Any cheap awd’s that can be fun and reliable? Besides the obvious Subaru?

Say $3,000... what’s out there? Or just tell me to stop watching World Rally videos.

Suzuki SX4 

Stop watching World Rally videos. Or start thinking about FWD rally. 

John Welsh said:

Suzuki SX4 

That would be fun for nobody. 

I’m thinking Mazda 323 GTX or Subaru Justy.

You can also look at 1st and 2nd generation DSMs (Eagle Talon or Mitsubishi Eclipse), which basically put the Lancer Evo I-III drivetrain in a weird hatchback coupe kind of format.

No idea how much the GTX might cost these days, but they were affordable when I last looked about 15 years ago. Probably your best bet. 

Alternatively, go for the rally raid style with an early Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero or Dodge Raider. 

Don't know if this would work for your purpose but an early 2000's Infinity G35 X sedan can be bought cheap

BlindPirate said:

Don't know if this would work for your purpose but an early 2000's Infinity G35 X sedan can be bought cheap

+1 for the G35x. On snow at least, it's as fast as an R32 Gts-4. Suspension is soft enough to absorb bumps, and you can make it rotate like a RWD car. 5AT only though.

In reply to LanEvo :

There's a few pieces on the GTX that I think are unobtanium now. The transmission parts seem really hard to source, in particular.

I have seen some cheap cars out there, though. Buy two, run one.

late 80s early 90's corolla/camry all-trac. 

In reply to G_Body_Man :

some years you could get a 6sp manual.Haven't seen one in a $3000 dollar car though

In reply to G_Body_Man :

You know,  you are right. The 6spds were only RWD

x type

I have seen ix BMWs getting cheap.

Older (2000 ish) Audi A4.  If you're gonna rally an AWD car, do it with the one who invented AWD rallying.

Galant GSX. AWD 4g63 non-turbo.

A 3SGTE in a RAV4 is a hoot.

LanEvo said:

I’m thinking Mazda 323 GTX

That is the polar opposite of cheap or reliable, let alone cheap AND reliable.

clutchsmoke said:

Stop watching World Rally videos. Or start thinking about FWD rally. 

Or start thinking about rwd rally and buy a Volvo.

RAV-4

CRVBoth are cheap, and have options to make more power readily. Tough, too

KyAllroad (Jeremy) said:

Older (2000 ish) Audi A4.  If you're gonna rally an AWD car, do it with the one who invented AWD rallying.

AMC invented AWD rallying.  The FIA banned AWD in the mid-70s to keep AMC out.  Audi petitioned the FIA to re-allow it, which they did, because they didn't think it would be worthwhile.  When everyone who was actually good at rally got on the AWD bandwagon, Audi got their ass handed to them and they went back to circuit racing where they sucked marginally less.

Note:  I have a B2-chassis VWAG product that I'm slowly building into a "what if" Group 4 era type car.  Should have about 350hp and make all of the right noises.   But I'm not so romantic about the idea that I'm deluded into thinking that Audi knew what they were doing.  I'm also expecting turbo lag you could measure on a calendar and handling like your average pole barn.

In 2017, the A4 is the worst car to start AWD rallying with.  For one, you have to take the turbo off until you have enough coefficients.  You could swap in an 07K engine with cams and make a ton of power in Open Light, I guess, but that defeats the purpose.  And you're still stuck with a heavy chassis and transmissions/diffs that utterly suck and few options for making it better, and those options are more expensive than just buying a 2.5RS that already has the right diffs, and can have good suspension bolted on because everyone makes suspension for them, and isn't a heavy pig, and already has the right engine out of the box because Open Light was written to make 2.5RSs viable.

EvanB said:

clutchsmoke said:

Stop watching World Rally videos. Or start thinking about FWD rally. 

Or start thinking about rwd rally and buy a Volvo.

This guy knows what he's talking about.  All wheel drive is for wankers, true artistes prefer something with more style.

/(how do you biggiesize video hotlinks?)

Yeah i was thinking 2.5rs as soon as i read the thread title.  Sub $5k WRX are generally steaming piles of E36 M3, unless you’re relentless like me and happen to be off work on the day one pops up on CL and you can beat everyone else to it.

Interesting that the professionals who drive AWD for a living tend to have rear drive cars for their personal vehicles...

In reply to Trackmouse :

On paper they dont seem too bad. If I remember they were also one of the few cheap AWD cars that could lock the center diff via a button (as opposed to an open center diff with AWD that works via traction control). But I could also be very wrong.

I test drove an SX4 when they were new, as I was driving 200-300 miles per day at that time through mostly rural IL/IN and needed something that would get me almost anywhere regardless of conditions. The engine was a bit uninspiring, and the interior felt a bit cheap, but it wasn't a bad car otherwise - just not one I felt was worth getting a loan or paying new-car prices for. I ended up with an '07 Accent instead, and despite being FWD, with a set of X-Ice tires on it there was no place it even hinted at getting stuck, including snow deeper than the chassis.

Not saying you don't need AWD, but rather that good FWD with the right tires can be better than mediocre AWD.