Good used fun to drive car below $7k?

[abhaysaxena31]

So I'm looking for suggestions from the people who enjoy driving.
I'm gonna have to start driving up to Riverwoods everyday from downtown chicago, and was wondering what car I would be able to buy for about 5-7k that would be fun to drive (I think this automatically eliminates toyota's :p), but also practical, keeping in mind the winters; and not too tough on my already thin wallet :D

Kindly suggest some options :) Thanks!

[avmaviator]

All the cars below are fun to drive and can be found for some good deals, especially right now. I have driven all of these cars. They are all pretty good in the snow, except maybe for the MX5 that can be more twitchy (more fun) due the rwd, but snows will fix that.

Mazda MX5 - Smaller car but great to drive, good maintenance, lots of parts

Saab 9-2x - Basically a WRX Wagon with Saab styling (I have one) All wheel drive, great handling, cheaper then it's Subaru brother. Amazing in the snow.

Mazdaspeed 3 - The previous gen's are affordable. Good overall car, my best friend has one.

Golf GTI - Great cars. VW can have some lemons once in a while but it seems like the GTIs are more reliable overall.

I'll try to think of some more :-)

[LikeStig]

Although not reliable, BMW 2002 (Pre 73, round taillights) are cool and fun cars. Very hard to find one in good condition though. Watch for rust on the wheel wells.

As far as being sporty for less than 7k, the MX5 is really the only option you have.

[abhaysaxena31]

Thanks for the replies guys!

The 9-2x sounds like a good option. Will research this one more.

I found a few MX5-s with about 100-130k miles on them from 99-2000. Not sure if they would still hold up well or I'll have to keep shelling out money for new parts/etc (?)

Found quite a few Mustang's from around 2002-3 with about 60-70k miles on them.. in the range of about 7-10k. Are these worth the money?

Once again, thanks!

[avmaviator]

I personally would not touch a mustang for several reasons, winter driving being one of them.

What Kyle mentioned could be a good alternative too. I would look for cars that are located in the south and drier climates.

I would check out saab92x.com for more, and all, info on that car. If you are really interested in it I can even show you/test drive my car, although it is a bit modified.

Arnaud

[abhaysaxena31]

Thanks Avm. Really generous of you :cheers:

About the mustang, in relation to winter driving, is it something winter tires cant fix? I thought I would have to get winter tires in any case if I end up getting any RWD.

Also, does anyone know if you can get a hardtop cover for the miata for the winter, or do you have to get the stock hardtop version if you want it? I found a neat miata here http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=279820609 but it almost sounds too good to be true. Will be driving down with a friend to check it out.

Does anyone use these as a daily driver around chicago? I'm still a little doubtful about how it would hold up in our winter.

[JET Karting - Andy Finke]

I've had a pair of Miata's, and always drove them year round. You'll have a ball. Not all the girls like it all winter, but anyone on this board won't have any troubles. My 96 was a great car, but the 99 was a little quieter and stiffer. Not bad for either one though.

Resist the urge to put 'good' street tires on it. The all season tires work fine in the snow/wet, and in the dry you can push them hard enough for daly driving. The racier tires are shit in the weather. BTW, miata's do donuts AWESOME!

The hardtop is a great option for the winter, but does little more than make it quieter and warmer. Get one when you have the funds, as it's not a reliability item. Expect to pay about $1000 or a little less. NA and NB miata hardtops are the same.

Don't worry about 5 or 6 speed tranny differences, you won't notice them much in real life. But NEVER buy an auto in a Miata!

www.miata.net (http://www.miata.net)
-for virtually any question

www.flyinmiata.com (http://www.flyinmiata.com)
-for when you start getting a little bored with it... ;)


Andy

[avmaviator]

That car you listed looks great although you will probably have a hard time getting it for 7k. Probably close to 9k if you negotiate hard (could be less then that too :-) )
Andy gave you all the info you need for the Miatas.

As for tires. I agree with putting nice all seasons for the 3 seasons, and getting snows for the nasty season (which lasts a while here...) I have Proxes 4 (Toyo) on my Saab 92x. They are great tires in dry and wet, but they suck in snow, although they are rated for snow. One reason being they are too wide for snow. The narrower the better for snow driving (cuts through the snow instead of riding on top of it).

In regards to the mustangs in snow. They are not as balanced as the other cars on the list which.makes for a squirlly back end. Snows help but don't eleminate it.

[abhaysaxena31]

Again, thanks both of you for the replies. I am really tempted to get a Miata, even if I have to extend my budget a little bit. ( It starts like this :D)

Hope that car turns out to be good. Have a couple more test drives lined up for the weekend. I'll prolly come up with more noobie questions pretty soon :)

[JET Karting - Andy Finke]

Don't be afraid of a good first gen miata. They are good cars. Look at a 94-97 for the 1.8 engine. The 1.6's aren't quite as much fun... There are lots of good cars around that have been someones baby.

[Blitz]

Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor. May not seem like it, but for the money they are pretty fun and very practical.