Best cars under 5k

A buddy of mine referred me to this site to get some advice on a new ride. I am looking for something under 5k that is reliable, sporty, and that I could potentially use for rally or autocross.

I currently have a 2000 toyota camry that is boring me to death. I have had it for years and it is very reliable but I am looking to get rid of it. I am very new to the motor sports scene and am looking for some tips on a car that would meet some of the criteria above. My main concerns are reliability and maintenance. I would hate to get rid of the camry for something faster but sacrifice the ease of use. I am aware that there is no magic bullet but was just wondering if you folks could steer me in the right direction.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

You will hear the word MIATA many times in the ensuing posts.

So.. any past vehicles you owned you liked more than the Camry, or other people's cars you've ridden in or driven? Im fishing for some less vague preferences besides "less boring than a camry".

On the one hand i could tell you, if you still need a sedan, you could get an 03 3.5L/6spd Maxima which would be massively more entertaining in a straight line but not handle much better until you modify it. But that might not be what you're after at all. Or you could buy a $2000 WRX and put a $3000 motor into it like the magazine just did.

How much utility do you need? Are you afraid of cars over a certain age or mileage?

A usable back seat would be preferable. I would also like a manual but it is not 100% mandatory. I have been told the miata is one of the most fun cars you could own and reliable but not quite what I am looking for. Not really into convertibles.

I have driven a new 5.0 mustang and an older ss camaro. Both super fun and fast but I don't need anything that quick. A 6sp maxima was actually one of the cars on my list. Never driven one but it looks nice and I have read they are quite nimble.

Welcome to GRM. You may want to mention that you also have a 370Z that fills the 2 seater sports car role

Maxima is a good suggestion.

It would be my daily driver. I don't do much traveling and I have no kids. Just wanted enough room to put my golf clubs and maybe take a friend or two to lunch at work. I would prefer something around 10 years old and around 150k miles. Not looking for a project car though. I don't mind some maintenance. Have a few gear head buddies who could help me do minor stuff. They are the ones that have me on here asking questions.

A balance of handling and straight line speed would be nice. Don't need to go 0-60 in under 6 secs or anything like that.

Thanks ryan for telling my secret. Yeah maybe I should mention that I have a 370z that I drive one or two days a week. Want to keep it nice and have another ride just to grind on.

E36

I really enjoyed my Impreza 2.5RS. The GD chassis might be in the 5k range now.

another vote for a maxima up to 03. after that the ones in your budget become barges and ugly

328is 5spd

2.5 Impreza RS

03 3.5/6spd Maxima

So far so good..

captdownshift wrote: E36

+1

http://eastnc.craigslist.org/cto/4141956088.html

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/4167096056.html

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/4129237727.html

Will something like one of these work? Not worried about cosmetics that much, just the high miles.

Mazda3, Mazda6 are good fun to drive options. Good interiors too.

Subaru Impreza or Legacy.

Maybe one of the 4 door Acuras or Acura RSX too.

Thanks for the suggestion.

Can you define low maintenance ? To my in laws low maintenance means I should put gas in it and nothing else ever and it should hit 50k. Around here there are people that will tell you a 73 fiat is low maintenance because it's better than a 63 mg

In reply to rhgore:

Any one of those would work BUT I would not buy any of them unless they could produce some service records.

The good thing is that E36 cars are pretty common at the LKQs in Durham and Clayton.

How far is your commute? Are you stuck on I-40 during peak hours? Do you think you don't want AC, because you probably really do want it. I lived without it for three years and consider myself an idiot for doing so now.

The Miata is a good suggestion, but Miata prices are through the roof right now. I have no idea why. Plus you could only take one friend to lunch, not two.

The Mazda3 with a 5 speed can be a fun car. Get a hatchback vs. a sedan, though

Look at these, too: http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/4142347953.html

So let me get this straight. You have a 370Z already in the driveway and you're looking for a sedan that feels sporty and whatever and has a backseat and there's the 2000 Camry already sitting there?

Replace the front seat with Recaro's. Get some KYB GR2's under it and replace anything worn. Boom done.

In reply to pres589:

Unless he just wants something different.

I vote Grand Prix GTP because they can put down some power and the supercharger sounds like a screaming banshee.

In reply to nicksta43:

Like new Recaro's won't feel different when they replace 13 year old seats out of a Camry?

As the owner of an Olds Intrigue, a platform mate to the GTP, I say stick with the Camry. Electrical problems, weird "well, they used Dexcool in it..." issues, etc etc with the Poncho. 5k gets some kind of BMW E36, right? Like, a non-garbage 325i?

In reply to Brett_Murphy: I would like a/c. I am getting too old for not having it. My commute is only about 10 miles. Good find on the rsx. That is a good price.

In reply to icaneat50eggs: low maintenance to me is changing oil, fluids, plugs, belts etc. I am not looking for anything that is known for major issues. I know people with beamers or a benz and it is one issue after another. I don't really have the tools or room to do a lot of work. I expect to have to do some work to a car in this price range, just don't want to end up with a ticking time bomb.

In reply to pres589:

Having owned a GTP compG and my wifes 99 GT I stand behind my suggestion. Never had any weird electrical issues of any kind and never had any issues with the Dexcool. In fact the only thing I had to do outside of oil changes and brakes was a window regulator in the wifes car.

Because I'm a picture whore:

My mom drove a 99 GTP for years, it was ok, it did have some minor electrical problems (the shifter lock solenoid constantly clicked on and off while driving making a really annoying noise, HVAC stuff, etc). Other than that it wasnt bad, the ride on the freeway was pretty awful though, no where near enough travel for California freeways (to be fair, a proper DD here needs more like a gravel rally/rallycross type suspension setup). No reason not to get one if you like how they drive though.

To answer the original question, my choice would be a SAAB 9-5. No particular reason other than I kinda like how they look and they are really cheap right now.

Try to find a Celica Alltrac. Nobody ever mentions them here for some reason but if I was looking for a cheap reliable fun car I would pick up one of those. They are virtually unknown so they will not be modded or beat to E36 M3 like a DSM would, i see clean examples used as a DD more often than modded/destroyed ones. They would be great in rally, rally homologation is the purpose of this cars existence.

I have seen them sold for $5k but usually they are a bit more than that. Doesn't hurt to try looking, they are rare but still manage to have good aftermarket. Trans is strong, 3SGTE is a motor with a lot of potential. It's like a coupe EVO or STI.

rhgore wrote: In reply to icaneat50eggs: low maintenance to me is changing oil, fluids, plugs, belts etc. I am not looking for anything that is known for major issues. I know people with beamers or a benz and it is one issue after another. I don't really have the tools or room to do a lot of work. I expect to have to do some work to a car in this price range, just don't want to end up with a ticking time bomb.

Granted the BMW owner you know, or at least the one I'm thinking of, has a '93 850ci which is not exactly an accurate gauge of BMW reliability

The Z3 Coupe in the parking lot at work has 165k on it with no issues.

I'll second the Saab 9-5 recommendation, I am quite impressed with how well mine handles and a 15 minute ECU reflash has made it decently quick.

Also - when did the RSX become a 4k car! Wow