I was looking at the Lotus Carlton, which does 0-60 in 5.2s, and which as a modified Vauxhall I assume would be a relatively affordable ownership proposition.
However, reading this site, www.lotus-carlton.fsnet.co.uk/Main.htm it sounds like very expensive to maintain, with overpriced parts in short supply.
So what is the most affordable fast (say sub 6 seconds 0-60) car, in terms of owning and also buying (the aforementioned would set you back £20k+).
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You'd get a Golf Gti with DSG for that, that would get you to 60 in that time - almost
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You'd get a Golf Gti with DSG for that, that would get you to 60 in that time - almost
Nearly a second slower isn't it?
I was imagining something a few years old, and hence cheaper than a new GTI.
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I seem to remember front pads @ over £200 a set. I never owned one but the price of parts still haunts me!
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Any Impreza with a turbo I would think.
If you get one that's not been thrashed it will prove reliable and hence not too dear from that perspective - will be heaavy on petrol if hammered (although anything else will too). Grips the road better in the wet than a Golf GTi in the dry!
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Any Impreza with a turbo I would think.
I didn't realise until I did a quick search on Autotrader that the early Impreza turbos are so cheap.
There are several available around 2K if you fancied a taking a chance (don't know about how it's been treated at that sort of price)
tinyurl.com/29q337
Chris
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1991 65k Lotus Carlton in this week's Autosport for £19,995, I dont call that affordable, you can get a nice M3 or M5 for that, or a tidy early Elise and a 2001 ish 330i or perhaps a new R1 and a two year old ST220.
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I nearly bought a Lotus Carlton, but ended up with a cheap imported Impreza instead...
The Carltons are pretty old cars now and spares prices are horrific! Some of the cheapies out there have had more than a few knocks and bumps too.
My Impreza STi was £5k and had been modified to go at warp factor speeds and was incredibly exhilarating to drive. Nothing beats an Impreza for handling, certainly not at that money.
However, the engines often blow up and mine did in spectacular fashion. It wasn't even me driving it, but the MOT inspector who wanted to get it nicely warmed up to pass the emissions test! Cost me £2k in repairs and it was never right again so off it went.
If you're going for something cheap and fast I would recommend keeping it simple and miss out on turbos. I'd go for a car with a large unstressed engine and rear wheel drive. What about an older BMW? Lots of cheap spares available and you can use a specialist to keep costs down.
R
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Rover 620 Turbo?
6k should leave a few quid available for front tyres etc.
Mondeo ST220?
VW Passat W8? Maybe a bit slow off the mark, as they´re pretty high geared.
Otherwise something like a BMW 540i springs to mind, as Rumfitt suggests. Or an E34 M5 maybe.
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Nissan 200SX- easily modified to 250bhp for peanuts and no drivetrain losses like an Impreza (despite their reputation UK Imprezas are actually pretty slow even when modified). Their impressive 0-60 times are a result of brutal, clutch wrecking launches. Drive one when it's moving and the acceleration is actually pretty dissapointing. A type R model is something quite different of course.
I couldn't see anything about budget but my next choices would be
Jaguar XJR- decent BHP means these cars punch hard right upto very high speeds. New pulley for the charger and a remap makes them a beast. Beware Nikasil problems though.
Fiat Coupe 20V Turbo- once it's initial traction problems are over these things fly. Miles quicker than the UK Impreza beloved of some people. Also respond well to minor mods like a remap for in excess of 270bhp.
Off the wall choice?
Import Soarer 2.5TT with TEMS suspension. Remap this already quick car and it becomes a high speed bruiser. Available for a few grand.
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Nissan Skyline GTR. 32s can be had for 7-10k. Some have been modded beyond all imagination. Parts are reasonable. Get a later 32 so you have the newer style gearbox which is easier to fix should it fall to bits. Look on www.gtr.co.uk at the forum to see what is around. I've had an early 32 for several years and it has been fairly reasonable to maintain. As long as you look after them and don't thrash them when cold then they're a fine every day car (apart from the 20 mpg!)
Another choice is a mitsubishi Evo. The scoobies are slow for what they are.
One of the more affordable purchases is a lancia delta integrale. The 8v ones are 3k and the 16v ones are around 5-7k. Most are lhd but there are a few rhd conversions. The Mike Spence/John Whalley conversions are the only ones to consider. The rest aren't as good. They do cost more to maintain but for B road travelling there is nothing else quite like them. They can be temperamental and unreliable but once driven you can't imagine life without one.
Practical Performance Car Mag have a section once a month on similar cars to what you are looking for.
teabelly
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seeing as there are a lot of Jap turbos being mentioned, I might as well stick my oar in.
My Mr2 turbo does the 0-60 sprint somewhere between 5 and 6 seconds.
The old now, so cheap (sub £5k), but avoid the early ones and try and find a 1994+ model, which have revised rear lights, spoiler, bodykit, an lsd, but importantly fueling, cams, and turbo revisions to get 245bhp stock up from 225bhp.
But, as mentioned turbos = trouble when the car is getting on a bit (or the car has been modded).
The MR2 forum I frequent is plagued by "my car isn't boosting properly" threads.
Downsides are: nowhere near as big as a Lotus Carlton, or even a 200sx. It's noisy and the short wheelbase means if the rear does loose it, you have to be quick. The handling isn't really up to the power, but is good enough.
Upsides are: specialist part providers are realtively cheap (for power) and shared engine with GT4 (another possibility for you if you want better handling and a bit more space). Specialist insurers can get good prices if you're over 25. Oh and did I mention speed? My humble 1994 can still leave the likes of a new Golf GTi well behind.
What type of body type are you going for? as I think this will help narrow your choice down.
What type of driving do you do? e.g. for track day you'd get much better expereicen buying a low powered but good handling car (eg MR2 mk1) than charging round in something with 240bhp.
hth
Ian
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