Can you recommend a fun, stylish car for under £20,000?

I wrote off my 9-year-old BMW 330i and am trying to decide what to replace it with. My husband is fixated on Mercedes-Benzs or BMWs and so I have considered a CLK. Part of me feels that I don't need something quite as flash (having got it out of my system), but I do want style and reliability. I even thought about a Cinquecento. Whatever I buy it will probably be about two years old. I have a budget of up to about £20,000. Any suggestions?

Asked on 17 August 2013 by JK, Stockport

Answered by Honest John

A MINI convertible or a Fiat 500C TwinAir or Abarth 500C will be good fun. £20,000 also buys a Mazda MX-5 2.0i Sport, either a Roadster or Roadster Sport with an electric folding hard top. A Citroen DS3 1.6THP 156 cabrio is a decent drive (soft-top now available). So is a Peugeot 208GTI, and the stunning looking KIA Pro Cee’d GT at £19,995 with a 7-year warranty. But a new Fiesta ST is cheaper at £16,995 and generally reckoned to be the best of the bunch.

Tags: warranties fun cars performance convertibles reliability

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Related models

Fiat 500C (2009 on)

Characterful and charismatic. Funky retro look inside and out.

Mazda MX-5 (2005 - 2015)

Outstanding handling. Outrageous fun.

Mercedes-Benz CLK (2002 - 2009)

Much better second attempt at CLK. Goes well, handles well and is comfortable. Attractive looks.

MINI Convertible (2009 - 2015)

Highly desirable and very pretty. Handles well even with the roof down. Lower emissions than previous MINI Convertible. Air conditioning now standard.