Best Handling Car under €x

Pique

I was thinking about changing my car recently and probably will in the coming months and I was thinking about what would be important to me.
Obviously reliability, comfort, safety etc is all important but what doesn't really come into it anymore is speed. :eek::eek:

Seriously, I live in a town, and most driving is on roads which are 99% of the time pretty dangerous to even do 120kph. I have resigned myself to the fact that the roads are going to get more and more congested and with no motorways near me, but plenty of twisty N & R routes, I keep coming back to the main aim of my next car.

Handling.

I used to have an E30 318is and ab-sol-utely loved it. it's power/weight ratio was ample, 50:50 weight ditribution, rwd and bags of 'feel' so I knew where the limits were.

What are the equivalents from the last decade ?

I'm only looking for a second car so personally my budget is about 5k.
Can we have opinions on the best handling cars under 5k and also under 10k and 15k to kinda build up a list ? 300+bhp is fine on a straight, but if it terrifies you in the twisties, it's ultimately useless.

A few rules to make it realistic though.
It cannot be a 2-seater roadster (practicality is important for the times that you need to get a bag of coal and pick up the wife/girlfriend/both or kids)
It must be (or have been) available in Ireland.
Cars from 00-10 reg only (notable exceptions may be made for older suggestions but nothing pre-1990 in any case, just to stop the AE86 suggestions)
No boyracer-mobiles need apply.
FWD is not a dirty word, nor is 4WD/AWD.
Engine max is 2.5L
Right Hand Drive only.


Go on, gimme your thoughts:

Alanstrainor

Just get 2 mx5s, there's your 4 seats:p

TestTransmission

No boyracer-mobiles need apply.

What cars are you excluding here?

Absurdum

Honda Integra Type R

si_guru

Puma 1.7 - if ye can find one.

Pique

TestTransmission wrote: »

What cars are you excluding here?

Ah ya know yourself. If you have to ask, it probably is

Atomic Pineapple

I'm guessing the Integra Type R DC2 falls under your boy racer mobile view but its the best handling FWD car you'll get and €5k would get you a serioulsy clean one. Easily fit 4 people in, massive boot space for a coupe and a pure joy to drive on twisty roads.

Another option would be a Renault Clio 172 again great handling for the twisties but slightly less room inside and in the boot.

si_guru

LIGHTNING wrote: »

Ford Racing Puma

Wow.. saw one near Macroom a few weeks back. Pretty rare. But not as rare as a Ka Racing.

TestTransmission

Pique wrote: »

Ah ya know yourself. If you have to ask, it probably is

Well, I was gonna suggest a Teg like a few have already but I'm guessing you'd see that as one?

Pique

To be fair, it's not really meant to be confined to what 'I' think or put in the OP.
I only really put that line in to avoid multipe posts with "Teg Type R" or "Civic Type R" as the reply. I know they're cracking machines and didn't want to specifically exclude them.

So, having acknowledged that, can we look for the Second-best handling car :P

BTW, no saloons yet ?

Absurdum

Pique wrote: »

BTW, no saloons yet ?

Honda Accord Type R

Pique

Absurdum wrote: »

Honda Accord Type R

Turning into a Honda love-in here

OK then.

Lancer Evo VIII
BMW 320si
Focus ST

johnos1984

Renault Twingo 133 Cup.

I'd love one :cool:

si_guru

EVO... hope ye fillings are well glued in!

TestTransmission

Absurdum wrote: »

Honda Accord Type R

Pique wrote: »

Ahem, Euro R.I owned one for a while, very comfy, fantastic engine, great in the twisty bits and very practical.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2616040

My one was very understated,no spoiler, jap plates,etc.

Absurdum

Pique wrote: »

Lancer Evo VIII

total money pit

will probably get stolen

some may regard it as a bit boy-racer-ish

Tea 1000

MX5.
Sorry, the word handling was in the title and my keyboard automatically does that in those cases!!
Aside from that gem, Mazda 6 MPS is a very tidy handling car that can be bought for less than 10k. Mondeo ST220, but that breaches the cc limit. Golf R32 does too, so I'll stick with the Mk V GTi.
The usual Type R suspects are either good at worst or excellent at best. Clio's and Megane's in their special forms are excellent. Focus ST/RS. Volvo S60R might be a bit different. E46's are nice handling and can be entertaining with an I6 up front.
Fiat Coupe 20v Turbo's are nice. 190bhp Celica gen 7's are underrated. ST205 Celica GT4's also, but hard to find unabused ones.
Mitsubishi Evo's are a given, but there's the FTO too. And the Mazda MX3 had a 1.8 V6 in one guise had it not?
You might get a Cooper in budget. 306 GTi-6 Rallye's are excellent.

WestWing

Focus ST...one of the best handling cars i've driven.

Fast(ish), practical, affordable maintenance, etc...



http://www.carzone.ie/search/Ford/Focus/ST-170-3/213228151377380/advert?channel=CARS

langdang

Cooper S

si_guru

What about this -given you lust for some old style BMW fun...?

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2852444

166man

Alfa 156 with any of the petrol engines under 2.0. Should pick up a nice one for under €1500. Great cars to drive on country roads, seriously.:D

CianRyan

Clean R32 GTR!



Edit: I know I'm breaking all sorts of rules but I don't care.
That car is near perfect.

Twin-go

Some examples that I have experience of:

• E46 318ti M-sport (better handeling than saloon/coupe equivalent) I sold a 2004 one last year for <€5k
• Early example Alfa GT 3.2 V6 not as good in the corners as the E46 but it makes up for it in style and that V6 sound http://www.carzone.ie/search/Alfa-Romeo/GT/3.2-SPOR/201135204202823/advert?channel=CARS

si_guru

LIGHTNING wrote: »

Old skool auto

Was there a manual? I don't know.

Mr Benevolent

166man wrote: »

Great cars to drive on country roads, seriously.:D

...as long as you stay away from the loud pedal! Petrol guzzling fecker with spirited driving. So far I've varied between 23 and 32 mpg, manic vs granny driving. Got a quote of €440 today to change the cambelt and variator - not bad at all.

166man

Confab wrote: »

...as long as you stay away from the loud pedal! Petrol guzzling fecker with spirited driving. So far I've varied between 23 and 32 mpg, manic vs granny driving. Got a quote of €440 today to change the cambelt and variator - not bad at all.

Jeez that's not great at all, I don't think my mpg drops below the 28mpg before and that's with ''spirited driving''..:P

Mr Benevolent

166man wrote: »

Jeez that's not great at all, I don't think my mpg drops below the 28mpg before and that's with ''spirited driving''..:P

It depends on your definition of spirited. Regular forays to the 12 o'clock position on the speedo is spirited. I never go near motorways or dual carraiges either, which wrecks the mpg.

murphyebass

Agree with the ST mentioned could be the way to go.

Mazda RX8 or MPS maybe?

http://www.carsireland.ie/detail.php?ad_id=727609&r=s.php%3Fm%3D51%26o%3D417%26g%3D0

http://www.carsireland.ie/detail.php?ad_id=735818&r=s.php%3Ff1%3DMPS%26g%3D0

Gary ITR

I know I'm biased but I think you'd be mad to dismiss a Teg simply because it carries the stigma of a TypeR badge

Here's mine


It's the most fun I've had with my pants on

Edit: And I'm no 'Boy' Racer, I'm 28 in two weeks

Raskolnikov

LIGHTNING wrote: »

My vote for FWD cars

Ford Racing Puma
Honda Type R buckets :pac:
Suzuki Swift GTI
Polo GTI

Peugeot 106 GTI, probably not as powerful as you're thinking, but God that car loves corners. I am biased though, I own one :pac:

Seriously though, if anyone hasn't got the E46 M3 on a shortlist at very least, they're mental. If I could justify putting down €20k for a reasonably new and non-clapped out one, it would be the first car I would buy tomorrow.

barura

It's called a VW Corrado and they're only stonking brilliant.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2847196



Large boot too for all the dead bodies! I mean... Luggage...

Henry Ford III

http://cars.rte.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=213228151377380

bazz26

I know you said 2.5 litre max but the running costs on a 3 litre are not that far off a 2.5 litre:

http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=201134204125803

wendell borton

The Ford Puma, nice handling, relatively rare, reliable as based on fiesta and cheap.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCWGBYc8zlY