What engaging to drive car do you recommend?
I'm after a used car to replace my rapidly aging Peugeot 207. My criteria are a budget of £18k, 2017 or newer, 50k miles tops, manual petrol, sub 9-ish seconds to 60mph, saloon, hatchback, estate or decent size coupe (I'm too tall for an MX-5). Most importantly it must be engaging to drive, with excellent feel through the steering and gearbox and with decent handling
Every new-ish car I've driven recently has felt really numb to drive so I'm really hoping you can help.
Every new-ish car I've driven recently has felt really numb to drive so I'm really hoping you can help.
Asked on 2 July 2025 by Toby Pratt
Answered by
Matt Robinson
If you were to go for the coupe option, a BMW 2 Series could be worth a look. They're great fun to drive and even the base 218i will do 0-62mph in under 8.8 seconds. We'd go for the 220i at least, though, as the four-cylinder engine is smoother. Just be aware that manual-equipped cars are in the minority, particularly on the larger-engined versions - some patience might be required when hunting for your ideal example.
Tags:
buying advice
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