Best starter enthusiast car?

Thinking about getting something for fun within the next 6 months.
Some of options that came to mind were, turd gen camaros, fox body mustangs, and the miata. Other suggestions are welcome.

Don't have any specific type of idea of what I'd do with it, just want something that is fun to drive and has potential for growth. Would like to keep it sub $5000 or lower for a decent example.

Thing's that I value are
>enjoyment of driving
>reasonable initial cost
>decent parts availability/cost
>fairly easy to work on

a civic

a Honda Civic

Is it even a question OP?

I played to exactly the same criteria when moving from Australia to NorCal two months ago. After owning a share of classic and newer LS powered cars I went full rotarytard and bought an RX7. Starting a new life here means also no credit history, and I wanted to simply buy into something cheaper with cash.
Decent entry price but I know the ongoing servicing is going to be something to bite me later on.
Other options I was weighing up was a couple of MR2, turd gens, and foxbody mustangs. I really didn't want to buy into another "can't turn" car so the RX7 is a choice that, for now, I am pretty satisfied with.
The MX5 really would have been the best option as far as cheap entry, cheap servicing, and you've got a massive pool of parts and knowledge for them here if you want to get into autocross or track.

Honestly though, test drive a couple of different makes and models and see what you might really want to do for. All I did to find my cars here was filter craigslist by area, manual, and sub 5k.

FB or FC?

The Muskrat would be the most fun, imo. If you have at least one testicle, avoid all Cameros. If, for whatever reason, you wish to turn the car and are willing to become a gay homosexual, Miatia, ma dood

Series 4 FC, 1988, two seater. I knew what I was buying into; plenty of friends back home have owned them. The engine runs really strong on my example, the body is in considerably good condition, as is most of the interior for a 29 year old car.

Almost nothing electrical works, and the fuel/oil economy is non-existing. For people who want their cars loaded with creature comforts and modern tech shit you'd want to stay well clear of them. None of this bothers me because I've been daily driving a 1981 Commodore SL for almost 5 years now.

pre-86 Celica

the 20/22R is a bit of a slug bone stock, but thanks to the offroad guys who love the shit out of the engine you have tons of aftermarket support. its notoriously reliable and playskool tier simple to wrench on.

Festiva

these things can be found in great condition for less than 1000$ and just about any mazda B series engine drops right in with little effort. foxbody stang is fine too, but will drain your wallet fast af.

3k Civic

its a meme for a reason. like you seriously can't go wrong. cheap parts, cheap aftermarket parts. beware thieves though.

Nissan D21

i know its a truck, but the Z24 engines are nice little motors and are pretty zippy. once again, reliable and easy to wrench on. or you can TRY to find a pre-84 maxima.

if you want some special snowflake stuff a Chevy Monza or Ford Maverick might fit the bill. bit of american muscle without the boomer tax.

>foxbody stang is fine too, but will drain your wallet fast af.
any particular reason why it would?

>3k Civic
>its a meme for a reason. like you seriously can't go wrong. cheap parts, cheap aftermarket parts. beware thieves though.

Are they fun to drive? I've been brainwashed into the whole FR business so I tend to discount FF's. I like the look of 5th gen hatches, but I heard ricers like those (years ago someone told me but I never kept up)

>Nissan D21
>i know its a truck, but the Z24 engines are nice little motors and are pretty zippy. once again, reliable and easy to wrench on. or you can TRY to find a pre-84 maxima.
I wouldn't actually mind having a small truck, I'll probably need a truck eventually depending on how things work out, would be useful now either way.

Fourth gen camaros are good especially if you get an LS1 car.
They're not that easy to work on though. The engine is pushed way back.
A decent one is $5k, a really nice one is $6k.

GM J-body
Nissan Maxima/Infiniti i30/i35
MK4 VW
SN95 Mustang
GM F-body
Subaru Legacy/Forester/Impreza
Honda Civic/CR-V/RSX
Nissan Z33/V35

>sub $5000
>reliable
>RWD

pick 2

>1st-2nd gen Miata
>4th-6th gen Civic/3rd gen Integra
>any GTI you can afford
>RX7 if you can afford to have it broken most of the time
>S2000 if affordable
>C5 corvette if affordable

>C5 corvette if affordable
>C5
>under 5k
pick one.
A C4, definitely, but not a C5

Isn't a miata generally all three?

>any particular reason why it would?
performance parts for big engines tend to be more expensive

>I've been brainwashed into the whole FR business so I tend to discount FF's

FF is fine if the car is small. it suits the platform. the CRX is a great example and yes its fun. the difference between FF and FR isn't really that noticable until you get above ~250 hp and you probably aren't going to be able tune that out of a four banger anyways.

idk, maybe i'm biased. i like zippy little go-kart type cars instead of big power road torpedo's.

yes, and thats why its so popular.

>performance parts for big engines tend to be more expensive
BS
Small Chevy has the best $:hp ratio with Windsor Fords coming in second.

>any particular reason why it would?
Because they don't like to work on their own cars and they don't even have any friends who like to work on cars and drink beer

Foxes are getting old but they're simple to work on and parts are cheap.

Foxbodies are fun. Get a V8 manual and you bought an appreciation tier. It will hold it's value, if not appreciate when you are done with it.

Turd gens had better handling, but only 305 came with manuals.

Miatas are fun at turns, but don't expect much else.

SN-95 would be a fast, reliable, cheap car.

How much would I be looking at for a decent example of a manual foxbody V8? I am not against need to do some work, I don't have much experience working on cars, but in general I work on a lot of stuff. Don't like dealing with rust though.

Whatever the fuck you can find within your budget and enjoy driving.

Is a rotary engine really a good choice for a beginner? Not memeing - generally curious because I don't know shit about rotaries other than the general mechanism and APEX SEAL.

They need some special care compared to your average shitbox, but rebuilding them if shit does go sideways is piss easy compared to piston engines.

...

assume OP is in America... where the Falcon ceased to exist after the 60s

Shame they couldn't have the pinnacle of automotive engineering

they invented it though...

Finnegan and Freiburger recommended the Fox body Mustangs, OP.

Finnegan and Freiburger can't build a car with any semblance of reliability

Could do a VW beetle, they're everywhere here in Kentucky and they made so many that parts are pretty easy to get.
As far as working on it? Basic tools do almost everything and nothing is really hard to get to. That's what you get when you design a car anyone can work on.

>enthusiast
>mk4 VW

0800-come-on-now. the mk4 is trash for anything other than stancing or making a rolling speaker cabinet.

Why do people always suggest Fox Bodies? The SN95/New Edge might look fat but it's basically the same car only without all the structural weaknesses of the Fox.

>ctrl+f "civic"

V6 Accord

>What is the vr6

Overcomplicated, overheating, head-warping, underpowered, unreliable, pigfat trash.

Sounds nice though.

Did you just Google "vr6 issues" and use every buzzword in the first result? Jesus

Some small pickup with a manual transmission

You already know.

>VR6
Op asked for a car thats easy to work on, user. Not a car that every surviving example of needs timing chain guides replaced (which sit on the transmission side of the engine)

The R32 is the only one worth owning, because at least it makes good power. 180hp AWP 1.8t's are much easier to live with, and lightly modded make 250 ish hp. Really a much better choice.

I am partial to how they look, but a lot of people don't like the body on them.

SN95s cost peanuts, you could probably find GTs for below 5k easily too.

Simple the foxbody in notchback form is under 3000 pounds. The 5.0 is a much better engine than the sohc 4.6. The world class t5 is as tough a trans as any.
And the tuning and modification ability you can do to a fox are endless and cheap.
Foxstang is best stang

fiero with an engine swap. bonus points for trashy looking fiero.

...

>3800
Not using a superior ecotec

rad

i can get L67 parts from any scrapyard in north america. supercharged ecocuck parts are not as common. and if you cant tell i'm on a tight budget.

The Ecotec uses an Eaton supercharger, same as the L67.
>but supercharged ecotec specific parts!
what specific parts? Everything aside from the intake manifold is identical to the turbo version of the same engine (LK9).
And Ecotecs are modular. Everything is interchangeable. The engine is coming up on 20 year in production and it's still a fantastic 4 cylinder.
And you can use a normal Ecotec, then toss on a supercharger kit from ZZPerformance (who also support the 3800). The Ecotec is lighter, capable of more power, cheaper to get parts for, more fuel efficient, and, as a bonus, it can rev higher.

Jeep
4x4 Fun to drive
reasonable initial cost
great aftermarket
easy to work on

>Thing's that I value are
>enjoyment of driving
>reasonable initial cost
>decent parts availability/cost
>fairly easy to work on

I forgot another thing I value.
>my life

E30 or Miata

l67 makes 35 more hp and 80 more torque stock. like i said i'm looking for fun to price ratio. i have a mortgage i cant be wasting money on performance parts.

So you'd rather waste money on gas and having an ass-heavy car that pendulum swings like an old 911?
Don't fall for the iron block meme. You could shove an LS V8 in there and it'd be lighter than an L67

mother fucker look at my cars! do i look like i can afford an LS swap? and i dont care about mpg on the fiero, its not my daily. l67 is a dirt cheap easy swap that will run mid to low 13s all day reliably. what more can you ask for from a car that cost less then 2k total.

>windsors
>expensive
Pick one

>letting concerns like that bother you
how do you ever plan on being fast user?

if you can't afford an LS swap, you can't afford an L67 swao. quit bitching.
fucking poorfags man.

a slow heavy unreliable piece of shit. Mate it to a halshite pretend 4wd system for extra suffering
t. ex mk4 vr6 owner

Honestly, even the special care isn't much more than more frequent oil/spark plug changes, and checking the oil level every so often.
>My fucking transmission gave out on it before the engine did.

How is the avaliablity of parts for fiero's? I just saw pretty good looking one (body at least) on CL for $2k with 53k on it

umm i can afford a l67 swap... i fucking have one.

then you could've bought an ecotec or an LS swap. Get over it. You have shit decision-making abilities and shit taste.

Civics (CRX, del sol, hatches), MR2, RX7s, Camaro/Firebird/etc, Mustang, Uhhh porsche 944s, miata, 240s, BMWs, older Audis because 5 cylinder, etc.

List is fucking massive.

Is there much room for future improvements on civics? When I think civic mods I automatically thing ricers and recoil in disgust, so I've never looked into it much.

There actually is a not of potential there. Properly modded Civics and such can be extremely fast. IIRC, the lap record holder at Tsukuba Circuit in Japan is a heavilly modified EG Civic hatch. I may be wrong on that but I know it was at least faster than a GTR