10 best used front-wheel-drive cars - top 100 used cars 2017

But when it comes to cars like this, the world has moved on to such an extent that nobody will make a naturally aspirated 1.8-litre car with only 187bhp that weighs just 1140kg and has a manual gearbox and a mechanical limited- slip differential. Those in charge of product at car companies wouldn’t be able to leave it at that. They wouldn’t be able to offer such little power, they wouldn’t resist torque vectoring by braking, they’d have to fit electric, not hydraulic, power steering, they wouldn’t be able to leave it unturbocharged and they wouldn’t be able to resist active rear steer or adaptive dampers or bigger wheels and tyres than 195/55 R15s. If you sold this car today, nobody would buy it. 

I say that with some conviction because not that many people bought one at the time. Which is why a good one now costs as much as £13,000. 

According to the man from Honda, who sourced this car, there are two types of Integra Type R. There are the really, really good ones, which are massively expensive; and there are the shonky old cheap ones. This one is the rarest of all, then, being somewhere between those two poles. It has been modestly revived, on a bit of a budget, but well enough to retain the vast majority of what made it so special in the first place.

Classic cars have a problem being all they were when they were new because, as time goes on, bodies become a little less rigid, suspension components develop some slack
and, unless you maintain absolute tightness in all bushes and so on, and fresh dampers, there comes a point where older cars start to feel similar; in that they all feel a bit baggy, a bit loose around the edges. 

With not many more than 50,000 miles on it, though, this one is still tight. Ideally, an Integra should be on Bridgestone Potenza tyres, but this one has had less grippy tyres fitted because Honda doesn’t want to put too much load into the suspension and wear it out more quickly. Think of it as putting those covers on the edge of the sofa, which protect sofa arms you’ll never actually see. 

So this could feel like a car that’s on its way out of its perfect state. But it isn’t. It’s still an Integra that feels every inch like the best front-driver in the world. It’s utterly magic. 

When it was new, I tested one on B-roads in the south-east, so that’s where I go. And it takes fewer than three tight corners for it to remind me of what it has to give: nice willingness to turn, and one of the best power- assisted steering systems to grace a front-wheel-drive car. Perhaps this one feels a bit more nose-centric and less adjustable than I remember – although I am trying to recall testing a car I last drove a decade ago–but it is still very agile by today’s standards. 

Then, of course, there’s the engine, which back then was pretty much the highlight of any Type R. It revs
to 8700rpm – strongly, still, today – with a notable kick above 5000rpm. There’s very little flywheel inertia, the five-speed ’box remains as snicky as it always was, and because the ratios are so close (overall gearing is low), you barely need to prod the throttle on heel-and-toe downshifts to get the revs to match the next gear. It feels like a real precision instrument. 

Only a few minutes at the wheel is enough to see why values of Integras are on the rise – although not enough to understand why so criminally few were bought new – and conclude that the best thing you can do is buy the best you can and try to keep the chassis on top form. The last thing an Integra will lose, I suspect, is that VTEC engine’s phenomenal kick, but wonderful though that is, it’s the steering and the handling that outclass it. Here’s a car that isn’t just the best front-driver in the world: it’s one of the greatest driver’s cars of all time. Which wheels are powered is almost incidental. 

Honda Integra Type R (DC2) 

Built 1997 (UK cars), 1995-2001 (imports) Price range £5000- £13,000 We’d pay £10,000
 One we found Official UK cars are hard to find, so here’s the best of the Japanese imports, at £12,990.

See Honda Integra Type R for sale on Pistonheads.

The other front runners:

Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport S 

Built 2016-2017 Price range £33,000-£46,000 We’d pay £35,000 One we found Ignoring the overpriced unregistered cars, our eye was caught by one with only 500 miles on the clock and priced at £39,995

 See Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport S for sale on Pistonheads.

Volkswagen’s hottest, sparsest modern Golf has a roll cage and no rear seats. Designed to set a Nürburgring lap time but equally happy on a British B-road. 

Ford Focus RS500 

Built 2010 Price range £35,000- £50,000 We’d pay £40,000 One we found There are usually only one or two on sale in the UK at a time because only 100 landed here, but worth seeking out. Around the same price they sold at new.

See Ford Focus RS500 for sale on Pistonheads.

Last hurrah for the Mk2 Focus RS had 345bhp, rather than 300bhp, from
its five-cylinder engine. Front tyre wear is an issue but it’s a terrifically adjustable, entertaining car. 

Mini Cooper 

Built 1996-2001 (plus from 1961 on) Price range £5000-£25,000 We’d pay £8000 One we found Just under £10,000 gets you into a 76,000-miler, but condition of bodywork counts for so much more than miles.

See Mini Cooper for sale on Pistonheads.

The original way to go incredibly fast with a front-drive chassis, Mini Coopers are astoundingly adjustable and steer brilliantly. Few cars have such agility. 

Renault MeÃgane Trophy R 

Built 2014-2016 Price range £25,000-£30,000 We’d pay £28,000 One we found The only one we spotted in the UK makes it the one to have. At £28k, it still feels an incredibly special car.

See Renault Mégane Trophy R for sale on Pistonheads.

Just 30 Trophy R MeÃganes made their way to the UK officially as the most heroic of the outgoing hot MeÃganes. Brilliant handling. See also the MeÃgane R26.R. 

Peugeot 306 Rallye 

Built 1996-2002 Price range £1000- £4000 We’d pay £3500 One we found These cars are both rare and bargains. Tatty ones can be had from £1000 and £4000 buys you the best. We liked a tidy 100k-miler priced at £2900.

See Peugeot 306 Rallye for sale on Pistonheads.

Arguably the best hot hatch of the 1990s, the 306 GTi-6 arrived in 1996 (p66). The UK-only lighter, keener Rallye model (1999) was better still, mind. 

Ford Racing Puma 

Built 1999-2000 Price range £10,000-£20,000 We’d pay £15,000 One we found This is another of those cars that’s massively rare but worth seeking out. £14,000 gets you a well-cared-for 61k-mile car.

See Ford Racing Puma for sale on Pistonheads.

Probably the second-best front- wheel-drive car I’ve driven. Fewer than 500 were made after they struggled to find homes. Daft, really, because they’re sensational. 

Renault Clio 172 Cup 

Built 2002 Price range £2500- £5000 We’d pay £3000 One we found Under £4000 for 40k miles. It’s hard to find unmolested ones, but this one has had only two owners, too.

See Renault Clio 172 Cup for sale on Pistonheads.

This car was raw when launched in 2002. It had no ABS, the glass was thinner than usual, soundproofing was removed and the suspension was lowered. At just 1020kg, it was an utter hoot. Still is, if in good nick. 

Mini Cooper S Works GP 

Built 2006 Price range £12,500- £20,000 We’d pay £16,000 One we found There are a few around but how about an apparently well-looked-after, privately owned 38k-miler at £17,000?

See Mini Cooper S Works GP for sale on Pistonheads.

The ‘Mini GP’ was a run-out special. Only 8bhp was added to the engine but 50kg came out in total, including 15kg from the rear suspension and 8kg from the wheels, which made it thrilling to drive, even at £22,000. 

Peugeot 205 GTi 1.6 

Built 1984-1992 Price range £4000- £40,000 We’d pay £8000 One we found A three-owner, 56,000-mile car said to have been recommissioned after 20 years in storage: £9500.

See Peugeot 205 GTI 1.6 for sale on Pistonheads.

It’s frequently regarded as the best front-driver, but the Honda Integra Type R has more going for it, as far as we’re concerned. And prices for good 205s have gone bonkers. One just sold at auction for £38,000. 

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