Ok, long post ahead. Writing stuff down helps me think. We like having a 3rd car around for fun stuff and as a backup if one of our main drivers is down. Not looking to buy something right away but with the market the way it is, I figured it wouldn't hurt to start keeping an eye out now.
With the Neon up for sale I've been doing some thinking about what I really want/need in a "fun" car. The Neon is fun but too single purpose and my wife never really liked it. I guess "cool" is subjective :P IF she thought Neons are cool a less-modified one would be near the top of the list.
Budget would probably be $5kish with a little wiggle room for something really good. I wanted to run out and get a new Veloster N until my wife pointed out that she'd really like a newer bigger mom-mobile if/when we have another kid and I'm more than ok saving our "finance a big purchase" moment for that. When that happens I'd probably inherit her Mazda5 so we are pretty set for daily driving needs.
Big issue-I'm pretty tall with most of the height in my neck and torso so fitting in cars with a helmet is problematic. To give an idea: I fit good with a helmet in the Neon, but that was with a Corbeau seat on sliders and I had to take the cushion out of the seat. Miata might not be the answer here, and anything with a sunroof is right out. In an NA with stock seating position my head makes a nice bump in the soft top. Is there more room in an NC? I haven't been in a 924/944 for awhile but I remember it being pretty tight. RX7 is similar. Something I could easily swap between a low-sitting racing bucket and stock seat would be helpful.
I would like: Something sturdy enough and simple to maintain so I can go play at the local club track a couple times a year without worrying about having to baby the car or constantly replace stuff. Relatively inexpensive consumables and common parts is a plus so I usually gravitate toward smaller 4cylinder powered things. I really want something that won't require a bunch of sorting and preventative maintenance right away but I know budget constraints come into play here. Fwd can be fun but the siren song of rwd is strong. Doesn't need to be a perfectly balanced track machine, I do track day stuff for fun, not to chase laptimes.
She would like: I'm not sure. Her taste in cars is pretty specific but hard to predict. She knows what she does or doesn't like when she sees it. Most boxy 80s things are out. She thinks MINIs are cool, and Miatas. First gen. Foci are better than Neons, for some reason. She liked the 318ti I had when we got married.
So I've thought of two ways to go:
Something older and interesting. I'm just not sure what's out there that would fit what I want.
Or something small, light, and modern enough that it wouldn't require a ton of work to be reliable for occasional track duty. She really likes her Mazda5 and a smaller version of that would probably be right up her alley. I like the idea of a B spec type car that I could take to the track and really focus on fine tuning driving techniques. Waterford Hills is tight and twisty so having power to not get run over by faster stuff isn't as much of an issue as it would be at bigger tracks. But, I've seen a tall hatchback roll on track and I'm not a fan of rolling over. So there's that. But, the SpecFits running around when I went to Gridlife at Gingerman looked like a ton of fun so there's that too.
I've read through this thread and will show her some of the ideas that came up in there.
On the (updated) list:
R50/53 MINI (it would have to be a really good one, but the want is hard)
NC Miata, If I could make it work with a helmet and a rollbar, need to try one on.
BMW 318ti, E36, E46, E30
S197 Mustang
Mazda2/Fiesta
New Beetle
Focus ZX3
Not on the list:
Neons, for some reason
