Let's talk high mileage street / autocross "Street prep" cars for less than $10k

I'm still on a quest to figure out what I want to get to help lessen the blow of my F250 daily driver (must have to pull my 36' camper). 

I'm unloading a couple of things to clear up about $10k - yep, these will be higher mileage cars (think 100k-150k mileage). I know I'll be picking up a car that is about $8k and will probably want to spend $2k to freshen things up...so $10k for a really nice car with a bunch of receipts. This car will do grocery getter duties, autocross and hopefully a track event or two a year! It MUST be a manual and my 13 year old is likely to drive this car in a few years...

Short list:
- Mk6 GTI
- Mk7 GTI (probably high mileage or possibly the RIGHT repaired car)
- E46 330i sedan (maybe even ZHP)
- E90 BMW 325/328/330
- Focus ST
- Fiesta ST (afraid this might be too small)
- WRX 
- Early BRZ/FRS (probably build to SSC specs)
- NC Miata (probably not because only 2 seats)

Ideally, this car will be kept pretty close to stock and while I'd love to make it out to solo nationals one day, I'm not sure this will be the car, BUT I would like to be locally competitive (I know that's mostly on me). Still, the E90 is probably the least competitive, but it's high on my list - I still miss my 328i E36. 
 

I know y'all have had a bunch of these cars! What do you like/dislike about the cars on this list? Are there any major concerns of 100k+ mile units? I had a MK6, so I know there's carbon build up, chain tensioners, gen. plastic water pump, turbo car stuff, etc. 

Any other thoughts? 

As a former MK6 GTI owner I would take that one off the list, it was a great car until it hit about 100k miles then all sorts of stuff went wrong. 
Our project MK7 GTI was amazing though we didn't have it with super high mileage. 
If it was my money for a fun daily I would be searching for a BRZ/FRS.

8th gen Civic Si.

Focus ST will be hard to find under $10k.  Great car though.

I've said it before in other threads, my 6spd E90 328 is at 293k miles and going strong.  Didn't buy it new, but PO took great care of it, as do I.

In reply to SKJSS (formerly Klayfish) :

I see focus ST's somewhat regularly at just under $10k, it might take some looking but they are out there.

If you can stretch just a bit there is a 2018 Civic Si on RRAX right now for 15k. That's the car to have in GStteet and worst case you have a great/reliable DD. That one in particular looks like it has everything to win right now.

NMNA

Of the cars on your list I'd probably chose the BRZ/FRS.

The suggested Civic Si would be the one I'd choose.

I've autocrossed a Fiesta ST and though it was glorious fun. 

One other tiny car I'd add to the list is a Honda Fit.

4 cyl or V6 pony car? I'm seeing Mustangs with the Cyclone v6 and ~125-150k miles for $8k. Tons of factory or aftermarket upgrades available, and they can knock down 30mpg hwy.

8th or 9th gen Civic Si in the best condition you can afford, or NC Miata.

I've owned a lot of cars, and the current 2004 Acura RSX type S I have is hands down the most fun I've had.

H Stock, not super competitive, but I am in VTEC (Yo!) nearly the entire run.

I would add the Cobalt SS and Mazdaspeed 3 to the list. Hard to find in nice shape, but that's true of the 8th gen Civic Si, too. 

My first thought (I'm biased) was NC Miata as it's competitive in at least 2 classes- Club Spec MX-5 and I would wager it can be competitive in CST. Although CSX essentially requires an NC2/3 with a 6MT, which might stretch your budget a bit. But it sounds like that's a no-go anyway due to being a 2-seater. 
 

Second though: FRS/BRZ in SSC or STX. 
 

Third thought: 2005-2009 Mustang GT to build for Club Spec Mustang. Cheap cost of entry, reliable, fun, lots of parts availability and it's a spec class, so costs can't get out of control. 
 

If I was on a budget, I'd likely look for the Mustang. 
 

https://www.scca.com/pages/club-spec-csm/

I too was going to say that your goals seem to align with Spec Mustang

8th or 9th gen civic for H Street. Prep it with Koni sport shocks, rear sway bar, light weight wheels, 200 treadwear tires and a performance alignment. 
 

My non SI eighth generation coupe is only a 1.8 single cam with 140 horsepower. Even though it's down 40-60 horsepower for the class I'm doing really well with it. 
 

I sold my last Miata last month, going to run my daily driver civic for 2025. If the budget permits, I'll be back in a Miata next year, or upgrade to a civic SI. 
 

Civic: fix it less, drive it more.  

Not sure how I didn't think of a Club Spec Mustang. I drove our project CSM home from south Florida and then to the FIRM the next day to test it on track and it did both really well. 

Chris Tropea said:

Not sure how I didn't think of a Club Spec Mustang. I drove our project CSM home from south Florida and then to the FIRM the next day to test it on track and it did both really well. 

That’s good advice also. Club Spec mustang is also on my short list. 

You might be able to find a c5 at the higher end of that mileage. Definitely a c4. I used a c5 as my DD for awhile and the trunk is HUGE for groceries. However if you need rear seats, its a no go. I paid about $11k for my 90k 6mt c5. There was a significant discount once they reached about 120k when I was looking. FB marketplace is where all the cheap cars were. The big auto sites are expensive.

So, one thing I'm unloading is a SN95 Cobra I've had for years. It's really a track car, not great on the street...especially with people in it lol. 

I think I really want a sedan of some sort, but dang, CSM looks really dang fun and those 05-09 are one of my favorite bodies. 

I really like the idea of a GTI/FoST, but I am worried about any 100k+ mile car with a turbo...would have to find a really the perfect car. 

There are actually a lot of good choices for around $8-10k - a little bit of a search, but a lot of neat options.

In reply to dpspeed :

A sedan, eh? 
 

Well, technically an RX-8 has 4 doors and can be competitive in STX and dominates DSP. 
 

Beyond that, I think the cheapest "sedan" that's very competitive is a 2016+ Civic Sport (technically a hatch), which appear to go for a bit more money than you're looking to spend, but are the car to have in HS. 

You could probably find a good G35 Sedan in that price range. IDK how competitive they are in whatever class they would be in though.

In reply to roninsoldier83 :

I REALLY like the idea of a RX8, but I think a nice one will be hard to find and they are far from reliable and I'm afraid it will probably be a huge money pit...really cool cars though...

That's the sweet spot for the Fiesta ST. Stock, they are competitive locally in HS, though for Nationals, you will want a Civic. They respond to tuning really well and enjoy a lot of support, but for STH you probably want a Civic. They are practical with the hatch, but for a bigger hatch you probably want a Civic. They are OK on reliability and dealer services, but if you are worried about that, you probably want a Civic. 

OK, maybe just get a Civic.