What car - Fun, Reliable, ~3k

[caelite]

Hey Folks.

Just had 2 broken motors in a row so I'm dying to get something reliable & pretty cheap to run next as repairs have really sucked my budget dry.

So yeah:
Fun - I commute along b-roads in the North of Scotland, need something that wont be a bore and is quick enough to pass tractors and Honda Jazz's
Reliable - Student budget for running costs!
Pretty Common - I live in the North of Scotland, finding ANYTHING is difficult and I am really put off distance buying.
Reasonable running costs -
25+MPGish
Cheap to repair if it cocks up (This kind of removes ropey BMW 328i's and Audi TTs etc etc from my budget)
Preferable something simple-ish, I'm handy enough to rebuild a fuel injector, not handy enough to yank half a boxer engine out to do basic maintainence(fking scoobies)

Im REALLY wanting to pull the trigger on a mid 00s MX5 but I pretty often use my backseats so it would be a little bit of a pain to own a 2 seater. Also all the MX5s near me are rusted to blithery.

[Axionknight]

Civic Type R Ep3 or the best Clio 182 you can find.

[HJMS123]

pre facelift ep3 or an r53 mcs for that budget

[briang9]

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...

[Vocal Minority]

Accord Type R?

[Squirrelofwoe]

Axionknight said:

Civic Type R Ep3 or the best Clio 182 you can find.

These were the first two that sprang to my mind too.

Also consider an Accord Type R (LSD which you don't get in the EP3, plus a more entertaining engine in my opinion) but it's going to be older. They are pretty bullet proof though as long as it's been looked after, as with all Type Rs.

Mitsubishi FTO for a left field shout? FWD coupe with a 2.0 v6 engine with Mivec (Mitsubishi's answer to Vtec).

I was also going to suggest a Toyota Starlet Glanza Turbo but hadn't realised they'd gotten as expensive as they are!!

Any kind of Renaultsport Clio that you could get for the budget.

I would also suggest a Ford Puma as that would be amazing fun on those kinds of roads, but even at £3k finding one that it isn't a rust bucket is getting increasingly difficult. They are very reliable though in my experience, and pretty simple (and dirt cheap) to work on.

Loads of stuff available at that price though depending on preference for hatchback/coupe/convertible etc, FWD/RWD etc.

Edit: just spotted that you said you wanted something commonly available so as not have to distance buy- that might rule out some of the above!

Edited by Squirrelofwoe on Thursday 18th February 16:32

[Blanchimont]

Fiat Grande Punto T-Jet.

1.4 turbo, with enough power to make things fun. Handle well and will go over 30 round town. Cheap to run and insure, and it's where I would be putting my money (I did, and it never failed me in 18months)

[anonymous-user]

Mr2 mk2. Get a nom turbo GTi, all the fun of the fair and very reasonable running costs along with Toyota reliability. Don't listen to the horror stories of snap oversteer, they are very overhyped IMHO. Good fun cars.


And pop up lights.


And if you need space, you can remove the passenger seat in 5 minutes, easy even for a blind amateur.

[soad]

MR2 Roadster.

[LankyLegoHead]

I'll throw another vote in for the MK1 Octavia VRS. Mine served me quite well, and was pretty reliable. It's a well known chassis/engine so plenty of parts out there to fix them and/or make them go faster! Was a lot of fun to drive too, dispite the reputation the MK4 chassis has.

DSC_0835 by Jason.Easton, on Flickr

Failing that, a Renaultsport Clio would be a fair bit more fun.

[trickywoo]

Swift Sport - no brainer with your requirements.

[Roger Irrelevant]

Celica would seem to fit the bill; get a nice one for £3k.

[caelite]

Thanks for the suggestions guys

Octavia VRS is nice, Although my last good car was a Fabia VRS and to be honest Id rather not step right into its big brother
Clio 182, Keeping an eye out for a good one of these, although I am really not a fan of the looks of the older clios EVERYONE on here loves them so they must be pretty good
Civic/Accord Type R, never thought of an accord actually, although their are none nearby, and all the civics nearby in my price range look ropey as fk
Puma/FTO, I LOVE the FTO but im looking for something a bit newer.
Punto, I said reliable, not italian! Besides if I was going for the Fiat 1.4T it would be in an Alfa
MR2, Eh, I prefer the MX5 if I was going for a wee 2 seater

Im going to take a look at a last gen Fiesta ST on Tuesday, Also currently eyeing up a Toyota Auris SR180 its about a grand over my budget but I'm a bit of a diesel nerd & they get a good write up . The place that has the ST also has a clean looking MX5, MUST show self constraint or the GF will murder me!

[TameRacingDriver]

I had 2 Clios (172 and 182), not cars to run on a budget despite what people say on here, they are made of chocolate and cheese. Your hand will always be dipping into your pocket on little repairs here and there which will add up.

Something Japanese is far more robust.

If you can live with 2-seats which you aren't sure about an MR2 would be worth a shout.

Otherwise, Civic Type-R would be better than a Clio for me. Much better made and a far better engine and box.

[BigTom85]

If you want reliable stay well clear of the 2.2 diesel in the Toyota. If you think they are reliable then you clearly haven't done your research. I say Suzuki Swift Sport. You'll get a belter for your budget and they are huge fun.

[caelite]

BigTom85 said:

If you want reliable stay well clear of the 2.2 diesel in the Toyota. If you think they are reliable then you clearly haven't done your research. I say Suzuki Swift Sport. You'll get a belter for your budget and they are huge fun.

Oh really? I was running on the assumption that it was basicly the same as the 2.0 D4D which I have known to be extremely reliable (My pal runs one in his avensis taxi). Aye SSwiftS looks alright, not a huge fan of the styling mind, looks like it was designed by hotwheels lol.

Edited by caelite on Sunday 21st February 18:24

[egor110]

TameRacingDriver said:

I had 2 Clios (172 and 182), not cars to run on a budget despite what people say on here, they are made of chocolate and cheese. Your hand will always be dipping into your pocket on little repairs here and there which will add up.

Something Japanese is far more robust.

If you can live with 2-seats which you aren't sure about an MR2 would be worth a shout.

Otherwise, Civic Type-R would be better than a Clio for me. Much better made and a far better engine and box.

Really?

Mine needed the cambelt but that was all it needed.

I did the clutch as a precaution and the old exhaust was too loud but I could of still been driving it now on the originals.

[GTIAlex]

egor110 said:

TameRacingDriver said:

I had 2 Clios (172 and 182), not cars to run on a budget despite what people say on here, they are made of chocolate and cheese. Your hand will always be dipping into your pocket on little repairs here and there which will add up.

Something Japanese is far more robust.

If you can live with 2-seats which you aren't sure about an MR2 would be worth a shout.

Otherwise, Civic Type-R would be better than a Clio for me. Much better made and a far better engine and box.

Really?

Mine needed the cambelt but that was all it needed.

I did the clutch as a precaution and the old exhaust was too loud but I could of still been driving it now on the originals.

Same here, owned mine a year and trying to think of anything I spent on it other than service items and two tyres...oh oh, an exhaust hanger for the aftermarket exhaust it had on it aaaaaand I bought a Skoda Fabia front splitter for 12 quid from a skoda dealer.

[van cleef]

I had a 55 plate 225 for 7 years without that much problems bar wear and tear.

If you can haggle this would be my choice.

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/r...

[mark.c]

A nice 325ti ? I've been running a six speeder sport for nearly two years and other than a leaky radiator I've not put a spanner on it. It's a hoot to fling around, makes a good noise too.