Selling everything for ONE $5k car - but which?

Tiburon since timing belts on that V6 seem like a PITA.

I just did one in a sonata and it was unusually easy for a dohc transverse v6, but there may be a dramatic room difference in the tiburon engine bay. I will say driving a 2.7 sonata actually made me really want to drive a 5spd tiburon 2.7 which i never have..

I had the chance to get one many moons ago, but got a Dodge Stealth Turbo instead. That was a mistake.

Bwahahaha. Yeah, i can see that.. I too have a lingering boyhood fascination with the 3000gt/stealth, but after being a mechanic this long i came to the decision that the hot ticket was to turbo a sohc and have a roomy engine bay with a reliable motor in it versus the relative clusterberkeley that is the DOHC TT. So i have a sohc with an he351ve sitting in the back seat.. im a slacker..

Out of the cars mentioned here id personally go for the GT-S, Prelude, or Tiburon.

I'll jump in b/c this segment interests me... The celica GTS 6 speed is a great car. My step-mother had one that I drove for a few months. It was quick, could carry a ton of stuff in the hatch, went in the snow pretty well, got great fuel economy, and was pretty much an appliance as far as maintaining it went. The 944 is a great car to live with as well. I would stay away from a turbo though as the cost and time involved in repairs is greatly increased on them. The '89 2.7 cars aren't easy to find. S2s bringing good money too. Under $5k you'll have to get lucky or get an NA car. Its not a bad thing though. They are fairly easy to work on, tons of parts are out there, fun, and the hatch holds an amazing amount of crap. I've got 2 saabs now. A 2001 9-3 vert and a 2001 9-5. The 9-5 is built a lot better and is more comfortable inside but both have really been great cars for daily driving, but do not deliver the fun of a 944 or Celica. I'm interested in the tiburon V6 now though...

SlickDizzy wrote:

stuart in mn wrote: Sell them all, then take a bus or ride a bike. Worry about owning a car after you graduate.

The Saab 9000 I currently own has been such a frustrating nickel-and-dime affair that I feel nothing but rage while driving it, despite how fast, comfortable, and economical it is. Whoever buys it will be getting a nice car, but I didn't. I know the M3 is probably a bad idea but holy crap, there are some deals out there right now!

These statements tell you what you need to know about a M3.

Early 2000'S BMW 330's are getting into that range. Found a 330i with the ZHP package for 7k obo a week or so ago, mileage was something like 150k. Regular 330's are well within that range regularly if you keep an eye out. Didn't inquire about the ZHP I mentioned as it was a red 4 door, and someone I know has one and would probably give me an ear full if I drove the same car as him.

Check out the European Appearance Package SVT. It comes standard with all of the option boxes ticked, including the winter package, which includes heated Recaro leather buckets, HID headlights, traction control, the better stereo, the better looking wheels (IMO), and heated mirrors. It also came in an orange that I really like.

I have had my SVT Focus for about 7 years, and despite my neglect, only one thing has broken so far, the A/C compressor (I think, it was a few years ago).

Bear in mind the SVT Focus has an interference motor and the timing belt pulleys are known to randomly grenade. It's not common exactly, but it's far from unheard of. (I speak from personal experience here.) Damn shame, because they're really great cars otherwise.

I'll temper this warning with the fact that I have a 2000 ZX3 that my family's owned since new, with a record of maintenance negligence that borders on abuse, and it's going strong at nearly 200k, including six hard years in downtown Chicago, several multi-thousand mile road trips, a few sanctioned autocrosses, tons of snowy parking lot hoonage and - hardest of all - teenage girl ownership for a while. Incredibly solid car. (The non-SVT Zetecs are not interference, for the record.)

I'd second the suggestion from upthread to go for a 2.3 Duratec Focus with SVT suspension. (But definitely get the SVT suspension, it's awesome - possibly the perfect street setup.) With some bolt-ons, the 2.3 can rather easily be stronger than a stock SVT motor.

Sorry to butt in here but does anyone have an EDU on the 9-3SS? I've always liked how the 9-3 looks but wrote them off as probable junk. Maybe I was wrong?

Regarding 7th gen celica gts,' how many miles do they usually run before the engine takes a poop?

old_ wrote: Sorry to butt in here but does anyone have an EDU on the 9-3SS? I've always liked how the 9-3 looks but wrote them off as probable junk. Maybe I was wrong?

It is basically a Cobalt SS/TC in a different body, as far as I know. People love to hate them but the few who actually own them seem to love 'em, much like Saabs in general.

Regarding 7th gen celica gts,' how many miles do they usually run before the engine takes a poop?

I think if they were any less reliable than the modern standard id have heard about it by now (12 years..).

93-97 6 speed LT1 F-Body