Get a mk2 ph1. For 3k you could find an immaculate one !
Make sure belts have been done (demand proof, i.e.: invoice) recently or knock £500 off the price.
Plenty on here 100k+ .. milage shouldn't put you off.
Check out insurance before you buy as you are young, and premiums are silly at the moment. If your budget is 3k though, you can pick up a mint ph1 for ~£2k and have some insurance money left over.
this man speaks sence,
imo the styling on the ph1s look so much better and at your budget, you could buy a minter,
if you do get a ph2, look out for the stickers at the ends of the bumper,
if theyre missing, tell tale sign of a front end respray, (possible crash) see below
http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/7038/piccyk.jpg[img/]
other than that, i wouldnt buy a modded one, and if someone claims a 182 has cup packs, check the tyres arn't budget, if they are you can knock them down because it technically doesnt have all the cup pack lol, (it worked for my mate lol)
theres a common wiring problem (espesh on the ph1s) where the ground shorts on the rear light cluster causing the foglight dash light to come on, but its not a big job to fix.
wings are plastic and can hide cracks easily, if someone says its a minter, look close at the wings to see if theyve taken a knock.
thumb grips tend to melt on the ph2s,
i think thats all the common problems i can think of,
as said, demand proof of belts.
and as with any car, check for leaks, bends and general signs of bad care!
good luck! you wont be disappointed by the performance difference between the a puma and a CS :P
