Pick a car for me....... PLEASE

Folks,

IM LOSING MY MIND. Please help me pick a car.

Scenario: I need to buy a car in the next couple of weeks. I’ve been dragging out the process for months and push is coming to shove. I have owned and autocrossed/tracked Miatas in the past but that was when I could justify (before I got married) having two personal vehicles. Now I need to purchase a do it all car.

Obviously I loved the Miata platform, lightweight, rear drive, manual, and so on, but it will not be an option for me as a daily. I’ve been shopping lightweight-ish manuals like the Honda Fit, MK5 GTI, and Minis but, these all seem terribly hard to find in my lousy market. Love the idea of a fun manual hatch that I could also do some auto crossing and maybe a couple of track days in while still being somewhat practical.

BUDGET:

Sadly, we are young and not close to wealthy so I’m only looking to borrow about 5-7k from my credit union.

I know there will be some compromises to be made but any input would be greatly appreciated because I have spent countless HOURS reading forum post and build threads trying to make a decision and my wife might actually leave me due to the amount of time this is taking.

Thanks for any input guys,

Ben

2012+ Focus with a manual. Cheap, decent chassis, and aftermarket upgraded suspension stuff is out there thanks to the existence of the Focus ST.

7K budget. 

Civic Si sedan. 

I loved my 2011 Mazdaspeed3, but prefer more reliability for a young family such as yourself.

WRX hatch are mostly beat to death and hard to find in your budget. 

In reply to mr2s2000elise :

I have considered an older Si but for some reason im central AR, they seem to be hard to come by. I am definitely still keeping my eye out. The WRX assessment is very accurate. The ones in my price range have all been ragged on hard and hung up wet. I really appreciate the input! Keep em' coming!

If you don't mind the horsepower deficit, the Mazda 2 also sounds like it might be right up your alley.

In reply to BlueInGreen - Jon :

Thanks man, I have not really considered these. I have driven both Fiesta and Focus in ST flavor and both are excellent. Wish they would fall off a few more grand in value. Thanks for the input, I'll keep an eye out for one.

Protege5? They were a riot.

I'd seriously look at a mazda6 stick car. They were a fun chassis, plenty of family room, and are CHEAP on the used market. Upgrades, while limited, aren't really required. 

Travel so you can find what you want?

Fiesta ST is usually a bit more, but it might be doable. I've seen some at the top end of your range. It's really good, super nimble. Alternatively, slap ST bits on a regular fiesta? Eg. 1L Ecoboost.

The 8th gen Si sedan isn't a bad suggestion.. IF you could find one.. and it's going to be far from perfect and you'll need to have money set aside for parts that might break. 

You should be able to find a Honda fit in your budget. 

John welsh has written here about PenFed lending on anything based upon NADA clean trade value.. 

if you go poke around facebook marketplace in major cities in the south. you should be able to find something.. 

CARS.com nationwide search shows lots of options in really nice shape, you'll probably need to come up with cash to buy one from a dealer though.. that's my 2 cents.. 
 

Also let me specify:

We have NO KIDS. So I could probably get away with something kind of small as long as it has some storage.

In reply to Snrub :

Haven't thought about base Fiesta's......

hmmm

are you anywhere near the rust belt?  What about a early focus 4 dr hatch?

Fly and drive. Did that last 4 times in 2 years, fantastic results. 

+1 on Protege5, Mazda6, 3 ,2, and Focus (manual only).

I had the same price constraints as you and that’s what I was rest driving.

All of them are fun to drive and fairly trouble free.

I could never find a Civic Si in that range that wasn’t clapped out.

In reply to CyberEric :

What did you end up with??

I am in Central Arkansas.

spacecadet said:

The 8th gen Si sedan isn't a bad suggestion.. IF you could find one.. and it's going to be far from perfect and you'll need to have money set aside for parts that might break. 
 

This.  It will not have any clearcoat remaining, a few problems, 100k+ miles, and is a terrible idea to finance.  Its sad they are so hard to find in good condition, they are excellent cars.

In that price range the top of my list would be a Mazda 3 2.5 hatch.  If you really want to go the sports car route, I saw an FRS on craigslist for $7k the other day.  Very clean, 90k, salvage title.

In reply to ProDarwin :

7k FRS...... Didn't know these were getting down there, even in salvage form. I do like the Mazda3 as well. Thanks 

EP3 Si?? I've seen a couple of decent ones. I know the least about these civics in comparison to any other.

Mazda3

Another Mazda3 vote

In reply to amg_rx7 :

2.3 1st gen or 2.5 second gen?

E46 330i? Sedan options, rwd, manual, 240hp, definately below your price range leaving room for some maintenance, huge upgrade potential, future spec racing candidate, balanced chassis, easy to work on.

Also consider e36 3 series for cheaper to leave budget room for upgrades. 

This was the use case BMW made a brand out of and was actually successful in pulling together through the mid 2000s. Awesome cars to wrench on and track days are zero problems assuming the cooling systems and control arm bushings are updated.

Benjamin_Casto said:

In reply to BlueInGreen - Jon :

Thanks man, I have not really considered these. I have driven both Fiesta and Focus in ST flavor and both are excellent. Wish they would fall off a few more grand in value. Thanks for the input, I'll keep an eye out for one.

 

I vaguely remember the Fiesta ST being buyable in the 7k range.  They are a ton of fun and have nice aftermarket support.

How has nobody suggested a mid 2000's manual transmission Accord? They're fun-ish, cheap-ish, get good-ish mileage, and they are cheap to insure. Utterly fantastic at being a car. Is the Honda Fit on  your radar? They're more fun than they should be and are also excellent at being cars. Bobzilla should be along shortly to recommend many Huyndai flavors and to be honest, he's probably right. They depreciate like heavy things falling from high places so you can get more car for your money used. 

Edit: Just saw you were already looking at Fit's. Good man. Don't discount a fly and drive. It's a fantastic experience.