JamesD89

Ah, well I'd ditch the back seat requirement and just find a higher mileage S2000 then. I would also recommend an E36 M3 but...

...this is all valid and not cheap depending on how much you have to pay someone else to do. I briefly had a super clean E36 M3 before my S2K and it still needed cooling system overhaul before I was comfortable even auto crossing it. They're super fun cars but not Honda reliable or cheap. Definitely a better daily driver than the S2000, and friendlier at the limit, but I've never missed my E36 while driving my AP2 hard. Of course, if you get a really cheap one there's a good chance you'll still come out ahead financially compared to a BRZ or S2K.

Zygrene

There are a small number of enthusiast-owned E36 M3's I've seen on Craigslist that have supposedly addressed the cooling system, bushings, etc. and have good maintenance history. It wouldn't be easy but I think I can find a good one if I'm patient. I daily drove my AP2 a few years back and found the lack of storage space pretty annoying.

Aurex

98-05 Lexus IS300.

Fits your bill and will leave you with enough money left over to modify for the track. Could go 2JZ-GE or Beams motor too. Also, you can get this version in a shooting brake if that is your cup of tea....

Zygrene

That's a good one I also considered! Should be more reliable than the E36, but heavier and less power stock. The shooting brake/wagon version only comes in automatic, IIRC. There's an L-Tuned version that comes with a few nice handling/power bits but pretty hard to find.

So what's the general consensus on E36 M3 vs IS300? Has anyone here owned or driven both?

jeffbrig

Kinda shooting for the moon here... you want a decently powerful RWD car that's cheap to buy, fun to drive on the track, suitable for daily driving duties, seats 4 or 5 adults, and is still both reliable and cheap to maintain - while doing 5-6 track days a year. Let me know when you find that unicorn...

IMO, your best bet for $20k would be to spend a few/several grand on a track day special miata, and put the rest towards a gently used 4-seater for daily duty.

JamesD89

What about an early 996? You can pick one up for under $20k nowadays and get the IMS issues are supposedly more prevalent on the later 3.6L motors. It fits all of your criteria except the cheap to maintain part of number 6. Supposedly reliable, just far from cheap to fix if something goes

mad pup

RX8

zdave87

or get a shifter cart, and a minivan/4 door pickup truck.

jeffbrig

Actually the 996 911s (non-Mezger engines), and 986 Boxsters of that era were the absolutely worst as far the IMS problems. These are smack dab in the middle of the group covered by the class action lawsuit. The GT3 and turbo motors are Mezgers, and don't have the IMS problem. But those are still a bit more than $20k...

JamesD89

I was under the impression that the dual row IMS bearings were actually more reliable than the later single row bearings? The dual row bearings came on the very early production models for the 996 and 986 (would be 1999 to maybe 2000?). The original dual-row cars (01-05?) have the highest failure rate.

There's a chance I'm wrong here, but I spent a lot of timing researching this 2ish years ago when I looking for a replacement for my E36. Ended up with a S2000 though