Vauxhall Corsa VXR (2009 – 2016)
Vauxhall’s hot hatchbacks have often played second fiddle to Ford in the popularity stakes, and the Corsa VXR is no exception – it didn’t sell anything like as many units as the Fiesta ST of the time. But that doesn’t mean it deserves to be discounted, as it’s still a remarkable little thing.
Our £10K budget covers the last of the ‘D’ generation Corsa (2007 – 2014) and the first of the ‘E’ generation models that arrived in 2015.
The Corsa VXR offers more power than the Fiesta of its time, but can be had for a far cheaper price. Both cars handle brilliantly and are usable every day, while the Corsa’s interior is actually a little more user-friendly and well-built than the Fiesta.
Ultimate fun factor and street cred aren’t quite up there, but the little Vauxhall is still worth a look.
Volkswagen Golf GTI
Last, but certainly not least. It’s impossible to create a list like this without mentioning the one that started it all – the Volkswagen Golf GTI. An icon of more than four decades, the GTI wasn’t the first hot hatch, but it was the one that popularised the idea that a car could be fun, practical, cheap to run and no harder to own than a regular runabout.
Our budget sees a huge choice of Mk5 and Mk6 models – which were the perfect antidote to the catastrophic Mk4. Though the DSG automatic was available, they’re very fragile at this age so we’d opt for the weighty six-speed manual instead.
With up to 227bhp on offer and the same neutral and massively capable chassis that’s categorised the GTI since launch, these really are great cars and worth the investment.