mtbmatt - MemberTrue if you are talking petrol. But why pay the same amount to run a car with 120bhp as oppose to 180-200bhp.
Yes, I was referring to petrol ... D'oh!
Anyway, you simply cannot have best of both world ...
My next buy will be a Toyota Landcruiser 4x4 4.7 litre turbo diesel monster tank that squash all maggots on the road. 😈
Really? MX5 was one of the most boring cars I've owned.
Which Mk Mx5 would this be then?
Lets face it if your going from a rwd 2 seater sports car to anything fwd its going to be dull in comparison.So just get a bog standard car with enough power for over taking and leave it at that.
Sorry, thats horseshit.
Look at the range of hot hatches, some come with LSD and more than double the power of an elise / mx5. You have clearly never driven anything like this fast to come up with that statement
Which Mk Mx5 would this be then?
Mk1. Not that it really matters, as they are all 2 seater, RWD "sportscars".
Fiesta Zetec S.
Thread clossed. Better in many many areas and yet everyday transport.
Megane RS - cheap to run??
OP - Panda 100 and Fabia VRS appear to tick most boxes.
As well as the Swift that is.
Fabia? Avoid any VW product IMO.
Nissan Sunny/Pulsar GTI-R
Look at the range of hot hatches, some come with LSD and more than double the power of an elise / mx5. You have clearly never driven anything like this fast to come up with that statement
The thing is, it's not all about power, or straight line speed, or 0 - 60 times. As I said above, I test drove a GTi with DSG last year and it felt like the proverbial off a shovel, even compared to a Boxster S and an Elise. On paper it was slower to accelerate, but because the gear changes were so smooth and perfect, it flew. The thing is, it was boring. Fast, but boring.
I remember driving a battered old van belonging to my father-in-law. It wasn't fast by any measure, but it was involving and every input resulted in a satisfying output. It was fun. Whatever I get, it's got to be a pleasure to drive first and foremost.
🙄Fabia? Avoid any VW product IMO.
It you want an involving drive that you have to work for and give you feedback then i would discount any modern hot hatch with esp, traction control, abs etc, and i understand what you say about the new DSG GTI's, far too heavy to be anything more than fun in a straight line for the first few times but dull as an IT seminar everywhere else.
I guess it depends on whether you want something that you can fettle with or something you just jump into and drive, i'm quite impressed with my mates civic type r (old style), really sweet handling little car and infinitely adjustable suspension for camber/caster/trail if you like that sort of thing and know what your doing.
Correction MODERN souless VW products
Surely a Volvo 480 is the answer.
something that you can fettle with or something you just jump into and drive
Absolutely the latter.
Surely a Volvo 480 is the answer.
That's a good shout.
In that case what about Honda S2000?, if you can get over the possible hairdresser jibs. front engined, rear wheel drive, fantastic chassis, very involving to drive, utterly reliable, jump in and go, no fettling needed, built and designed by the same team who built / designed the Honda NSX, very cheap 2nd hand prices for what is regarded as one of the best sportscars to come out of japan.
If i had to have another car i'd seriously consider one.
S2000? Nah, only 2 seats. One of the main criteria is space for kiddies in the back. I did actually look briefly at the S2000 when I bought the Elise. It does nothing for me aesthetically.
Could "cheap to run" be exchanged for "cheap to buy"?
If so, Celica ST4. Bombproof engine, 4 seats, can get 30mpg+ if you're careful.
I still reckon Civic Type R is the one though, especially if you don't want to spend weekends under the bonnet. My mate's missus has one, and it seems quite sedate on the granny cam. Whatever car you get, the mpg will be tragic if you boot it everywhere.
Mrs Fruitbat has one of these here Abarth Puntos [img] 
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It certainly is fun and not nearly as common as some of the other suggestions above.
Oooo nice
Oooo nice
clio 197 cup
Cooper S?
Actually scrap that, you need 5 doors with Kiddies, its a pain only having 2 doors.
Can't believe nobody has mentioned the Alfa Mito yet?
I've got the 135bhp but there is a 170bhp cloverleaf both of which will do real world 40mpg and are bloody good fun. Worth a test drive at very least.
Depends on your appetite for insurance and road tax, these are available pretty cheaply for what you get
Golf R32
Audi S3
Imprezza WRX (bit flash but fantastic driving cars)
I was 😮 at just how thirsty the WRX is in every day driving. Alot of owners say low 20's in easy/relaxed driving
Some good suggestions here. I think some of them (e.g. Golf R32) aren't going to quite hit the mark of what I'm trying to achieve, which is more money in the bank and seats for kids (OK, so the seats bit is of course sorted). I looked at the R32 before getting the Boxster. I actually quite liked it but it was expensive to run for "just" a Golf; the tax was £400 a year!
I've had the Boxster 13 months or so and have got 28mpg out of it. Most of those miles are open country B and A roads, since I'm lucky enough that I don't have to commute through busy traffic or towns and cities. I don't drive like it's stolen every time I get in it, but I make progress and love the way it drives...except when there's even a tiny smattering of snow on the ground (the rear wheels are about as wide as the English Channel).
The rear seats don't need to be big and comfortable for long journeys, but do need to be big enough to get booster seats in (not full-on child seats). It's only occasional short trips that the kids will be in there. I'd also like something that doesn't give me palpitations when it's time for a service or new tyres.
I think the problem with owning a car that is expensive to run is that it's stopped me doing other stuff l like to do, like nice holidays. I just need to balance the fun budget a bit more evenly 🙂
Clio Cup would be my choice.
I have a MK5 Golf 140 bhp diesel which after putting decent tyres on and having it mapped is pretty fun to drive. Can get between 55-60 mpg on longer drives and is only £135 a year road tax.
After moving to a more rural area I had to pick up a cheap 2nd car so I didn't leave my Mrs stranded whilst at work. I picked up a Mk4 Golf GTI 1.8T. S reg (1998) with only 98,000 miles and FSH for £1200 from Gumtree and to be honest it's in fantastic condition for its age and is completely standard. I feel it's better built than my newer Golf and tend to spend more time in the older car.
Had an Ibiza FR previously and can recommend that as a fun car to drive. Bit hard on the roads and always paranoid I'd get a flat if I went through a pothole in the winter.
Looking at your past history of cars, you obviously appreciate quality stuff, rather than just powerfull engined boring cars.
IMO I'd get some thing nice and boring like a Mondeo with enough power to make progress through traffic. ie 130hp is perfectly fine. I went from sports cars in to 'hot hatch territary cars' and they just are not the same and will always dissapoint.
Then with the pennies you have saved buy a nice toy. Well thats my plan anyhow, a nice Westfield or some thing to build at the weekend, and and safe sensible car for driving children/dogs around in.
FunkyDunc, I get the logic behind this, but I don't want a "project" nor do I want (or can afford) a third car. I like fettling with my bicycles, but I don't have the time or inclination to do the same with cars. I've already done the 130bhp Mondeo 🙂
I think you're bang on with the hot hatches though. As cars get more and more refined, with more driver aids, the faster you have to drive them to find them fun. That's not what I want. I'd rather have something less powerful but fun. This is why I'm thinking "warm hatch" like the Swift Sport.
What I really need is some test drives 🙂
