next problem usually suspension arms. Great fun cars though and are lovley cruisers on a motorway.

Another vote for the Panda 100HP. I've had two. Very cheap to buy, run and fun to drive. Also capable of doing your motorway journey.