You have $15K and you want a weekend fun car...GO!

[Arkaign]

S2000 is definitely the best "fun" car for 15K.

Mazda RX8 is also a lot of fun and the 3rd door is useful, especially if you are installing a child seat, etc. They are pretty reliable, fuel economy and oil consumption is ridiculous though.

If you want something practical and fun, but don't mind the maintenance, consider a VW R32 (2004) but the complexity of the AWD system and suspension will get to you. I personally just love hatchbacks and this is one of the 'best' the USA has ever had.

Depending on what you want it for, a Mustang GT is always a reliable choice, too. I wouldn't take it to track day, but for yee-haw thrills a big V8 is a lot of fun. They are incredibly cheap to maintain because they are so basic, and newer models have pretty good fuel efficiency if you still want to drive it to work.

I have to politely disagree on the S2000, RX8, and R32, for many reasons :

S2000 : Not that much power, commonly riced to the bone. Great car though. Not that fun unless you're dead set on good handling and good style at the expense of torque.

RX8 : Great handling, great style, pretty terrible with everything else. Stupendously slow.

R32 : Great interior, okay style if you like hunchback looks, but FWD is a fun killer, and combining that with VW reliability (particularly in the early-mid 00s), ugh.

Mustang GT is a decent choice if you spend the money, but the 4.6 is kind of blah outside of the Terminators.

$15k is a tough price point. Imho the best is to take a virgin MX-5 for around $5k, and spend $10k on suspension, motor, brakes. You get the handling, with the right mods you get all the power you need, and they're really easy to work on, parts aren't hard to come by or expensive. Done right, you can do the V8R+LS1 on a Miata and come away like a beast.

Obviously this is all eye-of-the-beholder stuff. Some will prefer an E36 M3, some will prefer the S2K, some will prefer an old Camaro SS, etc.

 

[JCH13]

R32 is AWD. However, a 1st gen MS3 will beat it to 60 and around a track.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2Sx3XdGI6E

:biggrin:

I've said it before and I'll say it again: FWD is not a 'fun' killer. It has been known to lead to a hilariously entertaining time.

 

[ballmode]

S2000 for me because of how easy it is to fix, how the car "stands" out. 9k piston redline, looks haven't aged bad (IMO), the forged internals for the motor, and the fact it isn't being made anymore plus it was when Honda was doing things right for a change

 

[Vdubchaos]

Sure there's such a thing as too much grip. Lack of grip is what makes the BRZ and FR-S so much fun to drive. What makes sports cars fun is the ability to induce controllable oversteer.

I'm pretty sure you guys are arguing about personal preferences.

Everyone has their own, it's up to OP to determine what those are at the end of the day.

 

[Vdubchaos]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: FWD is not a 'fun' killer. It has been known to lead to a hilariously entertaining time.

I'm gonna have to agree here. Especially on the street.

How often will you push your car to the limits on the street? Chances are, unless you totally careless and endanger others the difference between RWD/FWD is almost none existent.

On the track, it's a different story.

FWD is just fine for fun/weekend car.

 

[Fritzo]

I have to politely disagree on the S2000, RX8, and R32, for many reasons :

S2000 : Not that much power, commonly riced to the bone. Great car though. Not that fun unless you're dead set on good handling and good style at the expense of torque.

RX8 : Great handling, great style, pretty terrible with everything else. Stupendously slow.

R32 : Great interior, okay style if you like hunchback looks, but FWD is a fun killer, and combining that with VW reliability (particularly in the early-mid 00s), ugh.

Mustang GT is a decent choice if you spend the money, but the 4.6 is kind of blah outside of the Terminators.

$15k is a tough price point. Imho the best is to take a virgin MX-5 for around $5k, and spend $10k on suspension, motor, brakes. You get the handling, with the right mods you get all the power you need, and they're really easy to work on, parts aren't hard to come by or expensive. Done right, you can do the V8R+LS1 on a Miata and come away like a beast.

Obviously this is all eye-of-the-beholder stuff. Some will prefer an E36 M3, some will prefer the S2K, some will prefer an old Camaro SS, etc.

The 2004+ S2000 could get 0-60 times in the 5.5 second range and spin the rear end pretty well, plus it had an engine that redlined at 8000K! That's plenty of power and noise to go along with it.

The RX8 could do 0-60's in the low 6's, which isn't exactly slow. I always throught it was styled like a pinewood derby car though, and yeah, the rest of the car isn't that great.

R32- I'm of the same school that you can't have as much fun in a FWD car. Just can't be done. They look sharp as hell tough- especially the white/black w/red trim ones.

 

[Vdubchaos]

The 2004+ S2000 could get 0-60 times in the 5.5 second range and spin the rear end pretty well, plus it had an engine that redlined at 8000K! That's plenty of power and noise to go along with it.

That's about your average V6 family sedan now days.

The RX8 could do 0-60's in the low 6's, which isn't exactly slow. I always throught it was styled like a pinewood derby car though, and yeah, the rest of the car isn't that great.

RX8 is slow. I did a pull with a guy in my K04 Passat (on the highway) and when it was over the guy thought I had a 500hp monster/sleeper. He was shocked that my car only had 240hp or so....It wasn't even a contest.

Anything my Passat can pull on = slow

:biggrin:

R32- I'm of the same school that you can't have as much fun in a FWD car. Just can't be done. They look sharp as hell tough- especially the white/black w/red trim ones.

Your school sucks cause R32 is AWD and difference between FWD/RWD on the street is none existent (unless you push your car to the limit and endanger other drivers).

Ok fine, you took that turn .02 seconds faster. What did you accomplish? How is .02 seconds slower "just can't be fun".

is your idea of fun fish tailing all over the place and kicking out the back? That doesn't mean that's EVERYONE's idea of fun (quite the opposite actually).

 

[Fritzo]

That's about your average V6 family sedan now days.

Your average family sedan weighs 1000lbs more though.

is your idea of fun fish tailing all over the place and kicking out the back? That doesn't mean that's EVERYONE's idea of fun (quite the opposite actually).

Well...actually it is

 

[pauldun170]

The 2004+ S2000 could get 0-60 times in the 5.5 second range and spin the rear end pretty well, plus it had an engine that redlined at 8000K! That's plenty of power and noise to go along with it.

The RX8 could do 0-60's in the low 6's, which isn't exactly slow. I always throught it was styled like a pinewood derby car though, and yeah, the rest of the car isn't that great.

R32- I'm of the same school that you can't have as much fun in a FWD car. Just can't be done. They look sharp as hell tough- especially the white/black w/red trim ones.

The issue with the S2000's (and its not really that much of an issue) is that its a little weak down low. 0-60 times may be low but on the street low and mid range were not the S2000's strong points.
Great car though. lot of fun...the S2000 community has ruined it as a used car buy.

RX8 is another car where power was a weak spot. Handling was its specialty....not outright speed.

R32's always seemed great on paper, I just couldn't get past the prices people paid for them.

 

[consolibyte]

the most fun option

:wub:

Up ^^^^.

 

[satyajitmenon]

http://jacksonville.craigslist.org/cto/3665967265.html

And 8k+ for fuel and maintenance (and rentals when the car refuses to start )

 

[sgrinavi]

Hard to beat the bang/$ on a used vette... I've seen c-5's going for just a tad more than your budget.

They're easy to fix and there is a huge market out there for aftermarket parts.

 

[tweakmonkey]

Test out an S2000 for sure. You could get such a nice one for $13k even. I paid 10k for my current car. The build quality and reliability, combined with all the other benefits make it worth it. Sure it's sluggish compared to Vette but only below 5000 RPMs, it's still faster than most cars around you when you're in that powerband... but you'll keep it in VTEC range when you're accelerating most of the time. When you rev it up, it's just such a great experience to push that engine. It reminds me of a motorcycle without as much danger The sound, feeling and thrills you get for these cars can't be matched by most cars under $50k IMO except a Lotus Elise which is a tin can in comparison.

AP2 is fine if you're not totally "smitten" by the car bug at this point. AP1 if you want to have the most fun/wild possible. They are also super nice looking / fancy etc. Great headlights. If you want something cheap to thrash around in that isn't as pricey and isn't as big of a commitment, try an MR2 spyder (if it's your second car, it would be a terrible DD IMO) or a Miata. For low speed and nimble driving an S2000 loses to these cars IMO. So it really depends what you like and want... "It's more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow"... being able to go full throttle and slide around corners at only 30 MPH etc. is a lot safer than 70!

I've had a few Mustangs and think my '99 GT for $7500 back in the day was a pretty nice car. It was a daily driver though, not my weekend toy. The prev. owner had already upgraded the suspension, wheels, exhaust etc. It was fun to get sideways and it sounded great. It was pretty fun to drive. I thought the build quality and materials / feeling was shit compared to the Honda ^ It also felt like 10 years older.

 

[bvalpati]

2000-2005 XK8 convertible in blue or green. Put whatever money is left over into a maintenance trust fund to help keep up with the inevitable repairs.

 

[Fritzo]

2000-2005 XK8 convertible in blue or green. Put whatever money is left over into a maintenance trust fund to help keep up with the inevitable repairs.

I would hate that, because everytime the car would come up in conversation, I would have to say "So...I'm going to drive the JAAAAAAaaaaagggg...."

 

[BlueMeanie]

I love MR-2's..real head turners, just can't fit in the damn thing

I was 6'4" 280 lbs when I owned my 94 MR2 with T-tops. I found the MR2 to be a better fit for me than the S2000 and Pontiac Solstice. Both of which I found cramped and uncomfortable when I test drove them.

The MR2 was my daily driver for about 2 years and I found it to be very comfy. Loved the interior and driving position.

For 15k, a turbo MR2 would be a blast, but my vote would have to be a 2006+ WRX or any year STi.

 

[sgrinavi]

Jason Plato Picks E85 Z4 as Best Daily Driver Used Sports Car for Under $7000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=WWu6vq45fpM

 

[Fritzo]

Jason Plato Picks E85 Z4 as Best Daily Driver Used Sports Car for Under $7000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=WWu6vq45fpM

If you can keep valve cover gaskets on it and keep the water pump working. The early Z4 was a handful and the engine wasn't designed very well. Also not sure how he could call it the best daily driver when the over-stiff suspension would break your back on a city street.

The 2009+ Z4's fixed nearly every problem with the car. Otherwise, the Z3 is a much better DD from a bit before that era (looks better to IMO).

 

[sgrinavi]

If you can keep valve cover gaskets on it and keep the water pump working. The early Z4 was a handful and the engine wasn't designed very well. Also not sure how he could call it the best daily driver when the over-stiff suspension would break your back on a city street.

The 2009+ Z4's fixed nearly every problem with the car. Otherwise, the Z3 is a much better DD from a bit before that era (looks better to IMO).

Which motor did they have problems with? I think they had 4-5 options. My personal experience with BMWs has been very positive. Pleasure to drive and actually surprisingly easy to work on. Everything seems to be logically positioned and well engineered.

Guess that's why they make chocolate and vanilla - I think the Z4 is a far better looking vehicle than the Z3. Have you seen the Z4 GTE that they're running in Sebring this weekend?

 

[Fritzo]

Which motor did they have problems with? I think they had 4-5 options. My personal experience with BMWs has been very positive. Pleasure to drive and actually surprisingly easy to work on. Everything seems to be logically positioned and well engineered.

Guess that's why they make chocolate and vanilla - I think the Z4 is a far better looking vehicle than the Z3. Have you seen the Z4 GTE that they're running in Sebring this weekend?

The 2.5i is the one specifically. I'm not certain, but I think they screwed up and used metals with difference expansion rates, so these engines would leak all over the place. The 3.0i is a bit more difficult to find but a bit more reliable.

All of these issues were fixed with the 2009+ models.

 

[halik]

Can you pick up a high mile elise for that much?

 

[Fritzo]

Can you pick up a high mile elise for that much?

No. Most Elise owners are in traction from back injuries by the time the car reaches 40000 miles You don't want an Elise before 2007, and those seem to retain their $30000 value fairly well.

I actually squeezed into a 2007 Elise in Columbus OH last year- it was probably the best handling car I've ever driven. However, I had to take the top off to fit (my head was about 4" above the roof line), entering the car was a bit like putting on a tight pair of leather pants, and exiting the car reminded me doing a drunken crawl out of a bar at 3am. You're about 6" off the ground, so you feel and hear every single thing you run over.

There are no frills in this car---at all. No carpeting, a radio you can't hear due to the music from the engine, no power windows, and sitting with a passenger is as close as you can get to someone without having sex with them.

The car is fun as hell, but it would be absolutely exhausting to own...I could see a point where you would start to dread driving the car.

 

[Railgun]

The car is fun as hell, but it would be absolutely exhausting to own...I could see a point where you would start to dread driving the car.

Seconded. Toured around San Francisco and Napa in one. While it was great to drive, after a couple of hours, I easily made to decision to never own one. That must be middle age sneaking up on me.

As a dedicated track car, yeah, without question.