Ford Fiesta ST (2013 – 2016)
There are myriad ways to tinker with the basic hot hatch recipe, but Ford just got it so ‘right’ with the Mk7 Fiesta ST.
The car’s best feature was its honesty. There was nothing fancy about its non-adjustable suspension or relatively basic 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine. It built on the handsome regular Fiesta with a subtle bodykit and some excellent alloy wheels, while all you got inside to mark it as an ST were a few badges and some truly brilliant Recaro seats.
It’s in the drive where this thing marked itself out, as the Fiesta ST is about as much fun as you can possibly have on four (or sometimes three) wheels. £10k should buy you a well-looked after example, possibly from a dealer’s own approved used stock.
Honda Integra Type R (1997 – 2006)
The name ‘Type R’ is about as iconic in Japanese enthusiast circles as Skyline, drifting and rotary engines — and its debut in the UK ensured it’d become a success here too.
Roll back to 1997 and the Honda Integra Type R opened the batting for the iconic nameplate in the UK. Its screamer of a VTEC engine was paired up to an ultra-strong, racing homologated chassis and this meant the Integra could chew up almost anything else on the road — and not just other hot hatches – gaining a reputation as a serious drivers’ machine.
As with other top Japanese cars from the 1990s, prices for the Integra are beginning to creep up and only just come in under budget here — but for that, you’re securing a hatch that’s not only going to be an absolute riot to drive, but one you should have no problem making a pretty penny on when time comes to sell.
Be aware that many of those for sale will be private imports rather than official Honda UK models, so you can’t be sure of the car’s original history in Japan.
The newer, 2002 – 2006 generation Integra Type R will slip quite easily under the £10,000 limit, but these are all privately-imported models as it was never officially sold in the UK. Buyer beware.
