Fun car for <15K?

jakejake · May 4, 2010

Don't drive much. For under 15K (used of course), what would you get (no bikes)? I'm single.

Here are what I've come up:
-Older MR2
-Miata
-Wrx Wagon
-S2000
-BMW (3-series, M-coupe?, kinda scared of maintenance)

whiteslashasian · May 4, 2010

The S2000 by far, especially for a fun car. The others are too practical or crappy.

closetmess · May 4, 2010

Where's dis S2000 for under $10k?

Get a Subaru SVX or a Fiat Spider. Super fun.

whiteslashasian · May 4, 2010

Originally Posted by closetmess

Where's dis S2000 for under $10k?

True...most I see are in the $13k-$16k neighborhood...

jakejake · May 4, 2010

Sorry had to edit the title to match the message body. Budget <15K.

A Y · May 4, 2010

Stock E36 M3. Restore the bushings and shocks to new quality with OEM parts, and enjoy one of the few cars that is fun to drive and practical at the same time.

A 1st gen Miata's a good choice, too.

--Andre

Cary Grant · May 4, 2010

The 2005-2006 VW GTI's are in your range.

the_k · May 4, 2010

an 03-04 350z, maybe even an 05 if you look around.

cheessus · May 4, 2010

get a crx. pimp it out for 5-8k.

impolyt_one · May 4, 2010

Originally Posted by cheessus

get a crx for $3000, which has been $2500 over real value for the past 15 years. pimp it out for 5-8k. spend an additional kidney and baby plus $10K a year for insanely high insurance, medical bills incurred when you get rear-ended, coffins when you get T-boned, and the plastic Stanley-brand Japanese domestic market lights that only light up the wrong side of the road, plus the $2000 to JDM convert the concave hood bulge to a convex one to exhibit your CRX's true supercardom. Your total cost to own this 160hp monster will be about $35,000.

FTFY

RFX45 · May 4, 2010

For a fun car, I would probably a Lexus SC250/300 and fix it up. It can be a one nice sleeper on the road.

Or if you look around long enough, maybe a decent Supra but chances are for $15k, the mileage will be at 100k+.

HRoi · May 4, 2010

for fun, i think the M-coupe owns this price range. it's an ugly little roller skate, but test drive one and see

RFX45 · May 4, 2010

Originally Posted by HRoi

for fun, i think the M-coupe owns this price range. it's an ugly little roller skate, but test drive one and see

M3 coupe? Could you even get an E46 M3 for less than $15k?

epb · May 4, 2010

Originally Posted by RFX45

M3 coupe? Could you even get an E46 M3 for less than $15k?

not M3 coupe - M Coupe, the one based on the Z3. There's a pic from another thread on the forum:

Maintenance on an older BMW might be pricey for some, though, so I wouldn't suggest the Germans (Z3/Z4, Boxster, SLK) cavalierly. The Miata is always a solid choice for fun car, and older Corvettes offer a lot of bang for the buck. I'd also recommend the Miata-competitor Pontiac Solstice/Saturn Sky. You can find the 2.4Ls for well under $15k, and some GXPs (the 2.0L turbos - mine was $16.5k), and as domestics their maintenance is cheap.

RFX45 · May 4, 2010

Oh, I see. I didn't think of that one right away because thats pretty rare in the U.S. I think I've seen 3-4 in person in my whole life.

If the OP doesn't mind American, how about the Pontiac GTO? A 2005 should be around that range with maybe 50k miles? 5.7 V8 w/ 400hp and 395 lb/ft torque, not bad for a $15k car. Reliability might eb an issue though I am not sure there were too many problems with the last gen GTO.

Fun car for <15K?

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