“Fun” Car Advice

Twingo GT here, pocket rocket.

About to get a KTec cat back fitted.
 
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Test drove an RCZ on Saturday - a cracking looking white 1.6 200HP GT and while it seemed nice enough that particular one seemed to have a few things going on with the steering that felt a bit iffy but might try another few, seems relatively practical considering that to all intents and purpose its a two seater, but huge boot and rear seats give plenty of scope, also seemed to have a decent amount of power!

That said there is still something in me that really just wants the pure simplicity of an MX5... for years I’ve fancied doing a motorbike or car road trip in Europe (France, Italy, Germany, etc) and while my wife would kill me if I got a bike I feel that something like the MX5 would be a cracking partner for that sort of journey!
 
Well - one month on and I've still not bought anything yet but did get my E-Class listed for sale so hopefully will go soon!
I have been out and test driven a few things though so got plenty of idea on what I’m going to pick up.
Probably leaning towards the Toyota MR2 MK3, driven a few now and it seems the most fun to drive alongside the MX5 and the Peugeot RCZ.
Also had a shot of a BMW Z4, nice car - feels more “refined” than the others but much less exciting to drive... and dearer!
 
Alan Clogwyn said:
Integra or Civic Type R? More boy racer type fun than actual driving fun but still, you could at a push get your wife in there (FN2 Civic Type Rs have higher seating than the standard models!)
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Well after all my pondering, I did indeed buy a Civic Type R FN2! Get it on Tuesday hopefully! - Used to have a red 58 plate diesel in the same shape but the test drive of the FN2 was something else!!!!!
 
Nice! Which colour? Mine's in the doghouse at the moment as it's killing calipers left right and centre. By coincidence I also have access to the diesel model and have been riding round in it whilst repairing mine, brilliant for a diesel but I keep forgetting it won't go round corners or stop like the Type R!
 
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Mike.P said:
Hows the car Chris, is it the R GT?

Been looking at one of these myself, would be interested to hear your thoughts.
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I guess he's out enjoying hooning around in it!

Mine is a GT though, if I can help you with anything?
 
Alan Clogwyn said:
Nice! Which colour? Mine's in the doghouse at the moment as it's killing calipers left right and centre. By coincidence I also have access to the diesel model and have been riding round in it whilst repairing mine, brilliant for a diesel but I keep forgetting it won't go round corners or stop like the Type R!
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Mike.P said:
Hows the car Chris, is it the R GT?

Been looking at one of these myself, would be interested to hear your thoughts.
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Alas I’ve actually ended up not taking the car - was a bit dubious about when some of the parts had been replaced / or might need replaced.
Dealer had said they were going to change a few parts that were close to “due” such as the clutch and then 4 days later decided nothing needed changed which I was a little dubious over.. the hunt for a car goes on!

Cracking car though, really enjoyed the test drive so may just keep an eye out for another although I do keep getting dragged in the direction of the MR2 as well....
 
chrism_scotland said:
Alas I’ve actually ended up not taking the car - was a bit dubious about when some of the parts had been replaced / or might need replaced.
Dealer had said they were going to change a few parts that were close to “due” such as the clutch and then 4 days later decided nothing needed changed which I was a little dubious over.. the hunt for a car goes on!

Cracking car though, really enjoyed the test drive so may just keep an eye out for another although I do keep getting dragged in the direction of the MR2 as well....
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Sounds like a typical car salesman! Definitely a good choice of car if you can get a good one - they do have a very long list of common problems though and they are in plentiful supply so no point rushing in to one. I should never have bought mine, but I was adamant I wanted Bronze rather than plain Black, and ended up with every common problem in the list!
 
chrism_scotland said:
Alas I’ve actually ended up not taking the car - was a bit dubious about when some of the parts had been replaced / or might need replaced.
Dealer had said they were going to change a few parts that were close to “due” such as the clutch and then 4 days later decided nothing needed changed which I was a little dubious over.. the hunt for a car goes on!

Cracking car though, really enjoyed the test drive so may just keep an eye out for another although I do keep getting dragged in the direction of the MR2 as well....
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Shame about the Civic. Something very addictive about those engines, maybe should have another look at S2000's?. Is it the MR2 Mk3 you're thinking about? They're terrific cars to drive. The last one I drove was way back when I had an Elise and there wasn't as much between them as you'd want. The MR2 was really superb. Only problem was the storage space made the Elise seem like a Volvo in comparison. I keep thinking I should buy a MK3 MR2 and then I keep coming back to that issue. I'd want to use if for solo camping trips for a bit of photogrpahy or the odd weekend away with the Mrs and I don't think there is room. I've had two Westfields and bizarrely they would have been more practical but only just. The Elise was pretty good for that stuff but I see prices are really solid now. I have had a few MK1 MX5's and they're near enough unbeatable in terms of being easy to live with, feeling like a classic/special car but starting first time every time and never letting you down. Great fun without ever threatening to remove your driving license. Like all MX5's rust is the absolute killer but £6k would buy you an absolute minter in that regard and it's much easier to keep a non-rusty car rust free than prevent the spread of it once it takes hold.
 
gad-westy said:
Like all MX5's rust is the absolute killer ....
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Mk1's suffer from rusty sills, especially at the rear. Mk2's and 3's generally had all the rust issues sorted.
We've got a 2010 Mk3 and it's not got a spot of rust on it, despite my abuse
 
Byker28i said:
Mk1's suffer from rusty sills, especially at the rear. Mk2's and 3's generally had all the rust issues sorted.
We've got a 2010 Mk3 and it's not got a spot of rust on it, despite my abuse
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I'd have to disagree with that I'm afraid. MK2's are possibly worse than MK1's in that they still have the sill issues but also has issues with chassis rails which are much harder to spot and much harder to repair. I have less experience with MK3's but when I used to frequent MX5 forums, there seemed to be no end of posts relating to rust on them too.
 
I can only speak from experience having owned a Mk1 MX5 for 10 years (an Eunos import) a Mk2 for 3 years and now the Mk3 for 8 years
 
Byker28i said:
I can only speak from experience having owned a Mk1 MX5 for 10 years (an Eunos import) a Mk2 for 3 years and now the Mk3 for 8 years
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I think you maybe got lucky with the Mk2 or owned it at the right time or it had been very well cared for previously. The rust seems every bit as bad on them as MK1's but can affect more dangerous areas. I can't really comment on the Mk3 as I have no personal experience, it's all just based on chit chat but anyway, I don't want to throw a downer on MX5's, just really highlighting that they need to be bought carefully. Brilliant cars regardless.
 
gad-westy said:
I think you maybe got lucky with the Mk2 or owned it at the right time or it had been very well cared for previously. The rust seems every bit as bad on them as MK1's but can affect more dangerous areas. I can't really comment on the Mk3 as I have no personal experience, it's all just based on chit chat but anyway, I don't want to throw a downer on MX5's, just really highlighting that they need to be bought carefully. Brilliant cars regardless.
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Yep, Mk2s definitely worse than mk1s. The front chassis rail issue you need to go looking for, you won't see it on a casual inspection, and I suspect most mk2 owners are blissfully unaware of the rot that is there. A friend of mine has a Mk3, she loves it but it does nothing for me, much more clinical feeling compared to my old mk1, and the seats were painful! (in contrast my mk1 was the most comfortable car I've ever owned, seat wise anyway).
 
The Mk3 is a brilliant car, we've got a 2.0 Sportstech with the folding hardtop. It's comfy, well spec'd, handles great, but doesn't have that raw gokart fun of the 1.8 mk1 Eunos we had. It's refined, not raw, very grown up, but in doing so has put on a little weight. Thats why they've knocked 150kgs off the newer mx-5's, upped the power from 160 to 180 bhp...
We went for the folding hardtop for the security, it's one of the quickest tops going.

I loved our Mk1, am currently using the Mk3 everyday

BBR do some great conversions for little money to boost the engines. I quite fancy giving ours the super 200, just to give it that little more oomph
http://www.bbrgti.com/product/bbr-mx-5-nc-super-200/

One of the achillies heals seems to be the Bose stereo system amp and seems to be an issue across the range and in Nissans also. They are situated behind the drivers seat in a panel and they blow. Mazda want £790 for a replacement item, Bose don't want to help because they have an agreement with Mazda but even their customer services thought Mazda prices were extortionate. I've found somewhere that will repair for £160, but I'm seriously considering updating the dash to a 2 Din unit with additional features.
 
Alan Clogwyn said:
Sounds like a typical car salesman! Definitely a good choice of car if you can get a good one - they do have a very long list of common problems though and they are in plentiful supply so no point rushing in to one. I should never have bought mine, but I was adamant I wanted Bronze rather than plain Black, and ended up with every common problem in the list!
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Yeah I just had the fear that everything would start to go wrong with it!!!

gad-westy said:
Shame about the Civic. Something very addictive about those engines, maybe should have another look at S2000's?. Is it the MR2 Mk3 you're thinking about? They're terrific cars to drive. The last one I drove was way back when I had an Elise and there wasn't as much between them as you'd want. The MR2 was really superb. Only problem was the storage space made the Elise seem like a Volvo in comparison. I keep thinking I should buy a MK3 MR2 and then I keep coming back to that issue. I'd want to use if for solo camping trips for a bit of photogrpahy or the odd weekend away with the Mrs and I don't think there is room. I've had two Westfields and bizarrely they would have been more practical but only just. The Elise was pretty good for that stuff but I see prices are really solid now. I have had a few MK1 MX5's and they're near enough unbeatable in terms of being easy to live with, feeling like a classic/special car but starting first time every time and never letting you down. Great fun without ever threatening to remove your driving license. Like all MX5's rust is the absolute killer but £6k would buy you an absolute minter in that regard and it's much easier to keep a non-rusty car rust free than prevent the spread of it once it takes hold.
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Yeah MK3 MR2, I’d initially ruled them out based on practicality but then made the mistake of driving a couple and was hooked... think I’d be fine with the lack of storage for my day to day stuff and wife has a Qashqai for anything else anyway - could always buy a luggage rack I guess (for anything that won’t melt on the engine cover!)

Fancied a MK3 MX5 but ultimately looking to spend less, missed a mint looking MK2 which I’m kicking myself a little but may have found an MR2 that I like, fair mileage with all the spec I wanted (Air Con, leather, hardtop fitting) and in a nice British Racing Green!!

Byker28i said:
Mk1's suffer from rusty sills, especially at the rear. Mk2's and 3's generally had all the rust issues sorted.
We've got a 2010 Mk3 and it's not got a spot of rust on it, despite my abuse
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Seen quite a few early MK3’s At dealers that have horrific looking rear arches!

gad-westy said:
I'd have to disagree with that I'm afraid. MK2's are possibly worse than MK1's in that they still have the sill issues but also has issues with chassis rails which are much harder to spot and much harder to repair. I have less experience with MK3's but when I used to frequent MX5 forums, there seemed to be no end of posts relating to rust on them too.
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Byker28i said:
The Mk3 is a brilliant car, we've got a 2.0 Sportstech with the folding hardtop. It's comfy, well spec'd, handles great, but doesn't have that raw gokart fun of the 1.8 mk1 Eunos we had. It's refined, not raw, very grown up, but in doing so has put on a little weight. Thats why they've knocked 150kgs off the newer mx-5's, upped the power from 160 to 180 bhp...
We went for the folding hardtop for the security, it's one of the quickest tops going.

I loved our Mk1, am currently using the Mk3 everyday

BBR do some great conversions for little money to boost the engines. I quite fancy giving ours the super 200, just to give it that little more oomph
http://www.bbrgti.com/product/bbr-mx-5-nc-super-200/

One of the achillies heals seems to be the Bose stereo system amp and seems to be an issue across the range and in Nissans also. They are situated behind the drivers seat in a panel and they blow. Mazda want £790 for a replacement item, Bose don't want to help because they have an agreement with Mazda but even their customer services thought Mazda prices were extortionate. I've found somewhere that will repair for £160, but I'm seriously considering updating the dash to a 2 Din unit with additional features.
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Yeah the 2.0 Sport Tech is the ideal spec I’d been looking at with a hard-top but probably the “summer” premium is putting me off a little.
That and being able to get an MX5 which also drives brilliantly (albeit less practically) makes me think I’d rather go that route and put a bit of cash aside for bits and pieces.
Double DIN unit with Apple CarPlay is my first purchase for either MX5 or MR2!!!
 
I've owned my FN2 Type R for a year now, I absolutely love it!
It's quick, it handles like a go kart and has a huge boot, with the back seats down I can easily get my road bike in without taking the wheels off.
Every time I drive it it puts a smile on my face.... especially when I hit 5200rpm and that little red V-Tec light comes on....:naughty:
Quite an unusual colour too, I've not yet seen another.
civic.jpg
 
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Wozzaaah said:
I've owned my FN2 Type R for a year now, I absolutely love it!
It's quick, it handles like a go kart and has a huge boot, with the back seats down I can easily get my road bike in without taking the wheels off.
Every time I drive it it puts a smile on my face.... especially when I hit 5200rpm and that little red V-Tec light comes on....:naughty:
Quite an unusual colour too, I've not yet seen another.
View attachment 131854
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Very nice colour, Deep Sapphire blue, only available on the very latest batch of FN2s. Mine's Deep Bronze Pearl, looks like Nighthawk Black until the sun hits it when it turns golden, and in the late evening glow it shimmers beautifully. I wanted Championship white, but they were limited editions and very costly, I can buy a brand new car for less than a 10 year old one!

DSXT2733.jpg
 
I am quite surprised to see that you can actually pick up a 2006 BMW 650i Sport for £6,985. 4.8L and 367bhp will shove you to 60mph in 4.6 seconds and I'll bet it's relentless right up to jail term speeds. There's even a very comfy looking set of executive rear seats. I've no idea how it handles though but I'm sure being RWD you can have some fun.

There's also the Lexus SC 430 which is a 4.3L 282bhp car with 0-60mph of 6.2 seconds and is a convertible at £7k. I've never seen one on the road so it's certainly unique enough.

SAAB 9-3 2.8 V6 Aero which is lovely in convertible form at £4.5K and it can easily mapped to around 330bhp and believe me once you get past that 1 second turbo lag it will peel the enamel from your teeth.

I'm not a fan of Mercedes but the SLK350 3.5L 272bhp convertible with a 0-60mph of 5.5secs looks like a bit of fun

Also the Nissan 350 Z 3.5 can look good in the right colour etc.

Audi S4 Convertible at £7.6 which can be remapped and being AWD you can put that power down with confidence although not sure how the fuel bowser you'll be towing will cope.

I still like the S2000 though. You know that you'll be able to redline it time and time again and it will still just keep working. No complicated turbocharging to go wrong, no giant engine to guzzle fuel and I believe there's also some tricks to get around some of the minor annoyances such as not being able to operate the soft-top whilst moving. Plus it's got a limited slip diff in the rear for added fun :)
 
Fiesta Mk7 ST? Only car that handled as well as my old MK1 mx-5 and it was quicker than my 300bhp TT point to point
 
gman said:
I am quite surprised to see that you can actually pick up a 2006 BMW 650i Sport for £6,985. 4.8L and 367bhp will shove you to 60mph in 4.6 seconds and I'll bet it's relentless right up to jail term speeds. There's even a very comfy looking set of executive rear seats. I've no idea how it handles though but I'm sure being RWD you can have some fun.

There's also the Lexus SC 430 which is a 4.3L 282bhp car with 0-60mph of 6.2 seconds and is a convertible at £7k. I've never seen one on the road so it's certainly unique enough.

SAAB 9-3 2.8 V6 Aero which is lovely in convertible form at £4.5K and it can easily mapped to around 330bhp and believe me once you get past that 1 second turbo lag it will peel the enamel from your teeth.

I'm not a fan of Mercedes but the SLK350 3.5L 272bhp convertible with a 0-60mph of 5.5secs looks like a bit of fun

Also the Nissan 350 Z 3.5 can look good in the right colour etc.

Audi S4 Convertible at £7.6 which can be remapped and being AWD you can put that power down with confidence although not sure how the fuel bowser you'll be towing will cope.

I still like the S2000 though. You know that you'll be able to redline it time and time again and it will still just keep working. No complicated turbocharging to go wrong, no giant engine to guzzle fuel and I believe there's also some tricks to get around some of the minor annoyances such as not being able to operate the soft-top whilst moving. Plus it's got a limited slip diff in the rear for added fun :)
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I know EV and hybrid is the future and lately I am thinking getting one last good and fun petrol car to keep (even though I am not even 40 yet) so I have been looking at convertibles, even a 2 seater.


The BMW 650i these days is an bargain for power and comfort, if you have a slush fund to keep it on the road when things goes wrong, that would be my only worry. When this car goes wrong, it is normally in the thousands and they are at an age now where you need to keep on top maintenance.


The other car on your list is the SLK350, something that is on my list also as my next car (or the Z4 30i/35i). The SLK350 looks much nicer in person IMO than photos online, not sure why it has this image of being a woman’s car. The Z4 is probably faster with better infotainment but as with all tech like these, they won’t age very well so better to get better sound system than focus on the screen.
 
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Fiat Barchetta! It's a pretty unusual car in that you don't see many of them over here as they never built RHD models (as far as I'm aware). Although there are plenty of conversions. I had one when I lived in Switzerland and it was basically the most impractical car for living up in the mountains but it was ridiculous fun.

CIMG2733_-_Copy1.JPG

This isn't mine but it was almost identical, with slightly different wheels. It was quick and sounded amazing.
 
Alan Clogwyn said:
Very nice colour, Deep Sapphire blue, only available on the very latest batch of FN2s. Mine's Deep Bronze Pearl, looks like Nighthawk Black until the sun hits it when it turns golden, and in the late evening glow it shimmers beautifully. I wanted Championship white, but they were limited editions and very costly, I can buy a brand new car for less than a 10 year old one!

View attachment 131886
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I do quite like that colour and was looking at a bronze type S before I bought my R.
Nice to have something other than red, black or silver isn't it? :D
Has your handbrake lever fallen apart yet? Mine did recently, it ended up in 3 pieces.
What about your left palm.... have you suffered 3rd degree burns from the gear knob yet? :LOL:
 
Wozzaaah said:
I do quite like that colour and was looking at a bronze type S before I bought my R.
Nice to have something other than red, black or silver isn't it? :D
Has your handbrake lever fallen apart yet? Mine did recently, it ended up in 3 pieces.
What about your left palm.... have you suffered 3rd degree burns from the gear knob yet? :LOL:
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Handbrake lever is different on the Type R to the other models, presumably to put something right, no issues with it yet but it was a bit of a nervous moment the other day tightening up the bolts that hold it to the floor as they seem to be made of cheese, I was expecting the snap any moment! As for burns from the gearknob ...
https://www.facebook.com/richard.a.jones.790/posts/10215441380204278
 
nilagin said:
What's complicated about turbocharging? They are quite a simple thing.
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The concept may be simple but there's a fair amount of extra components involved which means more to go wrong. On the flip side, at the moment turbocharging is the future for ICE cars as it's the best way to reduce emissions without destroying performance.
 
gman said:
On the flip side, at the moment turbocharging is the future for ICE cars as it's the best way to reduce emissions without destroying performance.
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A case example of that has to be the new Fiesta ST -

The previous model was a 1.6 4cyl turbo.
The new version is a 1.5 3cyl turbo.

The newer version puts out approximately the same power but also has the ability to shut down a cylinder when the loud pedal isn't being exploited.

I'm sure a drag test between the old and new also showed that the new was marginally quicker in both standing starts and rolling starts.
@nilagin will be able to fill in on more details but it looks a nice little hot hatch.
 
stupar said:
A case example of that has to be the new Fiesta ST -

The previous model was a 1.6 4cyl turbo.
The new version is a 1.5 3cyl turbo.

The newer version puts out approximately the same power but also has the ability to shut down a cylinder when the loud pedal isn't being exploited.

I'm sure a drag test between the old and new also showed that the new was marginally quicker in both standing starts and rolling starts.
@nilagin will be able to fill in on more details but it looks a nice little hot hatch.
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I hope to be getting a test drive at work in the next month or so. My mate had the 1.6 with Mountune 215PS upgrade, he was taken around the test track at work in a new one, he reckons it is quick and handles very well, the bloke driving it even managed to frighten the life out of him with the level of grip the car has.
 
nilagin said:
I hope to be getting a test drive at work in the next month or so. My mate had the 1.6 with Mountune 215PS upgrade, he was taken around the test track at work in a new one, he reckons it is quick and handles very well, the bloke driving it even managed to frighten the life out of him with the level of grip the car has.
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Speaks volumes!
Here's a link to the drag race between old and new
 
gman said:
The concept may be simple but there's a fair amount of extra components involved which means more to go wrong. On the flip side, at the moment turbocharging is the future for ICE cars as it's the best way to reduce emissions without destroying performance.
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Other than a twin turbo unit where a smaller turbo feeds a larger turbo, the setup is quite simple. The turbo will have either an electronic actuator or a vacuum feed to control the waste gate a recirculation valve to prevent overboost and an intercooler to reduce the temperature of the air, also simple items that are unlikely to go wrong any more than any other component on an engine.
 
stupar said:
Speaks volumes!
Here's a link to the drag race between old and new
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I saw that last week. Ford have also come up with a new rear spring set up that has improved on what was already rated one of the best handling small cars.
 
Alan Clogwyn said:
Handbrake lever is different on the Type R to the other models, presumably to put something right, no issues with it yet but it was a bit of a nervous moment the other day tightening up the bolts that hold it to the floor as they seem to be made of cheese, I was expecting the snap any moment! As for burns from the gearknob ...
https://www.facebook.com/richard.a.jones.790/posts/10215441380204278
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Ha, love it! :clap:
Might help keep it warm in the winter too, if it doesn’t burn you it gives you frostbite. :D
 
nilagin said:
Other than a twin turbo unit where a smaller turbo feeds a larger turbo, the setup is quite simple. The turbo will have either an electronic actuator or a vacuum feed to control the waste gate a recirculation valve to prevent overboost and an intercooler to reduce the temperature of the air, also simple items that are unlikely to go wrong any more than any other component on an engine.
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And all the plumbing and pipes, the extra pressures and stresses which are at play in particular when it's a small engine being stretched, the labour involved especially when it's the actual turbocharger etc. It's more complicated than there being no turbo system present. I know turbo systems are more reliable than in the past but there are still more components in addition to the standard engine stuff which can go wrong.

Whether the pros and cons of a turbo make it worthwhile, I guess that's individual choice. I prefer n/a where possible, but with the disgusting fuel duty that we suffer then choices are limited.
 
Wozzaaah said:
Ha, love it! :clap:
Might help keep it warm in the winter too, if it doesn’t burn you it gives you frostbite. :D
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Yeh, in hindsight taking the(fake) Mugen carbon one off and putting the standard alloy one back on was a bad idea! :banana: Next task is new door handles to replace the ones that have badly been wrapped in Carbon (and are broke in the usual Civic way anyway!)
 
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