3.5k budget - fast(ish) but must be fun?

[ValuableWhistle]

Hello fellow PistonHeaders,

So once this is all over in June i'm looking to get into something fun again!

i currently have a v70 d5 and although it's great, it's not very fun! my max budget is 3.5k, i've owned quite a few fast cars before (WRX, 172, EP3 etc), i'm considering an FN2? i have a company car so doesn't need to be super practical but would like some space for a summer holiday!

i'm handy with a spanner so don't mind getting my hands dirty!

what do you guys recommend that i may of missed?

thanks in advance!

[Drive it fix it repeat]

You may be lucky and find a ropey r26 Megane for that money. If not you’ll easily get a decent 225, no where near as good handling as the r26 and no lsd but you can pick them up considerably cheaper for a reason.

[MattyD803]

FN2 probably a great bet for a hoon whilst still being reliable.....but maybe go RWD just to change it up from your previous stuff?

330Ci? Although, if it still needs to do the holiday/family duties, saloon, perhaps even a touring?

RX8? (spanner wielding capabilities will be required)

[jamesbilluk]

How about an R53 Cooper S? Characterful interior, and Lovely supercharger whine as well,

Edited by jamesbilluk on Wednesday 24th February 10:48

[stevekoz]

I have an r26, doubt you can get one now for less than £5k and prices are rising but whole heartedly recommend one.

The 225 trophy can be had for less so may be worth having a look, not as good but still fun.

The FN2 is quite good, had one of those. Reliable and fun when pushing on but not the most comfortable of rides especially at lower speeds around town and on our pothole laden roads.

The Cooper s (r53) is cracking fun and a close alternative in the handling stakes to the Renaultsport Clio's.

But i'd choose the Clio 182 over one, got one of those and its great fun, the engine is so revvy and fizzy and its an altogether different experience to my r26. But equally as fun and a great handling fun car to own and drive.

You may be able to get a Golf GTI (mk5) for that amount of money but expect high miles but its a great all rounder. Good handling. Enough pace. Plenty practical. But alot have been ruined by dumb mods and had a hard life (though can be said of a lot of hot hatches).

330ci is doable for the budget. Not the fastest and not the benchmark in handling but its a lovely engine, decent performance and something that bit different to the usual hot hatch choices. I'd recommend the 130i over it all day long but alas those are out of the budget.

Suzuki Swift Sport can be had for the money. Bit different japanese offering, handles well and its a lot of fun albeit not as powerful as the rest.

If two seats is ok, mx-5 is always a good choice for fun and handling. Really nice balance albeit a little underpowered for my liking but plenty good enough.

[ValuableWhistle]

I should probably add, i've had an R53, 330ci, 328i, NB mx5, Focus st170 too

i like the idea of an R56 or FN2, always been put off a little bit on the reliability of a Megane 225 though, are they THAT bad?

[ValuableWhistle]

There is currently a fairly tidy r26 on the Bay at 2.5k? seems way too cheap

[culpz]

I know you've tried 172's/182's, so why not give a 197 a go? Might even be able to get a 200.

[Cocknose]

Swift Sport?

[Drive it fix it repeat]

ValuableWhistle said:

There is currently a fairly tidy r26 on the Bay at 2.5k? seems way too cheap

Because it’s a 225, not an r26. No recaro’s, different suspension set up I’m pretty sure, no lsd, no numbered plaque, slightly less power, Other differences aswell but i forget, few years since I had mine now.

That said I’m not saying it’s a bad buy, a few tweaks and has the potential to be a nice car.

[stevekoz]

Drive it fix it repeat said:

Because it’s a 225, not an r26. No recaro’s, different suspension set up I’m pretty sure, no lsd, no numbered plaque, slightly less power, Other differences aswell but i forget, few years since I had mine now.

That said I’m not saying it’s a bad buy, a few tweaks and has the potential to be a nice car.

Correct, most differences around the suspension. Different springs, weights, rear bar at rear. Standard r26 had different discs.

Don't need an lsd unless you are hunting massive power, it doesn't exactly handle badly by any means. With a few choice tweaks they can be very good. As said, look for an f1 or trophy something like that if you can. But a 225 is still a good buy at this price range and you don't see many of them.

Reliability - well mine has been pretty faultless, go so far to say its one of the most enjoyable cars i've owned. Fairly simple to do things DIY if you are handy with a spanner.

There are issues to be aware of though

Window modules fail - so windows don't work correctly or at all
Electric Power steering can fault - about £400 to fix
Steering lock can fail - thats a bit of a pain but not expensive to sort, theres a place that offers a "work around" part that solves it.
Things like coil packs can go - they are quite sensitive to the right parts.
Tramlining - can be known to follow the contour of the road etc but i know many cars that do this its not just a megane foible.
Key Cards - Are temperamental. Solder is quite brittle over time and that causes issues with battery being registered or even locking/unlocking and starting cars. Again, plenty of outfits out there that supply new keys, but one from renault is about £120/140.

Then its just the usual stuff - make sure its serviced and well looked after and honestly it is quite a reliable car. The engines are fairly robust though don't make "massive" power without quite a lump of cash but a "stage 1" package will see roughly 280 hp with a filter, exhuast and a remap.

[Hol]

stevekoz said:

Drive it fix it repeat said:

Because it’s a 225, not an r26. No recaro’s, different suspension set up I’m pretty sure, no lsd, no numbered plaque, slightly less power, Other differences aswell but i forget, few years since I had mine now.

That said I’m not saying it’s a bad buy, a few tweaks and has the potential to be a nice car.

Correct, most differences around the suspension. Different springs, weights, rear bar at rear. Standard r26 had different discs.

Don't need an lsd unless you are hunting massive power, it doesn't exactly handle badly by any means. With a few choice tweaks they can be very good. As said, look for an f1 or trophy something like that if you can. But a 225 is still a good buy at this price range and you don't see many of them.

Reliability - well mine has been pretty faultless, go so far to say its one of the most enjoyable cars i've owned. Fairly simple to do things DIY if you are handy with a spanner.

There are issues to be aware of though

Window modules fail - so windows don't work correctly or at all
Electric Power steering can fault - about £400 to fix
Steering lock can fail - thats a bit of a pain but not expensive to sort, theres a place that offers a "work around" part that solves it.
Things like coil packs can go - they are quite sensitive to the right parts.
Tramlining - can be known to follow the contour of the road etc but i know many cars that do this its not just a megane foible.
Key Cards - Are temperamental. Solder is quite brittle over time and that causes issues with battery being registered or even locking/unlocking and starting cars. Again, plenty of outfits out there that supply new keys, but one from renault is about £120/140.

Then its just the usual stuff - make sure its serviced and well looked after and honestly it is quite a reliable car. The engines are fairly robust though don't make "massive" power without quite a lump of cash but a "stage 1" package will see roughly 280 hp with a filter, exhuast and a remap.

I was also going to suggest a Megane 225, as I have an R26 that i use for the Train station daily.

Its a very good car, for the money and I have used it as a backup car on some PH runs and it easily kept pace with more much powerful and expensive vehicles.

Apart from regular servicing, in three years of ownership, I have needed Pads, Tyres, one driveshaft gaiter and a boot lock switch.
Its a 2008 car with only 64k miles though.

The front suspension is over engineered, a bit like the RS Focus, so anything in that area costs a little bit more on labour than usual.

[300bhp/ton]

Clio as a non daily car... sorry but that just screams dull.

Don't get me wrong, they can be fun if ringing their neck, but rest of the time they a very drab dull cars with zero sense of occasion.

Surely something like an RX-8, MX-5, MR2, MGF, Z3, Z4 would all be a lot more 'fun' for a far wider variety of uses.

[ValuableWhistle]

Ah he's not advertised it correctly then, it is a cup pack though, i know about the cup packs on the Clio, just not sure on the Megane! what does that entail? they look amazing on the outside but the interior i find very boring, same as the Clio i guess!

the main thing i liked about the FN2 is that the interior looks and feels special!

[fflump]

An Audi TT with sensible miles 70-80k and decent history is in your budget.

[CrippsCorner]

I had a Clio 182 for £1,800
Then a R53 MINI for £2,800
Currently an Astra VXR for £2,900

Best out the box was the Clio for sure, but it was the most problematic.

MINI quite dull as standard but once you start changing stuff, i.e. supercharger pulley, free-flowing exhaust (and chucking some nicer seats in there) it was an absolute joy. Did many track days with this, loved it!

Needed something bigger so opted for the Astra. I know they have a bad reputation but to be fair it's been spot on, 12 months in now and just a flat tyre to report. Definitely feels the more grown up car. Unfortunately haven't started modifying it yet due to lockdown restrictions, so partly unfair to compare.

[ValuableWhistle]

i would love a VXR for 2900, can't seem to find any, Covid seems to have rocketed prices of hot hatches.

yeah i wish i modified my R53, but the miles were too high to justify it

[NicheMonkey]

MK5 Golf GTi would be a good shout at this price point.

[stevekoz]

ValuableWhistle said:

Ah he's not advertised it correctly then, it is a cup pack though, i know about the cup packs on the Clio, just not sure on the Megane! what does that entail? they look amazing on the outside but the interior i find very boring, same as the Clio i guess!

the main thing i liked about the FN2 is that the interior looks and feels special!

I had an FN2 and it was very practical, easy and cheap to maintain and was good fun in the right circumstances.

Around town as said it was a bit hard suspension wise (name a japanese quick car that isn't really). The only thing i couldn't get on with were the seats, they look nice and were fine for short commutes but i did suffer from back pain from them as they are quite hard and stiff. That said i'm a broad guy and 6ft 2 and abit so that very well played a part i imagine.

The kit in the FN2 and the design point is very good and has aged well i think. For £3.5k its a good bet. Probably less to worry about than the Megane as its a naturally aspirated engine. I guess it depends if you prefer that style of engine and driving to go with it. As said, it got better the more you pushed on and vtec is always fun, but does mean you are revving it quite hard alot of the time. Whereas the turbo makes driving that bit more sedate as its a bit more effortless. Again that comes down to driving style and what level of engagement you are after. Every driver i think is different. Both will give you a shove but its how it does it and how it feels only you can decide.

The cup pack on the megane is similar in set up to the clio. It just changes a few characteristics around spring/suspension/weight and generally a few less creature comforts, oh and wheels. But generally the weight saving is not all that massive. In the megane though i would go for it as the revision of the suspension was quite good. Earlier models didn't handle as well as hoped so the revisions put that to bed mostly, culminating in the r26r (shares much the same as r26 but with more practicality in the latter). The cup is better, the Trophy better still, then r26/r26r respectively. If i remember correctly.

I love my megane though, and i will not be parting with it for many years to come.

[ValuableWhistle]

NicheMonkey said:

MK5 Golf GTi would be a good shout at this price point.

all seem to be circa 150k at this price point, don't really understand why the mk5s hold so much money!