WilberM3 wrote: mercedes SLK with a permanent hardtop. awesome accessibility in the engine bay for service, simple electronics for a modern car, manual trans option...
Not to nitpick but I think that's a Chrysler Crossfire. I'd ride to work in a donkey cart before testing my luck with that thing.
The0retical wrote:WilberM3 wrote: mercedes SLK with a permanent hardtop. awesome accessibility in the engine bay for service, simple electronics for a modern car, manual trans option...Not to nitpick but I think that's a Chrysler Crossfire
Which is an SLK underneath.
mtn wrote:The0retical wrote:Which is an SLK underneath.WilberM3 wrote: mercedes SLK with a permanent hardtop. awesome accessibility in the engine bay for service, simple electronics for a modern car, manual trans option...Not to nitpick but I think that's a Chrysler Crossfire
Ah so it is (80% of it anyway). I still stand by my statement of the donkey cart however.
Tom Suddard wrote: 318tis are too slow. Focus is a consideration, but I'm not a huge fan of their slowness.
7k should be able to get you a s52 swapped 318ti......and I am laughing at referring to the fsvt as slow compared to the mini s.......they are not much slower than the s/c cooper in stock trim. And 7k would buy you a power works s/c fsvt or a turbo one......which are faster than the mini.
Not to scare you or anything, Mini's out of warranty scare the berkeley out of me.....too many things go wrong.
Did we ever get the Civic Type R in the USA?
The definitive hot hatch remains the Peugeot 205 GTi. First year of production was 1987. That means they're now legal to import 
I've got a '91 Pug 405 Mi16. It's the only wrong-wheel-drive car I've ever driven that's genuinely neutral in the corners. I don't know what kind of pixie dust they use for the dampers, but the car glides over rough roads yet still has excellent body control, throttle steer, and steering feel.
If you've never driven a Pug from this era, you don't know what you're missing!
dculberson wrote: Too bad the Volvo C30 isn't down to that price range yet. I love those things and they have premium written all over them.
I agree with you there
The MINI is a blast to drive but jesus it is a pain in the ass to work and built with typical BMW "quality" aka it is a piece of E36 M3.
I've also heard great things about the Focus SVT, both around the internet and by friends who've had them. Never driven one myself, but I'd like to. They're definitely on my radar as a possible P71 replacement eventually, despite being wrong wheel drive.
I've always liked the 318ti. Not enough power for you? Swap in a 6-cyl, or supercharge the 4. I heard some magazine somewhere once installed a supercharger in an E30 318is, and the ti has the same engine, so the same setup would work. $7k would get you a ti in great shape with enough left over to freshen up the suspension and increase the power a bit.
VWs are interesting, but they became such porkers over the years I'm not sure how fun they'd be. A friend's 95 Jetta GLX I autocrossed occasionally years ago was nothing but wheelspin and understeer due to the big VR6 up front. (I admit, I didn't really know how to drive back then, either.) And, hecho en Mexico - reliability is a concern. OTOH, for 15k miles a year you want something that may have a bit more comfort at the expense of raw performance, so a Golf/GTI may work well for you.
Protege5s are cool, though up here in New England it's getting hard to find one without rust. Not a problem where you are, of course. I don't know if older Mazda3s have dipped into your price range yet.
Or, since people are suggesting Mustangs:
That could be a little before your time, though. 
Javelin wrote:Feedyurhed wrote: I think the GTI is the definitive hatchback, after all they basically created that category. That's what I think of when I think hatchback.Oh, hai.
The original hot hatch...
Luke warm hatch.
$7 - $8 will get you the best Daewoo in the US.
With $6 - $7 left over for mods!
There was a guy with a blue '03 Celica GTS who ran in STS when I used to autocross. He was the guy to beat and that car was BAD ASS! I'd like to own one of those or an RSX-S.
White_and_Nerdy wrote: I've always liked the 318ti. Not enough power for you? Swap in a 6-cyl, or supercharge the 4. I heard some magazine somewhere once installed a supercharger in an E30 318is, and the ti has the same engine, so the same setup would work. $7k would get you a ti in great shape with enough left over to freshen up the suspension and increase the power a bit.
berkeley the DASC superchargers on the 4cyl.....you can normally swap them for less than the arm, leg, first born, and soul that the S/C kit costs. That said, you can turbo them to make more power for far less.
The mini doesn't really suffer from german "engineering" issues, its either they let the Brits think about touching them, or they designed them to act British.......wipers not working in the rain, headlights not working at night, random electrical issues, etc. Small petty E36 M3 I know, but damn is it expensive to have fixed.
Also, the Crossfire in the top of the thread is based on the not so good SLK(the older slk320) If it were based on the SLK350, it would have been decent in my book.
Another one for the Viggen, or the Alfa.
yamaha wrote: The mini doesn't really suffer from german "engineering" issues, its either they let the Brits think about touching them, or they designed them to act British.......wipers not working in the rain, headlights not working at night, random electrical issues, etc. Small petty E36 M3 I know, but damn is it expensive to have fixed.
Have you worked on one? It suffers from tons of German engineering problems. The bushings are like BMW bushings, the metal where the strut mount isn't strong enough, the power steering pump is just a stupid design that is a complete piece of crap and use unicorn jizz as fluid, it develops random coolant leaks. In other words it is exactly like pretty much every German car since the mid 90s. 
Honestly I haven't seen to many electrical issues out of them yet. Oh and it doesn't leak oil (only thing it doesn't leak). So not too British. 
In reply to pinchvalve:
I honestly like those cars, although I've never driven one, and I don't know if any still exist here that are in good condition. Probably the first thing to do would be to black over the chrome on that grill though, ugh.
I'd ride to work in a donkey cart before testing my luck with that thing.
Go ahead and find me all the horror stories about the MB 3.2 and trans.. i think the auto trans is the same one they put in the SPRINTER so it must be weak! And throttle response aside that 3.2 is strong for its displacement. And you can make a crossfire a lot faster by replacing the rear wheels with ones that dont weigh 54 lbs.
and I am laughing at referring to the fsvt as slow compared to the mini s.......they are not much slower than the s/c cooper in stock trim
This is true.. I can personally verify this because ive raced both cars from ~70-105 in my nearly-stock SOHC Neons and both of them pulled less than one whole car in that time. The Cooper S was noticeably faster, just not in the grand scheme of things. I do think it would be about 100% faster in the 2-4k rpm region.
In reply to Vigo:
Doesn't change the fact that dealers do not want to see these cars in their service departments (this per a friend that audits & assists Chrysler dealership service departments). Techs don't understand them, dealerships don't want to pay for costly tools that at this point aren't very useful across the model range, etc.
I think they're pretty if you squint and I like the size but they seem overly complicated bas***d children like the Dodge Stealth was.
93EXCivic wrote: Have you worked on one? It suffers from tons of German engineering problems. The bushings are like BMW bushings, the metal where the strut mount isn't strong enough, the power steering pump is just a stupid design that is a complete piece of crap and use unicorn jizz as fluid, it develops random coolant leaks. In other words it is exactly like pretty much every German car since the mid 90s.
Leak oil? Oh like hell they do. I've spent a lot of time working on MINI's and I've yet to find one where the underside wasnt' covered in oil - of course, much of this is because it's damn near impossible to change the oil filter element without spilling oil into the rear cavity of the engine bay where it's impossible to clean up. It's a little easier if you use a lift, but if you change the oil on ramps you're doomed. When the engine is angled back the filter housing doesn't drain well.
I love MINI's. We've had a 2003 Cooper S since new. They drive great. They "feel" great. Personally, I find them MUCH easier to work on than the E30. At least the MINI seems to have been designed with some intelligence whereas the E30 seems like it was designed by three different teams that never spoke to each other. There is a certain assembly logic to a MINI that once you figure out you realize they're pretty easy to work on.
Tom - if there's one caution I'd give, don't expect a big increase in MPG over your BMW. While my g/f's car will get hwy mileage in the upper 20's (maybe low 30's if driven conservatively), low to mid 20's is more common in day-to-day driving. About the same as I've gotten with my 325is (about 24 mpg average).
last but not least, my 2003 VW has been more trouble-free with 3x the miles.
I'll 3rd, 4th, 5th whatever the SVT Focus. I think they are old enough to be cheap, rare enough to be interesting, but look enough like a regular Focus that the masses wont notice. i.e.Stealth appeal. Also the 1st gen Focus was and still is a great looking car. The first thing I'd look at as a past Focus owner is an LSD. Iside wheel spin and traction is an issue with these cars. My SVT Contour had much much better traction coming out of corners and tight bends than the Focus despite having much more torque across the rev range.
I agree, I also thought the interior with the cloth/leather mix on the seats and everything was quite nice and if you get a euro package one (which I found a 5dr euro package for like 5k a while back) has recaro seats.
I REALLY regret selling mine much better car than the price will let on
Still have some old track day videos from it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wJ_cJB7YM0
LanEvo wrote: I've HAD a '91 Pug 405 Mi16. It's the only wrong-wheel-drive car I've ever driven that's genuinely neutral in the corners. I don't know what kind of pixie dust they use for the dampers, but the car glides over rough roads yet still has excellent body control, throttle steer, and steering feel. If you've never driven a Pug from this era, you don't know what you're missing!
DON'T......... The 405Mi16 was and is an interesting car... but NOT for a US resident. Having owned one the parts are just too hard to acquire, too costly... and the car is kinda fragile.... add them up and in the US... it doesn't make sense.
Now... after making that argument... I know my suggestion doesn't hold a lot of water.... but what about a nearly mint AE86 GT-S??? YES... it will need mild engine mods to get it to 60 in 7 seconds....
BUT... it can carry ANYTHING... well just about (we put a 7' christmas tree in ours...) It is EASY to wrench on.... It is appreciating in value... there are MANY suppliers... allowing you to make it as YOU want. Maintenance is cheap
I'll just leave this here and hide.
http://www.importatlanta.com/forums/honda-acura-car-classifieds/334860-98-honda-civic-cx-sir.html
In reply to 93EXCivic:
I haven't had to be involved on PS or related leaks, but you are right about the bushings. My friends '06 lived a very hard life, but had almost every traditional british electronics issue in the book. Still a fun car, he bought it new, racked up 80k in 3 years and traded it(almost dead even) for a '03 SMG M3.
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