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hunter47
hunter47 Reader
6/14/22 11:13 a.m.

Just the Miata, honestly. Any RWD in the $5k price range will definitely need work and if you're looking for a car you drive more than you work on you don't want a RWD car in the $5k price range imo. They're all going to be clapped out. 

I had a Nissan 300ZX NA as my second car that I bought for $4500 and that thing constantly needed work. It was fun when it didn't have any issues but it almost always had an issue, and it was a pain to work on. I had a friend who got an E36 as his second car and similar story, always working on it (namely the cooling system). 

A first car should be reliable first and fun second. The last thing you want is to not show up to your job on time because you crashed your "fun" E36 M3box drift missile in the mountains with no cell reception last night and couldn't find a ride to work between crash time and shift start as it was midnight... Not that I would know. 

I know it's not the answer you're looking for but having a "fun" RWD car as your first car is a recipe for disaster, not just in terms of work, but also responsibility. Now, I'm not saying you're irresponsible, I think you're quite responsible that you're still getting your mom's input on first car purchase, but you're also a 17 year old car enthusiast and I remember what it was like to be a 17 year old car enthusiast. 

My advice would be to get the Honda Fit, learn how to work on it, learn how to have fun in it (autox or HPDE!), and move on to a RWD platform such as an NC/ND miata or Toyobaru when you have more money and are more streetwise. 

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ UltimaDork
6/14/22 11:16 a.m.

Since you mentioned MR2- I wouldn't be afraid of those either.  All three generations are relatively simple and use standard Toyota drivetrains found in fwd stuff, and I've never found them particularly difficult to work on, the packaging is just different and some things are a little harder to reach.  Rust will be your main enemy on those, especially the first generation.

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