I currently have a 205 rally car, it's an xs, the little 1360cc twin choke carb version. But, you can't take it for a sunny Sunday or evening drive, it's an out and out rally car these days, with bucket seats, harnesses, solid mounted everything, squealy competition brakes etc.
So what else is out there that could be a summer/nice weather car that might possibly appreciate in the future and be a potential good investment? I'm thinking for a blast over the hills/mountain roads, hot hatch probably.
I'd love a classic mini but they're too dear already, and full of rot, I just don't want something that needs a roll of mig wire chucked at it. I'd also love a tidy 205 gti but they're about £4k for a decent one already, same goes for the Williams Clio, and 106 rallye's - they're rare already and decent ones fetch a premium.
I don't mind doing some work to a car, mechanical stuff and tidying up is fine, but I don't want to have to be welding/respraying it, I want something I can use, and might just go up in value.
Clio 172 CUP is on the list, MX5 sort of, what else?
Bin dun last week
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/future-classic-cars-1
The problem with any type of speculation, is it's just that, you've got to buy something that everyone thinks is crap now and thus cheap, but will appreciate. So if you want to drive it now, you have to be driving a rubbish car, at least in other peoples perception. So if you ask everyone else, at best you'll get a list of cars that are already on the up.
Civic type R ep3
Civic type R ep3
Ditto, tidy low mileage examples are unlikely to depreciate, they are also great to drive
MX5s have pretty much bottomed out as far as depreciation goes.
I got a MK2.5 1.8 Sport VT (6 speed box, bigger brakes, bilsteins, LSD, 145hp) with 30,000 miles for £2000 last year.
Good car to drive, especially in summer - roof down, lots of grip. You sit low in it too so it seems fast even when it's not.
Saying that, they are a bit underpowered.
I'm not a Honda fan it has to be said, my mate has a Type R EP3 as his daily driver, it's a solid, reliable car, it's pokey, but I'm not keen on the VTEC thing, and I don't find it that engaging to drive.
/\ I wouldn't mind one of those MX5's with that mileage for £2k
Sell you a Clio 182 for around £2k.....
I had one of those XS for a sunny day when I was a shiny young lad. What a day, those cars are such a damn good laugh on a back road.
XSARA VTS if you can find a tidy one, I had one as a stop gap, exceptional car
I'd love to have another Clio, would have to be a 172 cup or 182 trophy for me.
Wish I'd had the space to keep my old cup, was an absolute giggle to drive, just got a bit tiring once my mileage went up to 20k a year.
I think that a tidy S2000 would be a good investment too.
306 GTI6 or a nice MR2 Turbo.
Clio 182 for £2k is reasonable, but they're a good bit heavier than a 172 cup, and I like the stripped back, lightweight aspect of the 172 cup, like a Peugeot rallye, a raw drivers car where you feel every bump, I'm not sure the 182 quite has that same feel, and there's a lot of them about.
Xsara VTS very hard to find, 306's similarly, rallye's and gti6's like hens teeth, especially for parts.
My 205 XS is great fun, almost as quick as a 1.6 gti, no electronics, just lightweight, basic fun, used to love tearing around in it before we fully rally prepped. it. If a standard road car came up I'd snap it up, but they just don't these days. 205 parts are getting harder to source too, for things like trim, interior fittings etc.
Gen 1 Boxsters are probably as low as they'll go. A clean one owner car (some old lady, or gent who may or may not have cut hair), fit a nice exhaust, wheels tyres, brakes.....boom. Well hopefully no boom, but you know what I mean.
S2000s too maybe, if your looking top down summer fun.
Lupo GTI
Sporty Clio
1.7 Puma
306 GTI-6
Fiesta ST
Ibiza Cupra
S2k springs to mind, Mk1 Focus RS, Mk5 golf gti edition 30 perhaps?
Well if you want a summer car its got to be roof down.
So your talking Suzuki Cappuccino, MX5 (not Mk3), Elise Mk1, VX220, Caterham type thing. Boxter Mk1, Honda s2000, MR2 possibly
Caterham type thing I could go for, they're a bit of a minefield though, aren't they, so many home built things around, so many different standards of kits, quality of build, engines etc
My mate has a Fiesta ST sat doing nothing, but he won't sell at a realistic price, it's a facelift 06 model, less than 50k miles, but needs all new brakes, fluid, tyres, full service including all new fluids, b pillar trims, no MOT and has an engine light on (but is probably only throttle body or egr).
That age and mileage, serviced up, on the road ready to go, it's worth probably £3-4k, but even doing all the labour myself, to put it straight and back on the road you're looking at near to a grand to do it all properly. Even then, they weren't [i]that[/i] quick, 150bhp, and are a bit heavy for what they are.
How about a Twingo 133?
MX5 with a Mazda 6 / Xedos / Ford Probe V6 dropped in the front
More power, more torque, less weight = more fun