Bargain Performance Hunting

[Vimeous]

The current state of the car market has got me thinking:

If I could scrape together £2-3k what car would I buy to replace my beloved Civic?

I'm no longer the long distance pub-taxi so space for 5 adults is not needed. We have our own house so using the car as a van is less relevant (besides the Celica has a decent boot). It much match the reliability of the Civic because I will throw everything at the newcomer and the Civic bore it with great dignity.

What I would miss is the magnificent surge of the VTEC, the run to 8k rpm and the fabulous grip summoned by the LSD.

With this in mind the obvious place to start is Honda:
Gen 5 Prelude 2.2 VTi (square one) - 200bhp, 8k rpm and the possibility of an LSD. A good start. A bit bland though still comfy.
Accord Type-R - Similar motor but no LSD (or so it seems). Too big and heavy? Not sure if I'm old enough TBH and is it really a proper Type-R?

Then there's the 4wd Turbo nutter option as it'll be even better in the wet:
Gen 6 Celica GT4 - 239bhp ooooooo. Looks the part and I'm coming round to the idea of 2 Celica's. Shame only imports are cheap enough.
MK1 Impreza Turbo - Small, agile and properly quick. I reckon it'll be as easier than all the others to pilot down a b-road as it's loads narrower. Rubbish interior but should I care?

And going back to Toyota:
Gen7 Celica 140 - A bit wimpy next to the others but more weildy than some. Not sure if I'd get bored.....
Gen6 Celica SIII BEAMS Red Top - 197bhp VVTi previous-gen Celica with standard projector headlamps etc. The power to overcome the weight without the complexity of 4wd and a turbo. Ideal?


Which would you choose?
Am I thinking too Japanese?
What else should I consider?
Is a Mk1 MX5 genuine competition for this lot?

[staffsMike]

I think the MX5 idea.. besides being a bit minty.. isn't a bad idea if you want to enjoy a car at a nice safe and predictable speed.

Impreza's don't do that particularly well in my opinion. The older one's are better than the newer ones of course (in this respect), but you really do have to do silly things to generate enjoyment from them, imo.

Perhaps something along the MX5 lines that isn't as.. minty

[kalniel]

Agreed with the MX5 - plenty of examples within this price these days.

[Moby-Dick]

MX-5 but get one with some balls - you know Forced Induction is the way forward.

[Konan555]

I rather fancy the GT4 in that list. But then, I'm drawn to engines that eat head gaskets (well, ones that arn't held together by one very long set of bolts )

[J4MES]

having had an mx-5 (or three) and an impreza, i'd go for an mx-5. as mentioned, you have to drive a scooby like you stole it to have fun in it - the mx-5 has more smiles per mile tbh...

[Vimeous]

MX-5 but get one with some balls - you know Forced Induction is the way forward.

LOL - I said reliable!

I know what you mean though.

Despite the general concensus being an MX-5, an undoubtably great car, I do worry I'll miss the shove. I'll have a hunt and see if I can get a decent drive in one to see if it can really deal with British weather as well as the Civic.

Any other suggestions?

[Zak33]

Am I thinking too Japanese?
What else should I consider?
Is a Mk1 MX5 genuine competition for this lot?

No, you're not thinking too Japanese
You COULD look at something totally madly different, something more euro-classic
MX5 isn't in same room as an Accord Type R, or a quick Celica, so no it's not competition for that lot.

[Zak33]

I know you dont like Vauxhall, and I can't entirely blame you, but have you ever had a go in an Astra SRi 2.216v?

It's a Mark4, often around 2002 and it's one of the "hidden" gems in my opinion. The 2.0 was pants, the other versions all a bit unusual, there was a GSi Turbo which was lightning fast, BUT the 2.2 was proper easy to drive, smooth, and really involving when you were playing.

And so long as you can afford to get the cam CHAIN replaced, because they tended to go wrong, it's a worthy car.

[Vimeous]

Zak you're right. It's not that Vauxhall make bad cars, far from it, it's just I cannot afford the ones I really like! (VX220 and Monaro) The Astra does lean towards the worthy-but-dull but I'll give it some serious thought, I usually love over-engined cars

I said earlier I'm struggling with the idea of an MX-5. Well this one has a couple of little niggles but seems astonishing vfm.

There's so much cracking stuff out there!

[idlehanz]

What about buying an older Over Clockers car, such as a Nissan 200SX or Silva S14/S15 on import.

A little bit of modding and you can crank up the bhp to pretty much what you fancy.
SR20DET engine is a good reliable engine in both turbo and non Turbo (SR20DE) although for performance you need the SR20DET with it's stock 200bhp.

Prelude is another good choice, although I know someone running Nitrous on one of these and the old cambelt keep slipping off. (Not goood) He did find a fix using some parts from the 2.3i engine.

No such problem with the SR20DE(T)s as they use a cam chain.

[Moby-Dick]

If you want a 200 - I'm sure I can find you a good one for that sort of price

[Vimeous]

idle good suggestion. I'm keeping the 200 in the back of my mind for now.
I worry that my driving style and Turbo power would be ..... inappropriate without 4wd.

TBH I'm not really after an overclockers car - yet - just something genuine that I can really lean on and it'll talk back.

Moby you know I'd be coming to you first if it is a 200 but I have to admit, the one I really like is the S15 and they're not really cheap enough yet


Meanwhile I've done some insurance digging. Seems my current insurer liked all of the suggestions so far EXCEPT the Accord Type-R. I'm a bit dissapointed but I think it's because the standard security wasn't all that hot. Would need to find a CAT1 equipped motor.

Best value are the MX-5 and latest Celica. But it's less than £100 more for the others so it's not as bad as I'd feared.

Back to the hunt I feel!

[Moby-Dick]

It depends on the type of turbo - think of it like Vtech but with a little more kick

S15's are essentially over priced due to the JDM tax mind you , S14's with an S15 front ( Strawberry face) are pretty nice

Think about 200's is that they can be as wild or as tame as you want.

[kalniel]

Are you writer #9 in this article? :
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/dri...cle5268832.ece

My friend has recently fallen in love with a Mk1 MX-5, as this is the first true drivers car he has owned. He is convinced however that it doesn't have enough oomph, and fitting an expensive turbo kit is the only way forward.

Answer: As I was saying to Paul from Swindon, the MX-5 doesn’t have enough oomph. I’ve not come across anyone crackers enough to turbo one. Is your friend Jeremy Clarkson?

I don’t even know what sort of performance boost this garden-shed tuning would achieve. If he does it, please ask him to bring it into my office.

(goes on further)

[Howard]

Plenty of people turbo MX5s, and if you don't go berzerk with the power output, they're reliable enough. It'll cost the same amount as an MX5 though, but 160-180bhp in a car that weighs less than a ton is fun