Quote:
Originally Posted by DAEMANO
So you got a twin... that covers the sport... so now you need cheap, fun utility
1. Any year - Honda Fit - $5-10k... Cheap, spacious, great on gas, infinitely moddable
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Gonna second this.
I bought a $5k (CAD) 08 Honda Fit from a friend. Great 5-speed (you wouldn't feel like it was econobox-spec by feel alone), lightweight with fun suspension (small-car tossability), and ridiculous practicality (magic seats, huge trunk, tall body, etc.).
Mods are available, but with an asterisk: I've found a lot of the most popular drivability mods from the forums (such as a deadpedal/footrest which Honda for some reason omitted), and electronic throttle controllers (to spruce up the DBW response) are either discontinued or very rare/expensive.
However, getting things like consumables and wheels are cheap (4x100 bolt pattern), although finding more aggressive tires in the stock sizes can be bothersome (i.e. no MPSS for anything less than 17s). That L15A can be turboed (or K20-swapped).
Reliable - although some have had water leakage issues in the hatch, the engine tends to be super reliable (a common issue is misfire/stutter due to the ignition coils - mine needed to be replaced but runs great now).
The open diff does feel a bit weird (on rare occasions) after driving only cars with LSDs over the last 4 years.
Although I would love a 3rd gen MR2 as well (unfortunately we never got them up north, except imported from the US).
I also spent some time looking for a 5MT IS300 (I learned to drive manual so I could testdrive that when I worked at a dealer, way back when they were new). Gas consumption is high, and practicality seemed surprisingly-compromised (no fold-down seats was a no-no to me - that little passthrough wouldn't cut it). Those seem to hold their value in the right condition (I found one where the seller was asking $9,500CAD, when I know he bought it off a forum member for $7,000CAD two years and xx,xxxkm earlier). Engine always felt great, and the shifter was probably the easiest I've ever used.