May I just say the Panda 100bhp was the most fun per £ car I've ever had. Great shout by BBD.

Edited by Alfa mail on 10/12/2022 at 07:31

I asked my wife what she likes about the Corsa (she drives it more than me) and she said she liked that it responded when you push the accelerator. Having had a Seat Mii before (albeit the 'sporty' 75ps one), I can see where she's coming from.

Heh, my wife refuses to be parted from our normally-aspirated 2015 Corsa E 1.4 (90bhp) which exhibits no such response, but does have heated seats and steering wheel ....

Save £thousands by finding one of the rare Toyota Yaris 1.8 SR's from 2009 ish, or Honda Civic 2.0 litre type S.

Easy performance without being shaken to bits via concrete springs on Britains third world roads, even my lad in his 20s couldn't cope for long with the ride of their Panda 100hp, thankfully i never went in the thing, wife's Citroen C2 VTS was a bad enough bone shaker to ruin any enjoyment the car might have otherwise had.

I've read on this forum that rust is a problem. Maybe only certain years are affected?

Looking on Autotrader, £8k seems to be enough to get into a 2013 1.8 or a year older for a 2.0 (up to 70k, no ins write offs).

Depends on what you want and what you are willing to put up with. I wouldn't imagine the hood of a 10 year old MX5 would be well insulated, so you might want, or need, a hard top. In which case you'd need somewhere to store that in the summer months. Boot is pretty small, so you'd need to pack carefully if using it for a long weekend away. Also a very low car, so if you are not as limber as you once were, getting out could quickly become tiresome!. As much as the thought of a car like that appeals, I know that personally I would rather have something with a taller seat height. Not sure my wife could manage to get out of an MX5 with hood up and my Dad with his knackered knees and lower back definitely couldn't!.

We have the Karoq for long runs and filling up with stuff. This car will probably go a maximum of 15 miles each way for most of its life and probably no more than 5 90% of the time. There are quite a few hills around here (we live at the foot of the Mendips) so anything without much poke struggles.

I'd have a Twizy if I didn't mind being wet and cold.

Now then. You don't see many of these.

www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202210301209200?a...3

Thanks! Have you seen the rest of the stuff they've got? Incredible.

So...having tried a few options, I have today placed a deposit on something that (I think) fits the bill. There is no prize for guessing, not least as it's not that hard, but it's rear wheel drive, turbocharged and has go-faster stripes.

'Rocket' is certainly overdoing it, but it's a lot more fun than the press would have you believe.

It does.. ..NOT

You were very close with your first guess. Just longer and not as smart.

Yes, it has a manual gearbox. No, it's not unusual. No, it has a perfectly normal roof.

Apart from the engine being in the back, it's almost entirely unremarkable and I'm almost embarrassed about wasting your time trying to work out what it is.

Engine in the back? Must be a Twingo.

Give that man a medal. Yes, it's a Twingo. It popped up this morning at the village garage, so I went for a quick test drive, spun the wheels pulling off to the forecourt, chucked it around a couple of roundabouts and decided to have it. It's a little unrefined but good fun and ses.to have the power in the right place.

It's another that makes me very suspicious of reviews; they all say it's no fun, the steering's vague etc. We had a Seat Mii a while ago and the Twingo is a lot more entertaining.

I know you said not as smart, but...

www.honestjohn.co.uk/smart/roadster/ ?

EDIT: doh :)

Edited by maz64 on 17/01/2023 at 21:38

It was, and also the fact that the Twingo is really just a Smart Forfour but less ugly.

Yes, it has a manual gearbox. No, it's not unusual. No, it has a perfectly normal roof.

Apart from the engine being in the back, it's almost entirely unremarkable and I'm almost embarrassed about wasting your time trying to work out what it is.

Don't be embarrassed, while I didn't come up with the correct answer, it gave me something to think about!.

As you probably guessed my first thought was the Smart Roadster (though that was a bit of a red herring as I'd forgot that it didn't use a turbo). When you said I was very close, but it was longer and not as smart, I thought (bearing in mind your expressing an interest in the MX5) of a basic Mercdes SLK. Mercdes owned Smart (part own these days I think), so close in that respect. Definitely longer, the basic models use a 1.8 turbo and, with a manual box, I guess they might actually be quite fun. I'd also guess the motoring press might consider them no fun without a much more powerful engine!.

But the Twingo is something I've also been interested in. They are narrow, tall and have a very good turning circle. Despite a boot which, on paper, is small, they are very practical. Because the engine is under it, the boot floor is level with the bottom of the tailgate and the rear seats fold to make a completely flat load area. In addition, the front passenger seat back can also be folded so long items (as long as they are not too wide!) can be transported. What puts me off is the lack of a good auto option (though having discussed the possibility of going back to a manual car, she reckons she'd cope) and also the rear seats don't look very comfortable, even for the size of car. The rear seat cushions appear to be low, flat and short. I often take my folks out, so I'm not sure it would work for us.

TBH, I have not read that the steering is vague?. The minus points I have read are that the turbo suffers from more lag than you'd expect from a modern car, but familiarity would overcome that before long. Also stability in crosswinds due to being so tall, narrow and with little weight over the front wheels. And that the traction control (which can't be switched off) stifles any fun which might be gained from its mechanical layout. Apparently the front end also 'bobs' like an old 911!. Also, bear in mind there is no possibility for carrying a spare unless you get a roof rack!.

But I will look forward to hearing how you find it!.