After a sporty a car around £2k... what not to get? What to get :D

juno_first

juno_first

juno_first

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Joined
18 Apr 2003
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Okay my first spec me a car was a diesel Mondeo, although seeing as I only do 4000 combined miles/year, already used to 25mpg & insurance is no issue then a mid-life crisis car is allowed :eek:

My quick car history: Fiesta 1.1 van (1982), Fiest 1.3 ghia (omg it has a centre console), Orion 1.6i ghia (darn high compression engine), Calibra 2.0L 8v (kinda slow), Fiesta 1.1 (not again), Saxo VTS (omg its a rocket propelled go-kart), Mondeo 1.8 (I thought it was broke but its just slow tho v-reliable).

After something that looks nice, no less than 22mpg urban, not Mondeo big, sporty, 0-60 at most 9sec, could plonk a mountain bike somewhere on or in it & dont care about insurance being as going from a grp8 Mondeo to Focus ST170 grp15 only costs an extra £50/yr. I think the only good things going for me here are mpg & insurance, lol.

Ive had my heart set on a Focus ST170 but its hard to find one within 30 miles that does not seem a bit dodgy; like ads saying sold as seen with 1 key, looking lower than normal, big exhaust etc.
Also, people keep moaning about mpg, inlet manifolds & other things coming loose.

Ive just noticed that for £2k I could also get a Celica, which look nice but I dont know anything about them. Although you seem to get more bang for buck regarding price.
Is the Celica a demon car? The 1.8 does not seem that fast. Do they blow up after 80k miles? :confused:

Any guidance or tips would be greatly appreciated as i'll be shopping in 3 weeks after being paid will bump up my savings since like forever to the magical £2k ooooh lol

Thanks guys
 
Mint and well looked after 306 GTI-6, but even late ones are way around 12-13 years old and they're not that economical either. Great cars though!
 
I swore after my Saxo VTS fell apart id never go French again but I'll look at the GTI-6.
Thought of an MX5 but the older ones are a bit feminine & £2k would probably get me an older W reg in good condition. The canoe looks funny on that MX5 ha ha, bike on it looks a mess tho.
 
Learning about the Celica & apparently the 140 as a major oil burning issue until late 03. Although covered by an extended warranty up2 106k miles if properly serviced etc. but its still a risk :(
The 190 would be amazing but more expensive.
 
Westyfield2 said:
I was gonna say a Saxo VT* with change, until I read you'd already had one!
Click to expand...

Yeah the VTS was lots of fun to drive until the block cracked & dumped its oil into the water.
It was very quick up2 70mph too & would leave a VTR for dust.
Although im 40 now & a sporty Saxo wont look right either :rolleyes:

I'm liking the Celica 190 but its a bit over my price, unless my old Mondeo is worth anything with 5 weeks MOT/tax (prob scrap then).
The Celica 140 is risky because of their oil probs pre 03. Plus they're a bit slow.
 
I picked up my Celica T-Sport for just over 2k a couple of months ago so it's well within budget! Don't worry about mileage and buy on condition and history.

I would personally avoid the 140 as hitting lift at 6.2k up to 8.2k is a extremely entertaining, and is something you do not get in the 140. They also return pretty much the same MPG while driven normally.

ELAfF.jpg

Some downsides:
Stock stereo doesn't have MP3 input
Not a good motorway cruiser as 6th gear is too short (~5000RPM at 90mph)
Beeps like a bus in reverse :p

With the parcel shelf out and the rear seats down you will easily get a full size mountain bike in there :)
 
MK2 MR2's can be had pretty cheap these days. I get 30 - 35 mpg out of my 2.0 NA. Quite quick (7.5 to 60?). Not sure on the bike issue though. Also a bit feminie like the MX5 but great fun to drive. Could get a turbo for even more fun as well.
 
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Remember the 190 has the same issues as the 140 (it's the same engine for all intents and purposes) so you want a 2003+ engine ideally. In reality so long as you spot the signs early you could drop the oil for a longlife sort and get rid of it should it start to eat itself.

The 140 is a waste of time, it struggled in my mr2 and is worse than useless in a celica.

The alloys are **** and corrode as mentioned - not expensive to refurb mind.

Considerd a 156 v6 sportwagon? Dirt cheap as people are scared of them

Mk4 golf V6 could be within budget too? Bit boring but good all round - might be a bit optimistic to find a decent one for this money though
 
I would avoid an ST170. You could probably get an EP3 with high miles for £2k if you keep an eye out. As long as it has good service history the miles shouldn't be too much of a worry.
 
Could also try the Corolla T-Sport, same engine as the Celica 190. And probably more practical.

Parents had one for ages, until Dad saw the runout special Corolla that Toyota Team Europe did, lingering on a dealership forecourt... Supercharged 2ZZ :p
 
If you were looking at a focus st170 then get a GTI-6.
Its the same but better.
Better MPGz (only slightly)
Better Engine all round (Perhaps one of the best sounding 2 litre 4 pots)
No Ford Tax
BUY ONE NOW :P
A GTi-6 is a drivers car and a Hot hatch. A Focus St170 is less so.
Also these days you can get a VERY nice one for 1.3k or a very nice rallye for 1.5k
Someones selling one on the owners club with 43k for around that figure.

The engine and gearbox are just oh so good.
I absolutely love mine, I've recently went a bit mental on the suspension and it handles corners now like you wouldnt believe. You would swear it has a LSD with the power you can put down on exit too, not a hint of understeer.
 
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