Since when did these become sports cars?? Hot hatches maybe, but sports cars??
for about £7k you could get a good Lotus Elan - not quite a proper sports car (it's FWD bizarrely) but looks like one and goes like one. And it's got a japanese engine so it'll be reliable! (don't expect to stay dry though, even with the roof up).
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For hot hatch suggestions, VW Corrado VR6, Fiat Coupe 20v turbo and Alfa 3.0 GTV are all easily attainable within your budget, the last two are probably best forgotton though if you really must have reliability.
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Last suggestion - Porsche 944?
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Sports car, my mistake a fast car that handles well and doesnt cost an arm and leg to maintain, a Q car that can handle fell roads in winter and is fun of course. The 944 has a poor turning circle and the costs to maintain are large.
I may be asking the impossible!
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Nissan 200 SX, lots of power, real wheel drive, relatively simple ( compared to the Honda and Subaru )
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Do you know of any reliability problems with the Fiat Coupe, or just an assumption as it's a Fiat?
Asking as I hope to get one as my next car, and although absolute reliability isn't the highest thing on my list, I don't want it to spend half it's life in a garage, or cost me too much.
Up to now, I've only heard good things about it.
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The Fiat is a good car for the £$£$
Looked at quite a few before Mrs Vansboy got her Mx5.
Lots in 'wrong' colours, bright blue,dark metalic green, grey. Best in Broom Yellow, or solid racing red.
Check www.carsfromitaly.com lots info n stuff there.
VB
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Watch out for expensive cam belt changes on the 5 cylinder models although I think some Independents can do the change without taking the engine out.
The later turbo models with the six speed box are the ones to get if you can find one.
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Nissan 200SX
Nissan 300ZX
Audi A4 2.8
Golf VR6
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I'm surprised the MX5 hasn't been mentioned.
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Nissan Skyline GTS-t. RWD, 6 cylinder, 24V turbo, with LSD and 4WS as std, and they arent as heavy as they look. 5K gets you a fairly good R32 (the better looking one IMO) 10K will get you an R33 with next to no mileage... insurance can be pricey though. Lot of car for the money.
Cheers,
Pad
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Pad,
Not sure if youve been in one, own one or driven one, how do they handle fell roads (twist's truns sheep running about etc.. ) sounds a good car tho.
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Steve,
I own one (thats for sale incidentally, but I think I have a buyer) and have done for 13 months now. They are suprisingly chuckable (the R32's more so as they are a bit lighter). Mine weighs about 1320kgs, so by modern day stds thats not too bad. I recently had mine on a track day and had no problem hassling a couple of WRX's.
However, when the going gets bumpy I suspect the Scoob will clear off. And in the wet.... well, you just have to take it easy, you really cannot muck about with turbocharged RWD cars with no traction control in the wet. So, given your requirements it may not be ideal.
Great car though, and you do own a peice of motoring legend (even if it is reflected glory).
If you want more info on the GTS Skylines, goto www.skylinegts.co.uk which has a useful amount of info to get your head around.
Cheers,
Pad
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I'm surprised the MX5 hasn't been mentioned.
Isn't really a sports car or is it?
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>> I'm surprised the MX5 hasn't been mentioned. >> Isn't really a sports car or is it?
Depends on your definition of sportscar. If your definition is fast, then probably not, but if it's fun, then apparently it certainly is (I can't judge personally, having never driven one)
For what it's worth, I call a fast car a 'performance car' and a fun car a 'sports car'. Obviously the two aren't mutually exclusive, but they're also certainly not the same thing.
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I think that poss it is a sports car as I find it unnecessarily hard to get in and out of!
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Watch out for expensive cam belt changes on the 5 cylinder models although I think some Independents can do the change without taking the engine out. The later turbo models with the six speed box are the ones to get if you can find one.
It's definitely the case that it can be done without removing the engine, this is one of the major things I've checked up on before thinking of owning one.
It's still not exactly cheap, but £500 for 'the biggie' in the servicing schedule is better than the £2000 that everyone thinks it'll cost.
I certainly can't think of a car that I'd rather own next for the £5000-6000 I'll be spending. Beautiful, different, rapid, eye-catching, supposedly one of the best handling FWD chassis (chasses?) ever made, and no widely reported reliability problems.
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I have to admit i've got no direct experience of the Fiat Coupe. I did look into them for a while though, and they do have a solid reputation - mechanically strong, but occaisional niggles such as electrical problems (same as a lot of Italian cars really). Personally i'd jump at the chance to own one, the reliability wouldn't worry me at all, but then that's not a prime concern when i buy a car!
I didn't buy one because my budget was 3-4k, which just wasn't enough to get a decent one. Looking around though Bazza, 5-6k will get you a cracker.
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Integra Type R?
MR2 (if you don't need a boot)
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I didn't buy one because my budget was 3-4k, which just wasn't enough to get a decent one. Looking around though Bazza, 5-6k will get you a cracker.
Hmm... All I need now is the 5-6K, any offers? :D
Sorry, should have mentioned, while it certainly is my plan to have one as my next car, this is, shall we say, a mid- to long-term plan. Possibly towards the end of this year, more likely next.
I console myself with two facts:
1) By that time, 5k should get me a low mileage 6-speeder (with the starter button, how exciting!)
2) My current car (Alfa 145 QV) is already great fun, it's not like I'm pining away in a boring Eurobox.
Happy motoring all!
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Bazza - Alfa 145 - you're obviously a man of taste when it comes to cars. Most on this forum seem to think:
a) If it's Italian, French or British it will automatically break down. They do not need to have driven or owned these cars to come to this conclusion.
b) That the Japanese actually design nice cars!! Can't see it myself...
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I owned a Fiat Coupe 20v turbo for a year and for the money it is a real humdinger of a car, 220 bhp and georgeous looks. They are actually quite reliable if you find a good one (I looked at 7 before I found a good one). Don't pay the overinflated price people ask, and go for a good colour/spec (eg speed red, black leather and aircon). I sold mine because I wanted a bigger car but I would own one again if I could...
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Thanks Owen, very kind of you to say so. ;)
I have to admit to having been quite recently saved, although my excuse for previous cars is that financial circumstances forced my hand somewhat.
What's that? You want examples? OK, Mitsubishi Colt GTi and Volvo 440 GLEi. Neither bastions of style I'm afraid. :o
Ian, how long did you own your Coupe? The reason I ask, is that the one bad thing I have heard is that the Red paintwork is prone to orange-peel. It is one of the nicest colours it comes in, so I'd be interested to hear whether this is the case or not.
I actually think it looks very nice in the yellow too, but SWMBO won't hear of us owning a yellow car, it's almost as unthinkable as green!
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OK, just noticed that you said you owned it for a year... ignore me then.
And Owen, I also don't see where people get there opinions of Japanese cars. Yes, they're reliable, and yes, when they make them fast, they make them really fast, but there seems a certain lack of soul.
My Colt GTi was faster than my 145 was (originally :D ) but it didn't put half the smile on my face, either driving it, or stepping out of the front door and seeing it for the first time each morning...
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Bazza, what model 145 have you got? I fancied one when we bought our last car, but we ended up with a 306 XSi instead. There was a lovely 145 for sale at a garage just up the road, but it was overpriced with the result that it became a bit of a "landmark" - it was there for at least a year!!
Seems we are two of the few of whom reliability scare stories don't put us off!
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I have a '98 145 Cloverleaf.
Had her for a year and a half, and still absolutely besotted.
Which probably explains my over-reaction to the Alfa 5yr warrantee thread, might have to go back over there and apologise :o
For the record, she's left me in the lurch once in that time, with a faulty temperature sender meaning she wouldn't start. Fixed in a day, and would have been covered under warrantee anyway, if the warrantee people had honoured it, instead of wriggling out of it on a technicality.
A small price to pay for 18 months of very enjoyable motoring.
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Sports car - Alfa GTV
Sporting car - You can get a nice Alfa 156 for that money.
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