£14k Fun to Drive Car - Ideas?

Original Poster

15 posts

42 months

Yesterday (11:31)

Hive mind help needed in choosing a car that's fun to drive and out of the ordinary. £14K budget max.

Since changing jobs last summer I've been working from home. I've been using a little Citroen C1 that we used as a runaround, but its had less than 1k miles added in a year. That car is heading up North with my daughter when she goes back to Uni in Sept, so time to buy a "new" car.

The wife has a Tiguan which is generally used for hauiling things.

I've had a string of lease company cars since 2003, which have gradually become more restricted by regulations to the point where they ended up being electric.
3 x Audi A4s
2 x Audi A3s
Mini Countryman hybrid
eGolf
Ioniq 5

So now I'm dedicated to finding a fun car to drive. I find I'm bored by most modern car designs, and would love something smaller and more nimble. Ideally manual, but can be a good auto if it's still fun to drive.

Have considered MX-5s, but concerned by lack of practicality.

We have 2 adult kids, both of whom live at home and may borrow the car occasionally, so 4 seats may make more sense.

(The Audi fascination comes from watching Audi Quattro's take part in Rallys in person when I was very young.

I've struggled for months as to what to get, so any help will be appreciated.

350Matt

3,821 posts

294 months

Yesterday (12:01)

Mazda Rx8 - you can get a good one with a recent rebuild for 5k
fuel consumption is terrible but great to drive and like nothing else

here's a good one - PZ was the prodrive tweaked one and one of the best to drive

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202507014...

Edited by 350Matt on Saturday 5th July 12:05

Original Poster

15 posts

42 months

Yesterday (12:05)

Interesting suggestion. Heard the lack of torque is a problem. Is that not something to be worried about? Definitely worth considering.

350Matt

3,821 posts

294 months

Yesterday (12:11)

If you've never driven one then at 1st yes they seem a bit gutless
however the engine needs to be revved in a old school tuned engine way

they're no problem driving around town and you don't get a wallop in the back, when coming off the lights

however once over 4K rpm they sing to 9,000 so are an excellent B road tool
the handling is superb and puts many modern cars to shame, the engine is very smooth and sounds great on an aftermarket exhaust

parts are generally quite cheap and when the engine needs a rebuild ( 80K is typical) this can be done for about 2500 quid

Original Poster

15 posts

42 months

Yesterday (12:24)

Just £2500 for a rebuild?

Wow, that's massively reassuring. For some reason I had in my head it would be a lot more than that.

When you say terrible fuel economy, what are we talking about? How bad?

ZX10R NIN

29,177 posts

140 months

Yesterday (12:58)

Original Poster

15 posts

42 months

Yesterday (13:10)

Hadn't considered the BMW 2 series. Now that's quite a tempting option. That are the 1 series saloon which existed for a short time.

Owned a 206 when they first came out, and our experience of Peugeot workshops then has tainted my memory a little...

3,686 posts

155 months

Yesterday (13:14)

Had an RX8 years ago. The 192 version (2004).
Its was a great drive, and practical.
The latest version ironed out most of the weak links I believe.
An unusual car for sure.
It's not fast in todays world, but not slow either, just needs driving appropriately to extract the speed, and that is joyful.

Original Poster

15 posts

42 months

Yesterday (13:20)

The one 350Matt linked to is certainly tempting. It really stands out nowadays in a sea of similar cars...

3,686 posts

155 months

Yesterday (13:34)

The_Dude_Abides said:

The one 350Matt linked to is certainly tempting. It really stands out nowadays in a sea of similar cars...

Exactly!
Expect low 20's mpg. Oil comsumption by design. High road tax.
Some reading to do on them if you are interested, but I maintain they are a good fun sports car. Just need handling differently.

Original Poster

15 posts

42 months

Yesterday (14:38)

Any specific places I should start reading? I wouldn't know where to start

3,686 posts

155 months

Yesterday (15:08)

The_Dude_Abides said:

Any specific places I should start reading? I wouldn't know where to start

https://rotaryresurrection.com/rx8-ownership-tips/

Original Poster

15 posts

42 months

Yesterday (15:47)

Thanks. That link makes it look like short drives could be a problem. Should I be concerned? There'll likely be a few of around 10 mins a go.

3,686 posts

155 months

Yesterday (17:08)

The_Dude_Abides said:

Thanks. That link makes it look like short drives could be a problem. Should I be concerned? There'll likely be a few of around 10 mins a go.

I wouldn't think so. A good excuse for a frequent proper run too!
TBH, a lot of those tips apply to most engines anyway.
Point number 2 is very applicable though. Do not start up, move a few feet and shut off. You will flood the engine. If you need to do something like that, for example, move the car for the window cleaner, start it, move it, let it run for a minimum of 2 mins. Then shut off. Make these occasions a rarity.

Edited by Lincsls1 on Saturday 5th July 17:12

Dog Biscuit

816 posts

12 months

Yesterday (21:25)

The_Dude_Abides said:

Thanks. That link makes it look like short drives could be a problem. Should I be concerned? There'll likely be a few of around 10 mins a go.

The juice just ain't worth the squeeze with those cars mate.

If you like sleeping at night then go for something less troublesome...what about an M135i?

FWIW

3,453 posts

112 months

Yesterday (21:28)

VX220

Lefty

18,086 posts

217 months

Yesterday (21:41)

If you can get away with two seats I’d really recommend trying an S1 Elise. Nothing more fun or rewarding to drive at the price point IMHO and you’d be amazed at how quickly you can cover ground with only 120bhp when the car only weighs ~700kg.

They are very special feeling things.

Dog Biscuit

816 posts

12 months

Yesterday (21:55)

Lefty said:

If you can get away with two seats I d really recommend trying an S1 Elise. Nothing more fun or rewarding to drive at the price point IMHO and you d be amazed at how quickly you can cover ground with only 120bhp when the car only weighs ~700kg.

They are very special feeling things.

Just make sure that K series has the upgraded head dowels and gasket

Lefty

18,086 posts

217 months

Yesterday (22:23)

Yeah, most of them do by now!

If you’re only used to driving modern cars you’ll be blown away by the analogue nature of it.