Curtis said:Duke said:98% bulletproof, 40% cool, 60% not a chore to drive. I can't go down to $3500, though (at least not for a while yet).
Nice car. I should just come to you first every time :)
Curtis said:I'm looking for something that either LOOKS cool or is actually fun to drive.
The TSX looks nice and drives nicely, but I don't think "nice" is what you're looking for.
Saab 9-3 convertible.
95% bulletproof, 60% cool, 40% not a chore to drive.
That sounds like a pickup truck. I dont see anything wrong with having two.
I know you discounted the matrix/vibe but the one to have is the GT or whatever they call it with the bigger motor, 6 spd, and 4 disc brakes. Wife had one and it was a quick yet very practical daily.
Crown Vic’s are in that price range. I had 99 p71 that was super reliable and fun to drive.
Wife had a 07 kia spectra5 (hatchback) which was also reliable and fun to drive till a deer totaled it.
Buddy has 2 Yaris’s which have been good and not a terrible place to spend time.
i see your in PA too, not sure how it is around you but $3500 usually doesn’t get you a decent Miata any more.
In reply to Curtis :
Listed here! It's definitely not perfect , but is low mileage and drives great .
https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/cars-sale/2000-mr2-spyder-5500-mine/149468/page1/
Or, you could take some of that $3,500.00 and use it to make either the SS or the truck more reliable and spend the rest on gas.
rattfink81 said:I know you discounted the matrix/vibe but the one to have is the GT or whatever they call it with the bigger motor, 6 spd, and 4 disc brakes. Wife had one and it was a quick yet very practical daily.
Crown Vic’s are in that price range. I had 99 p71 that was super reliable and fun to drive.
Wife had a 07 kia spectra5 (hatchback) which was also reliable and fun to drive till a deer totaled it.
Buddy has 2 Yaris’s which have been good and not a terrible place to spend time.
i see your in PA too, not sure how it is around you but $3500 usually doesn’t get you a decent Miata any more.
I'm loving all the suggestions because it is showing me that maybe the flash is a bit more important than the fast, but I think my GRM-ness is a bit different than many of you folks' GRM-ness.
What many of you are suggesting is an econobox that they upgraded with springs, a turbo, and/or VVT and made it a fun shooting brake or hot hatch. What I'm looking for is more like something that is a performance car that happens to score high in the reliability part.
So instead of an econobox like a Fusion or Golf that has been warmed over, I'm thinking more like a (wild example) Lotus Elise that happens to have a Toyota driveline, or an MR2, or a Miata, Z-car, or something similar. Instead of something that started boring and they made it fun, I'm thinking something that started as a purpose-built fun sportsy thing and happens to have a known bulletproof driveline.
APEowner said:Or, you could take some of that $3,500.00 and use it to make either the SS or the truck more reliable and spend the rest on gas.
That thought crossed my mind. The SS is not UNreliable, but I think it's just time for it to go to someone that can give it the love it deserves. The truck is really begging for a diesel swap which could be done easily within that $3500 range, but no time or garage space to do it. Trading the SS for an already reliable piece is the easy button.
Not to mention, spending $3500 on the SS won't mean it's worth $3500 more. I hate to think of it as such a cold, financial thing, but I'm wondering if I spend $3500 freshening it up and suddenly the rear axle explodes, or it gets totaled, or stolen, or whatever, it will basically be a complete loss of that $3500 investment.
If your looking for a $3500 “fast” car I’d say mustang, camaro, mr2, maybe a g35.
fast, reliable, cheap, and not a project aren’t usually used in one sentence. But I’m interested to see what you find and buy.
Im currently on the same search. I want to sell my excursion and get a decent dd.
I've been cross shopping Mercedes E350's with these Acura RL's. Affordable, awd, nice, and should be reliable.
tr8todd said:Saab 9-3 convertible.
That’s actually a fantastic suggestion.
of the ones on that list, (that I have driven) the Golf and Mazda 6 are the closest to what I'm seekingYou are talking to a guy who is into classic iron sleds. My idea of fast is to stuff a cam in the biggest V8 I can find and then cobble up some suspension parts to make it handle OK. Something like a Ford Focus is a hard sell.
That is interesting and explains a lot. If you drove a maz3 and a maz6 and liked the huge boaty version more, then my list is completely off the mark for your preferences.
More in your line of thinking, i was shopping for things with the nissan/infiniti 3.5 in it for a while, as a large/fast-ish/reliable cruiser.
Let's see... local to me CL search in that price range with the rwd box checked brings up a bunch of SUVs, some V6 Chargers, a V6 Chrysler 300, some nice looking panther cars, a couple Lincoln Mk VII/VIIIs, Oooh and a pretty Jaguar XJ6.
3500 won't get you a very nice G35 but it'll get you a really good i35 and at least in a straight line that's pretty much the same thing.
nutherjrfan said:$3.5k would probably buy the nicest un-molested SVTf left out there. It is out there isn't it? Maybe a similar peer the Sentra SE-R.
Never mind hawt hatches don't get looked after.
2500 - https://houston.craigslist.org/cto/d/houston-svt-ford-focus/6973426906.html
There was a silver 4-door svt focus down the street but I guess it’s sold, they were asking 3500. If you could find a svt contour it would be in the same ballpark or less.
When I was in the same market I ended up with a 2006 mazda3i 5 speed. It was a hoot to drive, even did a few autocrosses with the local bmw club. Plenty of pep and fun to drive, especially with the hotchkiss rear sway
In reply to yupididit :
7.3, yes? I’d like details. I can’t remember it’s condition.
grover said:In reply to yupididit :
7.3, yes? I’d like details. I can’t remember it’s condition.
Yes sir. I'll message you details
I'm digging the Infinity suggestions. Also liking Miata and MR2. It doesn't have to be RWD, but I think there are enough RWD cars in this category that my needs could likely be met.
It also doesn't have to be big, it's just that most of the small cars are going to be souped up econoboxes.
Eariler I gave the random example of a Triumph with a 1ZZ swap. That more or less describes a Miata. RWD cool roadster with a reliable driveline. What about something a touch older? 300Z? 2nd Gen MR2?
And, if finding one doesn't happen with a $3500 budget, I could stretch it a bit.
So, the short list:
Answer
MR2
G35/i35
possibly SC400, but that's a little big. If I'm going that big, I'll revive the XJR search, but both of those are a little sketchy in the $3500 range
... Using that theme, keep the suggestions coming
When I started reading this, I was thinking this guy needs a Protege MP3, Mazda 3 or XRS, but as I read on I realized that's not what you're after.
It seems like an Answer or MR2 is the best bet for you, but what about something out of left field like a Lincoln Mark VII?
Sort of unusual, 32V V8, good commuter, but probably pretty fast. I've never driven one, but it just popped into my mind. Edit: Just saw you think the SC 400 is too big, so nevermind.
Also, what about a first gen IS 300? I drove one when they came out and thought it was pretty great. Not exactly fast but it has a bit of flash. Seem to be reliable as it's a Toyota. Hard to find unmolested though.
I know its down on power compared to some things suggested here but I had a yaris hatch w/springs and a fat rear bar and that was akin to driving a go kart. 
. 40 mpg didn't hurt either!
Curtis said:java230 said:I have a cheap (Ish) SW30 MR2 for sale.... Not quite 3500$, but its a fun little car :)
How much "not quite?"
link to an ad if you have one? I like the idea of 1ZZ plus ragtop plus mid engine. Reliable, looks cool, and fast in an Answer kind of way.
They’re actually a ZZW30. Toyota uses the engine code for part of the chassis code. Thus zz, in leu of s (3/5s as in 5sfe/3sgte)
Saab 9-3 or 9-5 sedan/hatch??
dxman92 said:Saab 9-3 or 9-5 sedan/hatch??
That's two shouts for the Saab 9-3. But what about being orphaned? I might consider a Saaburu, but I envision parts for a defunct swedish car purchased by GM and sold to an investement/holding firm might be going the way of Suzuki.
9-5 at least is basically a Chevy/cadillac/buick so parts should be around.
CyberEric said:When I started reading this, I was thinking this guy needs a Protege MP3, Mazda 3 or XRS, but as I read on I realized that's not what you're after.
It seems like an Answer or MR2 is the best bet for you, but what about something out of left field like a Lincoln Mark VII?
Sort of unusual, 32V V8, good commuter, but probably pretty fast. I've never driven one, but it just popped into my mind. Edit: Just saw you think the SC 400 is too big, so nevermind.
Also, what about a first gen IS 300? I drove one when they came out and thought it was pretty great. Not exactly fast but it has a bit of flash. Seem to be reliable as it's a Toyota. Hard to find unmolested though.
It's not that the SC400 is too big. If you could find me a reliable, good-handling Buick Riviera Boattail for $3500, I'd buy it in a heartbeat. Just that I'm thinking more commuter, flickable, fun, fast, and trying to avoid the souped up econobox genre. I was only really mentioning that if I'm going that big, I might as well lapse back into finding the dream machine I always wanted; an XJR.
In reply to Curtis :
That very much depends on the 9-5 IIRC, the earlier ones are an updated 9000.
When I did ask about SAABs about 9 months ago the consensus seemed that the regular stuff needed to keep them running was still available.
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