Some interesting choices. However, I am intrigued after reading some mustang forums. It seems IRS swaps are common. I am seeing 96-98 cobras for as little as $5k on CL. I wonder how hard it would be to find one with IRS already swapped that has not been ragged for $6-7k. That would leave me with a bit of money for steeda or maximum motorsports suspension bits. 99 cobras seem unloved because of the horsepower recalls as well.
Javelin wrote: The $10K question is the easiest one to answer. GTO
You keep saying that, but I'm not finding examples for 10k that I'd want to buy (high miles, abused, etc)!
I don't think it'd be hard to find the world's nicest SW20 MR2 for $10k...
Show up at the next Bear Mountain PKWY MR2 meet with $10k in your pocket and walk away with a car. 
Osterkraut wrote:Javelin wrote: The $10K question is the easiest one to answer. GTOYou keep saying that, but I'm not finding examples for 10k that I'd want to buy (high miles, abused, etc)!
They are out there. . . they just get snapped up rather quickly!!
w107 500slc? A factory race car and one of the rarest modern mercedes. Enough parts to be driven and once sorted you could daily drive it if you wanted.
benzbaron wrote: w107 500slc? A factory race car and one of the rarest modern mercedes. Enough parts to be driven and once sorted you could daily drive it if you wanted.
That would be cool. Most of the cars mentioned seem waay too boring to me. If its just a weekend car why not get something that isnt usually just a daily driver for most people.
can you find s197 mustangs for under $10k now? If so I would go after one!
E30. practically free buy-in, classic looks, inexpensive components. ($40 brake pads, etc).
It's the car I bought when my budget got ripped to shreds. If I had $10k, I'd probably have an E30, a lift put in the garage, a 60gal compressor, and some other man-cave stuff. Ogh ogh oghgrr.
Free buy-in on an E30? Where?
Pretty much anything I see out here that's worth having is between $4k-$7k.
Clean E30's are definitely going up, but 10k would still buy a nearly flawless one.
I'd add E36 M3 to the must drive category for the OP's usage. Great cars - we just bought another one (after being without for a couple years). Ours is a convertible - somewhat finicky power tops, FWIW, but the roof-down experience was of value (for us).
S197 Mustang 'might' be doable in that price range.
Have you looked at anything 'old'? You should be able to find a very nice 2002, just be sure to check if for rust.
LS1 swapped FD RX7? Much to my surprise, they are getting close to that price point. You can definitely get a swapped FC RX7 for under 10k....
thunderzy wrote: what about a 944 turbo?!!!!!!
+1
BoxheadTim wrote: Free buy-in on an E30? Where? Pretty much anything I see out here that's worth having is between $4k-$7k.
Bought mine Dec. 3, 2011 for $660 with 85K miles. Oxidized paint? Yeah, it's single stage, that will polish up noice! Also needs guibo, ball joints, and doesn't have a sticker indicating timing belt done, which is fine because the water pump is probably leaking too.
I could get into more detail about what it needs, but needless to say, I have a budget blaster in mind, and I plan to do a build thread whenever the fun begins.
Still, I could sell the wheels stacked in my garage and buy 3 more at that price. 
The deals are out there!
Definitely check out the SN95 cobras as well, prices are rock-bottom at the moment.
You should be able to get a very nice low-mile/all receipts ESP prepped one for around 5-6k. Like mine that just sold for 6k: http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y143/pj350/cobraautox1edit.jpg
Don't fear the solid axle, a torque arm & panhard bar trumps the stock cobra IRS by a mile. Mustangs are easy to work on, parts are cheap, and the car has a ton of character...
In reply to 92CelicaHalfTrac:
I would love to find properly maintained and lightly modded sw20 as I am a Yota lover and it is a great car. However, the ones I have found are either mostly original, clapped out cars with too much deferred maintenance or super high-powered, snorkeled, ricer mobiles. I only know of a couple of nice lightly modded examples that have had all the key components taken care of and things like bushings replaces while remaining stocki-sh. I will try and pick up a cheap prject/resto car in the future if nothing else.
Travis_K wrote: That would be cool. Most of the cars mentioned seem waay too boring to me. If its just a weekend car why not get something that isnt usually just a daily driver for most people.
There is a reason for that. My current DD was given to me by my father (Toyota Camry...reliable as an anvil and entertaining as one too) as he really doe not drive often due to illness. However, there are times when he may need the car or I may want to leave the car for him if I am going out of town. I want this car to be reliable enough to DD so that I can take it to work in the summer months, drive a few hours to pick up my gf and take us away for the weekend, etc. in a pinch without having to constantly work on it or have it be down. Being in NY, I really would not DD such vehicles in the winter months or when I had a ton of stuff/people to haul. Another real 'project car' will follow as time and money allow.
sanman wrote: In reply to 92CelicaHalfTrac: I would love to find properly maintained and lightly modded sw20 as I am a Yota lover and it is a great car. However, the ones I have found are either mostly original, clapped out cars with too much deferred maintenance or super high-powered, snorkeled, ricer mobiles. I only know of a couple of nice lightly modded examples that have had all the key components taken care of and things like bushings replaces while remaining stocki-sh. I will try and pick up a cheap prject/resto car in the future if nothing else.
Ah ok... so you're looking for the mid to upper 200s whp MR2 with the rest of the car maintained well, instead of the WARP SPEED NOW, CAPTAIN insane-o mobiles. 
njansenv wrote: I'd add E36 M3 to the must drive category for the OP's usage. Great cars - we just bought another one (after being without for a couple years). Ours is a convertible - somewhat finicky power tops, FWIW, but the roof-down experience was of value (for us).
There is a factory hardtop available for the E36.
Considering how flexy my sedan is, I wonder how bad the convertibles are by now. If I get another E36, I'll be looking for a no-sunroof/non-folding rear seat sedan.
92CelicaHalfTrac wrote:sanman wrote: In reply to 92CelicaHalfTrac: Ah ok... so you're looking for the mid to upper 200s whp MR2 with the rest of the car maintained well, instead of the WARP SPEED NOW, CAPTAIN insane-o mobiles.That would be ideal. I would love a well maintained car with a beams in it too. Now if I could figure out how to get it to pass emissions.
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