Carma puhlease

May 31, 2009 11:55 AM

What car should I buy for £5000 - £6000? I'm in the UK, male and looking for something sporty or fast. Any suggestions?
posted by mooreeasyvibe to Travel & Transportation (6 answers total)

You should probably be more specific (size, how fast, how old, insurance group). I bought a Mazda MX5 which is a small sportscar and cheap to insure, but not especially fast. You might prefer something bigger and quicker like an M3.
posted by JonB at 12:09 PM on May 31, 2009

Asking on the pistonheads forums would be a good place to start.

Off top of my head things I might look at

Clio Cup
Mini Cooper

But if i was just after insane speed I would go for something a little older like a single turbo RX-7 [INSANE INSANE speed] or something smaller like a Nissan Pulsar.
posted by moochoo at 12:36 PM on May 31, 2009

How about a Smart Roadster or Mazda MX5?

Not fast over a straight line, but in a much more fun on a real road as they corner amazingly.
posted by chrispy108 at 3:41 PM on May 31, 2009

Lotus elise S1 is in your range, pretty fast car but a rover engine. Sporty and fast.
posted by Antidisestablishmentarianist at 10:00 PM on May 31, 2009

If you want a hot hatch, might I recommend the previous-generation Ford Fiesta ST? 150hp from a lightly breathed-on 2.0L lifted from the Focus, and it weighs in at about 1060kg. Small, hugely entertaining through the corners, great brakes and civil enough around town to commute every day with. Practical and pretty fuel-efficient, too. And if you want more urge, Motune will sell you the mods to screw upwards of 185hp out of the four-pot. Cheap as chips to insure here in Australia, mostly because it's naturally aspirated. Don't know about insurance rates in the U.K, though. But on my test drives, I enjoyed it far more than the hot 2007 versions of the Polo, Swift, Clio and Colt, all of which it competed against in the U.K.
posted by MarchHare at 11:54 PM on May 31, 2009

In that price range most convertibles (if you want a convertible) are going to be several years old - I test drove a 5 year old Z3 in your price range and didn't like it, mainly because it was showing its age. In the end I spent more - got an MX5 and love it - it's 2 years old, 2.0 engine and is pretty nippy not to mention massively fun to drive. If you can find one with a low mileage I'd highly recommend it.

FYI - my insurance cost about £800 (I'm 23)
posted by cardamine at 5:06 AM on June 2, 2009