<$10k car. Ready..... go.

[a4wheelin]

I'm thinking about selling my beloved CBR 600 and putting the money towards a car. My '85 Coupe GT makes me nervous with winter coming. It's left me stranded several times in the past. Anyways, here is what I NEED.

-Must have 4 seats
-Reliable
-Fun to drive

Here is whats on my list so far.

E36 M3

Pros:
- Always wanted one of these and they're finally cheap.
- RWD fun (never owned a rwd car before)
- Quick out of the box
- ///M badge

Cons:
- RWD, I live in the Pacific Northwest. It rains 4 months a year and possible snow.
- Cost to insure I'm sure isn't cheap
- Parts probably expensive



Bugeye WRX

Pros:

- Also have always wanted one of these
- Reliable I believe
- Turbocharged
- Cheap mods
- AWD
- Option of hatchback

Cons:

- Some think it's ugly, I don't
- Econo interior
- ???



Honda Prelude

Pros:
- Honda reliability
- Type SH supposed to be sweet
- Still looks good even 10 years later IMO

Cons:

- Ricer following
- N/A 2.2L = No torque
- FWD



VW GTI

Pros:
- Stay in the VAG family
- Turbocharged goodness
- Hatchback

Cons:
- FWD
- Reliability?



What else should I add to my list of potentials?

[xplosiveg06]

e36 m3.

just try to find one that wasnt beaten on.

I <3 my 95 m3 coupe

not to mention theres lots of tech support and aftermarket parts for the car online

[a4wheelin]

e36 m3.

just try to find one that wasnt beaten on.

I <3 my 95 m3 coupe

not to mention theres lots of tech support and aftermarket parts for the car online

Parts expensive though?

[pyro]

um where can you find an e36 m3 thats not a POS for under 10k?

[cerfus]

it wont be a piece of shit, but it will have a lot of miles on it, just be careful have it inspected by a reputable place before you buy it.

[xxForgedxx]

I'd vote for the WRX. with only $10,000 bucks I don't think your can be picky about interiors.

[xxForgedxx]

Parts expensive though?

The E36 M3 is not a car I would buy on a small budget. It for $10,000 will probably need some things done to it and if it doesn't it will have a butt load of miles.

[looseboost]

Id put it between the WRX and GTI

[andyrew]

One of my favorites is the Subaru Imprezza RS. Pre bugeye. But thats personal prefference really..

Would this be a winter only car or just a second car?

Why not another Audi? Like say an Audi 90, a really low mile one maybe?

One of my favorate 2 door 2+2's is a 944 turbo. But the seats are small in the back.. I have fit 4 6' guys in it though, but it was NOT comfortable. Amazing car though, was my DD for 3 years then I needed 4 doors..

[juju4uofa]

What about a B5 A4? I see you already have a B6, why do you need another 4 seater?

[pOrKcHoP07]

I like the bugeye.

Reliable + AWD + Fast = Perfect Package.

Not to mention, the interior is just fine as it is..at least that interior doesn't have peeling problems.

[ThirdStrike]

go with the gti. its easiest to make power out of... the wrx is a subaru. thats a nono where i come from :-P

[a4wheelin]

What about a B5 A4? I see you already have a B6, why do you need another 4 seater?

With the family I don't want to have to take my B6 everywhere we go. That's why I want 4 seats. Plus I think the WRX Sport Wagon would be awesome to take camping and such.

[cerfus]

what about an rx-7? Those are super sick and can be fast as hell.

[branden]

How about a 92-95 Audi S4/S6. Exterior looks great, interior is top notch, simple chip and exhaust and you're 300 HP. And for 10K you could get a really nice one!

[Nebone]

12V GTI/Jetta VR6

[andyrew]

With the family I don't want to have to take my B6 everywhere we go. That's why I want 4 seats. Plus I think the WRX Sport Wagon would be awesome to take camping and such.

B5 Avant FTW!! :)

[MacDaddy]

as far as the M3 is concerned, i wouldn't worry about rain; 96 and later it will have traction control standard, but some good rain tires would be advisable and snow ties have huge depreciation and can be picked up really cheap, around $200 on rims is feasible.

subaru looks alright, it is kinda ugly, but still better looking than the last two designs. and you'll have great traction, i'd just watch out for rat bagged ones and bad tranny. really don't know how that car will hold up in terms of reliability


since you want something fun and cheap its going to be hard, theres more boring cars out there than fun ones unfortunately.

[GunSupplier]

One of my favorites is the Subaru Imprezza RS. Pre bugeye. But thats personal prefference really..

+1. The pre-bugeye RS is fantastic, especially when it's blue and has been lowered a little bit and has some nice gold/bronze wheels. The only problem with those is that they're lacking in the performance department. You have to shell out for a turbo kit.

[le91688]

Prelude imo-

who the fuck said it doesn't have any torque....?

[a4wheelin]

Prelude imo-

who the fuck said it doesn't have any torque....?

156 ft. lb. is pretty weak. My A4 has 220, WRX's have 217.

[a4wheelin]

How about a 92-95 Audi S4/S6. Exterior looks great, interior is top notch, simple chip and exhaust and you're 300 HP. And for 10K you could get a really nice one!

I love these cars! Just not sure about the reliability of an early 90's Audi.

[Stormin]

Prelude.

I had a black one that I can't believe I ever got rid of. It was fine in the snow, great in the rain, and I think it could have run with sand in the head...

[Stormin]

And power wise it is FINE.

[bob12312357]

WRX stomps on the competition and ur dumpin serious dough into an Audi 2 keep up, straight line or turns. Then once u get the Audi up 2 speed its not as reliable as the WRX>

[le91688]

156 ft. lb. is pretty weak. My A4 has 220, WRX's have 217.

a lude with a few mods would smoke your audi, cheap to fix/maintain, lasts forever.

[Mcstiff]

Forrester? The XT's might be a little more then $10k but any Forrester is just a tall Impreza/WRX.

[O 16581 72452 5]

I'm selling my '02 A4, but it's at $11,300.

[a4wheelin]

I'm selling my '02 A4, but it's at $11,300.

My A4 is an '02 3.0L.

[O 16581 72452 5]

Well son of a bitch, lol. I should pay attention to signatures.

[jdaigner]

Don't worry about RWD in Portland. I drove an E30 (great car not on your list!) for a while which had a 4.10 LSD and it would lose traction in the rain; you just have to be smart about it. I'm sure the E36 would be the same way.
E36's ///M's are alright. They are a dime a dozen, and upkeep can be spendy. Used parts are abundant. New parts are spendy. Modifications are abundant and expensive. Timing belt isn't a factor on the s50/s52 IIRC. The VANOS has to be adjusted fairly frequently.
Plenty of info can be found at www.bimmerforums.com
Check NASIOC.com for info on subie's. My buddy had a 400WHP STI that was awesome to drive, but it still felt cheap and the backseat is about as worthless as a 911's. But on the plus side they are cheaper to maintain.
Hondas are gonna be in the same boat. Never really been a fan. They are reliable and some can be fun to drive, but they still lack that X factor.

[a4wheelin]

Well son of a bitch, lol. I should pay attention to signatures.

LOL!

[a4wheelin]

Don't worry about RWD in Portland. I drove an E30 (great car not on your list!) for a while which had a 4.10 LSD and it would lose traction in the rain; you just have to be smart about it. I'm sure the E36 would be the same way.
E36's ///M's are alright. They are a dime a dozen, and upkeep can be spendy. Used parts are abundant. New parts are spendy. Modifications are abundant and expensive. Timing belt isn't a factor on the s50/s52 IIRC. The VANOS has to be adjusted fairly frequently.
Plenty of info can be found at www.bimmerforums.com
Check NASIOC.com for info on subie's. My buddy had a 400WHP STI that was awesome to drive, but it still felt cheap and the backseat is about as worthless as a 911's. But on the plus side they are cheaper to maintain.
Hondas are gonna be in the same boat. Never really been a fan. They are reliable and some can be fun to drive, but they still lack that X factor.

Yeah I like the E30's, but it would be in the same boat as my Coupe GT too old. I'm leaning heavily towards a WRX.

[golovemd]

I paid $7800 for my 02 A6 2.7t 6 speed. Needed to do the timing belt, and when doing that found out the axle boots (believe it's the correct term) were torn and needed to be replaced. Paid $800 total for everything, and ended up with a car for $8600 thats up to date on maintenance. Car had 105,000 miles when I got it. I say look around for something similar. If you are looking for a car with a backseat for your family, all the cars you mentioned will not really suit your need. They all have small backseats.

[a4wheelin]

I paid $7800 for my 02 A6 2.7t 6 speed. Needed to do the timing belt, and when doing that found out the axle boots (believe it's the correct term) were torn and needed to be replaced. Paid $800 total for everything, and ended up with a car for $8600 thats up to date on maintenance. Car had 105,000 miles when I got it. I say look around for something similar. If you are looking for a car with a backseat for your family, all the cars you mentioned will not really suit your need. They all have small backseats.

Well we have my B6 A4 for the family. It's not really that big, but big enough to suit our needs for now. I just want something fun for me to daily drive but also have enough room for my fam to go to dinner in comfortably.

[golovemd]

Well we have my B6 A4 for the family. It's not really that big, but big enough to suit our needs for now. I just want something fun for me to daily drive but also have enough room for my fam to go to dinner in comfortably.

Oh, in that case, I recommend a A6 2.7t 6 speed

There are a few here that would suit your needs. I have not looked at the prices of a WRX in a while, but I think they were still tough to find with decent miles under $10,000 for some reason. I thought it was odd when I was looking for a car that I didn't see any priced around my car. Maybe people were just hanging on to them. They are really fun cars. I would definitely look for AWD if you are in the northwest.

[Tiesto]

+1. The pre-bugeye RS is fantastic, especially when it's blue and has been lowered a little bit and has some nice gold/bronze wheels. The only problem with those is that they're lacking in the performance department. You have to shell out for a turbo kit.

Yeah, it's fantastic when you're pulling in/out of a highschool parking lot.

[bigbro]

WRX

[xplosiveg06]

replacement parts arnt that expensive. once u get modding thats where it gets expensive

go out and drive a m3 in then go drive a wrx.


M3

[onemoremile]

Search ebay for GC8. I've seen a few GC8 Imprezas (93-01 two door 2.5RS, lightest Impreza ever offered in the states) with full STi swaps (engine, trans, rear end, brakes) and other goodies go for about 8 grand. 2700 pounds, 350whp, and it would crush the M3 on the best of days and 99% of Audis on the worst days.

FWIW, even our old 97 Outback has a better AWD system than the Audis. The addition of a rear limited slip makes a big difference in slippery conditions.