Well said.
The Clio didn't come out until 2001, the mini 2002. The only other hot European hatches around at that time that I can think of are the Peugeot 306 GTI and the 206 GTI that replaced it in 1999. Either that or you had to spend a lot more money on an S3.
Otherwise you had to look at a SSS Pulsar or VTI-R Civic and look at the condition they're in these days compared to a MkIV.
What needs to be remembered was that the popularity of the hot hatch had gone down, whether due to the fact that no one was making a good one anymore or just for the simple fact that people wanted other cars.
As has been seen anyway spending a few dollars provided much more fun anyway.
Cheers,
Trent