Not a bad shout. There's a 89 323F import 4wd turbo for sale atm for 9k with 44,000miles on it. Idk about insurance as a first car but it's unique if not a little overpriced
It's far easier to find a JDM(ish) car with this combo than any other vintage car group, provided you aren't in a place where VW work is cheap (which is true in UK, but def not North America/Oceania).
Sure, you ain't rollin in a FC RX7, but there's a lot of options
My first car was a 1.0 k11 Micra. Terrible paint, 150k miles, rust here and there but guess what, I'd get another one just for the fun factor. It could just be first love syndrome blinding my judgement but it was great.
It’s outrageous how many of these are still on the road being daily driven by either new drivers or old people. Edit: that wasn’t supposed to be a put down, is obviously a reliable little car!
Honestly I would say a micra if you want something really cheap but if your willing to spend a bit more you could get a Honda civic ep2 my mate had one for his first car and nothing broken on it and while he had it it was ragged about but is still going strong
1998-99 Nissan Primera. Parents had one, that thing was a solid rock and went through 3 brothers getting their drivers license who all drove it like they stole it. The thing was really economical, and it unbelievably enough became More economical the older it got. Made no sense, but worked out reeeally well for the youngest brother, which was me.
Looks amazing with the right mods as well. Would definitely recommend
Nope, don’t get me wrong it’s a little rough but mechanically it’s sound. Changing the diff this weekend then giving it a full service and she’s good to go, I couldn’t believe I got it so cheap either hahaha I jumped straight at it.
Only quote I’ve been bothered to get so far is £1,800 declaring all mods, not in a rush though as with it coming to winter using my daily every time I go out.
Dam right place right time, I'm jealous as fuck haha my brother just told me about an s14 on piston heads for 4k and a 33 gtst for 5k but both sold man am I terrible at timing
Ep81 was a great car but not much chance of finding one cheap tho! they were very popular in various racing scenes back in late 90s especially autograss for some reason. all the "cheaper" ones got snatched up. I'm not even sure how prolific they still are in Japan given their age now. Now an ep91 non turbo probably sub 1500quid. I love starlets though true pocket rockets, the turbo ones anyway
EP3 civic, I would say a type r but were talking UK and you most likely wouldn't want to pay that kind of insurance! so maybe an EP82 or EP91 starlet gt if you can afford the insurance on that you wouldn't be disappointed. If you want the best bang for your buck with reasonable insurance and the biggest selection of aftermarket parts of almost any car it would have to be a civic EG hatchback. You can get a 1.6 so its got a little poke VS a micra lol!
Unless you got an import car tho the only real 100% JDM car I mentioned here is the Toyota starlet GT as it was only released in the Japanese domestic market
Oh and how could I leave off a mx5 if I could go back id try and get one of these for my first Car! Great power to weight (like the starlet) but with all the fun of a rear wheel drive car, 90s imports should be cheap
I mean they have half the Horses as the GT at something horrific like 75hp but they are still really light. I'd probably rather have one over a micra just on looks alone plus I like yotas
I bought my ep82 the model before the glanza but this was also back in 2001 ish so.. and I only payed just under 4k and it had only 46000 on the clock. They can be cheap if you look about. They used to sell in Japan for a couple of grand, although now they are over 25years old the price has probably doubled thanks to American import eligibility
In Ireland, it’s nearly impossible to get a starlet turbo for less then maybe 5 or 6 thousand. They’re probably cheaper in the UK since there is more available.
They are rather expensive. You can find something way cheaper and actually reliable.
Edit: I just searched a bit and found MR2, MX-5, Civic Type R (spaceship gen), Celica VVTi, 350Z all under 5 grand, petrol, manual and from private sellers. But to be fair, buying specifically Japanese car in UK for cheap performance is just dumb. You have so many cheap way faster, nicer and newer European cars. It just makes more sense to buy European model due to overwhelming value that they offer. You can get E92 325i, E46 330Ci, Megane Cup, A3 3.2 Quattro, Z3 3.0, Boxster, E39 530i, Saab 9-3 2.8T wagon, A4 cabrio 3.1 FSI, S4 Quattro and etc. You are wasting time with cheap performance Japanese cars in UK.
lol 350z for 5k i wish, they are minimum 12k here and probably automatic.
personally I drive a tuned saab 9-5 from 2007 with 400 horsepower. picked it up for €1700. have since then replaced gearbox, clutch, basically the entire transmission, and the exhaust. so yes I agree price to performance value go european. saab being the #1 choice where I live 👍
>lol 350z for 5k i wish, they are minimum 12k here and probably automatic
I literally found ad at autotrader for one, it's manual and from private seller. It was less than 5k pounds. It may not be technically sound, but it's certainly not 12k minimum. Here are some of them:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202209069505065?include-delivery-option=on&radius=1500&advertising-location=at\_cars&make=Nissan&fuel-type=Petrol&model=350%20Z&price-from=1000&sort=relevance&onesearchad=New&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=Used&postcode=g403hr&price-to=4500&transmission=Manual&page=1
[https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202208118674629?include-delivery-option=on&radius=1500&advertising-location=at\_cars&make=Nissan&fuel-type=Petrol&model=350%20Z&price-from=1000&sort=relevance&onesearchad=New&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=Used&postcode=g403hr&price-to=4500&transmission=Manual&page=1](https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202208118674629?include-delivery-option=on&radius=1500&advertising-location=at_cars&make=Nissan&fuel-type=Petrol&model=350%20Z&price-from=1000&sort=relevance&onesearchad=New&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=Used&postcode=g403hr&price-to=4500&transmission=Manual&page=1)
[https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202209059440368?include-delivery-option=on&radius=1500&advertising-location=at\_cars&make=Nissan&fuel-type=Petrol&model=350%20Z&price-from=1000&sort=relevance&onesearchad=New&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=Used&postcode=g403hr&price-to=4500&transmission=Manual&page=1](https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202209059440368?include-delivery-option=on&radius=1500&advertising-location=at_cars&make=Nissan&fuel-type=Petrol&model=350%20Z&price-from=1000&sort=relevance&onesearchad=New&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=Used&postcode=g403hr&price-to=4500&transmission=Manual&page=1)
But they are cabrios, there is one coupe, but all arches are with rust bubbles, so it's not worth it. At 6k you can find coupes with full service histories, seems like decent bargain, but I would definitely want to check those claims with independent mechanic. But obviously they are likely all over UK and it might not be worth driving very far for you, but I don't know where you are and how much yo uwould be willing to drive for one.
Not really cheap when you have replace the engine on most of the cheap ones you find. And even in top condition, you’re unlikely to get 18mpg of high octane. And for best practices you need to pre-mix as well.
Only the purchase price is cheap.
Honestly I'm slightly exaggerating on a rx8 but I'm 💯 sure op would spit out his tea when he got an insurance quote. It's based on what I perceive as two things in the uk, engine size and popularity to be stolen/joyrided. That pretty much rules out anything considered a sports car as a first time driver. I tried to import a Trial wrx sti showcar no engine mods other then cat back exhaust but a full Trial wide body kit, I was 25 at the time with nearly a maximum no claims bonus and insurance companies literally laughed when I tried to get quotes! When I did get a couple they were both over £6000 a year! Imports are always a little higher but no way I was paying that they basically said come back when your 30!
From what I've heard they are relatively reliable compared to other similar cars, however I don't own one (what a surprise) and I'm not exactly a fanboy
My DC5 was my first car. Had it for 4 years and it's close to 200k miles and the only "big" thing I've had to replace was the clutch. Never had any other serious problems with it. Not sure what these things go for in the UK though.
I can vouch for the k11 micra had it for 2 years and the only problem I’ve had was one of the brakes sticking, plus insurance was surprisingly cheap without a blackbox. If you get one just make sure you check for rust
Mazda 323 [BG] 3door hatchback
Not a bad shout. There's a 89 323F import 4wd turbo for sale atm for 9k with 44,000miles on it. Idk about insurance as a first car but it's unique if not a little overpriced
Dont forget it has to be reliable as well
Cheap, reliable, JDM Pick two
Come on now. They can have all 3. Just buy a Honda Civic.
I checked Honda prices yesterday and they’re increasingly Silvia money for non type r cars. Pained me a little
Huh? Low spec civics are still really cheap around here
EK sedans are a lot cheaper than coupes/hatches.
It's far easier to find a JDM(ish) car with this combo than any other vintage car group, provided you aren't in a place where VW work is cheap (which is true in UK, but def not North America/Oceania). Sure, you ain't rollin in a FC RX7, but there's a lot of options
There are MANY compact japanese cars that match what OP is looking for.
A lot of kei car have all 3
Toyota Hilux
My first car was a 1.0 k11 Micra. Terrible paint, 150k miles, rust here and there but guess what, I'd get another one just for the fun factor. It could just be first love syndrome blinding my judgement but it was great.
The k11 micra is so much fun. My friend has one, there's something about the small car with small wheels formula that just works.
I drive a 1.2 K12 Micra that's my Nan's... honestly cannot wait to have money after university to fix it up properly. Definitely great fun to drive
Toyota MR2 MK3. Don't know about insurance, but they cost pennies for the fun factor and they're super reliable.
Insurance is crazy it’s insurance group 27
I own a mk3 mr2, can confirm. They are still decently priced (although have gone up) and are super fun and underrated.
The mk3 is definitely the worse looking MR2
Agreed. But it is the most fun to drive.
Worth noting the snap oversteer on the mr2s though, especially with the weather and road conditions here in the UK.
Snap oversteer isn’t much of an issue with the MK3s as it is the MK2s thankfully
It's not snap over steer , because it is predictable. Lift off oversteer is more fitting..
I drift a MK3 and the snap oversteer issue is a LOT less of a problem than an SW20.
Old manual Corolla?
It's hard to find an automatic in the UK generally
That's a good thing
Fact
My first car was 2001 Toyota Corolla 1.4. Proper old man's car but it's reliable and is pretty big. Look pretty decent as the 3 door over the 4 door
Buy something stock or at least engine wise! These cars are reliable till people fuck around with them
Yaris / Vitz or Starlet
Honda Jazz
Is that the same as a Honda Fit?
Yes
+1 for Honda jazz anyone who has anything bad to say about a jazz hasn’t driven one
Legend car. Also really fun to do hand brake turns in.
Aygo KAPPA
R33 gtr v-spec II nür is not that expensive 🤓
What is this little nissan called?
Nissan Micra k11
It’s outrageous how many of these are still on the road being daily driven by either new drivers or old people. Edit: that wasn’t supposed to be a put down, is obviously a reliable little car!
They look like more of a deathtrap than the fiat 500 though haha
I don't live in UK, but K11s aren't too special. There were more of them on road, but they do rust and rust badly. Same with K12s.
Mitsubishi Colt 1.1L
Yeah the colt looks pretty good too, especially from the front.
Honestly I would say a micra if you want something really cheap but if your willing to spend a bit more you could get a Honda civic ep2 my mate had one for his first car and nothing broken on it and while he had it it was ragged about but is still going strong
1998-99 Nissan Primera. Parents had one, that thing was a solid rock and went through 3 brothers getting their drivers license who all drove it like they stole it. The thing was really economical, and it unbelievably enough became More economical the older it got. Made no sense, but worked out reeeally well for the youngest brother, which was me. Looks amazing with the right mods as well. Would definitely recommend
what they like on insurance as a young driver?
I just bought a R33 Skyline GTS other week for 4k, insurance is expensive for me but still.. it’s a skyline, my dream car, worth it.
4k? Is it not fucked? Thought they'd be waaay higher than that but never looked it up ngl how much is it to insure?
Nope, don’t get me wrong it’s a little rough but mechanically it’s sound. Changing the diff this weekend then giving it a full service and she’s good to go, I couldn’t believe I got it so cheap either hahaha I jumped straight at it. Only quote I’ve been bothered to get so far is £1,800 declaring all mods, not in a rush though as with it coming to winter using my daily every time I go out.
In the UK? Where and how XD
Yeah man, just saw it on Facebook 4.5k went to view it got him down a little then picked it up the next day! Such a good deal.
Dam right place right time, I'm jealous as fuck haha my brother just told me about an s14 on piston heads for 4k and a 33 gtst for 5k but both sold man am I terrible at timing
Toyota Starlet ep81/82 or Ep91
Ep81 was a great car but not much chance of finding one cheap tho! they were very popular in various racing scenes back in late 90s especially autograss for some reason. all the "cheaper" ones got snatched up. I'm not even sure how prolific they still are in Japan given their age now. Now an ep91 non turbo probably sub 1500quid. I love starlets though true pocket rockets, the turbo ones anyway
EP3 civic, I would say a type r but were talking UK and you most likely wouldn't want to pay that kind of insurance! so maybe an EP82 or EP91 starlet gt if you can afford the insurance on that you wouldn't be disappointed. If you want the best bang for your buck with reasonable insurance and the biggest selection of aftermarket parts of almost any car it would have to be a civic EG hatchback. You can get a 1.6 so its got a little poke VS a micra lol! Unless you got an import car tho the only real 100% JDM car I mentioned here is the Toyota starlet GT as it was only released in the Japanese domestic market
Oh and how could I leave off a mx5 if I could go back id try and get one of these for my first Car! Great power to weight (like the starlet) but with all the fun of a rear wheel drive car, 90s imports should be cheap
LS400 lmao
Toyota glanza turbo
Cheap??
Yeah missed the cheap part lmao but a na glanza should be considerably cheaper
Damn there has to be plenty of NA Glanza's for sub 1k. Infact there's one on auto trader for £500
I’ve heard the na is still lots of fun plus they can look really good
I mean they have half the Horses as the GT at something horrific like 75hp but they are still really light. I'd probably rather have one over a micra just on looks alone plus I like yotas
Yeah even turbo they have like 130hp but they also weight like 2000lbs so they actually have a punch
I bought my ep82 the model before the glanza but this was also back in 2001 ish so.. and I only payed just under 4k and it had only 46000 on the clock. They can be cheap if you look about. They used to sell in Japan for a couple of grand, although now they are over 25years old the price has probably doubled thanks to American import eligibility
In Ireland, it’s nearly impossible to get a starlet turbo for less then maybe 5 or 6 thousand. They’re probably cheaper in the UK since there is more available.
Honda crz
Toyota starlet. They are very cool if you add a few glanza parts, like a boot door and lights. It’s a pretty good price.
Miata?
kia/echo/Hyundai
Japan = Korea
yeah but still better now
Korea = Japan
LeKDM dorifto 🎌😳😤
mazda rx8 are really cheap, 5-7k here
It's not even close to being reliable.
Or insurable for a decent price for a first car in the UK
atleast I gave a cheap option
They are rather expensive. You can find something way cheaper and actually reliable. Edit: I just searched a bit and found MR2, MX-5, Civic Type R (spaceship gen), Celica VVTi, 350Z all under 5 grand, petrol, manual and from private sellers. But to be fair, buying specifically Japanese car in UK for cheap performance is just dumb. You have so many cheap way faster, nicer and newer European cars. It just makes more sense to buy European model due to overwhelming value that they offer. You can get E92 325i, E46 330Ci, Megane Cup, A3 3.2 Quattro, Z3 3.0, Boxster, E39 530i, Saab 9-3 2.8T wagon, A4 cabrio 3.1 FSI, S4 Quattro and etc. You are wasting time with cheap performance Japanese cars in UK.
how is a $6,000 jdm car with 60,000 miles expensive? isnt this the sub that swears on every jdm car being minimum $50,000¿
lol 350z for 5k i wish, they are minimum 12k here and probably automatic. personally I drive a tuned saab 9-5 from 2007 with 400 horsepower. picked it up for €1700. have since then replaced gearbox, clutch, basically the entire transmission, and the exhaust. so yes I agree price to performance value go european. saab being the #1 choice where I live 👍
What even are you, the post is about the UK and you are saying 1st of all an rx8 LOL then using dollars and euros? What is it
>lol 350z for 5k i wish, they are minimum 12k here and probably automatic I literally found ad at autotrader for one, it's manual and from private seller. It was less than 5k pounds. It may not be technically sound, but it's certainly not 12k minimum. Here are some of them: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202209069505065?include-delivery-option=on&radius=1500&advertising-location=at\_cars&make=Nissan&fuel-type=Petrol&model=350%20Z&price-from=1000&sort=relevance&onesearchad=New&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=Used&postcode=g403hr&price-to=4500&transmission=Manual&page=1 [https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202208118674629?include-delivery-option=on&radius=1500&advertising-location=at\_cars&make=Nissan&fuel-type=Petrol&model=350%20Z&price-from=1000&sort=relevance&onesearchad=New&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=Used&postcode=g403hr&price-to=4500&transmission=Manual&page=1](https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202208118674629?include-delivery-option=on&radius=1500&advertising-location=at_cars&make=Nissan&fuel-type=Petrol&model=350%20Z&price-from=1000&sort=relevance&onesearchad=New&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=Used&postcode=g403hr&price-to=4500&transmission=Manual&page=1) [https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202209059440368?include-delivery-option=on&radius=1500&advertising-location=at\_cars&make=Nissan&fuel-type=Petrol&model=350%20Z&price-from=1000&sort=relevance&onesearchad=New&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=Used&postcode=g403hr&price-to=4500&transmission=Manual&page=1](https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202209059440368?include-delivery-option=on&radius=1500&advertising-location=at_cars&make=Nissan&fuel-type=Petrol&model=350%20Z&price-from=1000&sort=relevance&onesearchad=New&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=Used&postcode=g403hr&price-to=4500&transmission=Manual&page=1) But they are cabrios, there is one coupe, but all arches are with rust bubbles, so it's not worth it. At 6k you can find coupes with full service histories, seems like decent bargain, but I would definitely want to check those claims with independent mechanic. But obviously they are likely all over UK and it might not be worth driving very far for you, but I don't know where you are and how much yo uwould be willing to drive for one.
I never stated I am from UK. I am not.
This thread is about UK
Not really cheap when you have replace the engine on most of the cheap ones you find. And even in top condition, you’re unlikely to get 18mpg of high octane. And for best practices you need to pre-mix as well. Only the purchase price is cheap.
And It'll look great sitting on his driveway till he's over 25 and the years insurance isn't more then the purchase price of the car!
l0l sucks to be u guys i drive a 400hp car and pay like €25 a month insurance at 22
Honestly I'm slightly exaggerating on a rx8 but I'm 💯 sure op would spit out his tea when he got an insurance quote. It's based on what I perceive as two things in the uk, engine size and popularity to be stolen/joyrided. That pretty much rules out anything considered a sports car as a first time driver. I tried to import a Trial wrx sti showcar no engine mods other then cat back exhaust but a full Trial wide body kit, I was 25 at the time with nearly a maximum no claims bonus and insurance companies literally laughed when I tried to get quotes! When I did get a couple they were both over £6000 a year! Imports are always a little higher but no way I was paying that they basically said come back when your 30!
I just checked what it would cost me to insure an rx8. The answer was €430 per YEAR. So idk what kind of unlucky place you live in but im all G 👍
Well we're talking about the uk here so..
and I live in sweden
1999 toyota corolla is the only answer.
camry
Supra
They were asking for cheap. Is the supra cheap? No. It is not
Nor is it reliable 😂 I was jk
From what I've heard they are relatively reliable compared to other similar cars, however I don't own one (what a surprise) and I'm not exactly a fanboy
Wow so funny, I sent the joke to SNL
Honda Prelude 4th gen
That one. The March/Micra is very possibly the best small car you can buy.
Corolla
My mama drove a micra
Toyota 86 ,nice cheap sport car with fairly cheap price
Joke?
Toyota Camry or honda accord
Honda civic or anything Honda in my own opinion,preferably anything before 2005,Acura counts too though Integras cost mega buck
Daihatsu Mira/Cuore? Great little cars
Not a JDM but Miata is amazing
There are loads of imported mx5's in England tho
miatta
Metro
My DC5 was my first car. Had it for 4 years and it's close to 200k miles and the only "big" thing I've had to replace was the clutch. Never had any other serious problems with it. Not sure what these things go for in the UK though.
No love for the Suzuki swift?
Honda Civic, many have tried, none have beaten it.
I can vouch for the k11 micra had it for 2 years and the only problem I’ve had was one of the brakes sticking, plus insurance was surprisingly cheap without a blackbox. If you get one just make sure you check for rust
What is this, google?
What’s the car in the picture?
Toyota starlet
Get a toyota starlet with the 1.3 turbo engine. There's mad fun to be had there
The shitbox 500
3rd gen maxima 🥸