Best Fun $5K to $10K Vehicle - Your Opinion?

[CB7Nub]

As much as I hate to say this or post this. I have really hesitated to move on from the CB chassis that I still do love. But these constant yearly accidents are just getting to me over the past 3 years. I just had two accidents in one month, last month and I cannot take it anymore. I need to move on for the time being. What's your input on these vehicles between $5K to $10K? I will be taking a vacation from the holy chassis until I finish school and have my own place to build a CB from ground up.

Alright, I may be in the market for a new car and I made a list of what I can get that would fit me. I just wanted to hear from the community if you guys have:

1) Any suggestions for a car not listed within the $5K to $10K price range.
2) Reasons to support or not support any of cars listed below.

Please keep in mind I will be using this car as a year round daily driver in Canada, in mostly city driving with off and on highway/freeway driving, and some country driving. So remember snow and ice in the winter. Hence why some of these are AWD. But on the other side I do a lot of spirted driving in all types of environments. City, country, highway. I love a real driving feel (I drove a IS 300 and the steering feels fairly fake/very power assisted). It would be nice to take the car to the track, but I'm not really into real tracking as the cost of real good lapping sessions of the wear and tear on the car is a little too much for me since I am still in college. I will do modificatinos of course. I/H/E with suspension, tires, brakes and wheels to say the least over time. I don't really need to carry 5 people at all so I don't have a problem with a 2 seater. Storage is not really an issue. I also do want power as well as handling. Preferrably less than 6 second or less 0-60 out of the factory (which most of these cars do). I am very hardcore on maintenance so taking care of the more non-reliable vehicle is ok as long as they aren't braking down randomly while they are being regularly maintained. Such as the R32 Skyline GT-R or B5 S4.

Yes, some of the vehicles are RHD only. In Canada we are allowed to have imports less than 15 years or more. But insurance is hard to find and usually pretty expensive. And parts for some of the vehicles are extremely hard to get and I would literrally have to have parts deliver straight from Japan (I may have some local suppliers) but it's not like you can go to any parts store or dealer and get parts for any RB series Nissan motor in North America.

I've ranked them by tiers from AAA being best to C being worst of what I have chosen. I have ranked them by overall: performance, reliability, fun, ease of access to parts.

For anyone asking about what is happening to the CB7. I don't even know what is going to happen at this point for sure yet, but I may be taking a vacation from 90's "project car" material vehicles for a short amount of time till I finish school and have my own place.

---------------------------------------------

Here is the list anyways (in order from top to bottom): (updated multiple times)

Tier A
Subaru WRX Sedan/Wagon (Blobeye)

Tier B
Acura TL UA6/UA7 (6 speed manual)

Tier C
Mazda Mazdaspeed6

--------------------

Original List (Just for the record)

Tier AAA
Honda AP1 S2000
Infiniti V35 G35 Coupe (6 speed manual)
Subaru WRX Sedan/Wagon

Tier AA
Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R
Acura TL UA6/UA7 (6 speed manual)
Honda Accord V6 coupe 7th gen (06/07 model year) (6 speed manual)

Tier A
Nissan Pulsar GTI-R
Acura RSX Type-S (05/06 model year)

Tier B
Toyota MR2 SW20 Turbo
Nissan Skyline R33 GTS-T
Nissan Skyline R32 GTS-T Type M
Nissan Z32 300ZX/Fairlady Z Twin Turbo

Tier C
BMW E36 M3
BMW E46 330ci
Audi B5 S4 (heard of crazy reliability issues, but such a nice car)
Mazda RX8
Toyota Celica GT-Four ST205
Mitsubishi GTO/3000GT VR-4

[Jking72]

S2k for under 10k, isn't that pushing it a little?

I personally would say maybe the subaru or any from your AA tier.

Importing parts for all them skylines would be a bit of a hassle IMO which are you leaning towards out of them all?

[CB7Nub]

Yeah S2000's are a little more. There is one I can grab right now for the high $10's.
But I know it will last, be reliable, be fast, handle amazing, and relativity cheap to fix/maintain vs lets say a R32 Skyline GT-R.

Why not the G35 coupe?

I'm not so fond on the RSX Type-S actually, due to the perceived owner nature and police heat but it's still a nice vehicle. The TL UA6/UA7 (manual) and 7th gen Accord coupe V6 (manual) are bigger vehicles but still have good acceleration, and good handling, but still reliable.

[Jarrett]

You can get RHD JZA80 Supras in Canada for decent prices. That's a car with a strong aftermarket support over here, even with American-made parts. That way you wouldn't have to deal with specialty orders.

I don't really buy into a lot of that argument for Skylines anyway. At any given time I can order parts for an RB26DETT or RB20DET and there are a multitude of places in North America that have stuff in stock ready to ship. It's just a reality of those engines being imported over here as well as the few cars that are as well.

[CB7Nub]

Unfortunately JZA80 Supra's are at least $15K for a TT model, most are closer to $20K.
I could get a non-turbo model for $10K, but that kinda defeats the Supra purpose even though a N/A Supra would be cool and much more reliable. Supra isn't as bad for parts because they actually made those Supra for our market as well.

Yes, there are suppliers but I cannot go to any local part store or dealer. I have to order everything in. So for example, I go on road trip to down south. "X" part breaks, "X" part has to been shipped from Japan and car will not start without it. Then I have to tow back to Canada.

[rexload]

I'd say if your budget for a used "sports car" is 10K, then look for a car in the 5-6K price range. For frequent spirited driving you will want to make sure that all maintenance is 100% up-to-date. Plus some modifications. Wheels, tires, name-brand suspension, quality I/H/E, tune.. that's 5K right there EASY. I'd leave some room and not max out your budget right away because you WILL want to mod it. But that's just my advice.

I was very impressed with the RSX-S.. Yeah sure, it is FWD but whatever, it is a fun raw car.
I vote RSX-S or an older WRX with some upgrades to get it closer to 300hp

[cloudasc]

My opinion is probably bias because I have a love for Rotaries that runs even deeper than for my Accord.

I would say take the Rx8 out for a test drive, and take it to the redline, and if you don't have a shit eating grin afterwards, continue on your search.

Rotaries are really reliable, especially when unmodified and maintenance is kept up on them, plus there is a ton of aftermarket support if you do decide to modify it later. Any part should be relatively easy to acquire.

[Jking72]

Yeah S2000's are a little more. There is one I can grab right now for the high $10's.
But I know it will last, be reliable, be fast, handle amazing, and relativity cheap to fix/maintain vs lets say a R32 Skyline GT-R.

Why not the G35 coupe?

I'm not so fond on the RSX Type-S actually, due to the perceived owner nature and police heat but it's still a nice vehicle. The TL UA6/UA7 (manual) and 7th gen Accord coupe V6 (manual) are bigger vehicles but still have good acceleration, and good handling, but still reliable.

Don't really have an opinion on infinity due to lack of knowledge /experience with them.

There's a kid in town here and he has a 05 RSX and it looks good, it's one of those cars that the big stock wing suits, he's got it done to the 9's. If I had 9k which he wants I'd take him up on it.

[steelbluesleepR]

Miata. no questions.

[Tippey764]

What about a non M e46? There is plenty of places ways to go with the car, great after market support and it still gives you a high quality feel as well as it looks great. They can also easily be had for around $5k for a 330i

[deevergote]

Is this going to be a fun car, or a daily driver? If it's just for fun, and won't be taking the abuse (or creating the expense) of being a daily, then your options are wide open.

The S2000 isn't a bad option, though impractical if it's going to be your only car. The GT-R or even a GTS-T would be an awesome choice, but that's also from the perspective of a Skyline-deprived American!
The G35 is a little rough around the edges, IMO... not as much luxury as it suggests, and not as much performance, either. I'd avoid a used WRX if you want a daily... same with a used rotary. Too much stuff to have been neglected and improperly maintained!

For a daily/only car, the TL is probably your best option. Beautifully made, fun to drive, capable... and while FWD isn't ideal, it's good in lousy Canadian weather. Repairs will be more expensive than an Accord, but it's still Honda... so if you're smart and capable, you can get by with little expense.

A Mini Cooper S might be a fun choice as well. They're not terribly expensive to buy or maintain, even as BMW products. They're some of the only FWD cars I actually like in terms of fun and performance. I just started seeing a girl that has one, and I really hope she lets me drive it

As a toy, the MR2 is awesome. I love those cars.
Other older cars to consider for fun toys would be the Mitsubishi Starion, Galant VR-4, Celica All-Trac/GT-Four (can you get the ST205 easily? That would be awesome to have!), Subaru SVX (fairly practical, unique, capable when modified wisely.)

[SOHC-FTW]

For a good chassis and a reliable power plant i would seek out a gt-four.

[RedFalcoln]

It's simple, go test drive a Subaru.

& to anyone that has anything against one, again go test drive a Subaru. Best decision I've ever made. lol (Still have my Cb though) (:

[Nurega]

First-generation TSX 6-speed. I bought my 2005 TSX for $12500, and have put on almost 60,000 miles since 2010. They can be had for less than $8000 now.

It is the best all-around car I have ever owned. I can transport 5 people when needed, it has well-sized trunk, an extremely peppy K24A2 engine (200 horsepower), and a very athletic chassis. The steering is more communicative than that of my Accord.

The only requirement this car wouldn't meet is the 0-60 time; Car And Driver rated this car at 7.2 seconds. That may sound slow, but the short gearing of the 6-speed makes the car feel MUCH quicker than what the 7.2-second figure suggests. I have much, much more fun driving this car than my father's 362-horsepower 750Li.

Of course, a 3th-generation TL 6-speed is about the same price nowadays. One can make a solid case for this car, with its under-6-second 0-60 time, but I guarantee you won't see the gas mileage I do in my TSX. I average 27mpg all-city, and as high as 34mpg on the highway.

Now, pushing aside the Honda-fanatic inside me, ANY manual-transmission Subaru Impreza WRX, Outback 2.5XT, Forester 2.5XT, and Legacy 2.5GT should fit the bill.

[cloudasc]

Is this going to be a fun car, or a daily driver? If it's just for fun, and won't be taking the abuse (or creating the expense) of being a daily, then your options are wide open.

I'd avoid a used WRX if you want a daily... same with a used rotary. Too much stuff to have been neglected and improperly maintained!

Rotaries are much simpler than a piston engine, I would say its 'only 3 moving parts', but if you count the apex seals, and the springs for them, it is more like 9 moving parts. Since they use oil as a lubricant for the apex seals that also gets combusted, the oil metering system is very important (and keeping oil in it). Also not messing with the physical timing as improper timing can cause detonation which can harm the apex seals. Outside of those two things in regards to the motor, they are pretty bullet proof, when they get worn out you will get excessive smoking from the exhaust, but they still go fine. Why do you think they banned the motor from Le-mans?