Suggest-a-car - Fun, Interesting and 35mpg+

200sx would be decent, have a very soft spot for an S13, but they are a lot of money these days because sideways, as you say.

The older 323f doesn't do too much for me (and did they do a 'quick' one?), but there are a couple of the older 323 4x4 turbos I'm tempted by. Not really the GT I'm looking for but a bit of an oddity. Would need some work to get some decent power out of them though.

surprisingskoda the 6 pots were pretty much ruled out because from others' experiences it seemed unlikely to get close to 35mpg. Otherwise I do like them. Would prefer an E36 even if the E46 is a better car. I guess an E39 530i would have little chance of hitting 35mpg?

Didn't think there was much chance of a Subaru boxer achieving 35mpg otherwise a Leggy/Pretzel would somewhat interest me.

Puma - the only two reasons I'm not going to get one is rust, and that I've had two Thunders before. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved them! But want a change and my 70k mile Thunder was mechanically sublime but the underneath looked like it had lived in the sea. BL would have been proud with their ability to rust.

Altezza is an interesting shout. I thought, obviously incorrectly, that they were turbos from the factory. Either way they're a possibility although not many around the UK within budget.

My son had a 6 cylinder twin turbo Soarer for a while. Was a very nice car and he loved it but reckoned it hogged the juice a bit. Think he's inherited my liking for keeping the boot up it through the gears and listening to the howl of a sweet running six on full song though which could have something to do with that.

One of the most surprisingly economical and best all-round cars I’ve ever owned was an X350 XJ8 4.2. Not quite the 35MPG+ car, but did see 34mpg out of it on a motorway run and averaged a shade under 32mpg on a drive from home to the Dutch/German border, just this side of Monchengladbach and back sat at a good 80-90mph most of the way. Averaged around 30mpg throughout my 2 year ownership. Really impressive for such a big car, but the gearbox in it seemed like the most positive and efficient Autobox I’d ever used and also the air suspension lowered it on the motorway, which helped with aerodynamics and efficiency and also being all aluminium it was very light for the size. The E39 523i Touring it replaced was averaging around 24mpg and was nowhere near as quick or handled as well. The Jag did 0-62mph in 6.3Sec and felt so quick at any speed. No one expects a big Jag to be quick if it’s not the supercharged version, but the NA 4.2 X350 is a flyer.

:lol: it would be, but it would also be much cheaper. You are right. If whatever I buy doesn't work out I scratch my head, add some coins to the swear jar and think about what I'll try next.

The 9-5 is another outside possibility but again it's too familiar. All I can say is if I did go down that route I know exactly what I'd be looking for, although using one of the 9000s is a better bet. If bodywork/paint wasn't so expensive I'd commit to restoring my old one. The fact I'm currently happily using the MX5 instead of the incredibly comfortable 9-5 for a motorway commute more or less seals it's dull fate.

On the subject of mpg there is a crucial difference between what you can get on an isolated, well-behaved, motorway run and what you can realistically average over daily driving. We've achieved 44mpg from the 300bhp 9000 on a run down to Cornwall but it would never achieve that under normal use.

What about a Fiat Coupe 20VT for ticking the boxes? (except for Japanese and rwd)

I had this exact thought yesterday and just came on to add it to the list!

I'm pretty good these days at sitting at 60 on the motorway, not least because of the MX5's gearing. If doing so means I get to drive a car I actually want to drive I'll accept it, although obviously the first couple of weeks won't follow that plan and will be full of boostiness.

Rusty McRustface.

I do mainly town driving so for me MPG is what a car can get around town- not on a motorway or dual carriageways- depending on your style and distance most engines can get respectable figures on motorways tbf- urban driving gives a truer reflection of how economical an engine is in my opinion.

If you're considering a 20v turbo then you might as well consider every other turbo car that has been suggested, well 4 pot at least, because they're all gonna be pretty much similar in MPG figures tbh.

They're meant to be good cars but if it was my choice I'd be going Japanese or possibly German if I was buying a turbo car to use everyday- Fiat's aren't the most reliable choices out there.

Good looking and decent power figures can be had though so not a bad shout.