sporty hatchback for under $8000 used?

1987-1993 ford mustang 5.0 hatchback. although the hatch is a little on the small side, the rear seats fold down for more room.



also what about the mazda protege5?
 
Scormunch said:
Wow that seems like a great deal. I've been looking for GSR's for the past few months, and I haven't been able to find one within 100 miles of me under 100k miles for around 8k. For 8k I can buy one with 120k miles with an ugly bodykit and hubcap spinners :nixweiss I'm going to keep looking, but now that my explorer is gone I've gotta start looking elsewhere :(
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Yeah it really was. I wasn't even really looking for another car, but I stumbled across this one. They were asking $7000, I offered $6K. It was the end of the month and they had had the car on the lot a couple weeks. I believe it hadn't sold for 2 reasons..1) it was a 4-door and 2) it had the infamous exhaust rattle that GSR's have which sounds like total hell so everyone who test drove it probably thought it was a lemon, when in actuality it is only a $50 fix.
 
Have you considered a 95-99 Eclipse GS-T/GSX or 95-97 Eagle Talon TSi or TSi AWD? You get a very potent little hatchback sports car. Stock, the car has a 210hp Turbo I-4 that averages a 0-60 in about 6.4sec and a 1/4 mi in the low 15's. If you like to tinker, the turbo 2.0l I-4 is very capable of some 350-400hp on a stock bottom end. Couple this with good aftermarket support, easy to work on, and a very supportive DSM community a fairly inexpensive quick car can be had. The cars in the AWD trim (GSX and TSi AWD) are very capable of running a 12-13 sec 1/4 mi time slip with moderate bolt-ons. Heck, with a simple boost controller, blow-off valve upgrade, and open air filter (at most $300), you'll be ready to chase down some Mustang GTs and scare a v8 Camaro or Firebird.



Reliability is not too bad, but requires a little more attention then your average Honda. However, parts are pretty easy to come by at a resonable price and it is perfect DIY platform, so service costs can be quite low. The car is very easy to work on and is backed by a plethora of online how-to resources.



I have a 1996 TSi FWD and have not had too many problems. I like the platform so much that I purchased a 1990 TSi AWD as a project car to toy with.



-Brett
 
I also owned a MK4 VW, it was nice and all, but it was really unreliable.



Hyundai Tiburon is pretty good, but not exactly sporty, it just looks nice. I would go and look for a Integra or see if you can find affordable Civic Si. I do not think the Si is fast, but I like the way it looks.
 
These are not hatchbacks,however they are/will be in that price range or less. 2001-2002 Dodge Neon ACR. Adjustable susp.and very fun to drive. Reliable.Most have 7/70 powertrain warrenty.They have 150 hp and run 15.4 to 15.8 in the quarter. They have some of the best brakes of any car. they were made to run in the showroom stock scca racing class/c.They also get 30 to 35 mpg on the highway.
 
Acura Integra GSR is my thought as well. They are a sporty little car and have you ever heard someone say "damn, my honda keeps breaking down". realibility is huge and they also have great cargo area in the hatch. nice interiors, good lines, HUGE aftermarket, etc. great cars! they may not be as fast in a straight lines a domestic, but gas mileage and insurance is definately on your side with an import. If you arne't looking to eat up the strip everyweekend, i would def go with a Honda, and the Acura Integra gsr is the Honda to get for that price range. You could also look into maybe a 99 and up Civic SI, but i would still recommend the Integra GSR.



Vernon
 
vdog0531 said:
Acura Integra GSR is my thought as well. They are a sporty little car and have you ever heard someone say "damn, my honda keeps breaking down". realibility is huge and they also have great cargo area in the hatch. nice interiors, good lines, HUGE aftermarket, etc. great cars! they may not be as fast in a straight lines a domestic, but gas mileage and insurance is definately on your side with an import. If you arne't looking to eat up the strip everyweekend, i would def go with a Honda, and the Acura Integra gsr is the Honda to get for that price range. You could also look into maybe a 99 and up Civic SI, but i would still recommend the Integra GSR.



Vernon
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insurance on gs-r's and si's will kill you man! 2 of the top stolen cars. Insurance was more on my 00 si however compared to my 01 gsr.
 
hadboosttroy said:
insurance on gs-r's and si's will kill you man! 2 of the top stolen cars. Insurance was more on my 00 si however compared to my 01 gsr.
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Not necessarily. I pay $26 a month for liability on a 96 GS-R. Full coverage would have been about double that. But if you're 19 years old and single with a couple of marks on your record it might be a different story.
 
I got my modified 1995 Talon TSi AWD for $5400 from a dealership... it was highly modified and capable of running 12s right off the lot. I really don't like the car as much as I thought I would, but for the price to performance ratio I guess it's pretty good. I'm enjoying AWD a lot, especially with this winter that doesn't seem to end. (The only reason I bought the car is it was flawless and there was not one scratch, rust spot, dent, or anything... it's a perfect car to keep clean)



manticore33 - Another DSMer from Ohio... are you on clevelanddsm.org, ohiodsm, or any of those sites?
 
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