Looking for a New Car (Advice Needed)

  • Thread starter Thread starter Pantha-King
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Pantha-King

Pantha-King

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I'm currently in the market for a new car (Small but fun). But not just any A-to-B car, but something that's fun to drive and practical as I'll be using it quite often and also fun to use on a track day down at Silverstone and Mallory Park to name a few.

Here are several cars I've been eying for the past few months

Honda Civic Hatchback 00'-06'
Ford Focus Hatchback 98'-04'
Peugeot 206 Hatchback
Volkswagen Golf
Renault Twingo
Subaru Impreza Hatchback
Peugeot 306

Again opinions/advice on said cars listed above or on any cars you think would be good for a small trackday runaround. I'm open to all suggestions!

Looking for something that will have the following:
  • Cheap to run
  • Good for everyday usage
  • Fun to drive
  • Reliable
  • Great for a trackday

Don't mind older cars from the 80's and 90's either.
 
if you're willing to sacrifice practicality, then go for a 1st or 2nd gen miata. it is the quintessential cheap to run, good daily driver, fun to drive, reliable, great track car.

it would be helpful if you give us a price range, too.
 
96 civic coupe? there apparently quite decent on track,
Oh just a sidenote Be careful about subarus IMO there the fastest way to lose your licence, every guy in a slightly decent car will most likely try race you and the acceleration from 50-110 is surprisingly fast so fast you often dont realise the speed your going other then that truly superb car.
 
Depends which model you get. Non-turbo ones, while not as quick, shouldn't cost the earth (although insurance might still be a bit steep).

A price range would be helpful though, yes. I'll happily throw in a few new suggestions if I know what you can spend.

From your small list, you'll have most fun on a track in either the Focus or the two Peugeots, and the rest will only be average. It depends how practical you want as well though, as I'd say that if you wanted something truly practical, then the Twingo and 206 will be too small, and the Impreza would be most practical as well as probably most reliable with the Civic.

So yeah, price please and I'll go a'huntin'.
 
+1. Though if you can find an earlier Civic hatch or even (gasp) an Integra within your price range, those will do as well.
 
Doubt an Integra would be on the list Niky if his list is representative of what he's generally after. The only one they ever officially sold here was the DC2 Type R (well, they sold the first gen too but they're rare as rocking-horse droppings now) and insurance on that would be a killer. Not sure it would be cheap to run nor too brilliant as a daily driver either.
 
Well, it's going to be hard to meet all of those needs all at once, but the Mazda Protege came to mind. They had a pretty decent reputation in the States for being reliable, economical, and most of all fun transportation at a reasonable price. The MP3 Edition would be an excellent place to start I'd think. The old Mazdaspeed Proteges were pretty awesome, but I'm unaware of whether or not they were sold outside North America.

I would think something like that, or an older 16V GTI would be a good place to start.
 
They got it as the 323, I think. Interesting choice, because the UK version got the quicker steering rack (a la MP3) and the better-breathing motor by default. Good track cars... tons of mods on the ground......... ... ... in the US. I don't know what it's like there.

Only issue is: quite heavy compared to the other choices, so while it's a good track car, I don't know how competitive it'd be in terms of pace... and the balance of the sedan is definitely more understeery than the hatchbacks on that list... if you get the "Sport" in wagon form, though... that thing should fit the bill and carry your tires to the track, to boot.

homeforsummer
Doubt an Integra would be on the list Niky if his list is representative of what he's generally after. The only one they ever officially sold here was the DC2 Type R (well, they sold the first gen too but they're rare as rocking-horse droppings now) and insurance on that would be a killer. Not sure it would be cheap to run nor too brilliant as a daily driver either.
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What's the list range... under 5k pounds? I think you might be able to get one under that. (one really beat-up one... :lol: )

Cheap-to-run as a regular Honda... unless something breaks... but yes, insurance on that would probably be ludicrous.
 
niky
I don't know what it's like there. (The 323/Protege)
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The thing is, as far as I can remember, I don't know if I've ever heard a UK member here say anything about the car. That is probably a bad sign. Too bad, as I've always understood them to be excellent cars. The kind I'd consider looking at if I were in the market for a new compact.
 
YSSMAN
The thing is, as far as I can remember, I don't know if I've ever heard a UK member here say anything about the car. That is probably a bad sign. Too bad, as I've always understood them to be excellent cars. The kind I'd consider looking at if I were in the market for a new compact.
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It's because we never really got any interesting ones, unlike many other markets. Ours were generally bought by the older generations looking for a reliable and subdued vehicle to potter to the Post Office in.

The only vaguely interesting one we got was the 323 Sport (below), and that only got a 2.0, 133bhp engine. Was supposed to be a very nice handler, but still not exactly a Mazdaspeed. We also didn't get the sedan in that generation, just the slightly dumpy-looking hatchback.

Mazda-323F_2000_1024x768_wallpaper_06.jpg

To be fair, the sport would probably be a good consideration looking at the choices in the first post. It's a bit different and should prove practical, reliable and still entertain.

Wouldn't say it's particularly heavy as Niky mentioned - I think the Sport is something like 1155kg, which isn't bad really. Probably lighter than a Focus or Civic and certainly lighter than a Golf.
 
You'll want to chew your own arms off rather than drive the 206 - especially if you've already driven a 306.
 
homeforsummer
Wouldn't say it's particularly heavy as Niky mentioned - I think the Sport is something like 1155kg, which isn't bad really. Probably lighter than a Focus or Civic and certainly lighter than a Golf.
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Sorry... was assuming the hatchbacks you were posting were in the 1000-1100 kg range.

The sedan is a bit more understeery than I'd like, particularly if it's not a sport model... but if all you got was the wagon... those have a very nice balance and being lighter than my sedan (all of 1235 kgs... 1250 now with the propane tank), it should go nicely.

Only problem I see is that you don't have an active aftermarket there for that vehicle. There are some relatively cheap mods available... such as the $600 stock Mazdaspeed LSD, Japanese engine swaps (170 bhp 2.0), Mazdaspeed suspension parts. Lots of guys autocrossing the wagon in the US and loving it.
 
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