# £5k for a weekend toy?



## Philb1965 (Jun 29, 2010)

I’ve just changed from an M2 to an A6 estate. The A6 has been bought for a purpose which it fulfills brilliantly. 

However, I’d like something I can tinker with and offers a bit of driving fun, decent handling, acceleration. Maybe the odd track day.

MX5s are out as I’m 6ft 1!!!!

Don’t mind if it’s old (rebuilt mgb/c in the past) but probably out of budget (deffo for a mgc) anyway and don’t want to do any welding! 

Budget flexible ish but I’d like to spend 5k max. Suggestions welcome! Pros and cons would be great.

Who knows I might start another Mini Cooper S thread :devil:

Cheers


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## t1mmy (Dec 9, 2006)

Have you tried sitting in an MX-5? I’m 6’3” and fit in them fine as long as it’s a soft top version.


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## Shiny (Apr 23, 2007)

£5k will see you a good Honda Accord Type R plus a bit of change for mods. 

Possibly the best handling saloon you can buy for the money. Built by Honda to be a family car during the week and a track toy at the weekend. Some decent performance mods now available too, from budget to cheque book builds. 

A great head turner, less than 400 on UK roads now and starting to appreciate. Good little owners community too.


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## B8sy (Dec 6, 2014)

Mégane r26, great track day toys and they lay down some blistering times. Take a look at the rsmegane forum to see some projects.

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## BaileyA3 (Jun 14, 2015)

Mk1 seat leon cupra r. 5k would get you a mint low mileage example. Plenty of mods available and they can achieve some pretty decent power.


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## andy665 (Nov 1, 2005)

Left field choice but a Gen 7 Celica T Sport - well under budget, bulletproof, handle really well and lots of aftermarket bits available


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## Lexus-is250 (Feb 4, 2017)

Ep3 type r 

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## mar00 (Jun 24, 2018)

BMW 1 Series 125i e82, 3.0 straight six, rear wheel drive, remap give 265 BHP without changing anything and sounds great, plenty of suspension and drivetrain upgrades,

bit heavier than most but balanced and you can get rid of the understeer easily


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## ollienoclue (Jan 30, 2017)

The BMW 130i M sport?

Civic type R is an obvious choice, MX5 or S2000?

I quite like the idea of the Megane actually.

Need to investigate the cost and availability of mods if you intend to track it much.


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## Philb1965 (Jun 29, 2010)

t1mmy said:


> Have you tried sitting in an MX-5? I'm 6'3" and fit in them fine as long as it's a soft top version.


I know I fit in a MK1. Definitely not the latest ones and not sure about in between models.


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## Philb1965 (Jun 29, 2010)

Thanks all for the suggestions so far. There are a few models I probably wouldn’t have thought about which is good. Not planning to track the car very often so it’s not going to be totally hardcore, I want it to be enjoyable on the road as well as that will be most of it’s mileage.

I’ll have a look at all your ideas and let you know what I think. Cheers all!


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## Summit Detailing (Oct 9, 2006)

RenaultSport Megane or 130i would be where I'd start my search/test driving, maybe a 350Z or MR2 roadster as outsider options.

cheers,

Chris


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## Philb1965 (Jun 29, 2010)

Had a 350z roadster many years ago and maybe a good shout, was a great car. Pretty cheap to run as mechanicals are rock solid. Also had a 370z but outside my price range. 

Another option thanks!


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## Christian6984 (Dec 20, 2007)

This one should be well in budget.... Clio 172/182? Never driven one but supposed to be a riot from what ive been told


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## bluechimp (Dec 21, 2017)

R53 JCW :devil:


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## baxlin (Oct 8, 2007)

Have a look at the kit car market maybe, fun and tinkering come by the bucketful!


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## AndyN01 (Feb 16, 2016)

baxlin said:


> Have a look at the kit car market maybe, fun and tinkering come by the bucketful!


Something like a Westfield would be fun. I drove a neighbour's a fair few years ago (he had a Peugeot 205 GTi - 1.6 and then 1.9 - as his normal car so that will give the timeline away) and it was awesome as a plaything.

Wouldn't want to do 3 hours in it on the motorway but I guess that's what the Audi is for.

Andy.


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## Carlos Fandango (Dec 24, 2016)

As above Clio 172/182 or 197 would be a fun choice if you can find one that hasn't been thrashed to oblivion. Another hatchback that is less focused but perhaps a better allrounder would be a Focus ST 2.5.


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## Philb1965 (Jun 29, 2010)

Carlos Fandango said:


> As above Clio 172/182 or 197 would be a fun choice if you can find one that hasn't been thrashed to oblivion. Another hatchback that is less focused but perhaps a better allrounder would be a Focus ST 2.5.


Been looking at F1 197s, seem on the money. Any advice on how they drive, issues appreciated. Had a 57 plate Focus ST3 a few years back and always regretted selling it, great handling and engine so possible. The 5 pot has lots of tuning potential. They seem pretty bullet proof as well.

I seem to be reminding myself of cars I've had and wish I'd kept!

Thanks for the input so far.


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

I'm 6" 2' with short legs, tall body and a padded backside and I was fine in our MK3.5 MX3. 

At £5000 you'll get a BMW Z4 3.0si. It will be a convertible or the very bottom end of the coupe market. Check if you fit as the seats are tighter than the MX5. 

If you want tinkering then there's a Lotus Elan for £4000 on Autotrader. It's the non turbo version though. 

For giggles a Mitsubishi Colt Ralliart. They look like a pensioner's car, weigh next to nothing and remap to 200bhp. Their power to weight ratio is impressive. 

The brave pill suggests a Porsche Boxter.


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## Andyg_TSi (Sep 6, 2013)

This is £300 over budget, but if you want something thats understated, but will blow plenty into the dust......

Volvo C30 2.5 T5

Has the same 5 pot engine that Ford borrowed for the Focus RS and there is plenty of tuning potential.

I just found a great car on Auto Trader.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201905218202274?atmobcid=soc3

Download the app to find your perfect car.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...onsumersearch&referrer=utm_source=App%20Share


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## Andpopse (Mar 19, 2009)

Smart Roadster ! I have had fantastic fun in mine, driving a 700 cc car flat out is way more fun that any of those on the list so far (Which can’t be driven flat out without being dangerous / licence losing).
Do get me wrong they aren’t slow, it’s just that they are so ignored when this type of question is asked.
Bit like the old minis great handling and great fun. I have scalped a few so called hot hatches on a twisty road.
I guarantee if you drive one you will understand. 6ft 1, no problem either.
5k would get a nice one , a remap and anything else you decided you wanted to add.
Have fun


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## B8sy (Dec 6, 2014)

Philb1965 said:


> Been looking at F1 197s, seem on the money. Any advice on how they drive, issues appreciated. Had a 57 plate Focus ST3 a few years back and always regretted selling it, great handling and engine so possible. The 5 pot has lots of tuning potential. They seem pretty bullet proof as well.
> 
> I seem to be reminding myself of cars I've had and wish I'd kept!
> 
> Thanks for the input so far.


Gearboxes on the 197's are useless, most people have them re built under warranty. I owned the Mégane r26, for performance there isnt much more bang for buck on track for the price range and gearbox was solid plus a remap for £300 would get you 275bhp which it could easily cope with. Would recommend trying them. Keep an eye out for dodgy door electrics, windows etc. That's their weak spot.

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## Andpopse (Mar 19, 2009)

Watch this and decide.....


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## percymon (Jun 27, 2007)

Plenty of 986 facelift 2.7 Porsche Boxsters around at around £5k, if you are lucky you may find a private sale 3.2S with the 6speed manual too.

Just an example.. https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201906239306979


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## Philb1965 (Jun 29, 2010)

Andpopse said:


> Watch this and decide.....


Amazing driving and very quick. Reading through the replies it's been breathed on a bit. Worth a look though, I imagine they are extremely light so masses of power aren't needed. Didn't Z cars do a bike engine conversion kit for these a few years back?


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## Philb1965 (Jun 29, 2010)

percymon said:


> Plenty of 986 facelift 2.7 Porsche Boxsters around at around £5k, if you are lucky you may find a private sale 3.2S with the 6speed manual too.
> 
> Just an example.. https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201906239306979


Lovely car and amazingly cheap but repair bills would scare me!


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## Christian6984 (Dec 20, 2007)

been for sale a while so maybe a little over priced...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2003-Ren...471777?hash=item420313d0a1:g:MEsAAOSwZtRcGT8H

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2005-REN...892579?hash=item3b3302cf23:g:It4AAOSwWTZc0cUt

Rare Colour?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Renault-...483581?hash=item44403c82bd:g:UJgAAOSw-49dFdTF


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## SteveTDCi (Feb 8, 2006)

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2005-For...503266?hash=item23bf4f5722:g:onEAAOSwafZdCRhY

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/audi-S3-8L-1999/254281295883?hash=item3b3458a80b:g:55gAAOSw83NdGR9F

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/05-REG-T...596225?hash=item215e373181:g:vdgAAOSw7Wpc9rMG

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MG-ZS-2-...926525?hash=item2acf52a5bd:g:yZAAAOSwy~Zc9LY-

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-130i...730566?hash=item3d84c864c6:g:LWoAAOSwAFFcD-~D

Some you can tweak, some you can just drive. My money would go on a Boxster though ... or a Z4 or SLK350 .... but i guess it depends on if you need 2 seats or more.


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## Carlos Fandango (Dec 24, 2016)

Maybe not the most desirable to look at but the Toyota Celica 190 might be worth a punt. Can be had for a lot less than 5 grand plus you have the Toyota build quality/reliability.


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## RPC (May 11, 2014)

Mk5 golf GTi 


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## bidderman1969 (Oct 20, 2006)

gotta be one of these i reckon........


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## percymon (Jun 27, 2007)

Philb1965 said:


> Lovely car and amazingly cheap but repair bills would scare me!


If the IMS bearing has been done, or better still a rebuild with new IMS bearing and RMS then there's little else to go wrong bar normal wear n tear items. Plenty of independent specialists across the country so servicing no worse than a hot hatch really


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## Alex_225 (Feb 7, 2008)

I think my thoughts would be hot hatch territory, especially if you're thinking track days too. 

If it's weekend toy then it can be as hardcore as you like so doesn't have to be refined as such. My initial thoughts were MX5 but they're not big cars, even the newer models aren't exactly spacious. I'd probably start looking at RenaultSport Meganes or Clios.


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## ollienoclue (Jan 30, 2017)

If you can afford to run and have it fettled, the Boxster is a no-brainer- nothing else listed so far will get near it for the driving experience believe me. But in my heart of hearts I think a Z4 or 350Z would be a lot less anxiety provoking to run and give 80% of the drive.

The Megane I would consider very long and hard, anything else front drive isn't going to cut the mustard in my very honest opinion, there is not enough magic on board, I don't like the 197 Clio and the Volvo, even with 300hp isn't going to be anything like the fun of the rear drivers if I am totally honest.

The smart car is a great idea, I know people rave about the old fashioned steel wheels because they are much lighter than the alloy version and so give better suspension control. Be a riot with a bike engine in it.


How about finding a like-minded friend and putting 5K and 5K together for something really naughty?


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## Philb1965 (Jun 29, 2010)

Lots of great ideas, I’m scouring the ads at the moment. No clear favourite at the moment. I’m not bothered about comfort as it’s not a daily, I’d like some tuning potential unless I can find one someone else has spent a few quid on. An R53 mini does seem to fit the bill, had one for 10 months as a daily, loved it for about a month then hated it as it was too harsh a ride and went to a focus ST3. 

No rush, half the fun is in finding the right car.


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## B8sy (Dec 6, 2014)

Philb1965 said:


> Lots of great ideas, I'm scouring the ads at the moment. No clear favourite at the moment. I'm not bothered about comfort as it's not a daily, I'd like some tuning potential unless I can find one someone else has spent a few quid on. An R53 mini does seem to fit the bill, had one for 10 months as a daily, loved it for about a month then hated it as it was too harsh a ride and went to a focus ST3.
> 
> No rush, half the fun is in finding the right car.


Look at this on eBay 
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/223560957834

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## beatty599 (Sep 18, 2016)

Could get an E46 M3 Convertible


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## andy665 (Nov 1, 2005)

beatty599 said:


> Could get an E46 M3 Convertible


For 5k?????


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## roscopervis (Aug 22, 2006)

Speaking as someone who owns a Cayman S and who used to own a 350Z, for 5K I'd get another 350Z no question. The 276bhp ones before March 2006 are cheaper to tax, they are lighter (for some reason - around 1430 compared to 1525 for the 309bhp models) they are very durable and cheap to run and they give you most of what the Porsche does for much less.

The Porsche is much more expensive to run, even in normal maintenence. Oil for the 350Z is cheap, less than £30 for good stuff. The Porsche is at least £80! It takes about 9 litres so there's something to think about. The cooling system is much more complicated and the front radiators are very prone to damage. The Porsche is just more fragile. Then you have Porsche tax too. 

For a 5k toy, the 350Z makes much more sense.


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## beatty599 (Sep 18, 2016)

andy665 said:


> For 5k?????


Yep they really dropped in value, may not be a fantastic example of an E46, friend got one with all the common faults fixed for £6k


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## mikechesterman (May 25, 2013)

There's absolutely no chance you would get one one for £5000.


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## andy665 (Nov 1, 2005)

beatty599 said:


> Yep they really dropped in value, may not be a fantastic example of an E46, friend got one with all the common faults fixed for £6k


Cheapest on eBay is at £6795 with no service history and is Cat D - dread to think what a 5k example would be like and how much it would cost to get in to anything like half decent condition


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## AudiPhil (Aug 11, 2018)

986 Boxster


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## Philb1965 (Jun 29, 2010)

Ok, I’ve had a good look at all options suggested and thanks everyone for contributing. I’m more or less there with what I’m going to go for and I’ve decided the kit car route is probably the best option for me. Light and a reasonable amount of power should equal lots of fun. Comfort is not an issue as I’m not going long distances, dry warmer weather use only. It gives me the option to tinker a bit and modify if I want to without having to worry about insurance loading too much I would have thought. 
I’m going to try and look for a seven type car, not sure whether to go bike or car engine route yet. I will try and get one of the more known makes which may mean my budget needs to change a bit (up) looking at what’s available. I’m in no rush so I might wait until after summer to try and pick up a bargain. I did look at buying a kit and building one myself but the economics just don’t stack up. The kits are expensive.

I’ll keep this updated once I find something. Cheers.


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## andy665 (Nov 1, 2005)

A good place to start is www.wscc.co.uk - the Westfield owners club, usually a good selection of very well cared for and reasonably priced cars.


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## Philb1965 (Jun 29, 2010)

andy665 said:


> A good place to start is www.wscc.co.uk - the Westfield owners club, usually a good selection of very well cared for and reasonably priced cars.


Thanks Andy, I'll take a look.


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## ollienoclue (Jan 30, 2017)

There is no way you will find a half tidy M3 for less than 10K in all honesty.

Anyway, best of luck with the kit car route. A Seven would be right up my street as I have the garage space now and I would love to build one myself if I had the time.

In all honesty I would stick with car engines. Friend of mine has had a variety of these things, Elise, Caterams the lot. The Honda Type R engine is the kiddie to have when all things are considered.


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## Philb1965 (Jun 29, 2010)

ollienoclue said:


> There is no way you will find a half tidy M3 for less than 10K in all honesty.
> 
> Anyway, best of luck with the kit car route. A Seven would be right up my street as I have the garage space now and I would love to build one myself if I had the time.
> 
> In all honesty I would stick with car engines. Friend of mine has had a variety of these things, Elise, Caterams the lot. The Honda Type R engine is the kiddie to have when all things are considered.


Probably will go down the car engine route to be honest. A lot more engine options out there now other than the old pinto and Vauxhall red tops when I last looked about 15 years ago!


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## AndyN01 (Feb 16, 2016)

I'm sure they shoehorned a Rover V8 into one back in the day :speechles:lol:

Whatever you get - Enjoy.

Andy.


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## andy665 (Nov 1, 2005)

AndyN01 said:


> I'm sure they shoehorned a Rover V8 into one back in the day :speechles:lol:
> 
> Whatever you get - Enjoy.
> 
> Andy.


Mine had a dry dumped 5.1 V8 in it - to be honest it was probably no more fun than a Zetec or crossflow engined car, a lot quicker but that's not really the point of something like a Westfield

Of all the kit cars I have ever looked at It have to say that the quality of the Westfield is up with the best and they are more durable than the equivalent Caterham


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## Philb1965 (Jun 29, 2010)

This seems to tick the boxes.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Formula-27-kit-car/233294500116?hash=item36516f9114:g:Jc0AAOSw-ZZdKdBx

Any thoughts?

Engine is tough as old boots, plenty of power for the weight. The only question I can think of other than are there any faults and are the pictures current is does it have an LSD? Only done 1800 miles since built 2008 so I'm taking it needing cam belt change as a given unless it's just been done.

Might have to go and view it.


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

The XE is a cracking engine. Caterham used it for some of their best cars. 

You do want an LSD.


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## mar00 (Jun 24, 2018)

it looks reasonably clean and straight in pics need a bit of tidying, would need a closer look to check out frame and welds for cracks, check it's straight, 
if you going to be driving it as it should be as Kerr says you'd need a LSD probably around £1k fitted, 
if you drive a lot in towns slow traffic the clutch may be a pain but doesn't say exactly what it is just heave duty if it's a fast road probably fine,


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## Philb1965 (Jun 29, 2010)

Good point about frame damage, I’ll keep that in mind thanks.


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## AndyN01 (Feb 16, 2016)

Remember to take a friend who knows about cars but isn't interested in this one :lol:

It can be very difficult to spot iffy stuff when you're head and heart are screaming "Get it. Buy it NOW. It's gorgeous. It's great. It handles SO wonderfully. etc.etc."

I hope she is everything you're looking for and nice and straight and a proper "genuine" car. If not there WILL be other ones out there.

Good Luck.

Andy.


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## Philb1965 (Jun 29, 2010)

AndyN01 said:


> Remember to take a friend who knows about cars but isn't interested in this one :lol:
> 
> It can be very difficult to spot iffy stuff when you're head and heart are screaming "Get it. Buy it NOW. It's gorgeous. It's great. It handles SO wonderfully. etc.etc."
> 
> ...


Understood. I'm in no rush. It's got no MOT so no test drives currently. There are a few other cars I've seen. Ideally I'd like one which has been owned by an enthusiast and used regularly, mileage doesn't put me off. My main problem is that every car is miles away due to living near Plymouth!


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