Fun & Cheap

oh fuck these are both gr8 choices. How's the handling on these? Any notorious problems?

Lexus sc400/300 or ls 400

Si handling is just fine, obviously people will make points about how you can't dorifto sideways but you can have plenty of fun hitting twisty mountain passes hard enough to get tires squeaking. No real issues other than somewhat standard honda rust but it's not as bad as older ones, they also upped their security game heavily in the late 90s so it can't be stolen with a screwdriver and two minutes of your time either.

The stock wheels are four lug 15" for the early years, the later ones were upped to five lug 16" which is a bit more appropriate for a relatively sporty car. It's also the first time they moved from double wishbone to macpherson struts which aren't as nice but still fine for everything that isn't serious track purposes. Also some of them have shitty silver plastic interior trim pieces that look like ass, the alternative was a substantially nicer looking set of carbon fiber pieces.

Miata you stupid faggot

svt focus

>SVT contour

considered those but >ford. How are the early 2000s SVT focuses?

great, actually.

They're comparable to the same era Civic and VW commuter boxes.

Might actually be the most affordable when it comes to regular parts and insurance but I have no idea what ownership or aftermarket is like for them.

>fun cars
This is where youre going wrong OP, just get yourself a non CVT low km Corolla.

Kys

Buy a Toyota Camry instead. I figured this day would come. :^)

3k civic

Why? For being responsible with my money?

Fuck you OP my SHO is amazing

no it's not it's falling apart right now as I speak

So is mine but I'm not bitching about it. Dump a clutch skrt skrt

>Uses a car for "fun"
>Is angry when it falls apart

They're great, an anonymous on here has one and he posts regularly, he said there are some pitfalls to parts, specifically in regards to the engine because it is slightly different due to the Cosworth head

OP said fun, not a slow econobox

good to know.

desu one of my favorite cars to date was my 5-speed 1990 corolla. thing made me go deaf and was slow as hell but it got me from NY to CA and gave me 0 problems while owning it. as long as my next car is reliable and somewhat fun (be it good handling, kinda zippy, whatever) and more comfy than a $600 corolla, i'm happy

Alternatively:
>Buys a car for fun
>Gets a two decade old full sized family sedan

And this is coming from someone who A. Wants a SHO, and B. Likes hopped up versions of mundane Sedans.

Midsize.
Crown Vic's are fullsize.

You have good point.

Dunno why but Taurus' always felt on the bigger end of midsized.

Not the first gens. My 89 SHO is small af inside

cargurus.com/Cars/m-Ultimate-Motor-Cars-sp284279#listing=170654903

M-mileage is just a meme, right?

I personally disagree with whoever told you to kill yourself, but it's possible to have fun for cheap. Some people just can't see themselves in something like a Corolla.

My first car was (is) a 2005 cobalt ss. Bought it for $1600 at 208k last November, now it's at 219k and all I've had to do is replace a bearing. I live in Massachusetts, but it was garage kept, so the rust really isn't that bad.

Pros
>Amazing supercharger whine
>Memes aside, they can actually be pretty reliable if taken care of
>Fast, light, great bargain
>Interesting design
>The ss came with premium sound, which includes pioneer tweeters and a sub
>I get 26-27 mpg, and that's hooning everywhere. Coasting even 70+ on the highway I can get 30

Cons
>Terrible turning radius
>Some cheap interior bits
>Stock ride height is high
>Oil filter is placed under the supercharger, which makes it hard to get to without an extension
>Most came with an open diff, although I believe some came with an LSD as a factory option

It actually handles really well, you just have to be careful that you don't spin tires in 1st. Great bargain if you can find one that's been taken care of

Never seen one in green before, pretty sweet looking. Kinda weird that they took the honda badge off the front and the Civic Si badge off the back while keeping the honda badge there. Aftermarket headlights, exhaust, and removing the rear wiper really makes me wonder what else is fuckered up on it though.

It's up there in miles but an entire replacement engine will only cost $400-$500 plus labor.

I also just noticed that the gauge cluster has a light out and the breaks look pretty rough but there's only one picture to go off of. Also might be some underside rust based on that little bit to the right of the wheel.

You could probably do better, looks like it was owned by a teenager or twenty something and it was hastily cleaned up by the dealer for resale.

How are they on the highway? Are the comfortable enough for long trips?

Also lying about no accidents according to NICB VIN check.

Yeah it's safe to say you should steer clear the fuck away from that car.

I paid 6k for mine which felt real steep but it was actually bone stock other than window tint and a +5hp air intake and magnaflow exhaust while sitting at 115k miles. It was also literally the only manual car in my budget that wasn't project car status for sale in the area.

>calls someone else a faggot
>wants them to get a miata
if this isn't an ironic statement, please consider suicide

I agree.

Great. Got 28mpg highway. All i did to mine to make it super comfy was install an armrest.

I wen to look at a few of these and the electric intercooler pumps were all bad. The owners had no idea and there's no way to tell without studying the reservoir for a while.

>Tired of shitty cars that keep breaking and draining my pockets.
>Post $5k and under fun cars, preferably something that isn't horribly failure-prone.

I went through exact process last year. Figured a mid-00s Mustang would be my best bet so I bought a really clean one with some minor issues for $4300.

It's been the biggest money pit I've ever owned. Whatever Veeky Forums says about reliability is BS.

Veeky Forums shits on mustangs all day long unless if it's one of the actually cool ones or they own a mustang.

You can't get an actually cool mustang for $4300 and I'm sorry nobody told you.

>I live in Massachusetts

Want to touch sticks?

shame you arent in montana

because ive got a bunch of monies burning a hole in my pocket and i want a sho as a project car

I test drove a used 2007 Ion Redline with 77K last year. Had an awful aftermarket clutch I could barely push down, the shifter was loose, and was oddly rusty underneath.

But what really surprised me was the lack of power. Like it wasn't slow, but everyone says how hairy these cars are and I couldn't get the tires to come loose.

Ended up passing on it for $3400 I think. It was the comp package, too.

Ion redlines aren't bad but they aren't race cars either.

They're a few seconds quicker than a 3k civic both to 60 mph or in a 1/4 mile which is hardly 'fast' territory, more like moving with urgency.

People complain about the front end breaking loose in 1st and 2nd. I couldn't get it to do that on purpose.

The comp package had limited slip to prevent exactly that from happening.

~200 hp FWD and no LSD means wheel hops and squeaks if you're not careful on launches.

mustang
SC400
Cavalier (whatever the fast trim is called)
lancer
vr6 Jetta (kinda reliable)
MR2 turbo
Impala ss
Celica
Matrix XRS
shitty Subarus are fun off-road and on fire roads

If the MR2 Turbo was cheap reliable and fun we'd all own one. Maybe the 00s ones can be had that cheap but lets be real, the earlier and way dangerous ones were the best ones.

SN 95 mustang

Early to mid 00's Lexus LS, GS, or IS.....

RWD, V8 or stupid reliable I6, comfy, Toyota's golden era of reliability and build quality, comfy as fuck. Just don't buy one that some nigger ruined.

These are great. A little pokey, but plenty of options out there to wake them up. Handling and size are perfect.

Slow and usually rusty

The EP3 civic is the better choice. Even the base RSX is quicker. RSX-S is a good choice too but it's tough to find one that hasn't been ruined by age or niggers.

I found a Dodge Neon SRT4 for 4500CAD, how does it compare? Most F-bodies and foxbodies in decent shape are 6000+ here

They're good if they were taken care of, beware of an issue with 3rd gear in the trans, most people have them fixed by the time they sell them from what I've seen in the states, don't know about leafland tho

but pic rel is ruined

>has never driven a miata
Feel bad for you son, a RWD 50/50 weight distribution cheap car that can be had for well under 5k with a massive aftermarket is literally the best fun car for the money.
But no, you keep samefagging about it looking gay, must be hard being insecure about yourself ;^)

Not bad at all. If it's just you and one other person, there's plenty of room for both you and whatever luggage you have. The back seat is pretty small though, so it'd be uncomfortable for the average adult.

Here's the prospective car

kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/oshawa-durham-region/2005-dodge-neon-srt-4-sedan/1284087039

There's enough stuff done to it to assume that he fixed the gear issue, and it doesn't look hooned to shit. First thing I'd do is take the angry headlight covers off, I'm not ashamed that I'd be driving a neon.

>It was also the very last 3 door hatchback civic
In America presumably? They still make 3 door civics everywhere else.
Did the US not get that gen Type R either? it was a godmachine

there is a pair of these (one for parts) near me for 7k CAD, I don't have any others I've seen to compare with, is that a reasonable price?

PT Cruiser GT. You can get them sub 100k miles for $3k. Same engine as the Neon SRT4, with a beefier trans and a bit more torque (different intake).
Cheaper than an SRT4 but almost always in better condition because grandpa owned, and a fuckton of room inside.

That's canuckbux too, right? That's a damn good price and looks to be in decent condition, but I'd get it checked by a tech just to make sure, also if you do get it make sure you take care of the rear quarter and replace those godawful 5 spokes with the flush face, puke
>I'm not ashamed that I'd be driving a Neon
Good, cause these neons are fun as fuck to drive, you'll see

Former owner of a PTGT here, you're forgetting

>worse suspension than a SRT4
>worse mileage than a SRT4
>worst stigma
>worst looks

If you want a retro wagon, get the HHR SS, it's superior in every way

Damn shame, but I just did a quote and I can't afford the insurance on it, even when I use my non-toronto address. 330$/mo. is a lot for a uni student, and it would be 500/mo if I lived in Toronto. I guess I'll pass the add around to some buddies who are older and have a driving history, since this would be my first car with no previous insurance history

Also that's including no daily commute and 15000km/year. Shame, because I really like the SRT4 as a budget fast shitbox. Hopefully I can find a fast 4-door that has low insurance

Older Sentra SE-R VSPECs might fill that, pretty fun little 4 door cars, just make sure precats we're fixed

>cheap good car
>underpowered 4 cylinder basically fucking biodegradable because 80s toyota shitbox with a giant anime tax
pick one

this

>cargurus.com/Cars/m-Ultimate-Motor-Cars-sp284279#listing=170654903
look at the pic of the front, panel gap in bumper shows its been wrecked

How good are Volvo S60Rs?

is the mr2 turbo not cheap reliable and fun? I don't see dangerous as being contradictory to any of those descriptors

Yeah last 3 door civic in America. The only Type R we got is the newest one people are shitting bricks over.

We didn't get the god engine either, or even the slightly nerfed one the brits got. A pathetic 160hp for the K20A3 but it still moves and a turbo gets it hauling ass, still a way reliable and good sounding engine though.

E36 or E46 325/28/30

Not the most reliable thing ever but not as bad as Mercs of similar age. Dunno if it fits in the budget in Merica as the sticky suggests that they are $$$ - $$$$$ but here can be had for 3 - 5k€ and with a stick most importantly.

Anything german never falls into the reliable or affordable category in burgerland. Same goes for britshit and italoshit, all can have cool worthwhile cars but the rarity means you pay heavily for them over time and do all the work unless if you know a really good mechanic that specializes in imports and exotics.

didn't even know the matrix had a sport trim/option. How is the XRS?

2000's ones are still dangerous and will snap just as easily but they are way lighter and handle way better.
I've beaten a turbo sw20 on the track with mine that kept bottoming out. That's how good they handle

also if you buy sw20 or aw11, you're buying a project car.
No matter how good it looks, it's a project car.
Trust me, MR2 owners are tight and first two gens are some assembely required.

My problem with miatas is not that' its gay ,I drive a gay ass roadster myself.
It's that every time I've ever talken to miata owner, in the first 3 sentances they meniton 50 50 like its a amazing, unbeatable achivement.
Stop it, 50 50 is a meme for shitty drivers. Rear bias is what you think 50 50 is.