If doing a track day, just budget for 4 new tyres. My son has done two and he didn’t realise the wear you get on the near side due to tracks mainly being clockwise. Completely wore the left shoulder on both front tyres, and the near side rear. Too much hooning it.

I know people won’t have read the full thread but I’ve already said I’m very well aware of everything else available for the same money. But yes I wanted more of a go-kart than a muscle car, and whatever we bought has to have reasonable running costs because our Doris has a currently unavoidable 20 mile commute. If we could afford the petrol for a Monaro VXR she might be driving one of those today.

I’ve had classics, bangers, vans, pickups, drifters, off-roaders etc, ect.

I’ve never had a modern car with a warranty, comfy seats and a nice stereo. Now we have and we both love it. As an added a bonus, it’s an absolute blast to drive at very reasonable speeds.

If doing a track day, just budget for 4 new tyres

Don’t worry I’ve already picked my track wheels nevermind tyres! I love the factory wheels so I want to keep them as fresh as possible and thrash something cheaper.

Sharkattack, how are you getting on? Must be a nice contrast seeing the car out on a winters day.
I’m still eyeing one up myself. I’ve seen some nice examples close to £20k now.

The novelty hasn’t worn off yet as I only get to drive it once a week. Monday to Friday the mrs. drives it to school and back with the heated seats and steering wheel on full blast. She loves it and that’s what’s important.

No problems yet or build quality issues. Yes, the colour does look amazing on a dreary, miserable day. It’s almost neon in the way it pops in low light. It’s the only thing that breaks up the chain of white Audis and SUV’s in my street.

As for enthusiastic driving all I’ve really done is a day out with a mate following his Elise around his favourite twisty bits. Let’s just say he wasn’t capable of disappearing into the distance as expected. I think it’s about as fun as it can be without jumping into something that would be very compromised on the daily commute. If I ever find a suitcase full of cash I’ll still buy an Exige.

The super sport tyres are a little loose in the current conditions. They don’t like when it’s cold and greasy so I might try to get some 17″ wheels and winter tyres or even just regular PS4’s which are supposed to be better all rounders. That’s the only issue at the minute apart from it being constantly covered in grey road slime.

I struggle to get my head round how a fiesta can cost 26 grand! They are by all accounts brilliant little cars…but it’s a fiesta!! Not So long ago my mate picked up an Audi s3 for less than that (ok it was at least 10 years ago)

I am clearly way behind on how much cars cost nowadays as just looked and a golf gti starting price is 33k!

Can’t think why anyone would buy a new car, myself.
As much as you hear about second hand cars breaking down, you hear about new cars ending up back in the dealer week after week because actually, despite being brand new, its rubbish.
In my opinion, a 30-40k mile car has had its manufacturing faults worked out of it by the previous owners.
I always assumed the brand new cars on the road are company/lease cars, or on finance at a level where the owner cant even afford a banger.
Second hand from a dealer, and they still have to give you 6 months warranty, which can often be extended to a year or two for a fee.

Having said that, and now i come to think about it:, my dad bought a yeti when they first came out. in 2009, and he still has it with 130k on it. which i think is pretty cool.

Similarly, my mum went through a phase of buying new Minis, because for the first to or three years its under warranty, the servicing is included, the MOTs are not required, and at the end of the 2 or 3 years, she was fierce enough to go back into the dealer and demand a new one, and a good part ex for her old one which has less than 20k on it. They got new car turnover, and a mint second hand car to push on, she was perpetually in a <2 yr old car (even if they were all identical). She did however have a couple that were in and out of the garage regularly, so she’s stopped that game now and is hanging on to the one she’s got.

struggle to get my head round how a fiesta can cost 26 grand! They are by all accounts brilliant little cars…but it’s a fiesta!! Not So long ago my mate picked up an Audi s3 for less than that (ok it was at least 10 years ago)

£26k 10 years ago is equivalent to over £35k today though.

Just wait till you here what the latest Toyota GR Yaris cost…I think someone mentioned rumours of this thing a few months and pages back. It’s not something that was ever on my radar but if anyone hasn’t heard about it yet, read some of the reviews that appeared a few weeks back. 10/10 all over, possibly one if the most interesting cars of a decade etc. etc…(rally homologation special for the uninitiated). 33k+ for a Toyota Yaris…a Yaris…and worth every single penny. I have never lusted after a Toyota, and now I ‘need’ one. Folks on Pistonheads ditching their sports car PCP Ferrari’s/ Porsche’s to get their orders placed for a Yaris…a Yaris. Worlds gone mad, this time in a good way. Exactly the right sort of car for a UK driving enthusiast (dare I say, chassis enthusiast), Lightweight, modest power, interaction – with that and the FST its a good time for hot hatches, and sadly probably the last generation of them too.

Not this again

I struggle to get my head round how a fiesta can cost 26 grand!

It didn’t. No one that I know of paid full price for one of these cars.

I am clearly way behind on how much cars cost nowadays as just looked and a golf gti starting price is 33k!

Yes you are. The price of absolutely everything has shot up across the board. Also 10 years ago a Fiesta was basic, empty box with nothing in it and they’re just not anymore. They’ve got all the kit from the class above while being smaller and mint to drive.

How much is the current 2020 S3?

Just kidding, not actually interested.

Can’t think why anyone would buy a new car, myself.

Yeah same here, we just wanted one. First time. Might never do it again.

Just wait till you here what the latest Toyota GR Yaris cost

That thing is awesome. All the people crying “30 grand for a Yaris” are basically admitting they have no idea what it is. It’s only a Yaris in name. It only shares the front and rear lights with a regular car, everything else is bespoke and Toyota won’t make a penny on them. They just wanted to go rallying in a more dedicated car rather than a modified shopping trolley.

Price wise it’s a step too far for us but I’ll consider one in a few years if I’ve still got a job.

I bought my Focus ST estate back in 2017 for £23.6K and it is apparently worth £13.3K looking on autotrader. Not too bad for a car that will be 4 years old in March next year. Probably get £15K selling it privately as they seem to be advertised for about £16K-18K on Ebay/autotrader.

The price of absolutely everything has shot up across the board.

My high spec BMW 320d listed at £41k new in early 2018, same model and spec is now £47k and come January, gawd knows.

As for enthusiastic driving all I’ve really done is a day out with a mate following his Elise around his favourite twisty bits. Let’s just say he wasn’t capable of disappearing into the distance as expected.

He can’t know how to drive quickly as well as you then – two evenly-matched drivers in those cars and the Elise would be way ahead on a twisty road.

Yeah 10 years of karting and 5 years of tin tops must have taught him nothing. I didn’t say he wasn’t faster but considering we’re both being relatively sensible there wasn’t much in it. Flat out he’d rinse me obviously.

Elise would be way ahead on a twisty road.

My mate had an Elise, everytime i went in it it felt like a bit of an occasion. Contrast that to the focus st he replaced it with, which was nice enough, but when all things said and done, felt about as ‘special’ as you’d expect a Ford to feel. That said it was a lot more practical!

Great colour on the Fiesta. My girlfriend’s terrifies me as I end up going way too fast without realising it. My chug a chug 17 year old T4 just got its MOT no issues. It’s CAF in my little driving world.

Yeah 10 years of karting and 5 years of tin tops must have taught him nothing. I didn’t say he wasn’t faster but considering we’re both being relatively sensible there wasn’t much in it. Flat out he’d rinse me obviously.

Only commenting based on my opinion of being a passenger in an Elise driven by a semi-pro driver – there is no comparison with the handling of one a twisty circuit against a production car given that they weigh less than Kate Moss on a diet. On that day I felt seriously scared for my safety the way he was driving. Afterwards he said he was taking it quite easy because he didn’t know the (closed) road :-O

Lotus ELise vs Gr Yaris on a twisty uneven B road, slightly damp in places, now there’d be a race on our hands. Hazard a guess the GR might edge it…on a dry track maybe Elise still wins…4wd vs maybe 5 Kate Mosses worth of weight difference (have no idea what a Kate Moss weighs).

My Mrs has a new shape Puma on PCP. She got it direct from Ford. She also got a much cheaper quote from a broker, went back to Ford and they managed to beat it.

Elise’s are an event to drive at very sensible speeds below the speed limit on the road, but you are so low you sometimes don’t have sufficient view down the road to push on. On the track though they are great fun without killing brakes and tyres like heavier cars, they are a sort nice half way house between a Caterham and a sensible car.

Yes, guilty of about to spend £33500 on a Toyota Yaris, my car history is littered with cast me offs, just needs this fixing and eBay bargains so gonna treat myself because it looks a beast of a motor, roll on January.😊

An Elise S2 is still on my short list. I looked at loads but if I’d bought one we would have been stuck with the Panda as a daily and we were both totally over it. It seemed daft to suffer on a daily basis just to have an occasional car in the garage.

Maybe when we switch the Fiesta for something bigger I’ll look again. Until then I’ll just maximise lift off over steer while giggling like an idiot. I might take it to one of the charity tracks days at Blyton park.

Yes, guilty of about to spend £33500 on a Toyota Yaris

Enjoy it mate, it’ll be immense. Can’t wait to blag a passenger ride in one.

They just wanted to go rallying in a more dedicated car rather than a modified shopping trolley.

2022 will see space frame chassis for the WRC, so the chassis of a road car won’t mean squat.

DO IT. By all accounts the GR is exceptional. Will it be Evo’s car of the year I wonder. Chris Harris’s verdict will be out shortly too I believe. I would if I could, which I can’t coz I is broke. Second hand market for these could be interesting in 5years..but may well hold their rarity value very well. Last chance before relegated to white goods milk floats.

Cost of fiesta’s have increases as they’ve become a more premium car now. as other entrants ha e come into the market like Kia and Ssanyong etc, they are positioned lower than the fiesta. This has meant Ford has upped the premium on the fiesta…it is a much better car than it used to be, more nicely trimmed, more gadgets, more choice etc. Same with Golf and the lower positioned Skoda and Seat brands. The market has fragmented with established brands and models becoming more premium and new entrants being more budget.

Just bog standard text book market development.

2022 will see space frame chassis for the WRC, so the chassis of a road car won’t mean squat

They never use the chassis of a road car they’re already full tubular space frames with a mile of suspension travel. The problem is you can’t change the shape of the exterior shell. You’re also not allowed to fit aero to rear doors which is the reason Tommi Makinen wanted a 3 door shell. If Toyota just welded the rear doors shut and chopped the roof down by 100mm they’d get disqualified.

Very nice car, love the colour. I’m only mildly jealous as I’ve just sold my ep3 Type R and now drive a Skoda 🙁

They never use the chassis of a road car they’re already full tubular space frames with a mile of suspension travel. The problem is you can’t change the shape of the exterior shell. You’re also not allowed to fit aero to rear doors which is the reason Tommi Makinen wanted a 3 door shell. If Toyota just welded the rear doors shut and chopped the roof down by 100mm they’d get disqualified.

Sort of. It is a production chassis with a roll cage installed and new turrets, but they are within a window of the original.

I used to prepare/fabricate the WRC Fiesta shells.

The yaris looks a lot of fun.

The issue I have with cars like the st and the gr however is that for 95% of the driving you do their potential is utter wasted and, barring a few gadgets and gizmos, and nicer seats, you would be as well off sitting in the equally cramped and not particularly comfortable base model (and before anyone says it I appreciate the yaris has been designed from ground up, but point still stands).

^^ But that isn’t the point of them. The point of them is to have a car you just love to get into. One that puts a smile on your face as you press the start button and hear the engine roar into life. One that you sometimes get to open up a bit and have a bit of fun in. One that you turn around and look at when you park it up.

Sharkattack, my sister has an S2 it’s not been driven for 15 years, I’ve tried to buy it off her but she’s avin non of it.

That’s a tragedy which I can relate to. My step dad has a Miami blue, 1.9, 205 GTi in the garage and I’m not allowed to touch it.

It hasn’t moved for at least 15 years, probably more. He has no plans for it and will never do anything with it but won’t sell it and he won’t let me bring it back to life.

It’s just sitting there full to the roof with junk. It’s infuriating.

Shocking mate, should legislation against that kind of behaviour 😁

The issue I have with cars like the st and the gr however is that for 95% of the driving you do their potential is utter wasted

Not if you live up the superior Northern end of the country, with some of the countries best driving roads on your doorstep, which if timed carefully can be nearly deserted…

Not if you live up the superior Northern end of the country, with some of the countries best driving roads on your doorstep, which if timed carefully can be nearly deserted…

Same for me – lots of fast & empty roads 🙂

The issue I have with cars like the st and the gr however is that for 95% of the driving you do their potential is utter wasted

Bloody hell it’s a small hatchback not an actual rallycross car or a 600bhp Lambo.

you would be as well off sitting in the equally cramped and not particularly comfortable base model

But then you’d have a car that is enjoyable 0% of the time rather than occasionally brilliant. There’s plenty of opportunity to unleash 200bhp in a small car without ending up in prison. That’s why people buy them in huge numbers.

Not if you live up the superior Northern end of the country, with some of the countries best driving roads on your doorstep, which if timed carefully can be nearly deserted

Yep. It’s very easy for me to go out and avoid all the humans for a few hours. I imagine it’ll be the new highlight of visiting family up in the wilderness but we haven’t been up there yet.

Around 200bhp is perfect IMO, I’ve been in faster and more capable cars but they’re too much for windy British roads. The fun of driving is in the corners, not hitting 170mph on a motorway.

The people having the most fun at trackdays are usually the people in the slowest car

The people having the most fun at trackdays are usually the people in the slowest car

I can agree with that – driving an Exige around Silverstone and overtaking Ferarris was fun. Yes, they are quicker (in the right hands) but bunging a little car with a powerful engine into flat corners is much easier 😹

But then you’d have a car that is enjoyable 0% of the time rather than occasionally brilliant.

Yep…I wouldn’t buy the base model either! I’d probably buy something that I enjoyed sitting in for the majority of the driving I did, and accept it would be slightly compromised from a performance perspective. But that’s just me, clearly thousands of folks would rather have the hot hatch.

But that isn’t the point of them. The point of them is to have a car you just love to get into. One that puts a smile on your face as you press the start button and hear the engine roar into life. One that you sometimes get to open up a bit and have a bit of fun in. One that you turn around and look at when you park

You see for me, other than the fun to drive bit, a hot hatch doesn’t tick any of those boxes. A hot hatch still looks like the standard car albeit with a bright paint job usually , nor do they sound particularly great due to not particularly big engines. I use to have one back in the day (an ibiza cupra r in bright yellow), it was a fun wee car but didn’t make me smile every time I sat in it or turned the engine on

The car I now have I think does tick the boxes above, it’s fast, sounds great due to a big engine, and doesn’t look like the my nan’s car either. But the same criticism still applies, it’s kinda pointless for 95% of the driving I do and the novelty of the perfomance soon wore off.

I obviously didn’t think that way about it when I bought it, but now I’m old and grumpy, and certainly would buy it again…So much so that i bought an old estate for the vast majority of the driving I do.

Just to be clear though, I’m not arguing the likes of an ST isn’t a cracking wee car..it is..its just not what I’d spend my money on anymore

Second hand from a dealer, and they still have to give you 6 months warranty,

😂 they really don’t!