Funky, Frugal, Fun and Four Grand – car question

OK, so £4000 to get me something that does lots and lots of MPG, is kinda funky to look at and fun to drive. Will be used for about town and the odd (once a week) 2 hour motorway drive for meetings and then back again. Small is fine so long as it feels OK cruising at 80. 2+2 coupe, small hatch, what?

OK, Go!

fiat 500 abarth?

Well as you’ll be driving around town, no car will be great on fuel.

For that money, depending on what is most important I would look at either a Clio 192 Sport (Fun & Funky) or a fabia VRS(Frugal & Fun)

Clio:
http://www4.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201216464863196/sort/default/usedcars/price-from/4000/price-to/5000/engine-size-cars/2l_to_2-5l/model/clio/make/renault/postcode/sw194jz/radius/1500/page/1?logcode=p

VRS:
http://www4.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201216465098154/sort/default/usedcars/price-from/4000/price-to/5000/fuel-type/diesel/model/fabia/make/skoda/radius/1500/page/1/keywords/vrs/postcode/sw194jz?logcode=p

Not 2+2 but small, funky and fun an older MX5. Pretty good on fuel too.

Panda multijet, £30 tax, group 2 insurance, 60 mpg av, (more if you keep to 60) will sit at 80 all day…
And you can fit two L 19inch 29er’s in the back with kit n stuff, recent 370 mile round trip to Cannock with said 29ers cost £34.75 doing 70-80ish on the motorway,
Fun to drive as well, fit some wider wheels and they’re a hoot! I love mine 😀

audi a2?

Suzuki swift does all that

Mini cooper, although rather dull in appearance these days

One of the very last ford pumas (52 plate)

Not small, but fun, Toyota celica

I love my celica, back seats down you can get 2 bikes in.

Were can you get 500 Abarths for £4k? I didn’t think they were that cheap yet.

This one here

VW Lupo GTI

970kg – 127 bhp/per ton
0-60 – 7.7 seconds
38.2 mpg combined
Rare – only 1000 imported
6 speed close ratio g/box

When I say driving about town, it’s a small market town, not exactly the stop start of Bristol. I’m also too old for pukka hot hatch suspension that you need to go and see a chiropractor after a journey of more than 10 minutes, so that sort of thing is out. A bit of comfort will do nicely. Bear in mind that I’ve owned 2 Citroen 2CVs. Fun doesn’t have to be fast. (I’m beginning to sound like James May…).

Panda type of thing might fit the bill…

Ta for suggestions so far.

Fiesta Zetec-S; previous generation with the 1.6 petrol or diesel?

Seat Ibiza FR; 150 bhp petrol 1.8T or 130bhp 1.9 diesel.

Panda 100bhp if you can get them for £4k

Sport Ka?

Ford Racing Puma? 155bhp tickled engine & even more sorted suspension.

A Citroen C2 1.6 VTS?

Not the most frugal, but its only a wee car and it looks funky, otherwise a C3 HDi might be right up your street

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2nd the panda but query 60 mpg , I do between 40 and 50 depending on the nature of the driving.

That spanner layout is weird.

Buy my Smart ForTwo if you like.

MX5 any day, would put any of the above to shame in the fun stakes

Petrol pandas get 40-50mpg, the multijet is a small 1.3 16v turbo diesel, 60mpg is pretty easy to get, more if you go slow, mine will drop to 55mpg if I absolutely hammer it…
if yours is a multijet I’d get it looked at if your only getting 40-50mpg cos something not right…

Two words:

M.

X.

5.

Actually

There is a fiesta on the classifieds for 875 quid. Buy that and drive it like you stole it. Even the shittest car is fun at that price.

Spend the change on cakes and bikes.

Cheap tax, insurance and fuel costs don’t have to be dull though, do they? A Fiat 500 Twin Air might be just the ticket if they were £4000, so what’s available that’s a bit like the 500 that was new maybe 4 or 5 years ago?

Not a Mini! That once iconic British brand has been sullied by BMW.

Not sure I’d be happy in a TJ Deathtrap to do the motorway miles, jam bo. I’d be forever waiting for it to go pop.

Al – with your history I’m not listening to you. 😛

Smart Forfour Brabus, had one, they look great, loads of space inside, economical and pretty nippy, very torquey. Hard ride but handle pretty well.

Lupo GTi is also a good shout, wife had one and it’s been one of the best handling VW’s of recent times, TINY boot though.

vrs skoda
lupo tdi sport

we have had both and the lupo is great, we wanted the gti lupo drove both and the gti is a hoot but the tdi is frugal, fast enough and very capable on A roads, and the motorway

vrs, very quick and good on fuel, not a bad thing to be said really.

I just prefer the lupo.

We looked at the A2 but alu body expensive to repair and hit and miss on reliabilty.

People cant seriously be suggesting audis? The dullest cars around!

If you don’t mind run of the mill, I second the comments on the fiat 1.3 diesel engine, My tigra is fitted with it and last trip of 670 miles worked out at 58.9mpg brim to brim, and that was town and motorway work,cheap VED,cheap insurance….

Panda 100hp
1.7 Puma and pocket the change.

Awesome car.

Lupo GTI will have numerous massive bills.

No VAG product is fun to drive £ per £

Fabia VRS – Great mid range torque, chip well, diesel but plain looks
Mitsubishi Colt CZT – I’ve got one of these. Roomy and rapid, fuel efficient when warm and driven with a light foot, realistic 40+mpg on motorway runs at 70, more at 60.
Smart Brabus is also a good call (similar to the Colt as they are built at the same plant)

You’ll think I’m crazy, but you’ll struggle to beat this suggestion:

http://www2.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201201439766474/sort/default/make/peugeot/model/206/postcode/ml106ul/radius/1501/body-type/estate/fuel-type/diesel/price-to/4000

Economical but punchy, absolutely brilliant to drive, can get all you need in the back; 2 bikes, all your bits.

I loved mine (and I was an ardent irrational Peugeot hater up until the 206 was forced on me) and would have another in a trice.