So I'm looking for a sunny day car. Probably 5-7k miles a year, commuting/backroading/maybe some HDPE. Here are the parameters:
1) 5-8k budget. I'm in the midwest, so generally stuff is a little cheaper here than on the coasts.
2) Must be fun to drive. Doesn't have to be super fast in a straight line. Manual trans preferred, but automatic acceptable if it hits all the other high notes.
3) I would prefer something at the bottom of its depreciation curve. My thought here is to buy it, drive it for a year or two, then rinse and repeat without losing too much money. I'm not looking to make money, but would prefer to buy a driver, clean it up a little bit, then pass it on to the next guy for something close to what I bought it for.
4) Gotta have a backseat. Doesn't have to be a big backseat. Don't need a convertible.
5) I don't mind doing a little extra maintenance, but would prefer reliable enough that I get to spend more time driving than wrenching.
My current targets are RX-8 (aware that I should probably keep money on hand for a replacement engine, as that almost seems to be part of the ownership experience), '00-'06 Celica GTS, S197 Mustang GT, and the dark horse of ratty Porsche 928, but I understand those are few and far between at my price point. Interested in what everyone else thinks I should be looking at.
Tk8398
HalfDork
9/3/24 11:32 a.m.
986 Boxster? Better than an RX8 or ratty 928 as far as maybe not blowing up, but worse than a Celica or mustang.
SV reX
MegaDork
9/3/24 11:36 a.m.
In reply to Max P. Dingrods (Forum Supporter) :
I've got an RX8 you might be interested in...
Tk8398 said:
986 Boxster? Better than an RX8 or ratty 928 as far as maybe not blowing up, but worse than a Celica or mustang.
I like them, but no backseat and would prefer a hardtop. Already have a Miata for the two-seat ragtop stuff.
SV reX said:
In reply to Max P. Dingrods (Forum Supporter) :
I've got an RX8 you might be interested in...
Man, you're a long ways away from me, but shoot me a PM if you would.
Sonic
UberDork
9/3/24 1:30 p.m.
How about an 06+ Civic Si. Fun to rev, handle decently, limited slip, 6 speed, huge aftermarket, plenty of room, reliable.
Tk8398 said:
986 Boxster? Better than an RX8 or ratty 928 as far as maybe not blowing up, but worse than a Celica or mustang.
Boxster no back seats and is convertible.
You could get a nice RX-8, but Midwest is going to mean rust and the renesis is finicky. I'd go mustang and potentially get better mpg than the RX-8.
Sonic said:
How about an 06+ Civic Si. Fun to rev, handle decently, limited slip, 6 speed, huge aftermarket, plenty of room, reliable.
As an owner of a 2007 Si I was tempted to suggest this as well.
Sonic said:
How about an 06+ Civic Si. Fun to rev, handle decently, limited slip, 6 speed, huge aftermarket, plenty of room, reliable.
ooh, there's a thought I hadn't had. I don't love the way they look, but the reliability and usability would be nice.
My budget wouldn't get me an RSX Type S, would it? Like even a ratty one?
Duke
MegaDork
9/3/24 4:00 p.m.
In reply to dyintorace :
I was just coming here to say the nicest RWD E46 manual you can find. Even the lowly 325i is fun to drive with a stick, and feels quicker than the stats would have you believe.
Preference would be for 2003 > up because they got a small power bump and a reduction to the overboosted steering. Also preference for Sport package or better trim.
psteav (Forum Supporter) said:
Sonic said:
How about an 06+ Civic Si. Fun to rev, handle decently, limited slip, 6 speed, huge aftermarket, plenty of room, reliable.
ooh, there's a thought I hadn't had. I don't love the way they look, but the reliability and usability would be nice.
My budget wouldn't get me an RSX Type S, would it? Like even a ratty one?
I'm almost certain you could get one in budget.
ddavidv
UltimaDork
9/3/24 4:46 p.m.
S197 makes the most sense out of everything on your list. RX-8 is great only if you want to do a V8 swap. 
Interesting to see the Si recommendation. Awesome cars, but are you guys finding them in this price range? They hold their value well and any time I see one dip low its missing half the paint, has been in an accident or 3, or has suffered from some very questionable mods.
BMWs are intriguing, but if I want to go that route I need to just fix the 528i that's moldering in my driveway. Having driven E36s and E46s, I'm sure I would like them. Having driven my E39, I can attest that it's both quick and light on its feet. What I don't like is chasing the cooling system gremlins, and those seem to be endemic to BMWs that I'd be looking at.
I'm not gonna lie, fixing the car I have is a possibility, but it needs some minor paint and bodywork and a cooling system exorcism to be nice again. I also am kinda feeling the urge for new and different. I get that it's not the most sensible route, but I think I might be BMWed out at the moment.
psteav (Forum Supporter) said:
BMWs are intriguing, . . . .
, but I think I might be BMWed out at the moment.
It took me owning exactly one BMW to reach that feeling, so I completely understand.
Bugeye WRX. The bottom of the depreciation curve being key on that.
RX8 is cheap and plentiful. Beyond that, NC Miata, s197, 350z
ShawnG
MegaDork
9/3/24 8:21 p.m.
5 miatas and some chicken nuggets
I don't know much about them but I've had a hankering for a Celica GTS for a bit now so that gets my vote.
prodarwin said:
Interesting to see the Si recommendation. Awesome cars, but are you guys finding them in this price range? They hold their value well and any time I see one dip low its missing half the paint, has been in an accident or 3, or has suffered from some very questionable mods.
I resemble that remark! The paint is rough, but zero accidents and zero questionable mods. 232,000 miles and counting. I'm honestly not sure I could bring myself to sell it.
In reply to Max P. Dingrods (Forum Supporter) :
I pointed FB a few hundred miles out of Columbia, MO. I looked for cars with only one criteria; manual trnasmission. I then gave it a price cap. Some interesting finds which are mostly Sport Compacts
Fiat Abrarth
Focus SVT
Newer Focus ST
Civic Si ep3
Celica GT-S
Corvair
Forte 5 SX
Mini Cooper S
Duke
MegaDork
9/4/24 8:53 p.m.
ShawnG said:
5 miatas and some chicken nuggets
Any $1000 Miata you'll find is a chicken nugget.
I paid $7500 for my Foxbody but I've done $1000 worth of performance upgrades already.
I'd go with S197 Mustang
psteav (Forum Supporter) said:
Sonic said:
How about an 06+ Civic Si. Fun to rev, handle decently, limited slip, 6 speed, huge aftermarket, plenty of room, reliable.
ooh, there's a thought I hadn't had. I don't love the way they look, but the reliability and usability would be nice.
My budget wouldn't get me an RSX Type S, would it? Like even a ratty one?
I was going to suggest an RSX or 8g Civic Si as well. I haven't seen another nice RSX around me on awhile, but still some good condtion Civics around (and a bunch of ratty ones). I drove my RSX-S yesterday, and it's definitely a hoot to rip it thru a couple gears. I assume the 8g Si would be more of the same, with extra points for the LSD.
My daughter has an '11 Civic EX coupe; slow, wider with bigger back seat, and better parts availability but more of a pain to work on under hood due to efficient packaging, relative to the RSX.
The '03 Civic Si in John's list looks nice in the pics, apart from the tuner decal fest, which makes me suspicious. I think it's the same platform as the RSX but not sure of the engine/trans.
