Fun, beater car for under $5k

[mikev]

For 6K you can probably get an older high mileage WRX but you'll have to keep your eyes peeled on craigslist and pounce on it ASAP

 

[GAJ]

My '94 Miata refuses to die, the paint refuses to fade despite being left outside most of its life and its still tons of fun to drive, cheap to maintain, cheap to insure.

Apart from a small amount of wear on the driver's seat from getting in and out for 200,000 miles the interior still looks almost new.

Bullet proof.

Worth maybe $2,500?

Not for sale of course...but there's plenty of them out there.

 

[channelcat]

88-90 Honda CRX

I had one. great car. a little underpowered.

 

[GAJ]

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!!)

Really the most ridiculous argument against the car.

I guess the Lotus Elan, which the car pays homage to, is not worthy for the same lame reasons.

 

[channelcat]

Really the most ridiculous argument against the car.

I guess the Lotus Elan, which the car pays homage to, is not worthy for the same lame reasons.

you drive that one around, I'd imagine you can put whatever you want in the passenger seat...niice!

Dinchya know..anything without tinted windows, 22s and spinners is gay..

 

[GAJ]

Dinchya know..anything without tinted windows, 22s and spinners is gay..

Thanks for the education!

Man, they are gorgeous aren't they?

But cheap and reliable?

No!

 

[stan23]

IMO, a 5K car is exactly that. A 5K car.

I went through this phase once, and bought myself a 16v Scirocco.

Unless you want to pour money into a cheap car, don't expect it to be turn key, and reliable. Especially for under 5K.

BTW, I had the Scirocco for a few months - engine blew, and sold it off for a two hundred bucks.

 

[GiorgioFurioso]

Really the most ridiculous argument against the car.

I guess the Lotus Elan, which the car pays homage to, is not worthy for the same lame reasons.

I'm just saying, in certain areas, some cars project a certain lifestyle, and it's best to be aware of that. I think the Miata is a great car, and amazing bang for the buck. I will never drive one, first off because I've tried, and at 6'4", it doesn't fit me. At all. Were the car to physically fit, I would definitely need to consider what image I want to project before I bought one. Not sure how I'd decide, because I'll never get to drive one properly. But for sure, I'll never buy a Subaru Forrester.

 

[Reli]

^ LOL, what is this "image" you need to project? What are you afraid of? I guess you're heterosexual, but not confident enough about your game?

 

[aminalmutha]

He's hiding his inner queer.

 

[Kurosaki]

IMO, a 5K car is exactly that. A 5K car.

I went through this phase once, and bought myself a 16v Scirocco.

Unless you want to pour money into a cheap car, don't expect it to be turn key, and reliable. Especially for under 5K.

BTW, I had the Scirocco for a few months - engine blew, and sold it off for a two hundred bucks.

Disagree...

 

[Reli]

He's hiding his inner queer.

I mean srsly, I guess if you're 19 and still worried about that kind of stuff, or you work in an ultra-redneck or ultra-religious industry, but otherwise....

Most Miata owners I see are 50-60 yr old grandfathers who autocross them. But SF might be different, I wouldn't know.

 

[GAJ]

IMO, a 5K car is exactly that. A 5K car.

I went through this phase once, and bought myself a 16v Scirocco.

Unless you want to pour money into a cheap car, don't expect it to be turn key, and reliable. Especially for under 5K.

BTW, I had the Scirocco for a few months - engine blew, and sold it off for a two hundred bucks.

I owned a Rabbit from the Scirroco years; to compare it to my 20 year old Miata is night and day.

Assuming a well kept car a Miata will run forever.

Assuming a well kept car a Rabbit/Scirroco from the 70's will run you forever.

 

[GAJ]

I'm just saying, in certain areas, some cars project a certain lifestyle, and it's best to be aware of that. I think the Miata is a great car, and amazing bang for the buck. I will never drive one, first off because I've tried, and at 6'4", it doesn't fit me. At all. Were the car to physically fit, I would definitely need to consider what image I want to project before I bought one. Not sure how I'd decide, because I'll never get to drive one properly. But for sure, I'll never buy a Subaru Forrester.

Yeah, at slightly over 6 foot I'm pretty much as tall as you can be to drive an early Miata.

About a decade ago SF came out with an article about the favorite cars of gay women and men and yes, the Miata was named as number one for gay men.

My wife drove a Saab 900 Convertible at the time, (great car but woeful reliability).

Can you guess which car the article labeled number one for Lesbians?

We laughed about that...so we often switched cars!

 

[GAJ]

I mean srsly, I guess if you're 19 and still worried about that kind of stuff, or you work in an ultra-redneck or ultra-religious industry, but otherwise....

Most Miata owners I see are 50-60 yr old grandfathers who autocross them. But SF might be different, I wouldn't know.

58 here but the kid has vowed never to spawn so looks like I won't fill the grandpa bill.

Got it after I had to push my much loved 280z.

That car I could not recommend in the reliability department.

 

[Silence]

IMO, a 5K car is exactly that. A 5K car.

I went through this phase once, and bought myself a 16v Scirocco.

Unless you want to pour money into a cheap car, don't expect it to be turn key, and reliable. Especially for under 5K.

BTW, I had the Scirocco for a few months - engine blew, and sold it off for a two hundred bucks.

A 5K Miata has a solid chance of being solid.
A 5K WRX on the other hand will likely be a basket case.

 

[channelcat]

a beater, to me, isn't over $1200 bucks. Loving the potatoes out of my '98 Legacy AWD w/208k..if it ever snows up in Tahoe again, I'll drive up, ski my brains out, have a beer, take a nap in the back, and head home. fun fun cheap cheap.

Snowing going over the Siskyous? HA! Ptui, I spit, laughing...


Sorry, I wouldn't go for older German, either.

 

[RightCoastBias]

Hey man, I thought we were friends 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 $5Karty

I saw a brown 911 parked out in front of your shop when you were closed. I thought that was yours.

Pretty little thing. Porsches are the only cars that still "do it" for me. Other wise, it's all motorcycles.

 

[Cycle61]

IMO, a 5K car is exactly that. A 5K car.

I went through this phase once, and bought myself a 16v Scirocco.

Unless you want to pour money into a cheap car, don't expect it to be turn key, and reliable. Especially for under 5K.

BTW, I had the Scirocco for a few months - engine blew, and sold it off for a two hundred bucks.

Disagree. I've had more than a few very reliable cars in the $1k-2k price range. Including the above mentioned Prelude. You certainly have to pay attention to what you're buying, but it's very possible.

 

[stan23]

Disagree. I've had more than a few very reliable cars in the $1k-2k price range. Including the above mentioned Prelude. You certainly have to pay attention to what you're buying, but it's very possible.

Sure, anything is possible. It's obviously entirely possible to get an under 5K car to be in perfect working order and reliable.

Especially if you're looking for something 'fun' and not economical. You can buy a great working accord/civic/tercel/etc.. all day long for 5K, but it ain't going to be fun and what the OP is looking for.

Which is what my comment is based on. Sounds like he's looking for 'what used to be expensive cars' now in the 5K range.