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Suggest a fun car

93 posts & 57 voices | Started 1 year ago by druidh | Latest reply from Swalsey

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druidh - Member

Having decided that I absolutely need a decent sized fan for biking and other duties, I reckon it might be useful to have a small, fast gad-about too.

Usage will be fairly minimal as I prefer to cycle to and from work and the van will be used for longer distance stuff and for carrying. So, I don't really care about mundane stuff like fuel consumption. Needs to be very nippy for a bit of fun on the quieter roads, and nimble for darting through traffic and overtaking. Zero practicality is fine.

£10k absolute tops, hopefully half that.

Currently thinking Elise, MX-5, MR-2 but it's sector I've never considered before so need some inspiration.

Posted 1 year ago #
ziggy - Member

Honda Integra, easy get one for that money, FUN all round, although it is slightly practical, can get a bike in the back. Love or hate thing though, personally I loved revving the tits off my CTR.

Posted 1 year ago #
Jimbo - Member

Motorcycle, assuming you've a licence. If not, don't bother. The desire for something "very nippy" and n00b-ism is a recipe for disaster...

Car wise, £10K will buy you a Elise (a v.good Mk1 with change!), and for fun, there's little better on t' road aside from the likes of Caterhams, Westfields etc.

Posted 1 year ago #
leggyblonde - Member

clio trophy or rover mini cooper s.

nippy and fun. mini won't lose money either

Posted 1 year ago #
Lord Summerisle - Member

MX5 you can pick up for £2000-3000 (best are the mk1 with the pop up lights) cheapest to run

the elise is a great car, can get an S1 with the K series for under your 10k.

But i would be looking at Caterhams if i had that money, with crossflows, vauxhall and the odd 1.6k being within your budget.

Some thing else i would consider would be TVRs - either an S series, Chimaera or Griffith.

Posted 1 year ago #
mtbfix - Member

I have a mk1 MX5 going in the trader next week if you want it. Make me an offer

Posted 1 year ago #
The Flying Ox - Member

For £5k you'll get a mental MR2 Turbo and have £5k in the bank. Ignore all the nay-sayers who say modified cars are generally ragged to within an inch of their lives - there are a couple of very well respected MR2 owners clubs, and 99% of the cars you find on there will be tip top. There is simply no other way you can spend so little and get so much from a car: 0-60 in under 5 seconds (for a modified one) but with enough space in the boot for a fortnight's-worth of suitcases and 30-ish mpg. You can even get bike-racks for them.

Having said that, for £10k you have a lot of cars to consider. You're looking at a nice Honda S2000, a well looked after and freshly re-built RX7, a decent Integra DC5, a decent R33 Skyline GTR, a Rover-engined AC Cobra replica, a higher-mileage E46 BMW M3, a good C3/C4 Corvette, a bike-engined Lotus 7 copy, Maserati 3200, etc., etc., etc.

From the list above, I'd go Mazda RX7 every single time. It's everything you want, including near-zero practicality and tragic fuel consumption.

And yes, I spend a lot of time dreaming on Pistonheads.

Posted 1 year ago #
amplebrew - Member

I reckon an S2000 would be pretty much perfect

They sound fantastic

Posted 1 year ago #
bol - Member

Elise if you fit (I'm 6ft4 and don't really fit in a Mk1, but am just about alright in a Mk2). Just enough practicality to keep you dry in the rain, but not so much that you'll be tempted to drive it all the time. If you need a bit more practicality, don't overlook the Puma 1.7. Not especially quick but made me smile more than any other car I've owned.

Posted 1 year ago #
Swalsey - Member

10,000 is what I plan to save then spend on a similar car. I am going to spend the next 2 years considering the following:

BMW Z3 (3.0)
BMW M3 (E46)
Honda S2000
Vauxhall VX220 (turbo)

Like The Flying Ox - I also spend a lot of time dreaming on Pistonheads!

Posted 1 year ago #
stumpy01 - Member

Racing Puma?

Posted 1 year ago #
Houns - Member

Elise, then come take me for a spin in it

Posted 1 year ago #
monotokpoint - Member

Join a P1 club or similar maybe?

Posted 1 year ago #
loddrik - Member

Cooper S Works all the way.

Or an Evo 6 Makinen, you did say fuel economy isn't an issue.

Posted 1 year ago #
Swalsey - Member

Personally I'd only consider RWD or 4WD... but I've not owned anything other than FWD. The racing Pumas are nice, but when you can have an S2000 for similar money...

Posted 1 year ago #
juiced - Member

one of the fast clio's or a jap.

Posted 1 year ago #
amplebrew - Member

The best cars for under £10000, all the cars you'll ever need

Posted 1 year ago #
cynic-al - Member

for fun def get a soft top. I don't think you need a lot of power to enjoy driving either, get something that handles well.

Posted 1 year ago #
Swalsey - Member

lol @ amplebrew

Another idea if you want something a little more rare and refined - a late BMW 850 perhaps?

Posted 1 year ago #
Jimbo - Member

£10K may well buy you a lot of car in the form of a Maserati 3200GT or BMW 850, but in doing so, you'll buy yourself a whole heap of heartache, pain and financial misery. £10K buying one is the cheap bit: running them is the expensive bit, and I speak from experience and the Maserati 3200 sitting on the driveway.

Servicing routinely runs into four figures.
Wear-and-tear repairs/consumables will make you cry (£1-2000 for a clutch, sir? Which itself may only last 30-50,000 miles)
Unexpected repairs (like, f' instance a gearbox), and you'll be lucky to have any change from you same amount you spent.

...and that's before you get to fuel, tyres, insurance, the "fun" of trying to find somewhere decent to get them serviced/repaired etc, etc.

And to cap it all, the Maserati isn't anywhere near reliable, meaning you'll be spending lots, often. I've heard the 850 with all it's early-90s tech, isn't much better.

Seriously, if you think you'll ever ask "How much..." regarding anything to do with cars of this ilk, then you probably can't afford it.

Posted 1 year ago #
mieszko - Member

I think Evo did a group test of fast cars for £10k. Clio V6 won as the most fun/lethal, but I think that a Panda 100 won as a new car. Can't remember exactly, I read it long time ago. They had an RX7 there, RS6 Avant, older BMW M5, Lotus Esprit and some other ones.

I would probably go and try an Civic Type R as my friend's Integra Type R was just mental. Plus You can have the "Vtec just kicked in Yo" sticker or something. Can You get a 335D for £10k?

Posted 1 year ago #
Houns - Member

lol my mate wrote that msn article!

Posted 1 year ago #
jahwomble - Member

One of my "fun" cars,'69 GT390,like what Steve McQueen drove in "Bullitt" but red not green.you might struggle to get one for 10k now though, it is fun though..........

Posted 1 year ago #
CHB - Member

BMW M Coupe from late 90's early 2000's is my mid-life crisis car.
Loved em ever since someone at work had one new in 1999.

Posted 1 year ago #
amplebrew - Member

A quick look on pistonheads brings up a lot of nice kit for £10k and below

Posted 1 year ago #
MrNutt - Member

jensen interceptor
lotus 7

Posted 1 year ago #
jahwomble - Member

Interceptors are lovely, I had an ff, thirsty as a ba*tard though, every garage you went past you had to go in and fill up in case you didn't see another for 500 yards.Even with 4wd it still handled like a barge towing an oil tanker, bloody lovely though if you can get a sorted one.

Posted 1 year ago #
monkey_boy - Member

^ get onto piston heads, will give you a good idea of whats out there!

i'd personally get a VX220

Posted 1 year ago #
CharlieMungus - Member

This looks like fun car, within your price range too i reckon

Posted 1 year ago #
Brother_Will - Member

My Ford Puma? its in the classifieds now for a Bargainous £1495

Posted 1 year ago #
mastiles_fanylion - Member

Absolutely an Elise or Westfield/Caterham or Spyder maybe?

Father in law selling his wonderful Westfield, looking for around £10k, North Yorkshire. I am currently trying to decide if I can justify it but I can't - can get you details if interested.

Posted 1 year ago #
Andy W - Member

All down to what you want to do with it,
If its drives in the country get one that the top comes off,
Rear wheel drive if your thinking about going on a track/airfield with it,
How many seats do you need??if its just for you why bother with a four seater, get just the two seats.

I got a Elise in 2002 to have a bit of fun,trackdays,tour the UK & Europe in and then get rid of it after a year.

Still got it !!

Massive grinfactor everytime its fired up

Posted 1 year ago #
druidh - Member

Elise is winning it so far. No one have anything nice to say about a Celica?

Posted 1 year ago #
Seggons - Member

saxo VTS!

Posted 1 year ago #
mastiles_fanylion - Member

A celica is not in the same class - a big heavy lump. Small and wonderful handling is what you need. You would be seriously stunned at how an Elise handles compared to anything like MX5, celica, MR2 etc - a completely different class.

Posted 1 year ago #