Fun daily driver £5k

[blawrence]

Right then another type of these posts again can't be PH without em.

Once covid is our the way with and car buying is a little more relaxed I'd be in the market for a fun daily to work and back (25 miles a day) sub £5k and before anyone jumps on getting an mx5. I just sold mine, loved it to bits but running two cars was a chore, it had to go and will be missed.

The contenders I've looked at with relatively cheap insurance for a 20 year old (under £1200 a year for all)
Mk5 GTi
R53 cooper s (JCW tuning if budget stretches)
R56 cooper s (JCW tuning if budget stretches)
Cliosport 182
MK2 Ford focus ST
Corolla Tsport
Audi TT 225

Any others that's missing from the list , what would you recommend? Hopefully will be looking to test drive in the future

Edited by blawrence on Thursday 14th May 14:29

[Byker28i]

What are your requirements?

[blawrence]

Body size ideally a hatch if possible.

0-60 under 8 seconds, fun, nimble, good b road car and reliable (reasons I'm a bit apprehensive on the mini). Fuel economy wise if I can get around 35 ish I'd be happy.

[ZX10R NIN]

It would be (& it was) the Focus ST it's a brilliant car.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

R26 Megane

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

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

A3 S Line

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

[mbwoy84]

Clio 182 all day long given the criteria and low-ish running costs required

[ChrisH72]

I wouldn't rule out the R56 cooper s. Your £5k budget will just about squeeze you into a 2011 car with the more reliable n18 engine. And from your list, it's really the only one that'll give you over 35mpg.

Can you get a Clio rs200 around 2009 for that money?

If you want something newer the DS3 sport is cheap.

For something older maybe an EP3 type r or if considering a corolla I'd say you're better with a Celica t sport. I found mine was very practical, a hoot to drive and always got around 33mpg no matter how I drove it.

[andburg]

Abarth 500 1.4 tjet
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

a lot smaller though


oddball...priced far too high

Corolla T-sport
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

Edited by andburg on Friday 15th May 11:05

Edited by andburg on Friday 15th May 11:07

[Ankh87]

If you are looking at a Corolla then the T Sport Compressor is one to look at but you need to maintain it more often.

I use to daily a Corolla T Sport (Facelift) and they are a wolf in sheeps clothing. Yes they aren't the best handling straight out of the box especially against an EP3 Type R or ClioSport but with lowering springs and 17"s it changed the car. Plus the Corolla felt better built and had a couple more extras than the EP3. Insurance is cheaper which is a plus and you won't get everyone trying to race you. The Corolla as well needs little to keep it running as there's no timing belt to sort out.

If I were you I'd mainly look into the Compressor but there's a lot of cars out there for £5k such as 350Z, Subara Impreza WRX, Seat Leon Cupra R, Volvo C30 T5 (same engine as Focus ST) and Mazda 3 MPS.

[roca1976]

Suzuki Swift Sport or Twingo RS133 (or chipped GT) plenty of change in your pocket and hopefully ok to insure. Small cars can be a lot of fun, I often walked past my mk2 RS Focus to jump in a twinair Panda 4x4 on small rural roads it was more fun more of the time...

[egor110]

mbwoy84 said:

Clio 182 all day long given the criteria and low-ish running costs required

5k and he could get a proper 172 cup .

[Mr Tidy]

I'm a big fan of RWD so I would be looking for a BMW 130i!

But the insurance may be an issue. Economy not so much, my 330i is averaging well above 30mpg and I can't see a Focus ST doing any better.

[swampy442]

Megane 225, could get an F1 or R26 for 5k with the Recaro's

[TameRacingDriver]

Never understood the comments about Clios and low running costs. I had two and neither were cheap to run, they're made out of french cheese! The only thing cheap about them is the fact they get decent fuel economy, even then, if you get a 197 or 200, then you wont get that either.

I've got an R53 MCS, and rate it as a better car by far than the Clio. That supercharger whine is addictive, it has a LSD as standard, and actually has some torque. It wont get 35 MPG average though, unless you're really trying, and if you are, you wont be enjoying it that much. I wouldn't touch an R56 but thats just me.

Megane 250 might be worth a shout, I've heard they are actually reliable. Again, fuel economy will be dire.

Suzuki Swift Sport? BMW 130i?

[egor110]

If the clios were made of French cheese as you say surely you wouldn't see as many at track days and being drive there and back .

Re the mini I have a r53 and you only have to look on the owners forums/Facebook pages and see the owners taking the piss as to there always having to fix them.

However at the moment there a lot cheaper than a clio and the supercharger does make a decent noise .

[TameRacingDriver]

There’s always a defensive owner whenever I point it out. However, my experience was that they are fragile and overrated. First one was nearly new, by the time I got rid of it, the steering wheel had melted, the exhaust was knackered, it had been to the dealers several times for electrics issues, and a hole in the windscreen that took them 4 visits to find. It only had 20K miles on it.

It was decent to drive in fairness, but even then, not exactly the world beaters some make out. The engine lacked torque, so needed revving just as much as a VTEC but the drivetrain is nowhere near at the same level as a B18 or K20. The handling was pretty agile though, but the driving position was not great, and the steering wheel alone was enough to ruin the interior. It felt just like a bog standard Clio when you weren’t ragging it. That for me is not a good thing.

Then I had a Phase 1 172, that I spend £2k restoring. It never ran right despite all the money that was sent, despite visits to specialists. The final straw was when it shat out all its coolant on the motorway and overheated. It was supposed to be a cheap car, but it didn’t end up being.

Lets not forget the £800 cambelt change. I know all cars have big bills but people have a tendency to overlook this. Apparently the lack of air-con in the 172 Cup makes this an easier job, though. But then you’d have to live without aircon, which is quite useful, if we’re honest.

Time will tell if my MCS is reliable. You might be right, but just as with Clio owners, some owners insist they aren’t that bad and simply need looking after. However, outside of this, it’s probably a better car; better interior, driving position, a steering wheel that doesn’t resemble a bus, more torque, better noise, feels faster more of the time, more character, limited slip diff (r53), very planted handling. Brakes are so-so but then they were on the Clio too IMO. Drinks a bit more petrol. Cheap as anything to buy. No brainer for me. Mine is purely driven on the road though.

As you were!

[egor110]

I'm no defensive Clio owner , I've actually got a mini now.

However what I like about the clio people is that they don't think the clios the best car in the world , look on cliosport forum , other marques thread and loads have dabbled with minis , they just seem to be interested in cars full stop .

I wouldn't say a exhaust wearing out or cam belt needing changing makes a car unreliable though.

I agree the minis a lot more stable than the clios though , but it feels more boring .

[cerb4.5lee]

TameRacingDriver said:

I've got an R53 MCS, and rate it as a better car by far than the Clio. That supercharger whine is addictive, it has a LSD as standard, and actually has some torque. It wont get 35 MPG average though, unless you're really trying, and if you are, you wont be enjoying it that much. I wouldn't touch an R56 but thats just me.

I'm pleased for you that you've got a R53 MCS.

I know that you've been looking for a while, enjoy it and I hope it treats you well.

[TameRacingDriver]

egor110 said:

I'm no defensive Clio owner , I've actually got a mini now.

However what I like about the clio people is that they don't think the clios the best car in the world , look on cliosport forum , other marques thread and loads have dabbled with minis , they just seem to be interested in cars full stop .

I wouldn't say a exhaust wearing out or cam belt needing changing makes a car unreliable though.

I agree the minis a lot more stable than the clios though , but it feels more boring .

The cliosport scene must have changed loads since I was on (2006ish) as back then it was full of “my 182 kept up with a mclaren on the twisties innit”. So that is good to hear.

Don’t get me wrong, I like Clios, but nowadays I want a decent seating position, a nice interior (or at least, better than an early 2000s French car), some torque, and RWD cars have got me used to having traction so having the LSD on a FWD now is a must for me; although you can argue the Clio doesn’t really need it as it doesn’t have enough torque I did actually consider a Trophy, but in the end I didn’t want to spend that much on a car, especially for one that was just a wee bit better than the one I had. Had I wanted to spend that much I probably would have looked for a R53 GP instead.

The exhaust wearing out before 20K miles is definitely not a good thing, and I didn’t suggest the cambelt needing a change made it unreliable, but it’s an expense a potential owner needs to take into account.

Boring is subjective, but for me the Mini is less boring overall than the Clio; because of its better looks, seating position, interior, engine noise (that whine and the pops and bangs are hilarious) and accessible torque makes it feel more fun more of the time, whereas the Clio was only fun when you were ragging it.

cerb4.5lee said:

I'm pleased for you that you've got a R53 MCS.

I know that you've been looking for a while, enjoy it and I hope it treats you well.

Cheers Finally a member of the club. It’s been a hoot so far. Brilliant little thing that cost peanuts.