Any good cars in the $10,000 range?

[Andrewasoar]

I've been looking to finance a car and I've sort of been limiting my options to Hondas/Acuras. I want to branch out though. I really want something RWD for a daily that I can have some fun sliding with in the snow, of course I only want a manual. So my options are sort of limited with my price range being $0-$10,000. I'll even consider something AWD depending on what it is (I'm trying to avoid Subaru because I despise working on them) but if anyone has any suggestions please feel free to post up!

So far I found an RSX Type-S for 7k with 149k on it in amazing shape but they wanted 10% interest rate and they're a "one price dealership" so I shoved that under the table. I found an EP3 Si for 10k with 44k on it but my mother decided to let me down and back out of going to see it so by the time I have time to even look at a car I assume it will be gone. And I found a TSX but the mileage was insane. (190k) I'm open to anything just has to be manual, reliable and of course fun!

[Jarrett]

My recommendation is the '04-'06 Acura TL with a 6-speed manual. It's plenty fast with a 258hp J32A3, has a decent aftermarket and comes with a bulletproof transmission and Brembo calipers up front.

[Theos92VR4]

I wouldnt go with an ep3 unless you plan on swapping the motor to rsx-s or k24. The k20 in the ep3 sucks, its unresponsive, and not fun to drive. I had an ep3 and went from that to an rsx-s. The difference was amazing. Pretty much the only thing I liked about my ep3 was the space and the shifter. Everything else sucked.

[XCRN]

For $5-7K you can get a BMW E39 V8 6 speed M/T in excellent condition.

[ThatOneAccord]

You can find some nice 8th gen accords. I mean EX-L V6 coupes w/ Navi. You just gotta look. Use cars.com You can narrow down your search down to a T. That's what I'm using since im car shopping again.

[h22sparkle]

Honestly your looking for something rwd? Does it have to be a big car or a small car? Does it have to be a 4cylinder 6 or 8? Good on gas or just checking in at the pump? Is it going to be your daily? Here's what I came up with now since you said red

240sx
S13
Mustang 5.0 they are affordable and cheap
The Hyundai genesis 2.0 turbo is good too from what I've heard don't quote me though
If you got your bread up you can get a g35
Or an 86 corolla hatchi-roku and swap the motor out.
You can do a supra too if you got the cash.
The evo9 is nice but she is pricey and will let you know if you mess up.

[ol blue]

I say go with a miata if you want rwd and a manual. You could also go with a mid 90s Vette that has a lt1 or lt4 in with a 6 speed.

[deevergote]

$10k, sadly, isn't going to get you much in terms of a "good car"... especially if performance is your goal.
For that price, a good decade-old Accord would probably be your best bet. A TL would be nice, but you'd be paying the same for higher mileage due to the luxury brand.

As for RWD performance... that won't get you very far, unless you're willing to sacrifice reliability. An old Vette would be cool, but it would be a restoration project. An old 80s or 90s Japanese car would be no different. You could get a decent E36 (maybe even an M3), or a rough E46 (also maybe even an M3)... but they'll also need some TLC at that age and price, and that can come at a premium.
You might be able to get yourself into a newer Mustang (V6 for sure, V8 if you get older and higher mileage.) You might be able to pick up a 350z or G35.

The Miata is probably the best suggestion, as it's a relatively cheap car brand new, holds its value well, and is known to be pretty solid. It's impractical as hell, and not very fast, but they're fun cars to throw around. They're also extremely simple machines. 4 cylinders, 2wd, no turbo, no supercharger, nothing crazy. Just about as simple as you can get these days.

[Straight Success]

An early 2000s Chevy S-10 3door.

Should I explain the possibilities (cough, cough, V8 swap), reliable, and the potential to make some extra cash on the side?

It's domestic though.

[emosun]

I'm surprised nobody mentioned the correlation between snow and rwd. Namely that rwd is extremely bad in snow. how would I know? My accord is fwd and pretty decent in snow (as we all know)

But my other 4 cars are RWD

two ford cv's rwd
one econoline van rwd
one dodge dakota rwd

All of them are terrible in the snow. The reason rwd is bad in the snow is because

A. Your drive wheels do not dictate your direction , therefor , they are constantly trying to "push" their way ahead of the front wheels. On a FWD your rear wheels will only follow your drive wheels.

B. If you get stuck , your rear wheels cannot turn left or right. On a FWD the drive wheels can turn left and right helping to slide the nose of the car side to side helping with finding grip.

I would recommend anything FWD or AWD/4WD. Unless you live in a snowless environment , rwd is just awful.

[emosun]

$10k, sadly, isn't going to get you much in terms of a "good car"... especially if performance is your goal.

and wow high standards much? someone needs to brush up on their deal finding skills

[gloryaccordy]

G35 bro. Coupes are down below the $10K threshold but you will see high miles. Old Bimmers too but they have issues

[deevergote]

and wow high standards much? someone needs to brush up on their deal finding skills

Most $10,000 cars, especially those that sell for more than double that amount when new, are likely out of warranty. They have higher miles (the more expensive they were initially, the higher the miles are usually going to be.)
A $10,000 car that sold for more than $20,000 when new is going to be at the point where stuff is starting to go wrong. It's likely going to be a car that is in need of service, but hasn't gotten it yet. A car that is going to be in need of repair very soon.

In all honesty, it would probably be smarter to buy an older $5000 car and dump another $5000 into it immediately.

[Straight Success]

Most $10,000 cars, especially those that sell for more than double that amount when new, are likely out of warranty. They have higher miles (the more expensive they were initially, the higher the miles are usually going to be.)
A $10,000 car that sold for more than $20,000 when new is going to be at the point where stuff is starting to go wrong. It's likely going to be a car that is in need of service, but hasn't gotten it yet. A car that is going to be in need of repair very soon.

In all honesty, it would probably be smarter to buy an older $5000 car and dump another $5000 into it immediately.

Agreed. I would buy something for $7-8k, and dump the rest into maintenance that I would do myself to save on labor.

[deevergote]

I remember paying about $12,000 for my 2002 Grand Prix GTP. 49,000 miles on the odometer. Bought it from a dealer on my block in the spring of 2007, so it was a 5 year old car. Jak Frostwhite told me the day I got it "that thing won't make it to 100k". He was SO wrong! It made it to 101k!
The car seemed good, but by the time I was approaching 100k just 12-18 months later, it started falling apart.
I had to replace wear items almost immediately. Tires, brakes, bulbs. Did all the fluids right away as well, as I didn't know when the last service was.
The shocks went very soon after. All 4. I swear, it was like someone dropped the car from a 3 story building. The transmission computer started acting up. The engine developed numerous oil leaks (and on an unfamiliar engine, that's even more frustrating than it is on my familiar CB7!) Interior bits broke off. The driver's seat began to sag.
I rolled that thing into a Honda dealership with an empty gas tank. I told them I'll be driving a Fit home. I didn't care what color it was... just so long as it was manual.

Now, I understand that my GTP was made during one of GM's shittiest periods, where NOTHING they produced was worth buying used, let alone new. I understand that my 5 year old Grand Prix experience probably won't translate to a 5 year old TL, as the TL is a much MUCH better car.
Still, it's an example of a used car, out of warranty, selling for a fairly high amount that is less than half of the car's original MSRP (in my case, my GTP was a $26,000 car in 2002.)