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OUCH! Glad to hear they were mostly unharmed. Hopefully that means nothing serious?
Fun sporty cars for under $10K with good mpg (1 Viewer)
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OUCH! Glad to hear they were mostly unharmed. Hopefully that means nothing serious?
'05 Toyota Matrix XRS. Six speed. 170 hp. Same engine as the Celica GT-S with a little bit less power. 0-60 in less than 9 secs AND 25/32 MPG. 12k but you should find one for less. The real drawback IMHO: premium fuel.
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- #23
Probably a nice car, but it just doesn't trip my trigger...really want rear wheel drive, but it is looking more like a 2003-2004 VW GTI, or maybe a 2003-2004 Honda Civic SI hatch? Still looking for ideas. Not going to do anything for at least a few months.
Saab
Pre 94 Saab 900's
are plentiful and cheap in Colorado. Especially around Durango and Boulder where there are good Saab mechanics. You can get a non turbo for around $1000, but turbos are a lot funner to drive and you can find a good one for around $3000 or less. And they're good for 300,000 miles. Mine all get about 30 mpg. If you can work on them yourself they're not too expensive to maintain and repair. You could find a real cherry, low mileage one for over $3000 if you look around.
Pre 94 Saab 900's
are plentiful and cheap in Colorado. Especially around Durango and Boulder where there are good Saab mechanics. You can get a non turbo for around $1000, but turbos are a lot funner to drive and you can find a good one for around $3000 or less. And they're good for 300,000 miles. Mine all get about 30 mpg. If you can work on them yourself they're not too expensive to maintain and repair. You could find a real cherry, low mileage one for over $3000 if you look around.
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- #26
Pre 94 Saab 900's
Hmmm...hadn't thought about that. Are they pretty reliable? I've always liked the older Saab's. What changed in 1994? FYI - Grassroots Motorsports magazine has been building an 87 Saab 99 into a cool rally car!
Saab >1994 is GM Saab IIRC....and we all know that getting Gm involved with your car is not going to be a overall positive experience.
I have always liked the older 900.
I will second the 2002-2004 Civic SI...but you live in Colorado, and you will freak out with the lack of torque when in the mountains.
I had an older Si (1993) hatch when I lived in Summit Co. and that thing was killer down to Denver...but sucked going back up.
A 944 would be fun, a 911sc would be more fun, and you can get a decent one with some patience near your price range. That said, I think the 994 is a car that is looking better as the years go by, plus it has a hatchback and you can fit some stuff in it.
A Boxster? I think they have a bad reputation as a hairdresser car, but they are cheap....no back seat though.
That leaves us with the bastard child of Porsche..the 996....prices on these are low, and getting lower daily. They have the ugly headlights (shared with Boxster) and the cheap interior, but they drive very nice. They are probably less than 20k with the wrong color combo and some miles.
Current generation Mustang GT? would be an adventure in the winter.
Cheap commuter car with RWD and A backseat? older BMW 540 sport? or the wagon?
Lexus SC400?
I have always liked the older 900.
I will second the 2002-2004 Civic SI...but you live in Colorado, and you will freak out with the lack of torque when in the mountains.
I had an older Si (1993) hatch when I lived in Summit Co. and that thing was killer down to Denver...but sucked going back up.
A 944 would be fun, a 911sc would be more fun, and you can get a decent one with some patience near your price range. That said, I think the 994 is a car that is looking better as the years go by, plus it has a hatchback and you can fit some stuff in it.
A Boxster? I think they have a bad reputation as a hairdresser car, but they are cheap....no back seat though.
That leaves us with the bastard child of Porsche..the 996....prices on these are low, and getting lower daily. They have the ugly headlights (shared with Boxster) and the cheap interior, but they drive very nice. They are probably less than 20k with the wrong color combo and some miles.
Current generation Mustang GT? would be an adventure in the winter.
Cheap commuter car with RWD and A backseat? older BMW 540 sport? or the wagon?
Lexus SC400?
BMW e30's are relatively cheap, fun to drive, and easy to work on for the most part. But the "i" models get low to mid 20's for mileage tops. The far less fun 325e's get around 30 if they are running right. The 318is made in 90 and 91 is a fun car too. Certainly not fast, but they are relatively quick provided you are the only one in the car, and they get around 30mpg. In the summer I commute in my 85 mustang GT 90 miles a day. Even with 3.55 gears and a 4 barrel carb it gets 22-23 mpg on regular gas as long as I drive it relatively normal. The later injected cars are actually better on gas. It's not easy to find one of these that hasn't been beaten to death and hacked up, but they are a lot of fun. Parts are ridiculously cheap and they are like working on an FJ40.
Hmmm...hadn't thought about that. Are they pretty reliable? I've always liked the older Saab's. What changed in 1994? FYI - Grassroots Motorsports magazine has been building an 87 Saab 99 into a cool rally car!
My neighbor has a '91 900 convertible. 175 k on the clock, daily commuter on 24 miles of surface streets in LA. Runs awesome. Plus it looks really good and it's not everyone's car.
I know you didn't want a Civic, but this is an 03 Si. I used to have one and it's a fast little car.
I traded mine in for $9500.00 last year on my wifes new car.
It got 26-27 mpg's and had 160+ HP
I traded mine in for $9500.00 last year on my wifes new car.
It got 26-27 mpg's and had 160+ HP
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- #31
I know you didn't want a Civic, but this is an 03 Si. I used to have one and it's a fast little car.
I traded mine in for $9500.00 last year on my wifes new car.
It got 26-27 mpg's and had 160+ HP
Yes, I really want RWD, but the Civic SI is a sweet ass car! Very well may end up with that or 2003 GTI 20th Anniversary.
hoser
SILVER Star
Hmmm...hadn't thought about that. Are they pretty reliable? I've always liked the older Saab's. What changed in 1994? FYI - Grassroots Motorsports magazine has been building an 87 Saab 99 into a cool rally car!
Nastav is right.. After 94 GM acquired Saab (I think) and they began having reliability problems. I have 3 Saabs with over 200,000 miles and they are still running fine. Go to saabnet.com if you want to educate yourself about typical problems and a support group like IH8mud. I think the key to keeping them affordable is being able to do most of the mechanical work on them yourself.
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- #34
Hmmm?
Late 90s Audi A4 All wheel drive. The 1.8Turbo w/ 5spd is a blast to drive and though not a true sports car you would be surprised at how quick they are with a ECU chip upgrade. They handle pretty nice to and could be upgraded real easy. Same engine as the TT just tuned down from the factory for the sedan. With a chip upgrade you get 240lbs of torqe and about 200 hp from that little engine. Still gets 30MPG on the freeway. You would never know it's only a 1.8L. Same engine that they use in some of the VWs out there.
Front wheel drive sucks for anything more than enconomy.
Front wheel drive sucks for anything more than enconomy.
bjowett
Supporting Vendor
VW Corrado, 92 - 94.
A couple of videos to convince you, perhaps?
YouTube - Volkswagen Corrado SLC VR-6 on Motorweek
Corrado VR6 (Top Gear) Video - Metacafe
A couple of videos to convince you, perhaps?
YouTube - Volkswagen Corrado SLC VR-6 on Motorweek
Corrado VR6 (Top Gear) Video - Metacafe
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I've always thought these cars were cool, and regularly keep my eye out for a nice VR6 if available. However, based on the reliabilty record they have, i dont think i'd ever want to drop $$$$ into purchasing one if it had to be a DD.
I see you own one though, can you convince us otherwise?
bjowett
Supporting Vendor
Mine has always been good to me... though I have owned it since new and keep up on maintainence... The problems the car may have are well documented. IMO just like most other things on line you always hear the bad. There are plenty of kids with these cars, beating the crap out of them, turning them into rats. Will it ever be a Toyota in terms of reliability? No, not a chance... but it is an extremely cool car that is a blast to drive. The feel, the sound of the 12 valve VR6... awesome.
Hey! What about the Audi TT. The looks are not for all, but you will like they way they drive. Just be sure it's an AWD version with the high output turbo motor. I think they must be getting down there in price now. Parts and repairs should be in line with VW and A4 audi cars as it's just a different body on that platform.
Yes i am an Audi, Porsche, VW guy! They just drive better and one look at the suspension design of those Audi cars will tell you why.
Yes i am an Audi, Porsche, VW guy! They just drive better and one look at the suspension design of those Audi cars will tell you why.
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