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I know, another "what car" thread..
My neighbor is looking for a cheap, FWD, stick shift car that gets decent mileage and is inexpensive to repair/maintain.
I want to help said neighbor, because in addition to the $1500 he has to spend, he's got a 1995 GTI VR6 that I want to own.
Saturn S-Series
What about an egg?
They're cheap and very easy to maintain.
civic for sure
Nissan NX2000.
Escort GT or ZX2 is the best bang-for-the-buck FWD hatch in stupid-cheap territory. Even cheaper and you can get lucky and find an old bucket-light EXP (I had one and it was massively cool in an 80's way). Older box Civic's are there as well, but they are more expensive to maintain.
saturn is dead reliable AND gets great miliage
3rd generation (mid-90s) Nissan Maxima.
FWD, good power, decent mileage, stick shift, bulletproof engine.
Rolla. A clean AE92 with a 4AFE will be in that price range.
BG chassis Protege LX.
maita....because its always the answer.....
Answer: The best maintained one you can find.
Much as I love Honda, I have to go with a Saturn. I used to do emissions testing and those things would always pass. Hondas are reliable too, but they're more expensive. If fun doesn't weigh in to the equation, go with a Saturn.
1st gen Neon. Simple, reliable, and fun!
Mazda 323 / Protege
ccrelan wrote:Nissan NX2000.
Made a great first car for me!
I love Hondas but good luck finding one without rust or a horrible body kit or both for that price
I obviously have to put in a word for the Toyota Tercel! 95-up gets you the DOHC 5EFE engine; lightness has been added from the factory.
Infiniti G20
Oddly i have owned many of the cars mentioned in this thread.
I havent owned the Saturn, but thats the one im going to recommend, for sure. They are super easy to work on and get awesome mileage.. like 40mpg highway (5spd).
Yet another vote for a Saturn s-series
95-02 are best.
Escort GT/Tracer LTS/Protege LX/Escort LX-E
AE92 Corolla GTS (Yes, you can find them in that price range)
Neon
4th gen Celica GT/GTS
Dual Cam Saturns
Paseo (these are hilariously fun cars)
I think finding an EG hatch worth anything for $1500 will be hard. At least it is around here. Them there ricers snatch 'em up.
But really... the Escort GT idea will get you a LOT of car in the $1500 range. That's pretty much mint low miles no rust range. And they're deceptively quick. Probably the fastest thing listed in this thread.
Did somebody say Suzuki Swift? I didn't think so.
95+ cars are solid, reliable, cheap as hell. 98+ have 16V motors.
My son just bought a 98 Tercel in good shape for less than that. Awful car to drive, but normal people don't notice, and they're as reliable as anything you'll find.
if you can find one.. a Hyundai Tiburon is a rather frugal cruiser and still has enough handling and power to be entertaining.
parts are cheap, there are hop up parts availible, and they are pretty bulletproof
