Car expert reveals three ‘cool-looking’ motors for under £5,000 – including ‘practical, fast & fun to drive’ Ford
PETROLHEADS looking for a cool-looking set of wheels have been recommended three low-cost models by a popular car expert.
Grant, who runs Scottish Car Clan, picked out his top choices for motors that pack good looks and plenty of thrills – all for under £5,000.
His first option was the Volkswagen Scirocco – a classy-looking coupe hatchback that the German marque produced from 2008 until 2017.
Grant said: “Sciroccos, these are interesting.
“These are the two different engines we’ve got here, the 1.4 and the 2.0-litre.
“If it was my choice, I would be going for the 2.0-litre, that’s the engine that is shared with the Mk6 Golf GTI.
“It’s not completely without its faults, don’t get me wrong, but it’s likely to be more reliable than the 1.4 we’ve got there.
If I was buying this, I would want to make sure that the timing chain and the tensioner on it had been done and replaced with the better parts [from the later version].”
The Scirocco is similar in many ways to the evergreen VW Golf, having gained the Golf Mk6’s dials and steering wheel – even its touchscreen sat-nav.
However, it offers a performance boost over its label-mate – with an impressive 0-62mph acceleration time of 7.4 seconds.
Grant recommended drivers seek out the 2.0-litre version, which he claims typically sells from around £3,000.
Grant also recommended the seldom seen Smart ForFour Brabus, which comes with the similar sporty looks you get from the Kia Picanto or Hyundai i10.
Grant comes across the Smart Brabus while trawling through AutoTrader, and said: “This is why I love sifting through AutoTrader because it gives you choices that you otherwise likely wouldn’t have thought about – certainly I will admit that’s not a car I would have thought about.
“Those Brabus wheels were those that everybody wanted on their £150,000 Mercedes, and this little Smart had them – I love that, terrific looking little cars.
“I think they look great, probably because you don’t see them everyday.
“A lot of people aren’t aware of this but, under the bonnet, these were essentially a Mitsubishi Colt CZT, so cool, fun to drive and reliable.”
For drivers wanting something a bit more practical but still fun to drive, the car guru pointed to the Ford Focus ST.
He said: “These are such cool cars, and I think they’ve gotten cooler with age.
“Practical, fast, fun to drive, it ticks all the boxes.”
Often compared to the Golf GTI, the hot hatchback was launched in 2012 and lived through to 2018.
With its sporty bodykit, rear wing and centrally located exhausts, it certainly looks the business, but also boasts proven practicality with five doors.
Better yet, Autocar have claimed a used example can be found for around £4,500.
The Focus is living on borrowed time these days as Ford revealed a few months ago that the long-running motor is set to be discontinued.
It’s not all bad news for Ford fans though, as a legendary model that’s been out of showrooms for 40 years is to be given one-off new lease of life.