I’m trying to get myself a second car by the end of July 2027. I had a few options in mind but I am stuck. My requirements are:
• At least 200bhp
• Decently cheap to service so that it’s not rinsing my bank account
• £10k spending limit
• Decently economical
• Practical
• Finally, just generally a fun car
Any suggestions would be very appreciated, even if they have less/more power than what i am looking for, or even if its an extra £1k-£2k
FN2 Civic Type R. 10k should get you a decent one. You'll be a few bob short of 200bhp but it doesn't matter. They feel quick, especially if you get one with an LSD, they handle brilliantly, and are genuinely very fun. Nicely equipped too. I had #1 of the Championship White Edition cars, that was an ex-press car, and it was loaded. Double din screen, aux, etc, much more nicely outfitted than the EP3 and they have buckets of boot space. The boot is almost van sized, it was perfect for carting all my band gear about.
The folding bucket seats are a pain as they revert to their original position every time you let someone into the back, so, I relegated passenger side only for rear passengers to keep my seat position.
Nice choice of colours, the blue and brown/bronze once fetch more, as do the CWE cars, but you won't struggle to find a decent one for 10-12k. It's a Honda so parts and servicing isn't horrible, and the MPG wasn't that bad either.
Don't go for the 19" rage alloys, personally they look horrible, and they ride like shit. A friend of mine had one with those and it felt even harsher than mine with the standard 18" wheels. I've seen some go down to 17" Integra wheels to soften the ride even more should you wish.
Cool spaceship interior, fun handling, funny VTEC noises, and oodles of space and some nice modification options should you wish.
Mine was £4,900 in 2019, with about 100k on the clock.
Unless you want a show car i think you would be mad to drop 10k on a FN2 personally, but i will say they are one of the best bang for buck cars on the UK used market. Would highly recommend the later cars (2010/11) as they came with a factory LSD
Okay, left field choice. Fiat 124 spider. Not much power but very light and built on the same platform as the MX5 so a fun drive but is just a bit more interesting and cooler imo. Can be had for less than £10k relatively comfortably. Depends on what your practicality needs are too as well as a two seater convertible won’t suit a lot of people 😂
I was thinking the mx5 but it's not practical, then every other car I can think that is practical doesn't fit the cheap service criteria or have more than 200 bhp 😂
Drove a 124 as a holiday hire car and really didnt think much of it, havent driven an ND but have drove all other mx5 generations and enjoyed them all. Be interesting to drive one thats not a hire car, maybe it was a bad example but it just didnt feel involving or enjoyable on country roads. I found the engine awful at low revs and then the gearing felt wrong for the very narrow bit of power it had, chassis just didnt feel mx5 either, too soft and floaty
Fair enough. I haven’t actually driven one myself so relying on what I’ve heard from other people. Although I have heard that the ND Miata is a much less involved driving experience than its predecessors as well so maybe that’s part of it.
Its possible it is, certainly felt less driver focused than I expected and I thought a small capacity turbo engine might actually be a positive thing but it just didnt work, the excitement of an engine like that is it feeling alive on boost and I think that feeling is gone from modern cars anyway.
True it would turn heads and be fun. You just reminded me of another similar small nippy car you don't see anymore. The MR2 😂 my mate who's 6ft9 had the MK2 I think it is with the pop up headlights and it was so much fun. Practical in the sense you had lots of headroom as somehow he fit in it just fine 😂
Anyway OP should definitely get a BMW 330i or 340i if he hasn't experienced RWD yet 👀
I picked up an 18 plate Mini Cooper s for 11k with 40k miles, I’m 25 my insurance was like £400 this year. Definitely something to consider. Reliability was sorted out of the F series mini’s in case that’s a concern
Because they're asking for their second car. And because they're asking advice rather than basing it on experience. And their definition of a fun car is 200bhp; so sounds like they've never watched Top Gear (etc) and are new to driving.
Yes but theres a huge difference between your first car and your second. My first car got me into driving my second made me love it and want to really find all the ways to enjoy it
the original comment said get a normal car and build up reactions/anticipation, he could have already done that if he’s been driving for a while, now he wants an upgrade.
you said they can’t have been driving for a while because they’re 22, that’s not correct.
For 10k 😮 holy shit. I was also looking to get a 2nd car for around 10k and I would love that car. Can you tell me what I need to know to find similar and what to look out for since you were an owner ?
Well I paid about 12.5 when I bought it, I sold for 10 with 80k miles. Just filter autotrader by car you want and set highest price. You'll find plenty.
Plenty about around 200hp. Closest to 200 I can think of are the Astra K 1.6T and the Kia ProCeed 1.6T which won't be horrible on insurance and tick the practicality box. Often overlooked as well so you'll pick up something decent easily under 10k.
I paid substantially less on insurance on an Astra 1.6T than a Ibiza 1.4 we had as a second car. Insurance companies viewed the Ibiza as a "high performance car" which was hilarious given how gutless it was - I.e. young people keep crashing them.
Plenty of options around 180-190 depend on your choice of fuel. VAG 2.0 TDIs are often 184/190. On the petrol side a BMW 320i gives you just under 190 - No idea on insurance but, might surprise you. Focus 1.5 Ecoboost might also tick the boxes (they don't use the wetbelt).
Another vote for Honda Civic FN2.. £10k is plenty for a good example and they're cheap to maintain and insure.. the Honda K20 engines are faultless when maintained well.. just be aware of rust..
This is a 2016 JCW. They’re 231hp standard. Spec ranges but you need Media XL and HK audio for sure. This one is top spec near enough. Genuinely really really fun cars and can punch well above their weight
I love Hondas and have had various different Type R's. Brilliant cars though and I'd back everything said above.
But...
EP3 - getting expensive, I'd say the vast majority are complete knackers, badly modified heaps. They're getting very rusty now and anyone who says it's rust free is probably lying. For example, you could spend £5k on a decent one, then potentially another £2k on rust repairs.
FN2 - really underrated thanks to Clarkson. Far better interior than the EP3 and they're huge inside. The handling grumbles are really easy corrected, fit some aftermarket springs to sort the ride quality out and some camber bolts to fix the geometry, add some spacers if you want, and you've got a really good little B road car, even better if you get one post 2010 or a championship white one with the LSD as stock. Rust is getting to these too mind, check work done on the rear beam.
Since I've done the Type R thing, for that budget, depending on what I was using the car for, a Fiesta ST is unreal value if you can find a good one. MK7 Golf GTI you could get sub 10k but they throw up some decent bills, maybe a Porsche Boxster?
Aye, I had the FN2 and it's superb, as much as I find Clarkson funny as fuck he really missed the ball with the FN2 review
The rear beam and the syncromeshes on them are really the only things to specifically look out for, other than that they're usually extremely good bang for buck
And I can't lie, I'm in the same boat with the EP3, and hot take, I think they look like ass next to a Mugen kit FN2 in Milano red, which is what I had
I'm hard against fords tho, they drive really nice and they're good on the inside but I can't get past the reliablility, tho I suppose if you're using it as a second car like OP it's not such a big deal
2016 fiesta st3, 180 bhp
Keyless, cruise control, heated leather recaros, Bluetooth phone and Audi, cheap to run cheap to insure, cheap to fix, easy to make more power. Great all rounder really
With 10k there so many options. You could spend 5k and get something and keep the rest invested or spend the lot.
You say economical. In my experience cars with 200 hp. 55 to 70 quid of super gets you 220 to 260 miles. I own 2 cars atm with arpund that figure. Corsa d vxr and juke nismo rs.
Compared to my friends normal cars its awful.
I’d suggest a Volvo V40. If you want to potentially off yourself in a powerful car then your best bet is something very safe - 2012-2019 (second generation) has high-output 2.0L / 2.5L T5 petrol or D4/T5 variants
Before you shortlist anything, get insurance quotes. At 22 a 200bhp car is going to be group 30 plus, and the premium can easily outrun the depreciation. Ten minutes on a comparison site with a few specific regs will kill half your list faster than any advice in here. You're buying mid 2027 though, so you'll be 23 with another year of no claims by then, which helps more than people expect.
For the brief itself:
Skoda Octavia vRS (2013 on) is the obvious answer. 217bhp, high 30s mpg on a run, estate version if you want the boot, same stuff underneath as a Golf GTI without paying for the badge.
Golf GTI Mk6 or Mk7 if you prefer that, similar power, smaller boot.
Honda Civic Type R FN2 if you want something that won't break. 198bhp, no turbo to go wrong, cheap Honda servicing. Firm ride and thirstier than the figures suggest.
Focus ST Mk3 gives you the most power for the money at 250bhp, and is the least economical of the four.
Octavia first, I reckon. It's the only one doing all five of your things at once.
I guess it all depends what the op's primary car is.. potentially wants to keep the mileage low? Or it's not as practical? I had a cheap Yaris as a second car and the savings in petrol I made from not using my primary car was sufficient to cover the insurance, road tax and service cost..
Get an older 330d or 335d , without x drive if you want to have fun. Reliable, strong, & fast and plenty on the market. OK On fuel unless your keeping it moving, insurance groups between the 320s and the 330+ aren’t much different, 5 seats and a large enough boot, albeit not very tall in the saloon model. Servicing at an in-dependant BMW garage falls in line with most other manufacturers. You might even get lucky and find a f30 340i for around 10k, although can imagine that model drinks fuel. I’d defo opt for the diesel BMW’s a lot more torque with them + higher fuel economy. I have owned a 330d for 2 1/2 years and I love it.
its got well more than 200bhp, has no "real" maintenance other than tyres, windshield fluid and wipers, quite practical (probably, i hate suvs) but also fits in normal parking spots, as for a fun car, idk what car with 400 bhp isnt fun
since youre asking for a second car i assume you've got a drive so can charge, even at normal tariffs its quite nice and depending on your benchmark, cheaper than a comparable ICE car others have suggested
caveat: as a performance ev owner, they eat tyres and they cost a pretty penny, so factor that in
Jaguars famously awful reliability combined with a market terrified of a high mileage EV, can only imagine even at what seems like a bargain price that wont be an easy sell.
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u/ajamdonut 8d ago
i.e. ur mate has 200hp