Craigslist + $4K = ?

So for starters, I am sorry! I know, I know, another "what car" thread. When will they ever stop.

Background: Current vehicles are a 2006 Ranger 4wd 4.0Lv6 supercab, and a beat to death 1994 corolla that was bought for $700 two years ago. The corolla was okay for occasional commute and run around, but it has finally died and is not worth the time or money. The time has finally come for new commuter car, so here it goes:

Purpose: 1. DD- 70 mile round trip daily commute from elk grove, ca to dixon, ca. (mostly freeway, but there are back/river roads that can be taken for fun or to avoid freeway backups) 2. Potential to do the occasional track day/ autocross. not concerned about classes or anything like that.

Wants/Needs: 1. Manual trans. 2. Good fuel economy 3. Good aftermarket support and or cheap replacement parts 4. Low cost of operation, low maintenance. 5. Commuter friendly. Something that will be able to knock back 70 miles a day without killing me or itself. 6. Fits a tall driver (6'-4"). Willing to modify seating if it means I will fit with a helmet. 7. $4k budget (could expand to 5-6k if it was something special)

Open to any suggestions. Would like to find something by the end of the coming weekend, so if it was your money, you had these requirements, and had the Sacramento/Northern California Craigslist at your disposal, what would you do???

Thanks!

kinda seems to me that you need a really good civic or integra. you could probably find a decent stock (as stock as you can find a gsr, at least) gsr for $4k

e36 325i or 328i, Integra, Prelude, Mk3 Supra, 240SX, B13 SE-R

Ford Focus, Acura RSX, Saab?

Hyundai Accent.

2.3 focus since you're in cali and got a lot of those. add bits from the svt version and go!

M50 E30. Had one in my driveway for $3,800

For some reason I like the Sentra idea. For the price range, I would rock one.

V6 Mazda 626 with a 5 speed. Wife has one and she refuses to part with it.

all are good choices.. except for those that are FWD when the OP wanted RWD.

I think the BMW is the way to go.. just be expected to do all the maintance BEFORE you start communuting in it. 35 miles from home is no time to discover that you forgot to do the engine mounts and you just grenaded the fan into the radiator and poked a dent in the hood

Something to consider: Seats. I'd kill for a new factory set for the integra. My commute is 80 miles/day.

That said, it has been a good commuter otherwise. Enough power to make it not mind-numbingly boring. 30+ mpg with cruise set at 75.

A Civic VX would be awesome, but be aware, some of the vtec-e specific stuff can be pricey. The 5-wire o2 sensor is almost $400 IIRC.

Sounds like you have similar needs to mine - I'm pretty tall and have a long commute too. I opted for an E36 BMW - had a bit more budget so I went with a convertible, but $4K would get a nice 325 or 328 sedan or coupe. Or a 318 if you don't need the six.

A Ford Focus / Escort ZX2 or Mazda Protege might also be a good buy. Strangely enough, though, my Focus didn't get much better mileage than my 328.

Civic.

What about the Miata you have? A hard top would help with the comfort level...

Otherwise, E36's are a pleasure and are surprisingly efficient.

That said, I have yet to find a good reason to sell my TDI to get a more interesting car to commute in: it's been incredibly cheap to run and is comfortable and quiet on the highway. I paid a little more than $4k for mine, and have put nearly 60k trouble free miles on it over two years. I constantly battle whether I should replace it with a Miata/E36/or or or, but it saves me $100/month in fuel compared to the Protege that preceded it and simply commutes very well.

Never purchased the miata. Looked at a few, but was never able to sit in one with a seat dropped far enough to fit comfortably. I was seriously looking for one, but after talking to a few friends who own miatas, I didn't think it would be the car for my daily commute.

I would be okay with an integra 2 or 4 door grs, but have not seen one that wasn't riced out in a long time, unless I am looking in the wrong place. Same goes for the prelude and the 240sx(which I really like).

The e36 BMW interests me, what would be good years, if there is such a thing? Other than the cooling system, what else should I be planning on taking care of? What type of mileage could I realistically expect from a 328i or 325i 5sp?

Spec V Just throwing my favorite perversion out there.

holy crap if i had $4k and free reign of CL i'd have about 7 or 8 new cars tomorrow. a few of them might even run

2nd gen NA MR2.

My first reaction though was 4K + Craigslist = Divorce , or a long slow path towards total destruction! It all starts innocently enough, then you end up having constant craigslist searches alerting your phone, parts and cars taking up garage and yard space, and before you know it, you've cornered the market on Eastern Bloc cars.

but will I fit in a 2nd gen MR2? I haven't had the chance to find see one yet, but from the looks of it, seems like it might be tight?

And, yes, the endless CL searching can be quite evil!

If RWD is a requirement, E36 seems like the way to go. Other than cooling system, you want to look at engine mounts, as mentioned, and various bushings in the rear suspension. Bimmerforums has some good sticky threads on all this stuff.

If RWD isn't so important, I like the 2.3 Focus idea. Better mileage, more modern, probably safer, quite practical, and lots of fun with all the SVT bits. Try before you buy, though. The seats in mid-2000s Foci seem to be a love/hate thing for most people. I never minded them.

carczar_84 wrote: The e36 BMW interests me, what would be good years, if there is such a thing? Other than the cooling system, what else should I be planning on taking care of? What type of mileage could I realistically expect from a 328i or 325i 5sp?

They're all good years (1992 to 1998; most 1999s were E46s). The 1996 and later ones have more torque but don't rev quite as much.

Biggest thing to watch out for besides the cooling issues is suspension. Many of them are still on their original shocks and need new ones. The rear upper shock mounts often wear out (they're accessible through the trunk on the tops of the wheelwells on coupes and sedans). And in general, anything made of rubber in the suspension may need replacing.

I'm getting mid 20s with a 328 convertible, around 27 if the onboard trip computer is accurate. I'd expect the lighter body styles to do a little better.

what about something like this? Any thoughts?

http://sacramento.craigslist.org/cto/2854827542.html

Mustang baby! You can easily nab a 5.0 GT from 94-95 in that range, and a Cobra if you are lucky.

In reply to carczar_84: The rear drivers side quarter looks like a different color to me. Possibly a repair.

Javelin wrote: Mustang baby! You can easily nab a 5.0 GT from 94-95 in that range, and a Cobra if you are lucky.

And those are SURE to get great gas mileage!

Shoot, I may wait a couple months for gas to hit $4.50/gal and scoop one up cheap though.