Fun Car Under 10k
Discussion
Hi guys, this is my first post here at PH, but I've been a reader here for a few years. I was hoping to get some car advice from the members here. I'm now in the US so the choices need to be limited the the NA market. I still don't know any good U.S. based general motoring forums so I thought I'd ask here.
I currently own a Honda Accord and wanted to switch to something a little more fun to drive. I think the Honda's pretty boring overall and wanted something more interesting. I'm primarily looking for something that handles well and is reasonably comfortable to drive to Uni and work every day, outright speed isn't my chief concern (although I do want something with a little poke). I just want a car that I can enjoy driving.
I'm looking to spend up to $10K. I'm not overly concerned about fuel economy as long as it gets around 20 day to day. I'd like a coupe, but a sedan would be fine as well. I definitely do not want a convertible so that rules out an MX-5 or S2000. At the moment I'm heavily leaning towards an E36 M3. I know the cars that were made for the NA market are pretty different to the ones in the UK, but it seems to be a decent car for my purposes. I like the interior and they have plenty of speed for my purposes. The handling is what truly draws me to the car. I'm not afraid to DIY and from what I've gathered I can take on most of what might come up and try to find a car with some of the more important wear items replaced, but the maintenance factor involved with the M3 is my main concern with that car. I haven't been able to settle on much else besides the E36. A G35 coupe or sedan would be nice, but the sedans are rare in 6spd standard form and the coupes fetch around 14k. The next best option I've been able to work out has been an Acura RSX Type S (DC5 Integra). It's FWD, but ticks all the other boxes on my list.
I genuinely have been unable to think of anything else that might suit my needs. I've outlined what I'm looking for and some cars I've considered in order to help give an idea of what it is I want. If anyone has any suggestions I'd absolutely love to hear them. I've searched around a fair bit and have been able to come up with anything that I could see myself buying. I'd really appreciate any help I can get.
Thanks guys, I'm looking forward to being a part of the PH community.
I currently own a Honda Accord and wanted to switch to something a little more fun to drive. I think the Honda's pretty boring overall and wanted something more interesting. I'm primarily looking for something that handles well and is reasonably comfortable to drive to Uni and work every day, outright speed isn't my chief concern (although I do want something with a little poke). I just want a car that I can enjoy driving.
I'm looking to spend up to $10K. I'm not overly concerned about fuel economy as long as it gets around 20 day to day. I'd like a coupe, but a sedan would be fine as well. I definitely do not want a convertible so that rules out an MX-5 or S2000. At the moment I'm heavily leaning towards an E36 M3. I know the cars that were made for the NA market are pretty different to the ones in the UK, but it seems to be a decent car for my purposes. I like the interior and they have plenty of speed for my purposes. The handling is what truly draws me to the car. I'm not afraid to DIY and from what I've gathered I can take on most of what might come up and try to find a car with some of the more important wear items replaced, but the maintenance factor involved with the M3 is my main concern with that car. I haven't been able to settle on much else besides the E36. A G35 coupe or sedan would be nice, but the sedans are rare in 6spd standard form and the coupes fetch around 14k. The next best option I've been able to work out has been an Acura RSX Type S (DC5 Integra). It's FWD, but ticks all the other boxes on my list.
I genuinely have been unable to think of anything else that might suit my needs. I've outlined what I'm looking for and some cars I've considered in order to help give an idea of what it is I want. If anyone has any suggestions I'd absolutely love to hear them. I've searched around a fair bit and have been able to come up with anything that I could see myself buying. I'd really appreciate any help I can get.
Thanks guys, I'm looking forward to being a part of the PH community.
Thanks everyone for all the suggestions. I have 3 more years left of Uni so I'll remain in the U.S. for at least that long. I had been thinking about buying an american car a little bit. Mainly a GTO, the LS1 would probably be fun, but I'm not sure it would be so great to drive everyday.
I hadn't thought of a W202 Benz, I like that suggestion. I think it would be pretty comfortable to drive, but I was leaning towards something with a manual transmission. I'm also not too knowledgable about the running costs involved with one. I'll have to check it out, thanks.
When you guys say 540i I assume you mean E39? I hadn't really thought about that one either. I like that suggestion. I may lean towards an I6 model though. I had been contemplating an E34 about a month ago for something pretty cheap to run for a while to replace my Honda, but they're damn near impossible to find in decent condition.
I haven't driven an E36M here yet, but do you really think it will be underwhelming? I'm more or less looking for something that handles well rather than something with a lot of power, but I'd like it to be somewhat practical and comfortable to drive everyday. The M seems to fit the bill, however they can be pretty expensive to run which deters me slightly.
Anyone have any experience with an RSX/DC5 Integra? I was thinking something Japanese might be a tad less expensive to run, but usually that involves a trade off in excitement. I haven't been able to find any really great reviews on the RSX in comparison to a good RWD car like an M3.
I hadn't thought of a W202 Benz, I like that suggestion. I think it would be pretty comfortable to drive, but I was leaning towards something with a manual transmission. I'm also not too knowledgable about the running costs involved with one. I'll have to check it out, thanks.
When you guys say 540i I assume you mean E39? I hadn't really thought about that one either. I like that suggestion. I may lean towards an I6 model though. I had been contemplating an E34 about a month ago for something pretty cheap to run for a while to replace my Honda, but they're damn near impossible to find in decent condition.
I haven't driven an E36M here yet, but do you really think it will be underwhelming? I'm more or less looking for something that handles well rather than something with a lot of power, but I'd like it to be somewhat practical and comfortable to drive everyday. The M seems to fit the bill, however they can be pretty expensive to run which deters me slightly.
Anyone have any experience with an RSX/DC5 Integra? I was thinking something Japanese might be a tad less expensive to run, but usually that involves a trade off in excitement. I haven't been able to find any really great reviews on the RSX in comparison to a good RWD car like an M3.
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