What FWD beater would you buy for under $2k?

Looking to get rid of my WRX Wagon and get back into something that doesn't require a car payment and/or full coverage insurance.

My choice has always been the 93-97 "Prizrolla", but clean 3-pedaled examples aren't exactly simple to find. These are the stipulations:

-FWD

-N/A 4 Cyl.

-Must be available in a manual

-Reliable and/or easy to work on

-Cheap parts

-Atleast a little bit of aftermarket out there

-Preferably 4 doors, but not hugely important

I've found cars like Escort GT/ZX2's and 1G Neon's but I'm sure I'm missing more.

What would you look for?

Infiniti G20 (if you can find one around you in stick) and Celica GT would be my top choices.

Some sort of Saturn would be appropriate as well

I hate to say it, but a Cavalier/Sunflower would be ok. They are cheap to fix, easy to work on and lots of resources out there.

Celica, 1st gen mx6/626.

Camry.

My '97 Eclipse has proven to be an amazing piece of machinery. Beat to crap when I picked it up for $400, but I've worked on it a little and it's never let me down. I'd definitely buy another one. In fact once I get rid of some stuff, I probably will for some type of race car.

Focus! Meets all the criteria and not totally awful to drive.

I second the camry. Especially pre '96. One of the most hassle-free ownership experiences.

2001 and up Focus with Zetec engine.

Try the 98-02 prizrolla, better car, less loved(Chevy badge, not Geo).

Saturn.

Your pick of SOHC or DOHC.

Has anyone seen a $2k focus that was worth buying? Neons are good other than that a lot of the parts for them are discontinued now. How about an mk3 VW? They are all getting scrapped right now, so junkyard parts will be easy to find.

SE-R, ZX2, or G20 would be my top choices.

Low priced cars are less about searching the right model and more about searching what is in your price range. I would go to your local CL and put in the following keyword then set a price limit:

manual|manuel|clutch|stick|shift|speed|spd

This will pull up all ads that contain any one of those words.

From there, sift through the pictures.

Edit: here's an odd one that I would have never thought to look for without that search above:
LeBaron GTC coupe with manual , vnt turbo.

I'll jump on the saturn band wagon. Cheap and very durable. A friend of mine who is terrible at keeping cars alive had one and it lasted through a toddler and three deer strikes. Avoid the automatics.

Early 90s protege's

Early 90's legacy's (had a 93 tan wagon with fwd and a 5sp in high school)

Any SE-r

Probe, mazda mx3, celica, altima SE, 90s maxima (is a v6), first gen vw beetle 2.0

I would go with a Corolla, a Cavalier/Sunfire or a Neon. They should all be cheap and reliable.

I will just leave this here... lol NMNA

03 focus svt

U13 Altima. KA24DE manual. Easily gives the V8's from the mid-90's era a run for their money.

Michigan? How is the rust situation?

I had a Volvo 850 with a 5 speed that I bought for a grand..

Why FWD?

Civic. I think your requirements described it perfectly.

Give up the NA requirement and SAAB.

ryanty22 wrote: Why FWD?

Because RWD economy cars became unpopular and died out 30+ years ago?