The Focus is the best road car - most refined - with the best suspension, but is a bit nose heavy on track - easily the fastest when modded, will probably be the most reliable of this trio too.

The RS197 is a tried and tested chassis and engine - niggly problems aside - fairly robust, probably the best handling of the bunch unmodded.

The Mini is the most likely to break-down and suffer expensive issues. It's probably the most exciting one to drive on a track, but like most exciting things - it won't be very exciting after it's broken for the fifth time and you're fighting the urge to torch it.

All three cars are likely to be bought and run by young petrol heads and will therefore suffer from the usual maladies, poor servicing, low quality mods.

I'd start with a car as standard as possible and mod it myself - rather than buy something already modded that has had the life thrashed out of it. You're more likelyto find a good Focus becasue a) there's more of them and b) many were bought buy middle-aged men recaputuring their youth so a more likely to have been looked after. There's a reasonable chance, like most fast Fords, the Focus RS will become an appreciating classic. The same can be said for the Clio but to a lesser extent.

Don’t you think you need to be sensible.

No, he clearly wants some fun!

R53 Cooper will be up to 2006 with supercharger, so bear in mind the age and gremlins that will creep in. Issues will be paintwork, gearbox, radiator corrosion and the electric steering rack failure. Find a well-cared for one - with a panoramic roof - and you will have fun. Some parts can be silly prices.

Focus - very much a elder boy racer car. Being Ford, should be cheap to repair. Is this the model with the 2.5l engine, as it is a bit thirsty. Latest versions I like a lot.

Clio - Hmm. We had a 52 plate clio in the family (against my advice) and it was a bag of you know what. Electrical issues neeeding part loom replacement, sun roof leaked (they all do!), would start when it wanted to, and accelerator/throttle body issues. Again, likely to be abused, though have seen several mint examples.

You have to drive them all really. Good luck

Edited by Miniman777 on 07/04/2018 at 13:18

Yeah, but not sure fun is allowed on this forum!

You upset cos we don’t tell everyone looking for £3k worth of reliable family hatch to go buy an Alfa or worn out BM 330?

No accounting for that kind of mentality SLO, but i suspect he is also upset because of the comments directed towards Alfa Romeo on a previous post (note the username)

Also seems to be completely oblivious to the point of this particular forum.

If he can't make any useful comments other than childish barbs here and there, maybe he should find a forum which favours the kind of cars he does?

The OP is looking at trying to buy a 12+yr old performance car on a modest budget.

I am sure that there are good 12 year old performance cars out there but finding one is the tricky thing.

In a modest budget look at a modest petrol car - it could be more reliable. A modest petrol car that starts & stops wins over a car that is constant trouble.