I need a a cheap car.

No really this time.

My current "car" is a E150 van. Last week I had the battery die, broke a exhaust header and developed a coolant leak all in one berkeleying day. I'm done, it's a keeper because it's not worth anything to anybody else but it needs to be a 3rd car at this point.

So this is what I need:

• 4 doors
• preferably three pedal
• 20MPG+
• reliable but fun to drive, I'm ready to enjoy driving again

All under $4000.

EP3 Civic really fits the bill but for the missing 2 doors.

Work with me here. Don't care about status quo or the like.

Mazda 3. Mazda 6 if you want a bit more leg room.

I have a 2005 accord coupe 5 speed I will sell you for $3200 but it's a 2 door

[2005 accord 5 speed

So are you trying to buy a car from a grm member? Maybe hoping it's well taken care of? Because I'm sure there's a Craigslist near you. Or is this a "what car?" Thread?

I've got a panther I'll sell you cheap. Even with what it needs you'll be under a grand, that's plenty to make it 3 pedal.

I currently have an Altima stick and a Passat V-6 stick. Both are decent to drive, get good miles per gallon and were had for about a grand each. Spend a few minutes on CL searching for cars in your area in a manual trans. Spend $2,500 and give it a bit of love taking care of deferred maintenance, then drive it for 100,000 miles.

I bought a Buick Regal with the 3800 SC V6 last year for $2900 and these are pretty easy to find at that price in great shape. No third pedal option, though, and it only goes past 20 mpg if you use it on the highway somewhat.

Other possibilities:

• Mazda 3 or the nicest Protege you can find
• stick shift Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan or Mazda 6
• Nissan Altima

I seem to have things go wrong for me if I buy a car that's usually held up as the car for reliable transportation for cheap, like a Civic or Camry - other stuff seems to drop into the completely depreciated zone before it ends up in the completely beat zone.

I'd go Mazda 3 or Honda Accord. Both reliable, both fun to drive, available with 3 pedals. Just pick the size you want, small or medium.

You want a 7th gen accord. K24 and stick is a surprisingly fun combination.

I will be selling my E38 as soon as I finish the timing chains and guides, possibly as early as next week.

Don't be the ball. Be the baller!

Mazda 3 all day long. I just bought one last month and it is a blast to drive. There is a huge aftermarket for it as well. also comes with 4 wheel disk brakes most other cars in this price range have rear drums. Mine is a first gen and they are the best looking ones as well. I got mine for $2400 with only 145k miles on it too. Many examples out there for under $3500 as well. Did I mention how great it is to drive? it gets even better after you put Eibachs and Konis on it too......

Chris Rummel

I'll echo that. My 2006 Mazda3 is completely stock except for Koni STR.T (the cheap orange shocks) and no-name lowering springs. It is a phenomenal driver even with the lower powered 2.0 engine I have.

Buy my '90 Integra.

People always forget about the VW GTI

Where abouts are you located?

I don't know where you're located, but My 2003 Saab 93 is for sale right around your price point. It's a slush box, but zero rust and I went through it comprehensively. Saab

I'm in Atlanta, GA

NY is a little far.

Mazdaspeed protege

I've got an grey 05 accord ex 4 door with 175k on it. One owner car, was my mom's $3400bo. In Mass.

MkIV VW Golf (00-05) with the 2.0L. Thanks to all the negative news on VW's they are cheap. The 2.0L is as reliable as a stone.

Can a VW person set me straight as to which VW's are ok? There are GTI's all over Atlanta Craiglist, and I have largely ignored them due to personal bias against VAG products.

You want a MKV or newer, aka 5th generation which started production in 2006. They came with a DSG (dual clutch automatic gear box) or a 6-speed manual. For track work the 6-speed works better as the DSG will over heat and go into limp mode.

The 2.0L turbo direct injected engine seems to do fine at track days at stock power, even in hot weather like Texas. The brakes are also supposed to be good to go with just a track pad. This is basically Porsche type capability where all you need to do is swap pads to go to the track.

And, it's basically an Audi TT / Audi A3 underneath and inside.

I see prices range from $4,000 to about $8k for the 5th generation. Mid-way through the run they switched from the 2.0L Turbo FSI engine to the 2.0L turbo TSI engine which basically means a change from timing belt to timing chain.

I have an '07. It's a lot of fun. Easy to work on and upgrade parts are pretty cheap. I've had 911's, M3, Mustangs, Miatas - all great cars and the GTI belongs on that list of greatness. It's been around since '83 so VW is pretty serious business with this car.

Saturn S series. Cheap to buy. Even cheaper to own.Put some sticky tires on it. And no one will ever steal it.

Cooter wrote: Saturn S series. Cheap to buy. Even cheaper to own.Put some sticky tires on it. And no one will ever steal it.

Cooter is right. My current silly DD is a '96 SC2 that I have less than $2k in. Hilarious fun and 33MPG.

This is the second S-series daily driver I've put together on the cheap. They're great.

In reply to Powar:

Keep an eye out for a decent first gen SW at a decent price. I'm expanding my search radius greatly. I've got to put these BC coilovers on something soon...