First Car Lotus

[Vimeous]

I've got to agree with the Zakmeister on this one. Work upwards towards your prefered car, both in terms of cost and your own driving skill.
You want RWD?
Buy something that you can afford to bend the rear axle on when over-enthusiam slides the rear into a kerb. Something with sensibly sized tyres that you can give serious stick too and afford to replace regularily as you learn how the drives on the limit and beyond.

The obvious choice is an MX-5. Forget girly, there's a very good reason it features in so many handling days across all sorts of motoring magasines. It's the same reason it keeps winning, the damn thing is properly rewarding to drive.
You can afford a pretty decent example and have plenty to spare to spend on a track-day every couple of months until you've got the skills (and the age) to afford something even better. Some minor fettling will also give you a genuinely quick car and no fettling will help you keep the points at bay and hold your insurance at a decent level.

If you must insist on RWD with silly insurance and for more than a few thousand quid (200sx territory), then have a bash at a late Porsche 944 (non-turbo) or 968, both legends of sideways lore. Then I will happily lynch you before nicking the keys and powersliding into the sunset

[Zak33]

MX5 is a good car. Period. He's right...forget the image. You dont NEED to have a hairdressers shop to own one

Jap import wth the limited slip diff

[eUphoria]

I agree with whats been said about the mx-5, i borrowed a t plate one for a weekend and thought it was great, so nice having a full convertible. Well, all i can say about the image is ignore it - probably people driving focus' and clios that say that anyway, sure that is more of a 'girly' car than a RWD sports car??!

[weebroonieuk]

or why not buy an average car an get yourslef a quad or motocross bike for cheap thrills

id go with the kit car idea il eventually build my own as i like the idea of chooseing every single thing that goes into the car , im thinkin bike engined , or twin bike engined 4wd sweet jesus .....

[Stoo]

MX5 is a good car. Period. He's right...forget the image. You dont NEED to have a hairdressers shop to own one

Jap import wth the limited slip diff

Having said that, have you seen the pictures of the new mx-5? It's *much* less girly, and rather hot looking

[vikkie]

Wonder if anyone can give me advice as to where i can get cheaper insurance for a lotus elise, only 20 and have two years no claims. I am female dunno if that will count for any thing? bored of my 206 and really want one. cheers

[Stoo]

Get a telephone, and ring around all the insurers, just don't bother with diamond - they're apparently utterly rubbish..

It's the only way really.

[BenW]

If i were you i'd only spend a few k on a cheap second hand car for the first few years, save the rest and either put it in a savings account or shares for a year or 2. Make it worth more and get something else with more NCB in a few years

[Fox]

Wonder if anyone can give me advice as to where i can get cheaper insurance for a lotus elise, only 20 and have two years no claims. I am female dunno if that will count for any thing? bored of my 206 and really want one. cheers

Don't, you'll stuff it.

I'm not being sexist, I'm being, err, experienceist?

The Lotus Elise is a true sports car. It requires skill to drive. Skill that most people here, including myself, do not have, and skill I don't think you'll have if you drive a 206.

Work your way up They can be very tricky cars to handle.

[Rave]

I've been driving a mid engined car since I was 22, as I said several months ago in this very thread. I still reccomend that anyone with no mid-engined experience should lose their virginity in a MK1 MR2 before they go coughing up 10k for an Elise- much as I feel sad every time I see an MR2 in a breaker, it'd still be better bet for your first trip through a hedge.

[Lowe]

This is why you won't get insured on a Lotus Elise if you're young:

http://www.elise-s160.co.uk/images/V...ton%5B1%5D.avi

Very, very lucky...

[Moby-Dick]

lose their virginity in a MK1 MR2

dammit you've got to be flexable for that ( or is that why the roof panels remove ? )

[Tom Scott]

If you want a fast and reasonably priced car... Get a mk2 MR2 Turbo.

Make sure it Revision 3 or above so that it has the LSD and the extra bhp. Best bang for your bucks, I picked up my white MR2 GT T-bar Turbo up for £5300. Its only got 44000 on the clock as well. Beautiful to drive and I've only had one bad experience involving a wet roundabout, managed to keep it going straightish and not tank slap it.

I'm only 21 as well, so please feel free to tell me how I cannot handle a 250bhp RWD car

Oh and insurance is only £1300 Fully comp 12 months with elephant.