Fun DD for 5k

Hi all,

After many years of reliable service I fear my trusty '02 Accord is soon for the boneyard. So, before I'm left stranded for weeks without transportation, I figure I should begin looking at replacement vehicles. While said Accord was as trustworthy as your can get, it's a bit boring to drive. I've not participated in any motorsports yet, but think that when time and money permits, I might do so in the future.

Requirements: Reliable for DD duty Cheap(ish) consumables Decent gas mileage (i'm not talking 40+, but also not 10) Enjoyable to drive Capable of a autocross event every now and then Comfortable (enough) for extended 1-2 hour highway cruises

The obvious answers are "the" answers: Miata, P71, XJ?

Any other thoughts or things I might be missing?

What is wrong with an 02 Accord that is sending it to the boneyard? It isn't a terrible platform for performance (if manual). Good motors can be had in them, double wishbones, etc. FWD and weight are the downsides... but those are becoming increasingly common in newer cars.

The crankcase is leaking oil onto the timing belt, the exhaust system is rusted, I go through an O2 sensor about every 6 months. Something is wrong with the brakes though neither myself nor my mechanic have been able to diagnose it entirely. The transmission won't engage sometimes, and there are intermittent electrical problems. I also find the seats uncomfortable. Plus, I'm bored.

W126?

Buy another accord......because it sounds like you won't put money into the vehicle for maintence.

Similar vintage Prelude (though I think 2001 was the last year). While I like Miata's, I think you'll see the noticeable difference in cargo and people capacity going from an accord into a miata.

The car is third hand for me. I've had it for about 5 years, though there's been lots of deferred maintenance over the years which I've tried to rectify since it's been in my possession. My mechanic has estimated that he could fix everything for about 3K, but if I could spend and extra 2-3000 for a different vehicle (one that I actually like), I'd consider doing that.

I vote EP3 Civic Si. Or Prelude.

Well, are you looking for a sedan, SUV, 2 seater?

In the sedan category, since you have one now, Protege comes to mind. Older Altima w/stick?

Sedan is the most practical. I'm just so, yawn about any sedan in my price range. That's why the miata springs to mind as something that might be suitable. EP3 civic Si's are around 10 in the Baltimore/DC area as are later model Preludes.

Older Altimas with sticks are not fun.

Prelude and EP3 Civic are reasonable suggestions, although id vastly prefer the Prelude unless you plan on upgrading the Civic motor to the 8000+ rpm version. Also, if those models are stupidly priced in your region, consider buying where they're not and buying a $300 plane ticket. If i had $5k cash in hand im 100% sure i could buy a reasonably good condition last-gen Prelude within a couple days. My past $5k purchases include a 6 y/o $40k car with 95k, a 6y/o $30k car with 108k, and a 4 y/o $25k car with 77k. 12-15 years old is easy by comparison.

Also, Cherokees and P71s dont get great mileage in the real world while having fun. P71 can get reasonable gas mileage highway-only, but that may not fit your actual usage. Honestly, Miatas dont get great mileage either, for what they are, but it's kinda good compared to things that dont get 30 mpg i guess. Definitely good enough for your requirements!

This may sound crazy but have you considered an 03-up V6 Accord? They are fast enough to be entertaining, and i consider them fairly good looking inside and out.

There are tons of possibilities in your price range but i'll wait until you narrow it down a little bit before i go prattling off a million things. The more you can rule out what you DONT want, the easier it is to make helpful suggestions.

How much maintenance can you do yourself? An E36 325 or 328 can be had for less than $5K easy. It'll likely need the usual bushings and cooling system refurb though. Paying for BMW servicing can get pricey depending on the parts used and/or specific shop.

BMW E36s came to mind for me too. I'm not biased because I own one. I own one because I'm biased. Just, as the other Matt pointed out, watch out for the cooling system and rubber parts. (Although just about any car that age is going to have similar issues.)

Miatas are great daily drivers if you fit in one well and don't need a back seat.

Civics seem to be a bit hard to find here in good condition, but they're a decent choice if you get a good one.

MadScientistMatt wrote: Miatas are great daily drivers if you fit in one well and don't need a back seat.

What aspects of a Miata are good for daily driving, except the small size?

Matt B wrote: Paying for BMW servicing can get pricey depending on the parts used and/or specific shop.

This is why I recommended another accord.

In reply to the OP: If you are going to put in the time and money doing preventitive maintence, an E36 of about any variety would suit your needs quite well......and I am biased(even though mine is the bastard/awesome e36)

What I don't want: another pedestrian sedan from the early 2000s. I'm not buying another middle of the road family sedan. No. Nope. What I do want: Something that is easy enough to work on, reasonably cheap to maintain, interesting to drive, and don't have to flog in beltway traffic to keep up. Are those requirements really that broad?

I've thought about BMW e36s as well. I can do basic maintenance, but wouldn't trust myself with much more than that. I'm kinda scared of what a mid 90s BMW would cost should something go catastrophically wrong. Also, I've heard that at 100K+ one ought to replace the entire cooling system. One day I hope to learn how to overhaul an engine and rebuild suspension, but I don't have the time right now to devote to that.

my 2003 mazda6 can be had for less than your target price. V6 manual sport package, silver with black leather, Bose, 165k. pix will be available next week when it goes into the Open Classifieds section.

In reply to penultimeta:

The cooling system is just a wear item and the parts are cheap enough anyways. Do that stuff and the car will nearly last forever.

Mazda Protege - aka the FWD Miata or Mazda3. Mazda6 with a manual would also be cool.

IMO, Stay far away from anything German in your price range if you actually want to drive it daily to places beyond the local German car $peciali$t.

Any 1.8 powered Protege, Celica GTS 6spd, RSX, Integra, Civic, the nicest Neon ACR in the world.

MX6 GT

Other than the cooling system with e36s the other maintenance stuff if deferred won't leave you stranded but it will be annoying and detracting to the experience. Rubber bits will need to be replaced and the vanos may need a rebuild. E46s are also coming down in price as well pretty much any non 330/m should be in that range

Are you looking at a manual or automatic car? I 3rd or 4th the prelude. Consider a 6-speed celica gt-s or 2.3 duratec focus (2003-2005) if you're looking for FW

I'd recommend the base rsx over the ep3 if you're looking for a comfortable highway cruiser because of the ep3's aggressive gearing.

Note that all of the cars other than the focus/rsx/ep3 will require premium so even if they get 30+ mpg it'd be more comparable to 25 mpg in terms of overall cost compared to a car that runs on regular.

5k will net a nice one of these:

Cheap parts, easy to work on and very durable.

+1 for RSX or Celica GTS 6spd. Those late Celicas especially are a lot like "golden age" Japanese sports cars, light, simple, compact and powerful, yet they're less than 10 years old.

Yeah, the Celica GT-S is a great idea. I honestly think of it as the successor to the DC3 Integra (whereas the RSX is.. a middle ground between a 2001 Prelude and Integra that noone asked for).

Mazdaspeed Protege might be in your price range.