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BMW Z4 3.0SE
Cayman sold before i had chance to get to look at it again.
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Hopkinsgm are you referring to the panda or clio about getting your pace in
Clio - I had a 182 Cup. I was just making the point that anyone ruling a Panda out on grounds of fitting bikes in the back should also rule out a Clio 172/182 for the same reason. At least the Panda has height on it's side - I used to get bikes in the back of a Yeti upright with just the front wheel off. Dunno whether a Panda would fit a bike in upside down (i.e. stood on its' saddle and bars) with wheels off. Never bothered trying it when I had the Clio, but can't see it fitting.
Note also that the Clio 182 also suffered from most of the same issues you mentioned about Suzuki Swifts:
- spoilers ruled out a tailgate mounted rack at the rear (admittedly, being a Cup mine had a bigger tailgate spoiler, but then many 182's were specified with "Cup Kit" spoilers)
- exhaust arrangement ruled exhaust towbar out
BMW Z4 3.0SE - I doubt you'll get one of those for £4k. Definitely not a coupé which is the only one worth considering (you can just about get a bike in there, apparently).
Keeping my Passat on the road has proven quite interesting*. Pretty sure you could get one for that price 🙂
* as with most cars with modern ECU systems to be fair
Never bothered trying it when I had the Clio, but can’t see it fitting
Used to be able to get a 17” Orange Five and an XL Commencal Meta AM in my 182 (at the same time). Was a pretty useful space tbh, better than the Fiesta ST that came after it
Still doesn’t make a 15+ year old Clio suitable for this thread though
Twingo RS - can fold up (or remove if needed) rear seats so easy to get a bike in the back.
Fiat Bravo T-Jet 150?
You can get a 29er with the wheels, pedals and bars off into the boot of a Z4 convertible. I have a picture somewhere. A road bike goes in with just the wheels and pedals off.
True, the coupe is more like £7k, but you’d get a decent Z4 for £3.5-£4K
The latter is potentially a lot more dangerous.
Let the dino's have there fun, they'll be fossils soon enough!
Not that soon, petrol will be available to buy for at least another 30 years. Plus, many of the electric cars are as fast/faster than the petrol equivalent...
Money in the bank will certainly help with the current climate.
And is it there as well for when your totally ragged £3.5k goes wrong ?
IMO keep the car you have unless you are paying out more money on it than you can afford.
The market is kind of skewed. £3.5k gets you not very much of a small car. Certainly not boy racer cars.
Oh and the answer is Ford Mondeo (size isn’t everything)
What makes a car fun can be very different between people. I don’t need lots of power but I do like cars that are small and light as the lack of weight is a big factor in the handling.
For me the 80’s hot hatches were good for that reason as compared to todays cars they were very light but also very low powered/slow but plenty fast enough to be fun.
Other people may find a big and heavy car with masses of power more fun.
+1
My current (and recent) BMW's are very, very good but boy can you feel the weight when pushing them on.
For example, my 320d weighs 1600kg and the 405 Mi16 I had in the early 90's weighed 1100kg. Both 5 seater saloons.
There’s quite a few a few Golf GTI’s on autotrader. Do some googling on the mechanics and needs of a higher mileage one of those and go an grab the best one you can.
Friend of mine did the same with a Gold estate 1.8d auto for a second/bike car at 140,000 miles, has never had an issue with it in 4 years.
You could buy my fast Forester (as mentioned by yourguitarhero) for £3300 and still have £200 for petrol to drive it home to anywhere in the country?
Although I was not planning on selling it until after the winter, especially after a new mot and timing belt service yesterday, but when a stealth ad opportunity jumps out at you ...
Sounds unlikely. Unless you have vastly different ideas of ‘interesting’ and ‘reliable’ to the general population.
For that price boring and reliable is maybe just about achievable.
Don't agree at all. In more than 20 years of driving I'm yet to pay anywhere near that much for a car, and most of them have been very reliable.
There are some exceptions.
325ti
My experience is that one of these will cost you a small fortune in repairs, unless you're willing to do it yourself. And whilst they have a bit of poke and are very nice to drive, they're not exciting.
I second Panda 100hp. Fun and super cheap to run. I have one with a full MOT that I might sell simply because it's sat not doing anything. Looking at around £2200 if you're interested 😉
I just looked for some of the cars that I thought would be good for "fun" from my youth and, shiiiiiiit! When did the price of cars like the 200sx and Integra go crazy? I found an old Skyline that was 50k!
For example, my 320d weighs 1600kg and the 405 Mi16 I had in the early 90’s weighed 1100kg. Both 5 seater saloons.
whilst things have got heavier, its not that bad. a typical 320d weighs 1450kg (xdrives are more), a 405 weight to eu spec (ie with fluids and driver) is 1180kg - a 20% increase in weight isn't brilliant, but its also not aweful
mk1 TT 225
Has been seconded already and now thirded by me...
I miss mine, but we don't need two cars.
Plus, many of the electric cars are as fast/faster than the petrol equivalent…
Yep, my i3s could easily get me in more trouble than any other car I've had bar probably my first which was a AX GT made of cheese. The BMW goes like a scalded cat in sport mode.
I just looked for some of the cars that I thought would be good for “fun” from my youth and, shiiiiiiit!
Yep again. Before going electric I decided I wanted a cheap but fun car from my youth. Virtually anything you'd want is going on for decent, modern car money so practicality kicks if you're looking for a daily driver. I ended up with a Focus ST170 which was ace but not very fast, expensive to tax and drank super unleaded. Then changed for my lease electric car and reckon I'm no worse off a month.
A 3.2 Audi of some kind, A3, TT etc, will be fun if you ignore the dull handling, I own a broken one still, for a laugh see my original thread HERE Funny enough it's the gearbox that has it sitting on the drive as the mechatronic unit went in the end & I don't want to pay £2k to rectify it on a car thats done 112k & worth £4k running, but if you or anyone is after a project or after an engine for a golf etc then give me a shout 😉
Is the remaining Octavia diesel? With that length of commute I would use that for commuting and bike duties, taking the restrictions off the fun car. I'd avoid mkV GTIs the engine has all sorts of common problems making them a bit of a risk. If no bikes then mx-5 is cheap and reliable, I got mine for £1400 last Feb although I got lucky with a rust free one at that price. Has cost me nothing so far other than a timing belt change that I did myself for £60 in parts.
If bike space is a must then consider a Toyota Celica T-Sport. The boot is enormous with seats down flat, and the length of the tailgate means you can walk down the side of it to carry the bike in. Cam changeover at 6200rpm to fire towards 8200 redline was addictive. Handling had a fun balance especially when lifting off. Also cost me nothing other than a leaky radiator.
No, not this.
I chose a 3.2V6 TT as a fun car a few years ago. Nice car, suprisingly sensible for someone with two dogs, but drank fuel, as expensive to insure and depreceated like a... thing. The same car as the TFSI would have been cheaper and have more power. Would still have had poor handling because of the Haldex, but whatever.
If you want fun, by a light, RWD car, something cheap, and just thrash it. Or buy a bike. I bought a bike and it is waaaaay more fun than a car.
– mk1 TT? Could get a bike in/on it.
My mate used to just about squeeze his medium sized 26" hardtail in his old coupe with both wheels off. Road bikes not so much a problem. Modern Mountain Bikes...? Forget it!
Also, is nobody looking at this...?
I commute 42 miles a day
I'm assuming that's round trip, but even still... I got 24-25mpg out of my mk1 TT in general, 29-30mpg on a run. They are pretty thirsty for what they are! OK, I know 10k a year commuting isn't all that much, but still... It's money that could be spent on other things. Personally if I had to pay my own way when it came to getting to work and back, I'd just be looking to minimise my costs as much as possible. Something with a semi-fun hatchback chassis, small diesel engine that needs caning to get you anywhere fast (and is still stupidly economical when thrashed), and save yourself £40 per week in fuel alone...
I chose a 3.2V6 TT as a fun car a few years ago. Nice car, suprisingly sensible for someone with two dogs, but drank fuel, as expensive to insure and depreceated like a… thing. The same car as the TFSI would have been cheaper and have more power. Would still have had poor handling because of the Haldex, but whatever.
Yeah, every review I ever read about the TT said 'just get the 2.0l FWD'. The V6 (and Quattro) just added weight to what was meant to be a fun car and made it less drivable. I loved my 2.0l FWD TFSi 😉
RS Twingo 133. My bike fits fine. Great fun and surprisingly practical. My road bike goes in vertically with just the front wheel off. If I could just prise the keys out of my son's hands...
Honestly an awful lot of fun. No turbo either. Just a big 1.6 engine. Avoid the cup version.
Is one of the VRS for sale?
The BMW goes like a scalded cat in sport mode.
But only in shortish bursts before it reduces the power.
I’d avoid mkV GTIs the engine has all sorts of common problems making them a bit of a risk.
Luckily the common problems are either easily diagnosed and/or cheap to fix. Avoid anything on a 54/05/55 plate and get an 06 onwards with the different engine code and apart from routine maintenance, they're solid. I've had the 2.0 TFSI in 2 cars both of a 2006 vintage and they've been faultless.
But only in shortish bursts before it reduces the power.
Can't say I've noticed and is rapid enough in normal mode anyway. Back roads are fun!
Lots of good suggestions already. I'd probably go with a JCW Cooper or a Focus ST.
Can’t say I’ve noticed and is rapid enough in normal mode anyway. Back roads are fun!
I’ve only managed it 3 or 4 times I guess, you do have to be trying reasonably hard.
JCW Cooper
I'm sure they're fine to drive but amongst the mechanics I know the "new" Minis rank absolute rock bottom for reliability. Granted that's a total of three mechanics, but when they all tell me they wouldn't accept a free Mini there's got to be something in it.
^ JCW Cooper...
Be very cautious with these, I know as I've owned an R56 Factory JCW with the infamous N14 engine.
Factor in if it will need a decoke (you will know when it stutters under acceleration), check then if it has had a timing chain tensioner kit replaced, also check coolant thermostat housing as it will leak at some point.
You will also need to check the oil weekly as they have a tendency to use quite a bit and this is key to keeping on top of the timing chain tensioner issues arising (cold start death rattle etc)
Quick and fun car when it's working, but in my almost 2 years of ownership there was always something not quite right.
Just to say DON'T buy a RS Renault Twingo 133. Son1 put mine into the barriers of the M25 in the wet. He is fine, and Renault safety showed its class. But now I'm looking for another one and there are only about 15 in the country!
For info, I could get 2 29er wheels in the boot of a Mk2.5 MX-5 and the frame strapped flat on the boot rack.
Brief case and change of clothes for riding after work fitted in the passenger seat.
My wife had a bigger car with a roof rack for family rides at the weekend.
Ran like that for 6 months until I got my next company car (S-Max).
I was in the exact same boat after my petrol VRS estate was written off by a van a few years ago.
I bought a slightly tweaked (300bhp with brakes and suspension sorted) Focus ST 225 with the 5 pot Volvo lump. If you can get past the image of them I think you’d struggle to beat it for bang for the buck. I paid £3700 for mine and sold it for £3750 3 years later having only added fuel, tyres and brake pads. Made a fantastic noise, went well, had all the extras you could want (auto everything, heated screen, heated Recaro leather) and handling was surprisingly good for a fwd hatch with a big heavy engine.
Only intended keeping it until insurance paid out but ended up running it for 3 years, was genuinely sad to see it go.
Panda 100hp is a good fun little car that won't bother the speed limits as much as something newer or bigger and cheap to run as long as you don't smash a bumper. Got a bike in picking it up after MoT, not realising pushchair and car seat were still in it - just front wheel off. Nice and lively from 5000rpm.
However, if you very much like something comfortable and fast it's not for you. Ride is hard on standard bump stops and 45 profile, no cruise control, you will get fed up of stuff blasting past on the straights and mincing through the corners. Sport button makes the accelerator all or nothing.
8my daughter is running a fiesta mk7 Zetec s 1.6 petrol.
And it's a hoot. Proper little go cart without the overheads or mad trying to kill you power.