10 Cheap Fun Cars For Under £2500

Used cars have gotten expensive. That shouldn’t come as a surprise if you’ve bought one in the last few years. The days of ultra-clean second-hand hacks being picked up for three-figure sums are largely in the past.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t have plenty of fun for not a lot of money in the grand scheme of cars. What, for instance, will a £2500 budget buy you? Here are 10 fun cars we’ve found for sale for that very amount or less.

Fiat Panda 100HP

There was plenty of scepticism when Fiat launched a hot version of its second-gen Panda in 2006 (and with all of 99bhp from a 1.4-litre engine, we’re really stretching the definition of ‘hot’).

But, like lots of things you’ll see on this list, what the Panda 100HP lacked in power, it made up for with a sub-tonne kerbweight, a fizzy, eager engine, and a thoroughly reworked suspension setup. Because these Pandas had their gearknob up on the dash, too, you got to feel like a touring car driver every time you went for a shift.

Toyota MR2 (SW30)

Long seen as the poor relation among the Toyota MR2 family, the relative unlovedness of the third-gen SW30 model now plays nicely into the hands of those looking for a sports car bargain.

Switching over to a trad fabric roof, the SW30 came with a 138bhp 1.8-litre engine, which was plenty in a car that weighed a shade under a tonne. Combine that with general Toyota dependability and the inherently exotic feel of a mid-engined layout, and you’ll quickly stop caring that you can barely fit a loaf of bread in the tiny luggage compartment.

Ford Puma

Before it was a slightly bug-eyed and enormously popular crossover, the Ford Puma was a pretty little Fiesta-based coupe. Hailing from the era when Ford was making even its very ordinary cars extraordinary to drive, the chassis excellence was paired with a range of four-pot engines, co-developed by motorbike wizards Yamaha.

Sadly, numbers are now dwindling thanks to the original Puma’s tendency to melt as soon as it came into contact with rain. However, this is also keeping prices down, so if you’re handy with the Waxoyl, you’re onto a winner.

BMW Z3 2.2

Ordinarily, some sort of E46 3 Series would be the go-to for cheap, straight-six BMW-flavoured fun, but numbers are dropping as bodies rot, engines die, and they get turned into drift cars and bashed into walls.

We turn, then, to the Z3, never exactly the sharpest sports car in its day. Still, it’s a handsome two-seater roadster built by one of the best names in the business, and in still-affordable 2.2-litre six-cylinder guise, has a handy 168bhp – how bad can it be? We don’t know, but we’d love for you to tell us.

Mazda MX-5 (NB)

No matter what happens to the car market, the Mazda MX-5 will always have a place on fun used car listicles. At this budget, it’s the second-generation, not-quite-a-classic-yet NB that’s most accessible. And yes, there’s one word you’re thinking of: rust.

So popular was this car in its day, though, that there are still dozens around, so a bit of searching should find one that still has a decent amount of life in it. Even better, the bigger 1.8-litre engine with 140bhp (146bhp in facelift form) should be comfortably within budget, and it’ll be the perfect intro to just why the MX-5 gets so much praise heaped on it.

Lexus IS250

We could have gone for the first-gen Lexus IS here – the Partridge version, if you will – but at this budget, you’re looking at a 2.0-litre IS200, which isn’t exactly a performance hero. Also in reach if you’re prepared to go for a high-miler (and it’s a Lexus, so this shouldn’t be too much of an issue) is a second-gen IS250.

Powered by a 2.5-litre V6, and still available with a manual, it sent a healthy 204bhp to the rear wheels. Okay, it won’t be as sharp as a contemporary 3 Series, but it’ll probably be a heck of a lot more reliable than the BMW.

Citroen C2 VTS

When the Citroen C2 launched in 2003, it was aimed squarely at the under-25 demographic, which would be fine, except for one thing: not many under-25s have the money to spend on a brand new car.

A couple of grand on a used car, though, is a different story, and two decades down the line, even the sporty VTS model, complete with uprated suspension and a 1.6-litre, 108bhp engine, is well within our budget. It’s the perfect car for heading to the Ace Cafe and reliving the dying days of the Max Power scene. Surely, that’s due a comeback, by the way?

Peugeot 306 Cabriolet

The fine art of turning a regular small hatchback into a convertible has almost completely died out, but in the 1990s, it was arguably in its prime. Not many were better than the Peugeot 306 Cabriolet, which paired the lovely chassis of the regular 306 with a pretty Pininfarina restyle and the inherent sunny day appeal of a cabrio.

Even at this low budget, you can find remarkably clean examples with the reasonably punchy 137bhp, 2.0-litre engine. If you were to really push it, you could call it a semi-credible MX-5 alternative. We’re not sure we’d go that far, but it’s still a nice little thing.

Suzuki Swift Sport (ZC31S)

We have some skin in the game on this one, because CT’s Ryan Hirons has been running an original ZC31S Suzuki Swift Sport as his personal car for years, and will evangelise it at any given opportunity.

And yeah, he’s got a point. Developing 123bhp, the original Swift Sport’s feisty 1.6-litre engine was derived from the one used in Suzuki’s S1600 rally car, and sat in a lightweight, chuckable chassis. It was one of the last truly old-school hot hatches, and frankly, feels like it won’t stay such a bargain for long.

Mini Cooper (R50)

You can still quite comfortably pick up a hotted-up R53 Mini Cooper S for under £2500, but there’s potential for trouble with that supercharged engine. Not as fast, but just as sweet in the handling department and arguably closer to the classic Mini in spirit, was the very first of the BMW Minis, the original R50 Cooper.

With 114bhp shifting around 1150kg, it was still a decently nippy little so-and-so, and had the ultra-tight, feelsome steering and slick gearchange that have long marked out the best modern Minis. You can still pick up some incredibly clean examples at this budget, too – you just need to convince yourself you don’t need the extra shove of the S.