Fun cheap used cars?

JuneBug said:
What? no Benz on the list?
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The Benzes I like are "too old, slow, and stodgy" so I don't even bother recommending them any more :grinno:



There *is* that little ol' thing...oh, what was it :think: maybe a 190 16V with a manual....
 
Carrol122 said:
I have driven many used cars in my lifetime, many best avoided, however equally as many worthy of purchasing. The following top twenty list is based on my driving experiences with used cars that can now be purchased for under $10,000. Each vehicle has been selected for my top twenty for their generous offerings of performance, style, accommodation, reliability, and many other attributes they offer to the consumer; taking price into major consideration (under $10,000). One should note that only production cars sold between 1989 and 2005 will be listed. Also, the years listed are models that I have been able to find under 10,000, i.e. I might list 1989-1999 of a certain model and not the 2000 model year simply because I have not found that year for under 10 grand yet.

Yes, the 1992- 1997 Preludes are by far the best value on the used car market. The Prelude is fun to drive, very stylish, gets nearly 30 MPG, and can scoot from 0-60 in only 6.9 seconds in latter years with its 2.2 liter 4-cylinder engine. The Prelude, while nearly 30 grand new (in latter models), can now be had for $5,000 for a 1992 model and only around 10,000 for a 1997 model. If you can afford the extra cash, I highly suggest going with the latest model possible, as these cars got to be so much fun before their demise in 2001.
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Actually you can pick up a '97-'01 Prelude for $5-8k right now. I was actually looking at these too as they are great cars and hold their value really well. Finding one that has been unmolested is a bigger challange as they are popular cars to mod. Many owners will strip off the after market parts prior to selling it so use caution when buying.



Toyota Celica GT-S would be right up there with the Prelude too IMO. Both cars are solid reliability and fun to drive.





Based on the OP list of requirements I still feel the Talon or Eclipse offers the best bang for he buck. Not the most reliable but I had a '91 TSI for about two years without any issues and it had 90K on the clock.





OP, this might be worth a read too...

The 10 Best Used Cars for Less Than $5,000 - Inside Line
 
You could also look into the Ford Focus SVT. You can get them cheap and make them a fun daily driver or track car. I got my '03 svt in comp orange with the euro package for a little over 6k.
 
sal329 said:
I vote E30 or E36 you may even be able to find an E46 for the higher end of the budget. If you can do your own repairs you will be fine, they are not difficult or over burdened with computers. They may not get the power like a Talon/Eclipse will but I think they will much more fun to drive especially for daily driving
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Where can you find an e46 for the budget of 6gs?



All wheel drive, reliable, low cost... I am thinking subaru. It won't be fun without some modding.



The other options I can think of would be high milage G35x's.



An M3 would be great, but they are maintenance whores. I got a BSME in college and didn't have time to swap RCABs and radiators every other weekend. Not to mention the $.



I recommend getting a set of steelies and for whatever he buys with winter tires.
 
no love for the civic? (i do agree the prelude would also be a nice choice, or acura for that matter). I know, it's not AWD but with a good snow tires, it does very well. It's cheap and if taken care of can easily last you a life time. PLus, additional power can easily be acquired via engine swaps for a dime a dozen... just saying... ;):love:
 
I'd be all about neutral handling and "conventional" response to weight transfer so that this budding automotive enthusiast starts off on the right foot. That'd pretty much mean RWD or properly biased AWD in my book. Guess that sounds like I'm hating on FWD again :o but IME people who grow up tossing RWD cars around in the snow often develop some pretty incredible car-control skills (i.e., the "unconscious competence" that works in emergencies).
 
The FWD cars are good options but id have to agree with Accumulator that the handeling characteristics of RWD are better. I have a fwd volvo 850 as my beater college car and part of what gives it the "safe" reputation is the forgiving nature of FWD. You would have to be pretty out of control to crash the thing and it does give false confidence to winter driving w/o the added positive traction abilities of awd. People who have RWD cars know how cars can get away from you, especially in slick conditions. In spirited driving situations I always prefer RWD.



Right now my buddies top chocies are e30 325ix, e36 328i/is, and possibly a Subaru (if he finds one that really sparks his interest)

He is not to interested in fwd cars or the eagle talons.
 
MBenz- Yikes, I feel for you, having that 850 in college! My late father had a Volvo 850, utter and complete POS IMO! After inheriting it, I sold that [thing] as soon as the paperwork cleared. Now his wife's RWD 245 wagon was something else, a *great* beater car once I got it all, uhm....modified to my liking. Heh heh, the 850 is, IMO, the kind of car that gives FWD a bad name :chuckle:
 
$4-6k? 2002/3 Nissan Maxima. 255 hp, big interior, HID lights. Know from getting hit by a drunk driver in my last one they can take a pretty hard hit.



Found my recently purchased '02 6 speed for $5k.
 
RaskyR1 said:
Actually you can pick up a '97-'01 Prelude for $5-8k right now. I was actually looking at these too as they are great cars and hold their value really well. Finding one that has been unmolested is a bigger challange as they are popular cars to mod. Many owners will strip off the after market parts prior to selling it so use caution when buying.



Toyota Celica GT-S would be right up there with the Prelude too IMO. Both cars are solid reliability and fun to drive.





Based on the OP list of requirements I still feel the Talon or Eclipse offers the best bang for he buck. Not the most reliable but I had a '91 TSI for about two years without any issues and it had 90K on the clock.





OP, this might be worth a read too...

The 10 Best Used Cars for Less Than $5,000 - Inside Line
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yup good luck finding a 97-01 prelude that hasnt been crazily driven by a teenager at some point.



and i also agree on the celica gt-s. not much of a 'real' sports car per se, but for a budget quick little reliable car to zip around in with decent mpg its hard to beat. if you think about it, the brand new $18k scion tc is a 2000 celica gt-s with a different body and lower quality scion interior, 11 years late lol. id MUCH rather scoop a used gt-s.



and who said u can get an e46 for the OPs budget?! sweet jesus they still cost 20k in hawaii.
 
Accumulator said:
ScottWax- Yeah, your experiences with the Maxima have certainly made it sound appealing!
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Someone on another board bought one in part because I like them so much, plus it fit his needs-room for his family, decent power and $5k. He found a Merlot Red '02 with 120k on it and a near perfect interior for $4500. He's already detailed it and is looking to at least mod the suspension!
 
Accumulator - The volvo 850 is not high on my list but the one i've got was literally given to me. It just turned over 225k this weekend and shows no signs of stopping so I can't bash it too hard. It drives like a sponge cake and its quite beat thus it serves the purpose of keeping my very low mileage e30 325ix away from the brutalities of college. I am looking for an Audi urs6 to replace the volvo, but those are a rare find. Quattro + Turbo + 5speed + recaro's for 4 sounds like a combo made in auto heaven to me. Have yet to drive one though.



The Maxima is a car that I never thought of but now that you mention it I think it is definitely a viable option. Everyone I know who has a Maxima seems to like them.



I had no idea the celica gts is the same platform as a scion but I agree that the gts would be the better car.
 
MBenz- I wouldn't blame you if you *really* :nono me for my take on the 850! I've always suspected we just got a bad one, but I simply loathed that car and hated using it even when "hey, it's free you dummy!". The 225K you have on yours (with, I'm sure, no end in sight) is what sooo many people seem to experience. There was a guy on here a few years ago who was ready to skin me alive he liked his 850 so much!



I had one of the UrS6 wagons. Fun in that Ur S4-S6 way but those cars take a lot of work to be fun (narrow powerband = lots of carefully-timed shifting) and you *really* need to do some modifications or else you'll be wondering "what's supposed to be so special about this thing?!?". Also, it didn't have an interior configuration/space setup that was what I needed for dog-hauling. The subsequent S4 and S6 wagons of various sizes and vintages suffered from the same interior layout...just not as spacious as the real early ones, let alone the Volvos.



Hey, I'm actually considering a Volvo to replace the Yukon XLD! In a perfect world I'd order a new V70R, but since they're not making such stuff any more I'll probably settle for the lowest-mile V70/XC70 I can find. Nothing else seems to have that cavernous rear storage area :think: And no, I'm not gonna buy a stick ;)
 
I can definitely see why you wouldn't like the 850. Its not a drivers car by any means but I can't complain about the economics of it. Free, Safe, 28-30mpg, low insurance, and thus far no expensive breaks. If I really liked it though i wouldn't be looking at Audis.



I didn't really think about the small power band on the s6 but that totally makes sense. A big car with a 2.2l turbo is gonna have a big lag. Not the end of the world though, it still has wicked potential. I've seen some putting down 500hp+ and realistically at this point 300hp is plenty for me and that seems very doable. Too bad we never got the V8 urs6 here in the states. Im most worried about the reliability of these cars. I have heard mixed reviews on older Audis. Im very capable with a wrench, but that 850 leaves some pretty big shoes to fill in that department :chuckle:



The v70r is really sweet. Definitely a Volvo I would feel cool driving along with the xc90 R v8. Really a completely different car than the 850 era.
 
MBenz said:
. Im most worried about the reliability of these cars. I have heard mixed reviews on older Audis. Im very capable with a wrench, but that 850 leaves some pretty big shoes to fill in that department :chuckle:
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For what I've spent on the '93 V8 this year I coulda bought a new car, and no most people couldn't do the work themselves. Not a new car I'd want to drive though ;) But yeah...gotta watch those older Audis. And parts availability is getting iffy; when I had my last UrS6 ( a '95.5 sedan) I sold it when a certain leaky fuel line was simply not available. It was one of those "have it fabricated or wait until the next batch gets made" and that wasn't acceptable at the time. Speaking of which, I just had some lines fabricated for the V8 (one reason it's been so costly recently).



My wife did simply *LOVE* her '94 S4 though...couldn't get her into the A8 until some dummy rear-ended the S4 in a huge way. We had three of those things (two sedans and the avant) so we did like 'em, but yeah...that car woulda been a lot better with a V8 IMO. Even the manual trans was maybe a little wrong..big heavy zero-torque AWD luxo-wagon with a light flywheel isn't a perfect setup.



The v70r is really sweet. Definitely a Volvo I would feel cool driving along with the xc90 R v8. Really a completely different car than the 850 era.
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Yeah, I'm thinking I might pick up an easy-to-find XC70 and bring it up to Euro V70R specs. It's a bit "pseudo-SUV" for my taste, but oh well. All the V70R cars I see are waaaay too beat.



The XC90s have "modern SUV design issues" for me- again, not quite configured right for how I haul the dogs. The world is full of big SUVs that can't accommodate my older dog's crate! That one factor is a huge challenge.
 
I have to say for that price range it's hard to beat an F-body (Camaro/Trans Am). For that price range you can have a really nice LT1 93-97 or even a pretty nice LS1 98-02. I absolutely love trans am's. I just saw a nice 98 black ws6, black leather, 6-speed, t-tops, 120,000 miles.



I have had 3 T/A's and am looking for another ws6 to use as a daily driver so I can keep my Z06 in the garage. They are pretty good on gas on the highway with a 6-speed too. I averaged high 20's in my stock ws6, and low 30's in my modified T/A. Can't beat that. And they are faster, and IMO better looking than just about any car for that price.
 
RaskyR1 said:
In that price point, Egale talon TSI, or Eclipse GSX is hard to beat. Finding one will be the hard part. I'd look for a 1st gen Talon TSI personally.
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Yes hard to find because all the strippers have purchased them.
 
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