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Fun, beater car for under $5k

prelude 4th gen or 5th gen. Stay far away from automatics though.

Close to stock the better.

Miata :thumbup

Wrx if you can find a good example in the under 5k range( good luck beating me to it if such a deal pops up :laughing)

240sx if a clean one can be found

300zx same as above
 
Lexus gs 400. Rear wheel drive. V8 power with the wonderful traction control disable switch. Mid to late 90's ours was a beast and I did the timing belt myself in just over 2 hours. Very easy to work on and never left us stranded. So disappointed the ol lady got 3rd row fever and wanted a soccer mom suv. Ours was a 98.
 
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RickM said:
prelude 4th gen or 5th gen. Stay far away from automatics though.

Close to stock the better.
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This. I put 100k relatively fun miles into one that cost me $2200 a couple years ago. That thing was a hoot commuting over Hwy 17. :thumbup
 
auntiebling said:
Do not get a German car. You can spend 5k just catching up on maintenance the guy looking for a fun 6k$ car didn't bother doing because he knew the next guy would be too excited to get a cheap German car to notice
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Hey man, I thought we were friends :x German cars make the best beaters! I just sold my DD 944 to a guy for $3K. He LOVES it. I picked up a 944 turbo for my new DD, and I paid $5K:party
 
billswim said:
Hey man, I thought we were friends :x German cars make the best beaters! I just sold my DD 944 to a guy for $3K. He LOVES it. I picked up a 944 turbo for my new DD, and I paid $5K:party
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Jerk! I have list for thr 951... Well really for anything from the Porsche lineup that is obsolete.

You know what you're getting into. By asking, OP clearly does not!
 
Miatas are soooo much fun to drive! Mine was pretty low-maintenance as well.
 
Nitewaif said:
Miatas are soooo much fun to drive! Mine was pretty low-maintenance as well.
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It's iust that the Miata is the Quintessential San Francisco Gay Icon Car. Not that there's anything wrong with that!! For a woman, it's not an issue (unless you're driving a Subaru Forrester, the Quintessential San Francisco Lesbian Icon Car. Once again, not that there's anything wrong with that!!)
 
4runner can be a lot of fun off road (same as wrangler) but obviously not fast or good handling.

Good luck finding a decent miata under 5k nowadays. They are the most sought after FR car.
 
wranglers for under 5K???? not even the ones with a 4cyl. go for that. how bout a late 90's 2 door tahoe?
 
Losmeister said:
88-90 Honda CRX
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I love those little cars but I pitty the fool who wads one into a modern day SUV or full sized pickup. If it happens, you dead. Everyone is raggin on a four runner being un-fun. I must be the only guy left who likes mobbing around with the top off as much as playing around in the hills.

+1 on the fox body mustang. The possibilities for that are endless and it's easy to find enthusiasts who can help you with it.
 
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I might be able to stretch it to 6k. What about a early 00s Celica GTS? Or, Mazda RX8? Those seem to be under 6k.
 
If it's a road car, what kind of driving will it be for? Track? Twisties? Posing? Grocery getter? Commuting/transportainment?
 
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