Drove a few cars over tha last week or so - looking for something fun to drive without having to do three figures to get that fun. New cars are too safe and predictable.

Driven: Daihatsu Copen, MR2, Focus ST, Lexus IS300 and a Colt CZT

Biggest Surprise: The Daihatsu Copen - really good fun Bit of scuttle shake and gay as hell but if SWTSMBO was to get one I'd have a go driving it here and there. Really good fun without breaking the speed limit. I'd hate to go on a motorway in one though. :eek:

Biggest Let Down: Focus ST - I've driven one before but wanted to remind myself. Fast and good handling but off the limit really no more special than anything else - IN MY OPINION! On the limit very composed and enjoyable - under normal driving at legal speeds there is really nothing special on offer :thumbdwn: Too good to be fun without a track.

MR2: Not for me - can see the attraction but a bit vague steering and too much body roll for a roadster.

IS300: Grand - better build quality than the 3 series IMO. A motorway cruiser rather than a fun car though. Completely silent - no wind noise at all.

Colt CZT: Alright but not particularly quick under normal driving and again not particularly fun within the speed limit.

EDIT: WTF is the translucent blue **** in the cabin - WTF were Mitsubishi doing???

Anyone know any new cars that are genuinely fun without driving them like you stole them?

Anything RWD!

RWD aside however I always found the 106GTi to be a great 'fun below 70mph' car.

Enjoy the test driving session, I did similar spot of 'winetasting' a few months back in order to try a load of American cars before I left (Corvette C6, Monaro/GTO, Impala SS) although batting off all the salesman calls thereafter almost made it not worth it!

Was wondering about a smartie - someone on here got one a while ago IIRC????

smart roadster

IS300 is a nice car, very well put together and nice to ride in. My mate had one, his only grumble was the TC could not be totally turned off.

Not driven anything lately that has really impressed my at low speeds.

I'd hate to go on a motorway in one though. :eek:

Trouble is, I suspect most cars which have enough "feel" to make them fun at low speeds generally won't be great on the motorway...either 'cos they'll be light or the ride will be harsh or a combination of both.

Would definitely try a smart roadster if you can though, the small turbo-charged engine is very fun and revvy, RWD and light so it feels balanced, etc. Only drawback is if you pay smart's prices for servicing...

Rob.

Last really fun car at legal speeds would have to be a Mini Cooper (Isigonis not Fishtrousers), Fiat X19, Capri 280 Brooklands (v6 RWD) sorry off topic and not new but still a few minters still available at a price, Or how about a Fiat Barchetta? Alfa Spyder (anything). VX220? whats your budget?

New MX-5? Not driven one, but heard a couple of promising reviews

Chris

Looking around 15K - I spend so much time on work cars it would be silly spending more on something that's going to depreciate the way cars do - going to be a brand spanker too I'm afraid - I need something that will get me to work without fail.

So nothing French

The Smart's looking favorite - Rob, how expensive is the servicing?

I've booked Friday off so I'm off to Smart in Coventry to look at one... Keep you posted.

The Smart's looking favorite - Rob, how expensive is the servicing

Not sure, I've never paid for a full service at smart...

The sump doesn't have a plug, therefore to change the oil a tube is put down through the filler or dipstick, and the oil is sucked out - most non-smart places don't get involved with this sort of thing, so I go to smart Manchester and get them to change the oil (providing my own oil and filter though ). Takes about half an hour and usually costs