Another "what car?" thread... The answer, sadly, is not miata.

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SpartanG

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So I'm going to be replacing the RL this year and I'm a little lost as to what to look for. Here's what I need...

- Manual
- reasonably reliable/cheap to own, so no e36/46 bmws or DSMs
- Reasonably practical. I'm a college student so I've got a good amount of stuff to haul at times and this is why a Miata is a no go :indiff: 4 seats, however useless they are, is still better than 2.
- at least somewhat sporty or fun to drive. Handling over horsepower. I live around a lot of very technical twisties and I want something that can keep up with my friends lol.

Drive type (fwd,rwd) or door number doesn't matter. Budget is about $7500 at the absolute max and I'd like it to have 130-140k miles at the most, since the RL now has almost 190k and I'm not going to do a sideways movement. I'm going to be home for spring break next week and plan to test drive a few cars. I think RSX type S and WRX are out of the question because insurance would be so ridiculously high, plus for this price range you'd get pretty crappy ones. Also no 240sx, you literally cannot find decent 5 speeds where I am buying (philly). I have some ideas but I wanna see what you guys have. Thanks a lot in advance!
 
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If you don't like a Miata you can get an MX-5 :sly:

Well, there's Lexus IS, MINI Cooper, 5th gen Honda Prelude (or maybe a 3rd gen mint 4ws+gas for a year?), while you're at that - Mitsubishi Eclipse and Toyota Celica. I believe you didn't get MG ZRs over there? Pity.
 
Still trying to do my bit to replace the answer to everything car. No more Miata/MX5/Eunos.

E30!!
 
I've always liked the last series Celicas, with the 190bhp powerplant they used in the Elise/Exige, nice cars, though the earlier ones are cool too, and larger I think?
 
Wouldn't recommend getting a Mini for $7k. Minis have one of the highest resale values in the business, and even ten years later you really won't find very many good examples for less than ten grand. Ten grand and above is a much safer budget when looking at Minis. Insurance for Minis is quite reasonable though. Older Civic Sis run below $7k for good ones, not sure about insurance costs though.

Honda_Civic_Si_EP3.jpg
 
Okay, so you're looking for a reliable, practical car that is also fun and has a manual transmission, yes? I found some used cars near Philadelphia on ebay, have a look:

VW Jetta, $5000, 95000 miles
VW Passat 1.8T, $6650, 106000 miles
VW Jetta 1.8T, $4800, 95000 miles
BMW E30 325i convertible, $5000, 151000 miles

The Jetta 1.8T would be fun and looks like a great deal. You may be able to find other cars similar to it for similar prices.

Also, if you're willing to take a risk and have some fun, here's a 1980 Fiat 124 Spider, for $5,000. it has a few problems, so you'll ahve to put a i tof money into it, but it is an Italian sports car.
 
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+1 on the Jetta. Couple of my buddies have gotten Camry's (please don't hate) for the gas mileage and then use their trucks other times. I'd look into a Camry. Either that or a Ford Focus.
 
A Celica GTS is one of the cars I had on my list to check out, I'll definitely be doing that. They get great gas mileage. And that gen Si is definitely worth a look, although I'm not a fan of the placement of the shifter. My friend has driven one a few times and says it actually feels quite normal but it just seems too minivan-like. And the prelude will get a look although its very hard to find one that hasn't been riced/beat on.

And volkswagens, no way. Those aren't the level of sporty that im looking for, plus the fact that they are known for problems. And an E30, well I (my dad) already have one of those and it's for the track haha. Great cars though.
 
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SpartanG
And that gen Si is definitely worth a look, although I'm not a fan of the placement of the shifter. My friend has driven one a few times and says it actually feels quite normal but it just seems too minivan-like.
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I'd definitely give it a try - dash-mounted shifters look a bit odd, but my last car had one and it was fantastic to use. It's hard to go back to a floor-mounted one after that as it seems like so much of a reach to get to the shifter! Dash-mounted ones are just a palm's width away from the wheel.
 
Chiming in to say the 7th gen Celica GTS is an excellent car. I have had mine since '03 and it has taken good care of me through high school, college, and my commutes to work. Right now I'm sitting at over 200K miles with no mechanical issues. Only thing that I need to do is replace the trunk shocks and the moon roof since the plastic has begun to peel. Although if you get the face-lifted model, I believe they replaced it with glass.

Some things you might want to know: The rev-limiter on the 02 and 05 GTS was lowered to 7800rpm as opposed to the normal 8400rpm, so avoid the 02 and 05 or swap to an 00-01 ECU. Lift bolts will wear faster if you engage lift often, but they're fairly easy to replace and cheap to purchase from Toyota. I get 30-35mpg, but keep in mind the GTS takes premium. If that's a problem, a GT can take regular and it still handles similar to the GTS, you just won't have lift (140hp).

You said you want manual, good. The GTS in my opinion shouldn't have been offered with an auto, ever. :)

I have driven the Si and RSX-S and I still prefer the handling of my car. Even though you said the RSX-S is a no go, for the record those are great cars as well, I'd recommend it over the Si.

Here's my '00 GTS (with a 03-05 front bumper) taken last fall.
celi1.jpg


:)
 
homeforsummer
Nice car, but you're doing it wrong :D I'd have bought a later car and put the earlier bumper on it...
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I miss my old 00 bumper, got into a minor accident a few years ago and needed to replace it. Found an 03 bumper at a junkyard and thought a change would be good. :)
 
Or you can take my Cobalt SS, I have $3,900 left on payments but it's not a manual. It's not just any SS, it's the slower SS version lol.
 
Another vote here for the Celica. I owned a 7th generation for a bit over two years, and drove it about 500kms each week. Never had any problems, the engine was good on fuel (VVTLi, 190hp), and it was very fun to drive. It's also cheap as chips to maintain, and it really is a beautiful looking car. 👍
 
Unfortunately the 99-00 Si wouldn't work because they are incredibly hard to find unmodified and i live near philly when not at school and sometimes park there, and I don't want to worry about it getting stolen. These are hot cars.

Right now its between the Celica GTS, integra (I know, these get stolen too), and EP3 Si. Thanks for the pointers guys! I'll come back with reports after I find and test drive these. Purchase will happen sometime over the summer.
 
I'd get a Celica GTS. Hopefully one without that stupid Pokemon body kit on it. 180hp, 6spd, toyota reliability, can't go wrong.

What about a used Mustang or Camaro?
 
acascianelli
I'd get a Celica GTS. Hopefully one without that stupid Pokemon body kit on it. 180hp, 6spd, toyota reliability, can't go wrong.

What about a used Mustang or Camaro?
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I love the '00 model camaro and '05 model mustang. Those would be great choices.
 
Speaking of Mustangs a Fox Body wouldn't be a bad bet. Not too bad of handling and a decent amount of power.
 
Mazda Protege5

Pick one up for $4500 and use the $3k you saved on a nice vacation, put away for a rainy day, or a used bike. It's a wagon, many are 5 speeds, and they're quite reliable. Fast? No. Great gas mileage? Sorta. Cheap to own? Absolutely.

Stay away from cars from the rust belt; many Mazdas have cancer on the 1/4's. If buying from a private seller, see if they've replaced the timing belt and can prove it. If they can't, they didn't...private sellers, more often than not, are worse than used car lots when it comes to lying their ass off.

Buy it, beat on it, and enjoy it.
 
EP3 Civic Sir or Type R, its hatchback, so lots of space in the back. Good on fuel, easy to work on, VTEC, handles great!
 
BrutherSuperior
Mazda Protege5

Pick one up for $4500 and use the $3k you saved on a nice vacation, put away for a rainy day, or a used bike. It's a wagon, many are 5 speeds, and they're quite reliable. Fast? No. Great gas mileage? Sorta. Cheap to own? Absolutely.

Stay away from cars from the rust belt; many Mazdas have cancer on the 1/4's. If buying from a private seller, see if they've replaced the timing belt and can prove it. If they can't, they didn't...private sellers, more often than not, are worse than used car lots when it comes to lying their ass off.

Buy it, beat on it, and enjoy it.
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I thought about these, but i heard they have a lot of parts that need frequent replacement. Like the front shocks or something go bad often. I do like the wagons though. I'll give it a drive. As long as it takes regular I'll be doing better than I am now :dunce:
 

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