5 Fast And Affordable Cars For Non Badge Snobs
Thanks to prolific platform and engine sharing in the car industry, it's worth checking if the car you're after has a cheaper relative with the same oily bits underneath. Here are five ways you can take advantage and grab a cool, quick car for less.
1. Lotus Elise - Vauxhall VX220
The bonkers Lotus Carlton wasn't the only Vauxhall/Lotus combo to come out of GM's ownership of the two companies. Using a modified series 2 Elise platform, Vauxhall dropped in a 2.2 GM unit instead of the 1.8 K-Series found in the Lotus, and added its own, more angular body.
Of course, having the Vauxhall griffin badge on your bonnet isn't quite such a desirable proposition as a Lotus one. That's had a dramatic effect on used prices. Early VX220s like this start at £7500. If you want a similarly aged second-gen Lotus Elise, you'll need to bring at least another £3500 to the table. That saving should pay for a fair few track days.
2. Subaru Impreza - Forester
If you can get over the, erm, challenging looks of the boxy Subaru Forester, it's well worth a look as an Impreza alternative. Under that ungainly body lies the same platform and running gear as our favourite rally hero, so that means a turbocharged boxer four-pot that is prime for a tweak.
And another bonus is that a Forester is also much less likely to have been abused given the very different ownership profile to the Impreza. Sound tempting? This '99 example is at the higher end of what you'd want to pay for a Forester, but looks to be in great condition for its age.
3. 306 GTI-6 - Citroen Xsara VTS
Fancy a hot hatchback for peanuts? Look no further than the Citroen Xsara VTS. Underneath it sits on the same platform and uses the same engine as the mighty Peugeot 306 GTi-6, but unlike its relative, the Xsara VTS has been pretty much forgotten. OK, so you drop a cog from the gearbox and it's not as sporty-looking, but while you need at least a grand to bag a reasonable GTi-6, a Xsara VTS can be yours for less than £500.
This one is an utter bargain at only £490. Our advice? Snap one up and spend all that dough you've saved on petrol for hooning.
4. Golf R32 - A3 3.2 Quattro
Make no mistake, the Mk5 VW Golf R32 is an awesome car. You'll need a fair chunk of cash to get a good one though, with prices starting at a cool £8k. If you fancy something cheaper and a little more discreet, give the Mk2 Audi A3 3.2 a look, with prices starting at a mere £3000. It sits on the same platform as the Golf, and most importantly, it shares that glorious 3.2 250bhp VR6 motor with its VW brother.
In standard trim it's not going to thrill in quite the same way as the R32. But if you spend about a thousand or so on a new set of springs and shocks, you'll see a big dynamic improvement, and still have plenty of that initial five grand saving left. This S Line example is well priced and comes with full service history.
5. VW Bora V5 - Seat Toledo V5
This is arguably the least interesting car here, but stick with us. You can bag a V5 Toledo for a good few hundred quid less than a VW Bora or Golf V5, which are in almost every case considerably less well equipped with goodies like sat-nav and leccy seats.
This one for example is being flogged for an insanely low £650. The best part? You get that lovely warbly five-pot for next to nothing.
Platform Sharing Gone Bad
When Chrysler decided to create a new roadster and coupe, we were hoping for something a little better. They got off to a bad start by using the already old R170 Mercedes SLK underpinnings as a base, resulting in a dreadfully dated car. The styling was a little all over the place, especially on the coupe - which Jeremy Clarkson once adeptly described as looking like a dog squatting down for a dump. Certainly a car to avoid.
Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.
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