PM lists fun cars under $3k

http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/news/vintage-speed/fun-cars-for-less-than-3k

Their list is

Mazda Miata BMW E30 3 Series Toyota MR2 Volkswagen Rabbit GTI Jeep Wrangler Pontiac Fiero Porsche 914 Mitsubishi Starion ESI Ford Probe GT

No Omni GLH?

Don't see a problem with that.

Can you a 914 for under $3K that runs?

P71 wrote: Can you a 914 for under $3K that runs?

Runs? Yes. Doesn't break in half when you open both doors?

Not so much.

Datsun1500 wrote: Can you get a wrangler under $3k?

Yup. I've seen a couple.

No Omni GLH?

I think they skipped the whole turbo-mopar group because its WAY too many nameplates to list. If you named every rendition of a fun turbo-mopar that you could get for under $3k, it would look like you were just writing an article about turbo mopars with a few other nameplates thrown in.

It is very difficult to get a 'fun' wrangler for under $3k.

There is way too little RX-7 on that list.

If you find a good local Jeep club, you can nose out cheap Wranglers. They ALL need the rear freeze plug replaced, and they may not run, but they CAN be found.

triumph5 wrote:

Datsun1500 wrote: Can you get a wrangler under $3k?

Yup. I've seen a couple.

I bought two. Both were TJs. The first was a four cylinder for $1800 that needed a new transfer case and tires. The second was a six for $1500 that needed a new engine, radiator, brakes and top.

These deals are few and far between. In both cases, I responded to the ad within two hours of its posting.

I sold the four cylinder for five grand and the six cylinder for more than seven thousand.

I'll buy just about any sub $2K TJ I can find.

No neons?

The only sub $3k running Wranglers I can find are rusty YJs, often I-4s

no CRX?

Nothing from Italy?

Datsun1500 wrote: In reply to Woody: You pretty much confirmed what I was thinking. The list says fun cars for under $3K, not project cars for under $3K. You sold both of yours for more than the $3K... Any Jeep I see under $3K is a project, regardless of the year. It seems like drivers bottom out around $5,000

Agreed. I looked for 6 months for a reasonably priced Wrangler. I found the same thing. Anything below the 5K-6K range was a project. Finally gave up and bought a Cherokee which was 4K but in good shape.

At least half the cars on that list have "disappeared" from America's roads, so finding any one of those 6 (Starion, Probe GT, 1st or 2nd gen GTi for example) will take a heck of a lot of time...if you aren't plugged into magazines/websites like this one. Then, as others have pointed out, the price of admission MAY be under $3K, but for a decent driver you will spend closer to $5K.

By the way, just this afternoon I found 2 different Fieros on my local CL, both under $2K, neither driveable at the current time.

I can't remember the last time I even saw a 914 on the road.. in any condition

Mazdax605 wrote: There is way too little RX-7 on that list.

+1

They forgot the most fun car of all time ....

I'll take mine with the 4.1, vinyl roof and a year's supply of depends.

IMO, this list has no merit, since it didn't include the Civic/CRX-si's.

Odd list. It looks like they wanted a token 4x4 and the Wrangler was it. Fun of course but in different way than say a MR2. Most Wrangler in that price range are projects. Probably get a decent Suzuki Sidekick or one of its clones for that price though.

The Porsche 914 is a bit odd - I could see it being on this list say ten years ago but 3K would again buy you a pretty rough example.

Miatas for 3K for impossible to find here but for most of the US its probably the best car on the list.

I'd add a 1st generation Rx-7 - they are silly cheap even more decent examples and great fun.

A DOHC/5spd Neon would be another good addition.

Escort GTs might be another decent choice. Probably easier to find than a Starion. Although the Starion is darn cool its more of a niche car like a Izuzu Impulse turbo.

integraguy wrote: At least half the cars on that list have "disappeared" from America's roads, so finding any one of those 6 (Starion, Probe GT, 1st or 2nd gen GTi for example) will take a heck of a lot of time...if you aren't plugged into magazines/websites like this one. Then, as others have pointed out, the price of admission MAY be under $3K, but for a decent driver you will spend closer to $5K. By the way, just this afternoon I found 2 different Fieros on my local CL, both under $2K, neither driveable at the current time.

x2. I actually get three or four people a month walk up to me at the gas station and ask if my A2 GTI is for sale. And it's just an 8v! It's been 2 years since I've seen a Starion on the street. I've seen a Probe, but I'm cheating..one of my old corner worker buddies still has his.

I've seen plenty of YJs for $3k or less that weren't projects. Weren't appliances, but weren't projects either.

More fun, in my opinion, would be a CJ2,3, 5 or 7 with a v8 and those are all plentiful for under $3k.

Last week a running/driving CJ8 went for $500 on CL. Body was hammered, but I still should have bought it.

In reply to twolittlebroncos:

That very much depends on where you are in the country. Out here, hardly any of the CJs or Wranglers worth having are going to for $3k. Heck, a lot of projects go for more.

Even Cherokees tend to scrape in over $3k if they're mid-90s onwards.

Around here driveable Cherokees run from $800-$5k

You can probably find a drivable one out here for a grand, but you're talking mid-late 80s Renix ones.

Starions seem cool but they also make me nervous, like owning one would be a never ending science project of keeping the thing running right, although I know there are folks on this board that like the car. So maybe some day...