Looking for suggestions

So im new to the forum but been a lurker for quite some time. I just got rid of my 1970 chevy k10 and looking for something “new.” Im moving here in the next month further away from my job and im looking for a fun classic part time daily driver. Here is the criteria number 1 it has to be a clean car i dont want no rust bucket or drift missile someone has crashed 1000 times. Number 2 it has to have 4 seats, i dont want a miata or some 2 seater coupe (i dont care whether it has 4 or 2 doors but i do most the time like 2 door cars better). Number 3 it has to be fairly good on gas. Number 4 it has to be fairly easy to find parts for. Number 5 has to be manual! Final criteria is it has be around 5k. Some of the cars ive been looking at is non m3 e30s, i really like the bmw 2002 as well but hard to find clean one in that price range, i also like the ae86. Now im not a big fan of fwd cars but i do like the vw mk1 and mk2. I do have another car i can drive if this one does break down and i do have a shop to work on it as i am a mechanic. Just looking for other suggestions i may not have thought of.

I was set on a recommended until I got to the $5k limit. That was a 2011 and newer Mustang V6 w/ manual trans. That was the year the V6 bumped up to 300 hp (nearly as much as the previous year V8) and returned 30 mpg hyw. 

It seems to me that these would be a great all-arounder. Seems to meet all your criteria other than price. 

Maybe you can stretch the budget. 

Welcome to the site.  You should mention where 'here' is...choosing a suitable car may depend on what state or country you live in.

If not the Mustang, maybe something from GM like 5th Gen Camaro in V6 or Cadillac CTS offered V6 and manual trans in sedan and coupe. 

In reply to John Welsh :

I have owned a 2015 mustang and ended up getting rid of it I liked it but I like classic cars more. And that’s kind of what I’m looking for it more of a classic car than a newer car.

In reply to stuart in mn :

I am in Nebraska. In the USA 

In that case my answer is Datsun Z car, the oldest you can afford. As the Gen 1 cars get astronomical in price, the sweet spot might be Gen2 and the 280zx which still have looks dirived from Gen 1  Z car wiki

Sample

Edit: Oops. 2 seat

For American Iron then Mopar w/ a Slant 6 for the fuel economy and ease of repair. Any body, any year. 

Edit: I really liked my e30/325is. Also an early 535 could be great. 

Of the cars you mentioned, I’d try and look for an AE86 although anything classic in that price range is going to be rough. 

You may also consider a SVT mustang or Mercury with the 2.3 turbo. Or a starion but not sure about parts availability 

also, maybe an early Celica I Supra

In reply to John Welsh :

There was a nissian 300zx for sale a while back i was looking at but was a little to expensive for what i want. Im kinda leaning towards an e30, or a ae86. Just going to be hard pressed to fine and 86. Im also woried i havent done much work on bmw and it will just have to be a learning curve i guess.

In reply to amg_rx7 :

Ya trying to find any ae86 out here has been a nightmare they just arnt our here. Im not really a big fan of the foxbody mustang. I do like american muscle but if i were to get a muscle car i know that it would end up being in my grage being “upgraded” more than it would be driven lol. And right now i just want a fun car that with a little work can be a great drivers car.

Nicest Lexus GS you can find with a stick. Can't lose with a GS300 or GS400. 

In reply to Mndsm :

Correct me if im wrong but i believe the lexus gs300 and gs400 were only made with auto trans.

Infiniti G35

In reply to Expalo :

That would appear to be the case. 

John Welsh said:

In that case my answer is Datsun Z car, the oldest you can afford. As the Gen 1 cars get astronomical in price, the sweet spot might be Gen2 and the 280zx which still have looks dirived from Gen 1  Z car wiki

Sample

Edit: Oops. 2 seat

 

For American Iron then Mopar w/ a Slant 6 for the fuel economy and ease of repair. Any body, any year. 

 

Edit: I really liked my e30/325is. Also an early 535 could be great. 

All great suggestions - and you can find the 280ZX or early 300ZX as a 2+2 with some pretense of a back seat.

Another possibility is an air cooled VW - $5000 ought to get you a decent example there.

In reply to MadScientistMatt :

I owned a 1973 vw beetle for about a year its probly one of my favorite cars ever it was just so simple and fun. The only problem to that is were i would be driving it would be strictly highway and those beetles are not very fast lol