KICKING TYRES
USED CARS
The great hot hatch debate has always been about whether there should be three or five doors. I can tell you from experience that both formats work jolly well, but of course a five-door is more practical, while a three-door is a tad lighter and less likely to be mistaken for a family shopper. I prefer the more hardcore option.
First of all, I will share with you the car that brought me onto this subject: a Volkswagen Golf from the old days, 2001, with the great big 2.8-litre V6 engine and the 4Motion running gear. It has 100,000 miles showing and obviously is a part exchange that’s too good not to retail. All you need is £1500. However, it could be a short-lived relationship if something goes pop, so let’s be a little more sensible.
Except that I seem to have stumbled over a 1999 Peugeot 306 GTi-6 16v, no less. You don’t see many of these any more, because they’ve all been modified into oblivion or written off – or maybe parked in a barn to be discovered when all cars are banned and it’s too late. So let’s enjoy this six-speeder right now. It has 116,000 miles and is being offered up with not nearly enough description, but I reckon at £2490 it’s still worth a go.
French hatches were always great, so let’s update to a Renault Clio RS 2.0 16v from 2004. It’s black, looks rather wonderful with 98,000 miles and is just a bus ride away from me, which makes the £2750 asking price plus bus ticket very tempting. The private seller has written a massive and honest description, and the bargain price is because the belts are due a change. Feeling brave?
I’m very happy to be stuck in the sweet spot of late-1990s to mid-2000s performance hatch territory. How about a good-looking 2004 Honda Civic Type R 2.0i VTEC? An honest dealer-retailed example in post-loved condition with 100,000 miles, it’s scruffy but roadworthy and sold as seen for £4000. You might need to spend a few grand tidying it up.
By way of contrast, a 2005 Type R in mint condition with 130,000 miles and a trade warranty is £8500.
And finally, the most numerous in the marketplace is the Ford Focus ST170. A 2003 example with a complete history and 89,000 miles priced at just over £2000 seems like
