I was looking at buying my first car probably by the end of the year, and need suggestions. I personally love cars and would like something fun to drive and sporty. I was recently looking at a ford focus xr5 turbo, golf gti, subaru liberty but would be interested in anything really. My budget is probably anything under around 13k
Edit: don't mind manual or auto
Thanks, Updated it
208 GTi, Clio RS, Fiat/Abarth 500
Peugeot? I'm pretty sure OP actually wants to drive the car! š¤£
To be fair, they get more interesting as they age. Like the drivers seat might loosen, or the cat might blow out into the exhaust. Fun, right?
I almost vomited when I saw Peugeot, but cloaked it down when I saw Fiat/Abarth. šI donāt think OP will get much of an Abarth for $13k, but a Fiat 500 Sport is a very fun little carā¦ here, Nubzy, have your first upvote from me. (And for the record, the GTi isnāt a bad suggestion either.)
I'd go for an mx5 or 86/brz… they both handle very well, but are not overpowered or unreliable beasts.
Before you buy something too much fun though, make sure you are prepared to splash $2k+ per year for full comp insurance.
Edit: now you've added a budget, forgot the 86.
Bold to assume that the OP can drive manual (in the case of the MX5)
What's wrong with an auto Miata? :Troll_face:
13k? forget about it. pre-covid cheapest were 15k and now its nearer to 20k.
Great car along with the MX5 but neither are going to fit the budget (NB mx5 maybe)
My budget is probably anything under around 13k
Have you put aside a decent amount for insurance? If not, drop your budget to $10k
(P-plate + anything remotely 'Sporty' is going to cost $$$ to insure).
MKV Golf R32 - but for $13k you might struggle to find a good one.
Don't shop for an R32 at that budget… you might get the worst one on the market, only to quickly receive a $2000 haldex service/repair bill. Better off with more normie cars. MX5, focus, fiesta ST, whatever.
I reckon a Fiesta ST is a really good buy in this price range, just have to shop around and wait for something to come up. Small, cheap to run, probably cheap to insure, fun enough and you won't get yourself into trouble.
Have you looked at insurance prices before you get carried away with your legitimate sports car?
2005 WRX is P plate approved in some states.
This. Cars the OP listed are NOT going to be cheap for insurance, plus with the current market, not sure if you'd get a decent one within that budget even before insurance.
Xr5 turbo comes in some nice colours
A friend has an old F150 in electric orange with thick pearl white stripes. Cost a bomb but looks amazing in that XR5 colour.
Bora V6
.
Hahaha the LS400 is definitely not sporty and I reckon would handle better in water. Coming from a 2-door Honda sh!tbox that was good (slow) fun, the LS400 just doesn't hit that itch. Absolutely luxurious to drive around in though…
HAHA yep hence the 'in a straight line' bit. It'll get you to 160 on the motorway onramp in no time and leave you with a smile on your face.
Perfect car for the sophisticated bogan.
EG/EK civic with a B-series type r swap
$5k for a 20 year old Bimmer E46, and $8k for the inevitable mechanics bills ;)
And ozbargain post from the father in law about said BMW - Priceless
Oh, also, I think the recommendations will be really different if you want a manual or auto.
20 year old manual trans is more or less as good as a brand new one.
Brand new auto/DCT trans is worlds apart from a 20 year old slushbox.
If you're happy with a manual then I think you could buy an older car and get something much more interesting.
focus xr5 turbo
P-plater
Next.
Sporty/fun + P-Plate = disaster
IMO - completely agree with MX-5 or 86/BRZ, you can actually learn to drive in these cars and they will be good fun on track days. They're light and not particularly powerful, so you can push them on the track and have a good time. Also lots of potential to tune and get involved in modding.
I wouldn't get something with a turbo or something with too much HP at the expense of weight and handling capabilities. Plenty of time to get cars that can take off fast. My take is that most who get "fast" cars never learn how to drive them properly and thus lose out on why they bought those cars in the first place.
MY18 manual Picanto. Light enough and stupidly stiff chassis so as long as people aren't speeding, they will never loose you on corners. No power so you constantly have to rev it out to have fun. Cheap insurance as it's not a 'sports' car. Yes they are slow to accelerate up hills, but they are cheap on gas meaning you can invest more/work less/driver further or spend more on your self or dates.
P76 if you can lay your hands on one. It'll be rough around the edges at this price point, but nothing else listed here can carry a 44 gallon drum in the boot.
always great to throw off any pursuit cars if you add a remote switched tap to the drum.
Best 'Sporty/fun
…you'll ever have
Out of the box thinking right there.
Get a slow car and drive it fast. Don't risk your brand new license chasing the same fun at high speeds.
Main thing is probably strong low end torque, so whatever power is available is easily accessible, and the whole thing feels responsive.
One of the most fun cars I've driven was an old Daihatsu, that was regularly about 15kmh below what I thought. Tiny engine, but pushing around barely any weight.
Agreed. The old saying that it's more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow is spot-on.
Just get yourself a cheap manual and thrash it for a few years before setting your eyes on a more sporty car if your job/savings/life allow for it.
Learn to drive and not be another death statistic first.
if op finds what he's looking for, get him to contact me
OP is looking for that elusive dream we all look for
"I got $12-$13k my parents gave me, I want a car that is fun to drive, I dont care if its manual auto fwd 4wd rwd, has to be cheap on petrol and running costs but fast enough but it needs to haul my shit and it has to be unique enough so I'm not looking like an ozbb NPC in a CorollaCamry… it also needs to have cheap parts etc… so performs like a Euro, reliable like an Japanese car… also I havent budgeted or insurance because F*k it amrite…"
also i havent accounted for covid at all
The CL9 Honda Accord Euros are fun P plate cars from what I gather and haven't been hit as hard from Corona but pretty much everything has been blown out of the water now
Miata
Is
Always
The
Answer
unless you need to do anything remotely useful
I ended up with an na miata:)
mx5, 86, from experience, dont chase power, lightweight manual is way more fun. drive these while you still can, have 4 door cars when you have a family
v8 maloo
m8, list your budget first