What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
Best sports car for 80 year old driver?
I recently bought my 80 year old petrolhead father a Ford Focus RS. In fact my idea was to let him drive it for a few weeks, that was on 3 September and I've not had it back since!
He is now emailing with tales of his test drive of a BMW 140i and is making noises about how much more of a GT it is compared with the out and out sports car that is the RS. I am happy to change the focus for the M140i, but is this a good idea?
The stability of the Focus is a good thing, but the manual 'box may be less comfortable for him to use moving forward. Would welcome your input?
He is now emailing with tales of his test drive of a BMW 140i and is making noises about how much more of a GT it is compared with the out and out sports car that is the RS. I am happy to change the focus for the M140i, but is this a good idea?
The stability of the Focus is a good thing, but the manual 'box may be less comfortable for him to use moving forward. Would welcome your input?
Asked on 8 November 2016 by Huw Chance
Answered by
Honest John
The 140i replaces the 335i and is half a step down from an M2. More rear-endy than an M2 because, despite the tyre burning pictures, the M2 is extremely well stuck at the back. That makes the 140i less safe than a Focus RS. But, having got hold of an RS you can probably show a £5k - £10k profit by selling it to someone who doesn't want to wait a year for one. M2 test here: www.honestjohn.co.uk/road-tests/bmw/bmw-m2-2016-ro.../
Similar questions
I'm looking to buy a Honda Civic Type R GT as the best balance (as far as I can see) between performance, looks and practicality out there at the moment. Essentially I am looking for any buying advice...
I've recently retired and am looking to buy a new or nearly new car. Ideally an automatic with cruise control; reliable, comfortable and reasonably fast (0-60 in 10 seconds or so). As the kids have flown...
We took delivery of a 2015 plate Leon Hatchback 150 TSI FR yesterday. Before buying it, we had test drives in the ST and hatchback in an identical spec except for the wheels, which were 18-inch on the...
Related models
.jpg?width=115&height=75&rmode=crop)
A very entertaining car to drive, efficient yet powerful engines, superb infotainment.
.jpg?width=115&height=75&rmode=crop)
Supercar performance for £30k, outstanding four-wheel drive with huge levels of grip, lots of everyday usability.
![2019 BMW 1 Series 118i [1.5] M Sport Shadow Edition 5dr](http://images.honestjohn.co.uk/imagecache/url/crop/90x60/https/cdn.uk.prod.group-mobility-trader.com/images/cas/98557f07e8c40fb7d29b5fa5cba20530/7447ee4d25fe66479dc0fb0dbd1dcf75.jpg)
![2018 BMW 1 Series 120i [2.0] M Sport Shadow Ed 5dr Step Auto](http://images.honestjohn.co.uk/imagecache/url/crop/90x60/https/cdn.uk.prod.group-mobility-trader.com/images/cas/d4a12ddfa23a2d8191dbb994dc3507ae/ba7a232d113dfdd7080a8ab51cc1cd9d.jpg)
![2017 BMW 1 Series M140i 5dr [Nav] Step Auto](http://images.honestjohn.co.uk/imagecache/url/crop/90x60/https/cdn.uk.prod.group-mobility-trader.com/images/cas/b07fbf09b6100972f375c3f2aeb3375a/fbe9587486987d28858235b086b9cbc1.jpg)
![2017 BMW 1 Series 118i [1.5] M Sport 5dr [Nav] Step Auto](http://images.honestjohn.co.uk/imagecache/url/crop/90x60/https/cdn.uk.prod.group-mobility-trader.com/images/cas/07cd3783823333e37283018748fee1e3/fe07f887cf3d201436b7ee0c05d55aa9.jpg)
Elsewhere on 
.jpg)
