We are selling one of our cars and are going to use some of the extra cash to buy a vehicle outright. The goal is to get down to one car payment. We have the CTS as our "new" car which my wife will drive, I am looking for something fun and reliable, preferably rwd and a manual trans, but I am willing to look else where for the right vehicle.
In the 2-3k range. Must have a backseat (kid on the way).
Top of my list right now are Volvo 700/900 series cars.
I would say a gen 1/2 sho......but since you already have a CTS to eat your wallet when it breaks, a sho would be just cruel.
My vote will instead go to a Focus, older grand prix, malibu, etc....
Better suggestion, 240 wagon.....
Mercedes 300D turbo. Not all that fun, but competent, comfortable and dead simple and reliable.
My wife's Saturn so we can buy a station wagon.
Please? 
Take RWD out of the equation and your choices increase by a factor of 1000.
honestly, a corolla - dependable as gravity, parts grow on tress. Will still get 30+ MPG mixed when its 400k miles old. I had a 95, and with the 5spd, inertia driving was a real hoot.
Jeep Cherokee!
bgkast wrote: Mercedes 300D turbo. Not all that fun, but competent, comfortable and dead simple and reliable.
In consideration for sure. I lean more towards Euro trash, than domestic/Japanese trash for some reason. 
older Mustang GT that hasn't been thrashed by a teener tuner
Buy a broken beetle......there have been TDI ones popping up by me with trans issues for $500-1000....
None of the 300D turbos came with a stick shift, but they can be swapped in fairly easily. The auto-magics are not terrible either.
miata 
My Protege
a neon. thats what i did.
A Cherokee or a Protege. Maybe a V6 manual 626.
If 2 doors are on the menu and you won't be carrying kids in the back ALL the time, Celica or MX6.
This price range is where the real deals live for daily drivers. Our "fleet" right now:
1996 Volvo 850 turbo wagon - I have less than $2000 in this even after some good suspension work but I got the car for free, so that's cheating. They're available for super cheap on the open market though, so look! The 960 would be nice too and RWD, but the 740s are getting pretty dang old for trouble-free daily driver use at this point. I think the 960 was enough of a jump up (with the aluminum inline 6) that it's worth the trouble to look for one.
I don't seem to have a good photo of it.
1998 Lexus GS300 - wifey's car. RWD, inline 6, plenty of power and refinement galore. Hunted for a while and got this for $2500 because it needed front brakes and a starter, but just driving it seems to have cured those issues. I haven't put a cent into it other than gas yet.
One hell of a car for the money.
Really though it boils down to what's available. Neither of these cars were found because they were exactly what I was looking for, they were found because they met my price parameters and were "good enough." That can lead to too many hours spent staring at Craigslist, though, so your methodology might differ. Either one of these cars would be an awesome daily driver, but they're far from the only choices.
How about a Porsche 944? I know where you can find one in your budget
Volvo - my current DD is '96 850 wagon, bought for $1400 and runs like a top
Mazda Protege
Geo Prizm/Toyota Corolla
Celica
Saab
Early 90s nissan hardbody extra cab 4x4 with the 4 cyl motor.
when I was in that position I bought a few mk3 ('93 - '99) VW 2.0 Jettas / Golfs with a manual trans.
The 2.0 is a fairly bullet proof tractor motor (just keep an extra coil on hand), and they knock down ~30mpg on the highway. Don't buy an auto, but the 5-speed trans is still the mechanical cable clutch actuated, and mechanical linkage 020 which is the same basic design going back to the mk1 VW's.
It's not rwd, but the aftermarket is plentiful.
There's probably better options for "fun" cars, but I found the mk3's to be a nice mix of simplicity and creature comforts, with just enough space to not feel cramped.
dculberson wrote: This price range is where the real deals live for daily drivers. Our "fleet" right now: 1996 Volvo 850 turbo wagon - I have less than $2000 in this even after some good suspension work but I got the car for free, so that's cheating. They're available for super cheap on the open market though, so look! The 960 would be nice too and RWD, but the 740s are getting pretty dang old for trouble-free daily driver use at this point. I think the 960 was enough of a jump up (with the aluminum inline 6) that it's worth the trouble to look for one. I don't seem to have a good photo of it. 1998 Lexus GS300 - wifey's car. RWD, inline 6, plenty of power and refinement galore. Hunted for a while and got this for $2500 because it needed front brakes and a starter, but just driving it seems to have cured those issues. I haven't put a cent into it other than gas yet.
Thanks for the great insight, I actually enjoy pouring over ads on craigslist. it really is amazing some of the deals out there.
How is the 850 to drive? Sporty(ish)?
You know how many cheap, reliable, RWD, 5-speed cars with back seats in the $2-$3K range are out there? None. If there were, we'd all be driving them. It's a Unicorn hunt.
The E30 BMW or Mustang are really your only options, and in that price range, either will cost you an arm and a leg to keep running and/or enjoy.
Accept FWD.
Peugeot 505 Turbo 5speed. Trust me.
pinchvalve wrote: You know how many cheap, reliable, RWD, 5-speed cars with back seats in the $2-$3K range are out there? None. Accept FWD.
Other than the 740, I know its a hard search. I'd rather have an auto, than fwd for the most part.
Storz wrote: Thanks for the great insight, I actually enjoy pouring over ads on craigslist. it really is amazing some of the deals out there. How is the 850 to drive? Sporty(ish)?
When I first got it, the suspension had a ton of problems. I replaced the strut mounts, all the bushings, shocks, and tie rod ends. It had a torn intercooler boot so I replaced all of those. The car was free so it was easy to justify upgrading to Bilstein HD shocks. It gets up and goes great - way faster than a Volvo wagon should. It corners actually surprisingly well. It's no Miata but I was coming from an LS400 so it feels like it corners great to me. I do not know how it would be on stock shocks but I love the ride and handling with the Bilsteins.
The only downsides I have come up with are gas mileage and rattles. It's been averaging about 22mpg for me but most of my driving is city. On long trips I can get about 26 - 27mpg out of it. The rattling, well, it's a Volvo and they're known for it. The interior rattles from just about everywhere. Mine was pretty neglected when I got it, but I think they all rattle pretty good when they age. Whether that's a problem depends on you, test drive one and see what you think. Over smooth pavement it's totally quiet but on a series of hard bumps you'll think you bought a car by Fisher Price.
Edit: I meant to add - rattles bother me but the rest of the car is good enough that I've grown to love it anyway. Maybe I need to invest in some rattle proofing.
Double Edit: The 850 is front wheel drive, BTW.
ohms wrote: Peugeot 505 Turbo 5speed. Trust me.
Do trust him, he knows what's right in this world. But don't turn your back on him when he's wearing a horse mask.
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