Cheap. Quick (ish) Drivers Car

[stevekoz]

Odd little conundrum

Budget - £1500 or LESS

Purpose - Spring/Summer Road trip car for EC500

We will be taking three cars. My f1 r26. My mate in his r53 jcw mini.

We want our other mutual friend to come to make three and to do so, he needs wheels, but on a budget.

I think something good to drive / handles well. My mate thinks something that won't struggle to keep up against our two massively. So circa 150bhp at least. Maybe rough 7sec to 60?

(Difference in performance could be made up by totally stripping the car and doing work on it to modify power etc. over winter.)

It's it possible?? If so, what should we be searching for??

[rjfp1962]

MX-5 NB?

[soad]

MG TF?

[ZX10R NIN]

Focus ST-3

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009274...

TT

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010315...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202007060...

Cooper S

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202011025...

Leftfield:

Alfa Mito 155 your mate will have a ball trying to keep up but he'll have to haggle hard

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010084...

1.6T Astra with some money left over for some suspension work:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010295...

Suspension

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/KONI-4x-STR-T-Springs-S...

Leon Cupra

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009214...

not as sharp as you two but decent enough: CLK320

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009264...

[therealsamdailly]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2001-Ford-Puma-1-7i-16V...

£595

these are way under valued little things. it won't have the straight line poke of the other 2, but guarantee it'll be just as fun

[culpz]

Probably gonna be ropey at this price with those specifications, but I'm sure you could pick up a Fiesta ST150 or Clio 172/182 at that price. Cooper S has already been mentioned but could be possible. Celica and Corolla T-Sport are a few other options. Should get all sorts of VAG choices with the 1.8T engine too for the money.

[stevekoz]

culpz said:

Probably gonna be ropey at this price with those specifications, but I'm sure you could pick up a Fiesta ST150 or Clio 172/182 at that price. Cooper S has already been mentioned but could be possible. Celica and Corolla T-Sport are a few other options. Should get all sorts of VAG choices with the 1.8T engine too for the money.

Definitely agree that it may be ropey at this price point. However, we are going to have a good few months to work on it so it could be tired and be refreshed in the main areas of concern, over winter and spring before any trip happens.

[stevekoz]

ZX10R NIN said:

Focus ST-3

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009274...

TT

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010315...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202007060...

Cooper S

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202011025...

Leftfield:

Alfa Mito 155 your mate will have a ball trying to keep up but he'll have to haggle hard

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010084...

1.6T Astra with some money left over for some suspension work:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010295...

Suspension

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/KONI-4x-STR-T-Springs-S...

Leon Cupra

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009214...

not as sharp as you two but decent enough: CLK320

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009264...

Great list. I never expected to be able to find a focus ST in the list at this price. Mileage doesn't make much difference at this price and its only really going to be for one road trip and then turned into a track car. So that could be a definite option.

[baconsarney]

stevekoz said:

Odd little conundrum

Budget - £1500 or LESS

Purpose - Spring/Summer Road trip car for EC500

We will be taking three cars. My f1 r26. My mate in his r53 jcw mini.

We want our other mutual friend to come to make three and to do so, he needs wheels, but on a budget.

I think something good to drive / handles well. My mate thinks something that won't struggle to keep up against our two massively. So circa 150bhp at least. Maybe rough 7sec to 60?

(Difference in performance could be made up by totally stripping the car and doing work on it to modify power etc. over winter.)

It's it possible?? If so, what should we be searching for??

Please don't laugh......

two years ago I bought a Volvo 850 T5 estate (Auto)... It's not great in the corners, but it is 'interesting'... 225bhp, somewhere between 7 and 8 seconds to sixty, top speed a tad under 150mph.......

Big enough to live in
Great 'support' car........

I paid £1500 for it.... and I love it.... high spec too....

Jus sayin.....

[ZX10R NIN]

stevekoz said:

Great list. I never expected to be able to find a focus ST in the list at this price. Mileage doesn't make much difference at this price and its only really going to be for one road trip and then turned into a track car. So that could be a definite option.

In that case get the Focus they're cracking cars.

[DaveyBoyWonder]

R52 Cooper S is the one that immediately sprung to mind. Focus ST for under £1500? Wow - must admit thats a LOT of car for the money...

[Darkslider]

ZX10R NIN said:

In that case get the Focus they're cracking cars.

Auto trader ad for the cheapest focus ST I've ever seen with not a single picture

[ZX10R NIN]

Darkslider said:

Auto trader ad for the cheapest focus ST I've ever seen with not a single picture

Yea but the OP won't buy without checking plus I'm pretty sure a call will yield some pictures & if it's a dog he'll walk away.

So what was your suggestion?

[Birr97]

Celica MK7 VVTi.

Facelift like the one pictured, wide front grille from 52 plate onwards.
Not the quickest in a straight line with 140bhp but reliable and great cornering.
Very good handling and steering feel, cavernous boot too so great for a roadtrip.

Edited by Birr97 on Thursday 5th November 23:52

[Darkslider]

ZX10R NIN said:

Yea but the OP won't buy without checking plus I'm pretty sure a call will yield some pictures & if it's a dog he'll walk away.

So what was your suggestion?

Not gonna beat that Focus for the money, just interested to see what it looks like when they get round to taking some pictures of it!

Failing that I think I'd be getting a Clio 172, won't have the outright pace of the bigger turbo's hatches but would have them beat on handling and running costs (dephaser pulley aside)

[FK]

You should have no trouble getting a Focus ST170 at this price. Not the quickest, but drives absolutely brilliantly.

Also, an E46 BMW 3-Series drives very well. You could get a 325i or 328i (both of which have around 190 bhp). Having driven both, I can assure you that they get down the road very nicely indeed, and handle well.

[hiccy18]

therealsamdailly said:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2001-Ford-Puma-1-7i-16V...

£595

these are way under valued little things. it won't have the straight line poke of the other 2, but guarantee it'll be just as fun

An absolute hoot to drive on twisties, uncomfy on the motorway even with the leather upholstery and the arches rust from the inside out. At that price, who cares? Backlanes agogo.

[Xenoous]

ZX10R NIN said:

Focus ST-3

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009274...

Christ that's cheap. I'd love to know the reason for it being 1.5k. I've seen 100k mile ST engines go for that much! I want good honest pics!

Mines not exactly the best condition but I'd expect more like 3k for it.

[stevekoz]

I like the idea of the Puma, i've not driven one but hear nothing but great things.

I like the idea of the ST170, similar to the Puma as in that i've not driven but hear great things and its got a bit more poke, which can be fettled with some simple breathing modifications.

I do keep finding celica's for not very much money - not sure about those, i don't know much about them. They'll be a research point.

If we could get him a mini cooper s for the money that would be good as he can be twins with the other mini going.

LIkewise, i'd like it if we could get a renaultsport clio of some description - though tired and cheap ones are rarer these days.

As for the Focus ST 2.5 - i've emailed them for pics, i'm waiting to hear back. Thats a very odd garage. All their cars seem to be fairly standard and boring and very cheap in the £1-2k range and then they've got a Ferrari California and a Huracan spider dotted in there for giggles. Strange. I'll post up the pics when i see them.

[tomwilliams0326]

for 1500 budget ive found this: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202011075...