Alright well I am coming from a 2005 Dodge SRT-4, I know you all hate the car but whatever. I had springs, tint, cta black housing headlights, agp waste gate actuator 18psi 16/15psi, cti 3" turbo back exhaust (one resonator), maddog 72% short throw shifter, mopar bov, viper seats and whatever else I don't know and who cares. SO! Anyways

I sold the car because ultimately it is not what I wanted, I loved it... it was fun but it got old. I always found myself looking at EVO's STi's M3's s2000s etc etc saying inside hmm I wonder if I'd rather have my SRT-4 or one of those even if they where slower. I ran a 13.1 in my SRT-4 btw. SO anyways... front wheel drive got old, snow came (it did fine in the snow) but I did not care at all about having a performance car once snow hit. I just wanted a car that heated up fast, was comfortable and got through the snow... SO I bought a 1998 Honda Accord LX Auto with 105k for $5,200 bucks. It was good on gas, 4 doors you know the deal.

My plan was to ride out the accord, catch up on bills and WAIT until I was in the position to get what I REALLY wanted. Well a buddy of mine is my car side kick. He went from an 04 Type S, to an 05 SRT-4 to a 240sx Kouki to a 2003 Type S... I kind of want a car to play with again. But I have Cristal taste on a Keystone Light budget... well kinda

There's hardly a car out there for my price range, that suits me in the performance and appearence factor. Two actually because though Cobalt SS and SRT-4 can be made fast very cheap and handle well they are still front wheel drive and drop in value like a mo-fo... well actually SRT-4s are climbing in price (3 production years and mod response of a supra, lots of crashed and stolen ones too)

I want RWD, reliability, looks, handling and something under $14,000 buckaroos. I don't care about mileage really unless it really dampens the ability to enjoy the car because of expensive replacements and maintinence.

Two cars come to mind...

1995-1999 BMW M3 (E36)... 240hp I6, RWD, handling is amazing, looks are still there for it, solid german build and though it may be more to maintain I wouldn't be modding it much besides nice clean up touches, rubber and wheels. It's not FAST but not SLOW... A maintained one is hard to find with all service records and it can be hard to find that RIGHT one BUTTT... it may be worth it. Oh and it sucks that the car is so old.

2000-2006 Honda s2000... I would probobly end up with a 2000 or 2001, they can be had now for cheap and the top going down is never a bad thing... you don't have to touch the stock suspension really because it's so sharp. The car isnt TOO small (miata) and will always FEEL nice, however I hear that these are not your Accord level reliability cars and can get very pricey to fix, maintain and so on. The overrev issue worries me as do alot of others. I don't want to end up replacing a motor, trans or other expensive stuff in this car.

 

For something under 14000 you would be pretty much limited to a higher mileage 00/01 S2k.

Insurance would be higher on the S.

You will go through tires on the rears.

Any car can be overrevved. I've had no more trouble with the S than any other stick I've driven aggressively. If anything, I am more confident in the S tranny and gates to keep me from misshifting than most other cars. I always know where I am on a shift.

In stock form, it will be significantly slower than your SRT.

For me personally, the S is the first car I've ever gotten that I didnt get bored with after 6 months and start wanting more. It still thrills me every single day and I see no need to change. Even stock like mine (mostly) is, I am content with the performance, though I would eventually want more, I'm not going nuts "without".

That being said..it's spendy to mod, you get very little out of bolt-on.

Just testdrive one somewhere and see if you like it, then start hunting.
We'll see you top-down soon enough (because you will like it)

 

I've had my car for quite a few years now... I still have a huge grin on my face every time I drive it.
Mods will certianly be very pricey, but you will enjoy the car none-the-less.

 

Is this going to be your daily driver or are you keeping the Accord for winter? If I had to contend with snow, I think I'd be looking at an STi...but that might be out of your price range.

The stook is not the most forgiving car in the handling department...and while I've never driven on snow with the car, I can't imagine it would be a relaxing drive.

Unfortunately, with any used car you won't have perfect info on its history. And the average s2k, being what type of car it is, will probably have been driven harder than the average Camry. So if you are on a tight budget without a lot of flexibility to handle repairs, you may want to consider a car that is priced to leave you some money for repairs.

 

I just picked up an 05 Berlina Black 3 days ago and I LOVE IT!. It's a great car and even more. You won't regret it.

 

The M3 will rob you blind in upkeep and repairs

 

yes!!! it'll be the best car u have every owned ....hands down . Get one and join the fun ....

 

Save your money, get some education, then buy Cristal on a Cristal budget.

 

why don't you test drive both the e36 m3 and a 2000-2001 ap1 back to back? from your post, it doesn't even seem like you've driven either of them. that would be the first step because asking an s2000-specific site if you should buy an s2k...i mean c'mon...what do you think everybody is going to tell you? if you went to bimmerfest.com and asked all the e36 m3 owners if you should buy an m3, i'm pretty sure they're all going to tell you to get the m3.

this site has all the resources and tools for you to research the s2k. it should just come down to what feels right to you. i don't know why you would want complete strangers to make a decision like this for you.

 

Completely OT; but whatever happened to the guy in your sig? Did he never come back after drifting his car into a boulder?