Reccomendations: Something Sporty for £2-3000

memphisto

memphisto

memphisto

Man of Honour
Joined
17 Oct 2002
Posts
12,925
Hi,

well the missus had an accident and hence it is the end of our seconde car a seat ibiza 1.4.

We were intending to get another car but not for a year or so, now however we dont have a choice and I'd like to get something a bit sporty while I am still young enough to engoy it :p

Mileage would be a max of 6-8k a year and possibly as low as 4k, so fuel economy isnt a huge issue but something around or over 25mpg would be good.


Only thing I have seen that I quite like within the price range is a Alfa Romeo GTV 2.0 16V Coupe which look quite nice and are quite nippy, however alfa reliability is not renowned.


so what else should i be looking at.
 
Having just got an MX-5 as a 2nd car I can highly reccomend it. You don't have to go stupid fast in them to have fun which is handy. £2000-3000 should get you a decent 1994-1997 car. Avoid the 1.6 if it has a CAT because the bhp drops from 115 to 88bhp. The 1.8 is 130bhp. Oh and the Mazda is very reliable.
 
If you want an MX-5 buy now. The prices will go silly as soon as we get a ray of sunshine. The good thing about this is that if you buy one now and then decide you don't like it you are unlikely to lose any money as long as you can bear to hang on to it until about April. If you don't like the convertable idea in the winter then you can get a hardtop for about £500 which is nice because it will have a nice glass rear window. There are some things to look out for when buying an MX-5 like any car but generally they are very reliable.
 
I'd agree with Pigeon.

A 200SX can be had for silly money if you buy right. Fantastic motors and not too common on the roads either.

However, I see your reasoning in the GTV idea. I've always liked the styling of those cars, their complete classics in design. :)
 
Draeger said:
I'd agree with Pigeon.

A 200SX can be had for silly money if you buy right. Fantastic motors and not too common on the roads either.

However, I see your reasoning in the GTV idea. I've always liked the styling of those cars, their complete classics in design. :)
Click to expand...


cheers mate, the GTV came quite out of the blue, went looking for second hand cars at the weekend and the most promising out of 6 garages was a Alfa 166 2.5 V6 24Valve which i decided was just too insane, for me. although 180 BHP 60k on clock and only £2500 V reg.

had a quick autotrader search and I love the look of the GTV.

the 200sx however seems Im getting something a lot older for the same or more money ?

are they a lot more reliable and what sort of max mileage should i be looking on them ?
 
memphisto said:
cheers mate, the GTV came quite out of the blue, went looking for second hand cars at the weekend and the most promising out of 6 garages was a Alfa 166 2.5 V6 24Valve which i decided was just too insane, for me. although 180 BHP 60k on clock and only £2500 V reg.

had a quick autotrader search and I love the look of the GTV.

the 200sx however seems Im getting something a lot older for the same or more money ?

are they a lot more reliable and what sort of max mileage should i be looking on them ?
Click to expand...

The GTV is very nice, but the 2.0 won't be sporty. They aren't slow but won't set your pants on fire. If you want something sporty then you want the V6 which is a fair bit more expensive. The TS does require a lot of TLC to keep running, constant oil checks and cambelts and tentioners need changing 36k/3yr without fail.

There are some amazing 166 bargains to be had, but again its not sporty, its an executives car. The V6 is fairly reliable and refined.

The MX5 is a good choice, they apparently handle well and I like the look of them. You won't get something as new as the alfas for the same money and they may not be as fast/only slightly faster, but they are a lot of fun (apparently).
 
well to me sporty is my 1.5dci megane 100bhp guys, sorry should have kept this in perspective, I aint looking for a 200bhp machine, something faster than what I already have would be sporty to me.

I understand the looking past that but basically a 1.6 vtec would be sporty to me. anythin under 10 secs 0-60 would be sporty to me. :p


with that in mind...........
 
How abouts one of these.

1998 FIAT COUPE 20V 2dr Coupe
media

60,000 miles, Met red, 60000 miles, FFSH, 2 owners, new cambelt, MOT Sept 06, tax July 06, Sony CD/radio, ABS, alarm, immobiliser. Excellent condition. £2950. £2,950. ono Email

The non turbo version will be plenty sporty. You'll always end up wishing you got a turbo though.
 
memphisto said:
neither would i if I could get one under 10 years old for that sort of money ?

most of the ones for that money in autotrader are £3k+
Click to expand...

I've just paid under 3k for a 1.8 R Plate example.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom