Cars you KNOW are GREAT ideas that will be enjoyed with happiness and laughter, but...

Putting a spin on the thread: Cars you KNOW are terrible ideas that will end in tears and sadness, but...

What cars out there are a great idea to own?

Maybe lets use the twist of not brand new w/ warranty. Having worked in several local garages and MC shops when I was younger, there was a perpetual sense that every vehicle which came in was a pile of crap or had poor engineering (read: inconvenient).

So what's out there that's easy/inexpensive to own and maintain as well as fun to drive? Lets hopefully stay away from cars that are known to be "automotive penalty boxes".

uh, miata.

but in all seriousness, I loved my e36, and I love my focus SVT now.

BG chassis mazdas, E30s, Volvo 240s

Hard to not say E30. I'd like to believe several manual Mazdas would be on the short list.

"The answer" is the answer.

I pick the best one, a Miata.

Another car people on this thread have reported as good reliability wise is a regular E46.

SVT Focus, yes. Don't leave out a plain old 5 speed Focus with a 2.0 Zetec or 2.3.

Going back further, Escort ZX2 or 2nd gen Escort GT.

v Had one of these. It was actually a great car to own for daily commuting duties. I miss it.

I'm loving my 2011 Audi S4

Nissan Z. Specifically a 350, or 370Z. Reliable, powerful enough for fun, properly equipped (about 300hp, RWD, 6 speed man. Limited slip diff) and can be had with reasonable miles in good condition, starting at less than 10k now. Huge aftermarket support, and modding potential. A great answer, if you have legs and therefore Miata isn't the answer.

As much as I love my Volt, I should never have traded in the above pictured Mustang. Fun, fast, great aftermarket, easy to work on, reliable, stylish, inexpensive to own.

Gotta second nissan Z. Any generation but especially first gen and the most current ones.

G-bodies. Trust me, I own one!

a/c 911 or very possibly 914 on a smaller budget scale. Cool car to drive, escalating value. Buy in while possible. Own for free.

S-10 pickups of the 80's. 87-92 were the best of the bunch. Mine autocrossed better than it had any right to. Really needed a limited slip to be competitive in H stock though.

Integra. GSR or Type-R for bonus points. We're on our third one. Owned our current for 10 years. Reliable as an anvil. Easy to work on when needed. Double wishbones on all four corners. 8300rpm redline.

My (new) 1988 2wd Ford Ranger 2.0 4cyl 5spd was more fun than you could imagine. Snow drifting, jumping railroad tracks, had it on two wheels more than once, used it as a prerunner type truck only without the soft landings.

I ran it out of oil (used lifter noise as a dipstick) and it just kept running!

any rwd Corolla.... Celica....

rcutclif wrote: uh, miata.

Well, that didn't take long....

I second the Z-cars, at least first gen. The GRM calendar has one on it for this month, and I'm reminiscing. A LOT.

e21. Seriously. They only take a few cheap mods to make them great fun to drive. Talking to my buddy at work here about my cars, pulled a pic of my 320i off PBkt to show him, and dang, I need to get that thing running.

Second the e30. Such great cars to drive. That thing still runs great, it's like a tank, 280k on it now, I think (daughter has been driving it the last year or two...).

I'm working on the Miata angle....

I was really worried I was making a mistake when I bought my W124, but it has been a really great car to own. Repairs are easy and not often needed, and it is a very comfortable cruiser. Not mine:

One more to add: my daily driver is a SAAB 900. I paid $750 for it 12 years ago, and it now has almost 400k miles. Fun to drive, super low maintenance, brilliant to work on. I don't even love how it looks all that much, but I am more attached to mine than anything else I've ever owned. Not mine:

BlueInGreen44 wrote: SVT Focus, yes. Don't leave out a plain old 5 speed Focus with a 2.0 Zetec or 2.3.

<--- Take one 2.0L Zetec Focus and add a PowerWorks Supercharger, SVT suspension and brakes, and a few other pieces. WHP went from 108 to 223 and the rest of the stuff made it possible to use all that power. Most fun vehicle I have ever owned.

XJ: Reliable, goes everywhere, surprisingly fun to drive. The super controllable 4 wheel drifty hoonage in the snow -- that alone makes it worthwhile.