There's a new girl in my life... pics on page 10
 

Within the next couple of months I will be looking for a fun car to beat on during this summer. My budget is $3,000 so my only concerns are that it runs strong.. I'm basically looking for a deal I could get the most bang for my buck.


I'm pretty much open to any year/model/manufacture as long as the car meets the following criteria:

- MUST be rear wheel drive and have a manual transmission
- Preferably light weight unless it has a torquey 8 or 6cylinder
- Reliable

A few car's I have in mind are:
- Toyota AE86 Corolla (83-86)
- Toyota MR2 (91-95)
- Ford Mustang 5.0 (87-93)
- Chevy Camaro (82-92)
- BMW E30/E36 318/325i/s (86-96)



Before I make any purchase I will at test drive some of the car's I am looking at. I will post my reviews and thoughts of the car throughout my searching process.

Suggestions, comments, opinions would be great ;) Keep in mind this car will be a secondary car for fun spirited driving.. No need for any practicality other than reliability. This car should be able to take a nice beating.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1987-...QQcmdZViewItem

Been looking at this 325 near my area in Boston.. could probably get it for under $3,000 but not sure about the condition. I'm going to try and check it out this week.

As Dani said - e30 2,5l with LSD you cant go wrong :twisted:

It all depends on what deals I find.

I should be able to find all of the cars I listed for under $3k, I just have to find the one in the best condition.

I think all would be fun, but honestly I think the most fun would be a Mustang with a beefy 302 under the hood.

Funnest ;)

MR2 would be an awesome track/autocross beast. It is also easy and cheap to maintain and mod.

IDK much about BMW parts and such, but I know that older Porsches are very very expensive to maintain. Even if you can get the car uuber cheap, just remember that it will break down, and will need to be fixed eventually.

well, unless for a straight line.. i wouldn't go for an old American..
I'll join Dani and Arman.. and you can get a 325 for much less then 3K i think.. (and sense its gonna be a beater car, top condition shouldn't be something you will be looking for.. a friend of mine who moved to the US got a e30 325 for $200 :lol: from some chick.. )

Yup, deals all over the place, just gotta find them. I really do not intend on spending $3k, that's just hte absolute maximum for a car in GREAT condition.

MR2's are actually selling for around 5k for a decent one... I've always wanted one..

The Mustang and Camaro obviously wouldnt be as nimble but would suuuuurely bring a big smile to my face as I would power over steer into every corner.

He will have difficulty finding one with a 302 for 3000.

Id suggest a thirdgen fbody, preferably one with the 350. Faster then the 302 in every way, and yet cheaper because demand is less.

The other suggestion might be a miata, if you can go without bhp.

Yeah, I was actually a bit suprised to see some 5.0's selling for over 10k. There is definitely a big demand for them.

Found a couple in my price range but obviously not in the best condition and one with a sketchy seller.

Good to know that the Chevy is a better performer and cheaper.

Miata would be a good buy for sure, but they just don't appeal to me in anyway.

Thanks for the input.

In a few hours I'm going to check out that 325e in that eBay link I posted.. nice and wet out so it should be an interesting test drive.

Looks good, but sounds kinda sketchy with the milage.

325e has 2,7 engine and 120ps but low revs(max 4000rpm or so) so its like a diesel engine you cant revv it but pushes right from the bottom. Its an economic version not for sport driving :wink: but a couple of changes on the engine(head and so) and you can have over 200ps from it but its not what you are looking for.
325 has 170ps, almost perfect 50/50 weight distribution, excellent suspension even by todays standards etc etc you need to have a test drive in it ;) be sure it has LSD thou to have some fun

dont know how it is in us but here spare parts for e30 are for peanuts new or used 8)

Honda CRX ED9.... small light good 1.6lt high reving motor.. stock form you can have so much fun a the track !!!

CRX is front wheel drive, not what I'm looking for. But definitely a scary little car. A friend a mine put a 200hp type-r engine into his gutted CRX... even without vtec turned on it was ridiculous.


The 325e felt like it had nice grunt to it, but Arman you're rigt about the low revs. When I pushed it past 4000RPM I didn't get the expected scream from the engine and the surge of power. Engine was running nicely and the short shifter felt good.
Looked real nice with the breyton kit, but the paint job on the bumpers was pretty crappy. Turns out the previous owner did all of the work on the car including rebuilding the transmission. He wants a little too much what it's worth considering he doesn't know about the true mileage.

Hope to get my hands on a 325i soon so I can feel the difference.

I like the sound of a nice MR2, but as you said, finding one for $3000 could be hard. Any BMW can be quite expensive to maintain, parts and labor are outrageous for them IMO (sorry ZfrkS62 :P). A Mustang 5.0 would be a lot of fun, and it can be fast for cheap as I'm sure you know.

My vote is for an MR2, maybe you can find a high mileage one for a good deal. Keep us updated! :D