I'd like to see an M3 for that money as well!

he means the volvo 440 turbo and the 480 turbo 1.7 engine its renault based.
i remember reading many years ago that you cant turn the boost up on them or something like that so its best to stick with the normal 1.4 turbo.
btw the 5 gtturbo is the most fun car ive ever owned only mods were a couple of carb jets an exhaust strapped intercooler a grade colder apark plugs and 16 psi of boost.
could do the 1/4 mile in 14.5 secs
was the exact same acceleration as my mates 2litre 16v red top nova up to 120mph from 30 mph.clio 172's couldnt pull away i really like that car it was a raider i sold it for 1700 5 years ago now your lucky if you can pick them up for under 3k.
the coolant hoses had a habit of bursting due to old age and roasting engine coolant passing through the standart turbo running more boost than standard.
with the amount of things that went wrong on the time of owning one i wouldnt be buying one 5 years later.
the starter motors fail on them cause its hard to start the engine straight away fuel evaporating out the carb due to the hot underbonnet temps.

my mate had a 1.9 205 gti i couldnt see what all the fuss was about... my car put a huge smile on my face end of.the acceleration coming off roundabouts was amazing almost catapult like lol

I'd personally go, with the suggestions of MR2 turbo Rev3 (240bhp), or GTI6 (170bhp). Both huge fun, strong and relialbe.

The MR2 can e tweaked easily to 280bhp.

the GTI6 handles really well, loved to revs and a joy to thrash.

I have a 306XSI 16V as a hack (137bhp), and love it, handles really well, done a recent track day in it at Marham and abused it all day long and was not embarrassed at all by cars with 2or3 times the power, and its still going strong.

MR2 Turbo.

Reliable, bullet-proof and very rapid.

Had a few of them without any hassle. Bit pricey to fix, but they don't really break that often and take abuse like a ginger step-child:D

If its a weekend toy don't rule out a Mx5 either, not particularily quick, but when the hood is dropped and the sun in shinning not allot else would put a smile of your face as much.

Strong, reliable, easy to fix,lots of parts available. Classic car insurance.

:lol:

how about an audi 2.8 litre V6 quattro?.....solid, great build quality..reliable...fast...and not too bad on the old jungle juice....!?....not to mention a 4wd system that only subaru can dream of?...(Flame suit on...!)

Honda Crx.. Then stick in a b20 then turbo it.... Around 300 bhp in an 800kg car..mmmm lol

TOYOTA STARLET GLANZA ( 1.3 litre turbo light though and is like a pocket rocket literally

Scooby_69er

Might even be able to find a st205 celica gt4 for £2500 :thumb:

best handling/riding/steering car straight out of the box ive owned is the pug 106 gti,the handling and steering are pin sharp,i reckon i could keep up with my impreza and my integra type r up to 80mph,after that you need to be brave because of the short wheelbase,but still a great underrated car:thumb:

Fiat Coupe 20v turbo would get my vote.

Once rolling and on full boost there's virtually nothing in the 2 - 2.5k price bracket that performs like them, immensely quick cars for the money.

For a shade over your budget you can pick up a well maintained 300+ bhp example that will embarrass a lot of cars in the performance stakes:)

Wot he said. Others like the fiat are faster but the 106 is one of THE most fun cars to drive

still say a civic VTI hatch , plenty fun on vtec , true theres a severe lack of low down torque but great fun in vtec

BMW E36 M3 theres no competition for the money:thumb:

If your looking for something fast and fun, why sell the Impreza?

If its running costs that were a problem then I wouldn't get another forced induction car.

205MI16 and a year trackday pass should do the trick.

:luxhello:

And where are these for £2500?

Sat in a garage waiting for their VANOS system to be repaired probably.

:lol: :lol:

To be devils advocate.....In trade for 3K for close to 2.5K with a bit of haggling. Without warranty or as a trade purchse almost certainly could be had for 2.5K.

Private sale therefore 2K.

Its bonkers out there in the second hand market. Just bought myself a STI8 from trade (And I never normally buy from trade) as it was the best price nationally, great, example and came with 12months RAC warranty. All niggles, pin dents, scuffs sorted prior to purchase including a new set of front disk due to warping.


Auto Trader UK - BMW M3 Evolution

Auto Trader UK - BMW M3

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...rletturbo2.jpg

Starlet GT Turbo's for a 1.3 they are awesome! mine sounded like a plane boosting up! easy to mod and good fun as standard! mine had coilovers though so was like a gokart! these can be picked up for cheap these days! i'd still buy another!

i'd go
nissan 200sx s14 good cars and rear wheel fun my old 1 was 360bhp and serious fun , maybe a pulsar gtiR or mr2 turbo
i did look @ a mk2 vr6 the other week and its still for sale proper mint runnin 12 secs on budget tyres it was advertised for £2500 i just decided i want a standard mk2 gti for a daily runner though

also forgot the old Porsche's 944 928

I REALLY struggled to shake on of these in my R32 (with over twice the bhp) once on a twisty section - the driver was clearly very good (middle aged - experienced I guess?!) but it was embarrassing.

I had a similarish Saxo VTR for 18 months and it was an absolute hoot to drive. Shame it halved in value in those 18 months!!

fiesta rs turbo with 2ltr conversion!

Thats really only on the 3.2 Evo model as Rolls Royce made that part which sadly was not up to the quality of the BMW parts...

A 3ltr M3 can be got for £2500 but it won't be a good one and they do cost a bit to run.

Cheap running toy= hot pug 205 or 306 as they don't rust like old Fords and are lighter than most other makes.

A work mate has a G40 Polo which is a giggle when/if it works.....

I had a 106 brand new in 97 and loved it. When I needed a hack over last winter I picked one up for £1500. It obviously wasn't a fresh as my last one but it was still a joy to drive.

I was showing it to a friend (who went straight out and bought one) on the back roads near where I live when an evo 9 thought he'd join in the fun. While I can't say I blew him away, especially on the straights, we did manange to pull out a good lead on him and eventually he dropped out of site.

Oh yes, and I sold it 6 months later for the same amount when someone asked me if I'd consider selling it.

loads of 200sx s14s for that money mate,thats what i would get

I'm guessing the OP might have sourced something 1.5 years on. :)