Best beater sports car?

[Tylanner]

How so?

Bad choice of words.
Not really related to RWD maintenance but I think RWD is a big distinction between the miata and similarly priced competition, for which you will pay a premium in the used car market.

On another note, I am seriously tempted to pick up a used and abused hardtop M roadster for my fun DD.

 

[jlee]

Bad choice of words.
Not really related to RWD maintenance but I think RWD is a big distinction between the miata and similarly priced competition, for which you will pay a premium in the used car market.

On another note, I am seriously tempted to pick up a used and abused hardtop M roadster for my fun DD.

https://phoenix.craigslist.org/wvl/cto/6054566937.html

Perfect project.

Edit: Well, maybe not. The exposed wiring on the driver's side is scary...may be much more of a headache than expected.

Maybe one of these instead:
https://phoenix.craigslist.org/wvl/cto/6038533965.html
https://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/cto/6053177714.html

 

[yhelothar]

A lot of 350Zs are going in the 6k range now.

 

[agent00f]

older s2000... they can be had for cheap now

S2k's have some of the most ridiculous resale out there, which is both a plus and minus. Relatively expensive to buy but also worth more when sold.

Bad choice of words.
Not really related to RWD maintenance but I think RWD is a big distinction between the miata and similarly priced competition, for which you will pay a premium in the used car market.

On another note, I am seriously tempted to pick up a used and abused hardtop M roadster for my fun DD.

RWD costs more on the price tag out of the gate mostly because the marginal cost of rwd itself needs to be "justified", usually by some luxury or sporting image, which piles onto the price. But the miata itself isn't all that expensive, and it's a pretty well designed car.

 

[slugg]

I guess you ballin if you buy a 6k car to do this

You can get a beater Miata for $1500.

 

[BurnItDwn]

What about a bug-eye Subaru Impreza WRX?

Can be hard to find cheap WRX , their resale is quite high

 

[JCH13]

I went to CL in NH, put in $2k as a price limit, and picked my top 6 favorites (in no particular order).

Miata!
Ford Focus
VW Rabbit Diesel (can you say hipster cred?)
Protege (actually a pretty awesome choice, they were near the top of FWD handling in their time)
Whatever the shit this thing is
A mustang body on a bronco because you want to piss in face of good sense

 

[Ns1]

The saddest part of shit like this is you can tell there was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more than 2k worth of work done to this vehicle.

 

[JCH13]

The saddest part of shit like this is you can tell there was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more than 2k worth of work done to this vehicle.

Yup. But it's really hard to sell a car that essentially HAS to be garaged. Not top of any sort makes a car tricky to own!

 

[Bubbleawsome]

Wow the description for that Miata is the best.

Looking for a panty dropping, sport utility, donut machine? Interested in putting the top down, an arm around your sweetheart, and cruising around town in a sportster? Limited to just a few hundred dollar budget? Well, look no further!
This finely tuned, endurance tested mazdarratti comes complete with stock steel wheels with worn snow tires and a set of bbs rims with, you guessed it, worn summer tires! But dang, are they fly!This car does it all: Starts, stops, and turns(albeit heavily, with no power steering.) Like any race car it's got some noises but with the bumpin' Kenwood stereo you won't even have to hear them! Worried about the practicality? Well with the top down these things are basically work trucks. 5 speeds of fury, and an experienced 220,000 miles this miata purrs down highways and backroads alike. While most of it's red exterior still shines like the glory days, it's developed quite an antique patina, mostly on the rocker panels. Chock that up to weight savings!
This whole package is selling for just 800 dollars! Send me an email and we'll work something out.

 

[HitAnyKey]

Late 3rd Gen (91-93) Ford Mustang 5.0L would be my first pick. Again finding one is going to be a bit tough.

Second Gen Mitsubishi Eclipse (96-99) GS-T (Turbo) or GSX (AWD). Fun cars and pretty fast stock with plenty of modding available. Again finding one is going to be even tougher than the Stang.

Miata / Civic are always great alternatives but I don't find they are that fast stock but you can always fix that with money. And they do handle much better than the aforementioned cars I listed.
If your looking for more a road course car they might be the better option overall.

 

[Bubbleawsome]

The dodge neon srt4 might be an option

 

[slugg]

The dodge neon srt4 might be an option

I actually really love these. Too bad every person I've ever known to own one reported that the engine blew up.

 

[local]

Miata with LS swap.
Mustang with LS swap.
I once saw a Delorean with an LS swap.

The LS swap gives you easy access to as much power as you will ever need and pretty much unlimited cheap parts.

Stay away from Camaros and Firebirds though. With the exception of the LS in them they are money pits and takes too much work to get them to track decently. I know I have a lot in mine and it still sucks on a corner.

 

[jlee]

If you want a Mazdaspeed6, I'll sell you one.

 

[WT]

The dodge neon srt4 might be an option

I just saw one for sale on my local C/L last week, bright yellow. Had the usual mild work done to it, but it is really stretching a limited budget. If you could get it for under $4500, it'd be a solid choice:

https://york.craigslist.org/cto/6071963587.html

 

[hanoverphist]

i think id look for an older 240sx that hasnt been pushed through every drift event in 3 states and build that up.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

Decent older 240sx are rare as hens teeth in NJ.

 

[scannall]

Really cheap? 280zx turbo is fast fun and reliable.

 

[jana519]

What about a bug-eye Subaru Impreza WRX?

Can be hard to find cheap WRX , their resale is quite high

Yes this. WRXs are quite expensive in my area if you buy one that isn't someone else's botched shitcan. Even these young kids think their WRXs with blown engines are worth 1500, lol yeah right.

I also vote Miata or Civic Type R.

 

[slashbinslashbash]

I've seen some Pontiac Solstice / Saturn Sky examples pretty cheap on CL lately.... like $6k for under 100k miles... 9-10k for a Redline/GXP (supercharged) version under 100k miles. Pretty much a GM version of the Miata. Not as easily modded, but doesn't really need much anyway.

 

[msi1337]

g35 is a nice car you could find somewhat inexpensive. The answer is still Miata though

 

[desy]

Saturn Ion Redline
Your plastic fenders will survive the parking lot wars

The Red Line claims a 0–60 mph time of 6.0 seconds, and a 1/4 mile time of 14.1 seconds. GM Performance re-tuned the spring and bushing rates, and reduced the ride height by about 10 mm, and added larger 4-wheel disc brakes. The car was also equipped with 17-inch forged alloy wheels and Dunlop Sport SP9000 215/45 tires, thicker performance sway bars, re-valved shock absorbers, and Recaro racing seats. The larger disc brakes made the Red Line capable of decelerating from 70 mph in 164 ft., what John Phillips of Car and Driver Magazine described as "Porschey territory". Also included was a 2.25 inch exhaust system with a chrome-tipped pipe that allowed for a more aggressive exhaust note from the tailpipe and added GM's OnStar System