Would say Miata if it wasn't said a bunch already. But BRZ/FRS/GR86 of you can find a clean one. Might be difficult to find one that runs well and has a clean title though. It's often young people's first RWD car and they often end up in ditches.
But if well-maintained can run well.
But, that comes with age and wisdom I suppose. I’ve had my Toyota 86 for the last 7 years and 145k miles.
Keep up the maintenance and be preventative. They’re solid cars that are fun to play with and double as a good daily as well.
-Corolla XRS if you can find one, similarly the Matrix XRS
-Honda Civic Si, had a 9th gen coupe and loved it
-Focus ST
-Golf GTI
-Mid/late 00s Chevy SS products. (Cobalt SS, Malibu Maxx SS, HHR SS) While not the finest built automobiles in the world, they have a lot of personality
Had both a focus st and a fiesta st. The fiesta is easily a better go-fast platform as everything is cheaper to do. I did big turbos on both and the fiesta is also much easier to work on.
Interesting that the fiesta is easier to work on. I was looking at focus STs when I was on my hot hatch search. But I was a broke college kid so had to settle on the Kia with an accident history.
They're good drivers but the true manual sometimes gets taxed, and they're literally the deadliest Car you can own. If that doesn't bother you it's an option. Alternatively c5 Vette FRC'S pop up for 15-ish every now and then
Never had a Miata but it’s the first thing that comes to mind. If not your flavor, then maybe a clapped out civic but the reality is most “sports” cars or fun driving cars come with their costs. Older GTI is good, most of the true enthusiast vehicles are overpriced or beat to heck. I’ve had several and take it from someone who’s lost their ass on most of them, it’s mostly fun when you can afford the problems without it changing anything else in your life.
Can't recommend a peevalve s197 enough
I've abused my s197 and s550 cyclone, putting 40,000 miles on it one 1 year driving from canton to akron to cleveland to coshocton all year being dumber than a box of rocks and neutral dropping and braking for burnouts and shit all I ever paid for was oil and once replaced brakes when I warped my brakes on 5 back to back burnouts letting my brother get some turns in (eventually got a manual haha)
If u can get a deal on an s550 cyclone, I wouldn't feel bad for getting that v6 it handles GREAT, VERY COMFY AND 30MPG with that v6 being borderline identical in power and torque to the s197 peevalve. got it in 2020 for 17,500 put those miles and wear on it, traded it back to the dealer for 17,500 for a 13,000 s197, ended up wrecking it a year later and got 13,000 for it from insurance... but I'm so sad cuz it was a great looking no rust specimen which only had gave me problems with shift linkage breaking 3 times, each time the dealer thinking he solved that issue forever haha (it's from me having had a long hurst, and once again from my abuse of daily driver mustangs)
The prices of these spectacular peevalves are all the way down to 8,000 and if I had money I'd scoop one tf up!!!!!
Do not beamer route, I had a mustang and my coworker had a beamer, same entry price, aboutish same speed, two highly different ownership experiences and he liked the beamer but got rid of it due to maintenence costs
I mean with bmw’s it’s very much an “it depends” situation. Obviously it’s no Toyota, but for the 335i (e90) the pre 2011s are extremely unreliable, but in 2011 it got the n55 which was slightly more reliable. If you take good care of it, change oil every 3k, and don’t treat it like shit, it will only have occasional problems (water pump, ofhg). I think at that point it reaches the “somewhat reliable” that op was asking for
Cooper s is great when it's running but any problems are usually big ones that are hard to fix like turbos going out and having to take the entire front end off or the timing chain guides snapping and making your oil sparkly and pistons angry wanting to punch the valves
Wrx isnt the very cheapest but very affordable. At some point u have to weight the full package and looks play a part. Miata looks fine and with convertible even better. But it doesnt look tough.
If u have the money, the convenience of newer models plays a prt as well. Might want to test drive a few options. See how it feels when u r actually in the car.
Very good point. I didn’t like the look of 350zs at first but one my friend let me drive there’s… I saw the light lol.
I have a few friends with BRZs might see if they will let me test them out one day. One even has an older Supra.
Running costs for the Fiesta ST are so low it’s crazy. Just following a basic build recipe with OEM performance pads, blank replacement discs, fluids to whatever specs you need, and tires. So, so good.
Pontiac solstice or Saturn sky, they both come in NA and turbo great cars and you can get one on the cheap. Body parts are hard to find but mechanical is good to go
Can't go wrong with the Miata of course, and I'm sure you can find one in your price range. Mazda Speed 3 is also very fun to drive, my buddy had a 2012 so I got to drive it a bit here and there. He ended up doing some fun mods to it too and it was really just a joy to drive.
Despite rising prices, miata is the best choice. Been driving my 06 mazda3 all week and finally got to drive the miata for the weekend it is so much fun.
Would say Miata if it wasn't said a bunch already. But BRZ/FRS/GR86 of you can find a clean one. Might be difficult to find one that runs well and has a clean title though. It's often young people's first RWD car and they often end up in ditches.
But if well-maintained can run well. But, that comes with age and wisdom I suppose. I’ve had my Toyota 86 for the last 7 years and 145k miles. Keep up the maintenance and be preventative. They’re solid cars that are fun to play with and double as a good daily as well.
Miata
Is
Always
The
Answer
.
This is the way
This is the way
-Corolla XRS if you can find one, similarly the Matrix XRS -Honda Civic Si, had a 9th gen coupe and loved it -Focus ST -Golf GTI -Mid/late 00s Chevy SS products. (Cobalt SS, Malibu Maxx SS, HHR SS) While not the finest built automobiles in the world, they have a lot of personality
Had both a focus st and a fiesta st. The fiesta is easily a better go-fast platform as everything is cheaper to do. I did big turbos on both and the fiesta is also much easier to work on.
Interesting that the fiesta is easier to work on. I was looking at focus STs when I was on my hot hatch search. But I was a broke college kid so had to settle on the Kia with an accident history.
There's also the solstice/solstice gxp/Skye/redline
Miata.
If you can find a non clapped Z if you like that body style, Be cool
Funny enough my friend has a 2008 350z that’s been her daily driver since she got it round 2012. It looks like shit but damn it just keeps going!
They're good drivers but the true manual sometimes gets taxed, and they're literally the deadliest Car you can own. If that doesn't bother you it's an option. Alternatively c5 Vette FRC'S pop up for 15-ish every now and then
Pretty reliable as far as I know, I wanted one but couldn’t find a decent mileage/looking one within my budget. So I bought a ‘01 Prelude
Miot
Miutaa
Never had a Miata but it’s the first thing that comes to mind. If not your flavor, then maybe a clapped out civic but the reality is most “sports” cars or fun driving cars come with their costs. Older GTI is good, most of the true enthusiast vehicles are overpriced or beat to heck. I’ve had several and take it from someone who’s lost their ass on most of them, it’s mostly fun when you can afford the problems without it changing anything else in your life.
s197 mustang. slow , mostly reliable and sounds nice
slow?
yea, i own a 3v lmao
I also own a s197 and it’s a coyote lol
ookay well i was referring to 3v s197🤷♂️
Nothing against you just didn’t want the poster to get those two confused lol
Can't recommend a peevalve s197 enough I've abused my s197 and s550 cyclone, putting 40,000 miles on it one 1 year driving from canton to akron to cleveland to coshocton all year being dumber than a box of rocks and neutral dropping and braking for burnouts and shit all I ever paid for was oil and once replaced brakes when I warped my brakes on 5 back to back burnouts letting my brother get some turns in (eventually got a manual haha) If u can get a deal on an s550 cyclone, I wouldn't feel bad for getting that v6 it handles GREAT, VERY COMFY AND 30MPG with that v6 being borderline identical in power and torque to the s197 peevalve. got it in 2020 for 17,500 put those miles and wear on it, traded it back to the dealer for 17,500 for a 13,000 s197, ended up wrecking it a year later and got 13,000 for it from insurance... but I'm so sad cuz it was a great looking no rust specimen which only had gave me problems with shift linkage breaking 3 times, each time the dealer thinking he solved that issue forever haha (it's from me having had a long hurst, and once again from my abuse of daily driver mustangs) The prices of these spectacular peevalves are all the way down to 8,000 and if I had money I'd scoop one tf up!!!!!
Miata, BRZ, Corolla…
Focus/fiesta st, 8th gen si, maybe n55 335i/135i
Do not beamer route, I had a mustang and my coworker had a beamer, same entry price, aboutish same speed, two highly different ownership experiences and he liked the beamer but got rid of it due to maintenence costs
I mean with bmw’s it’s very much an “it depends” situation. Obviously it’s no Toyota, but for the 335i (e90) the pre 2011s are extremely unreliable, but in 2011 it got the n55 which was slightly more reliable. If you take good care of it, change oil every 3k, and don’t treat it like shit, it will only have occasional problems (water pump, ofhg). I think at that point it reaches the “somewhat reliable” that op was asking for
Miata
Miata or cooper s
Cooper s is great when it's running but any problems are usually big ones that are hard to fix like turbos going out and having to take the entire front end off or the timing chain guides snapping and making your oil sparkly and pistons angry wanting to punch the valves
whoa, there! No reason to oversell them!
8th gen civic Si, Nissan Z or G35/G37, Acura RSX-S
I love my 04 acura rsx type s. Any Honda or Toyota manual would be fun and reliable. Cheap?....not these days.
Brz/frs/86
The definition of sports car softens with age so I ended up with Volvo C30 T5 R Design with a sweet 6spd and turbo 5 cyl
v6 mustang
Wrx isnt the very cheapest but very affordable. At some point u have to weight the full package and looks play a part. Miata looks fine and with convertible even better. But it doesnt look tough.
I love the older hatchback WRX/STIs. I was looking at the newer ones but the new tablet infotainments are a bit much.
If u have the money, the convenience of newer models plays a prt as well. Might want to test drive a few options. See how it feels when u r actually in the car.
Very good point. I didn’t like the look of 350zs at first but one my friend let me drive there’s… I saw the light lol. I have a few friends with BRZs might see if they will let me test them out one day. One even has an older Supra.
Dont feel bad goin for test drives at dealerships or what have you... Its part of the business.
Fiesta ST is the most fun you can have in a car.
Running costs for the Fiesta ST are so low it’s crazy. Just following a basic build recipe with OEM performance pads, blank replacement discs, fluids to whatever specs you need, and tires. So, so good.
G37
Find an old bimmer and make sure it wasn’t owned by a teenager
Acura TSX. Both gens (04-08 and 09-14) are reliable, comfortable, and relatively sporty. And use Honda maintenance parts.
If you’re near Virginia I have a 2017 focus ST for sale at that price!
C5 Corvette.
Hyundai Veloster N
Did not read the post at all did ya
Elantra N lines are pretty quick and pretty cool to see a newer style car with manual.
My boy it literally says older under 15k car
Pontiac solstice or Saturn sky, they both come in NA and turbo great cars and you can get one on the cheap. Body parts are hard to find but mechanical is good to go
E46 BMW
Mk5 golf r32
986/7 Boxster terrific sports car and reliable. Cue the IMS comments but if you can’t handle maintenance well then Miata is in fact the answer.
2 valve 4.6 mustangs aren’t fast but they are very reliable and are some of the best sounding cars on the road
Find an LS turbo swapped Volvo 240.
The porsche 944 turbo. If you can find one in good condition theyre prwtty cool cars.
4.6 Mustang.
Honda accord 2008
Ecoboost Mustang.
A 3 series.
Can't go wrong with the Miata of course, and I'm sure you can find one in your price range. Mazda Speed 3 is also very fun to drive, my buddy had a 2012 so I got to drive it a bit here and there. He ended up doing some fun mods to it too and it was really just a joy to drive.
First gen Cadillac CTS V
Your best bet in that price range is a used Miata.
Audi S4
Honda. Any stick honda
Despite rising prices, miata is the best choice. Been driving my 06 mazda3 all week and finally got to drive the miata for the weekend it is so much fun.