One of the best all round cars I've driven over the years was my 2.0 focus ESP....It wasn't fast but what it lacked in speed, it more than made up for in handling!

Fantastic through the bends, really inspired a lot of confidence.

They can be picked up for about a grand now for a high miler and if the engine pops, 200 quid from the local scrappy will see you back out on track.

When I had mine, the best mod I did and probs the cheapest was to fit a front strut brace. Sounds daft but it sharpened things up no end and the handling was good already! Couple this with 25mm lowering springs and it's a lovely set up, trust me, you won't get bored of flinging it round corners

Other cheap options are exhaust, manifold and filter. None will see massive gains but they will allow the engine to breath easier and sharpen up throttle response.

As for brakes, I found the standard set up adequate on the road but I would look at, at least changing the pads as a cheap option for you to get out there and get a feel for the car.

As mentioned above by a few people, a good set of matching tires will help out no end!

Have you also considered a b16 honda civic? or if you can find one thats had a b18 conversion.

Was never a fan until I drove the b16 I'm about to buy....basically its a sub 1000kg car with an exhaust, manifold, integra cams,integra suspension and a filter. It's putting out 181bhp and its a fooking rocket!

Buying it purely to take it to croft a couple of times this year....I had originally considered another ESP though but this was cheap as chips for what it is.

All for £1500 quid