$10,000 thread for the rest of us, Miata Vs Z3 Vs ?
 

Saw a Z4 on the way to work of course I was happy for that person to be able to enjoy such a fine automobile

The $45K car thread got me thinking....

Not that I have even $10K to spend on a toy (don't have $2K to get my 944 running)... but if I did...

Really like the Z3, but then I have heard the Mazdaspeed turbo Miata is quite a bit of fun to drive.

But just for giggles, what do ye of PPOT think the best fun car you could get for $10?

I'm thinking a Boxster at that price point will be very high miles and not very good condition.

Either an S2000 or a Mazdaspeed Miata, might have to look a bit to find either one at your price point, but it is doable

Always liked the S2000, wife is not a big fan (don't know why) and she probably wouldn't be driving it anyway.

On the other hand she is a big fan of the Miata so it would be an easy sell... and she doesn't need to know it would be the turbo ;)

S2K for $10K might be a stretch but I really like the 6 speed with 9K rpm rev limit.

always thought the miata was chick car from an appearance perspective.

My friend just got a late '90s Z3 with 50k miles for around $10,000. It is an immaculate car inside and out.
I would gladly get one if I had $10,000 burning a hole in my pocket right now.

Cue Porschephile voting SLK in, four.....three.....two....

I sat in the s2000 once and my left elbow when I rested it on the left door , it was sitting next to my ear. I feel like I am sitting too low. Not comfortable.
The Mazda feels good but too small relative to other cars/trucks. That is one reason I sold my 99 Miata and got the Boxster. Z3/Z4 is intriguing but does not have the looks of a Boxster. The BMW GT Z Mcoupe fastback is interesting but way too much $$$$.

If price is a concern, then you have to consider the cost of maintenance too. Without a doubt, Miata. LOTS of aftermarket goodies, easy to work on, reliable.

Probably the look. it looks fantastic but the 911 looks more mature. Maybe that's why.

I'll take door number 3.
For $10K, I'll take a clean original 1972-73 Datsun 240 Z.

Poked around on autotrader... found a 100K miles 2000 Boxster for $10K...

Of course I would be left wondering is I should have saved a little more and got an "S".

The 2.5 Boxsters with high mileage are around 10k now. I have a friend who bought a new 2.5 Boxster back in 1999. In all honesty, it's pretty darn slow and has not aged well. It's held up just find though with 140k miles.

I'd go for an S2k or a Mazdaspeed Miata (or, heck, a regular Miata and use the extra money to add performance).

Al

I paid $7500 for a 1999 Boxster in mint condition with 60k. With a little shopping they're easy to find under $10k, and I think about the best sports car deal going.

S2000 for $10k will be a really rough or high mileage example, if you like doing low torque high revs the RX8 is a great car. Also hard to find a Mazdaspeed Miata at that price. Other suggestions not mentioned:

968
951
944 S2
E36 M3 if you don't mind the cheap interior
E34 M5
Toyota MR Spyder
M Roadster
WRX

I haven't shopped these but I think they fall into the 70's "classic car" category and thus people are asking for a lot of $$$ for them.

M3 is an interesting option, what years did the E36 run?

Also wonder what $10K would buy in a Corvette... heck if I'm not afraid of the girly miata talk I won't be bothered by the mullet vette talk.

90's Merc SL500/600 right around 10k unfortunately only availible in auto. Never driven one just love how they look maybe one day.

$10k would but a nice late 80's or early 90's C4 corvette or a BEAT C5 corvette. I came to post 240/260 z as well. You might pick up a nice 2nd gen M3 or a worn 3rd gen rx7

I bought a supercharged NA Miata for way less than 10,000. Had about 50K on the odometer.

Very fun car. I have driven Porsches that are more fun, but I have driven plenty that were less fun.

That is precisely why I am currently rolling in a turbo miata, much to my wife's chagrin

Speaking of which, I need to go burn more of the shoulders off those tires right now.

E36 m3

I bought a 2005 S2000 shortly after I sold my 86 911. The Honda handled very tightly, but had a more harsh ride than the 911. Also, the road noise was overwhelming. After 1.5 years I was done and sold the car for about what I paid. Nice car but not for me at this point in time....perhaps I will head back to a Porsche after my kids are out of school, for now, econo cars will do.

Mike

If I had $10k to spend, and I wanted the most bang for my buck, I would buy the cleanest 4.6 Mustang GT I could find. 350Z second choice.

I drove an early S2000 around Streets of Willow Springs. I thought it would be the perfect car for the track.

I now think that my Silverado on camper tires would give it a run for the $$. The car was a 5spd car and if you ****ed it to 3rd it would drop the r's below the Vtech and it would suck. So it ended up being left in 2nd down the front straight wound out.

THIS^^^

10k will buy you either a nice stock car, or a slightly edgy one with some mods. You can get a convertible, coupe, or sedan, your choice. Comes in great colors, bone stock 240hp, gobs of torque. Balanced like a 944, cruises great, devours twistys, plus its not bad for a DD.


Hard to hate the M3...


Gawd I love that inline MPower 6....

Nah, shouldn't be too bad. I paid a bit more, but then I was in a hurry. Over on the Mazdaspeed board there are plenty of stories for $9500-10500.


Really, I thought these were still pretty pricey.

Good 968s can be found right around 10 all day...

There's some really nice 968s listed at ambitious prices, but the nice drivers seem to hover right about at $10k. Honestly they don't make sense for much more, once you get into the low teens you can find a pretty decent SC or Carrera.

Perhaps you've heard - they made a Z3 with that engine - the M Roadster, easily found with the E36 M3 engine for $10k.

I knew of the M coupes, but they aren't in the range. I'd only heard of the roadsters, never seen one in the wild...

But that would be a little beast. :D

You probably have seen the M Roadster, as they're much more common than M Coupes. The problem with both generations of M Roadster is not many people see them as more than just another Z3 or Z4 roadster. It's part of why they're so much cheaper than the coupe variants.

Good point. I don't pay much attention to the roadsters. Dime-a-dozen...

Personally, I'd put the $10K into my own 930. Towards that eventual engine rebuild. Or at least save up for the $8K in while-you're-in-there mods I've been considering.

But if I had to spend the money on another car, I'd lean towards waiting for a Boxster S. An E36 M3 would be a hoot, too. $10K should buy a pretty good example of one.

I didn't realize those M Coupes have become so inexpensive these days. Seriously? When I bought my 930 about 7 years ago I briefly looked at those M Coupes--particularly the last 2 years of their manufacture, as they came with the head that bumped up BHP to 331 or so. But those cars cost about $25K back then. And now they've dropped down to the $10K range? Wow.

A Miata wouldn't be a bad way to go, either, particularly if you're looking to track this extra vehicle.

This looks like fun for $7,500 (and tastefully modified to 350+hp) and is for sale down the street for me:
http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r...AwOTQuanBn.jpg

And this one is also for sale locally for $5,900:
http://img.tapatalk.com/62c42ebf-df82-d74b.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/62c42ebf-dfe3-a397.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/62c42ebf-e1ce-0faf.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/62c42ebf-e18e-ccff.jpg

:eek:

It must be a scam, have 200,000 miles or a salvage title. I've seen really nice ones go for 8k-10k and I've seen the riced ones with high miles listed for around 5k. That really seems like a bargain!

My first DD out of college is going to be an S54 Z3 M Coupe.

I've been looking on ebay for awhile. I thought the S52 M Roadsters were in the 12k-15k range? Maybe I'm looking more at the garage-queen cars and not the DD?

You can find decent to very nice E36 M3s for sale between $6-10k all day long. I hate the E36 interior, but they're a pretty good deal.

Nope, I was talking about the S52 roadsters. The S54 M Coupes you're talking about are still in the $20s, with nice models asking in the mid-$30s.

Correct - daily driven cars are $10k or less, the garage queens are $12k and up, a real bargain compared to the coupes.

Buy all of those that you can for $10K. Then budget another $10K to fix the rust. Ask me how I know... ;)

d.

E36 M3s are nice but the interior wears out on them fast. does it really need to be an "M"? you can get a really nice E46 under 10K as well, or even a 540i with a 6 speed.
I have always liked the way the Z3s drive, and for the money you cant go wrong, but its not as comfortable as the boxster.

Yeah but E36s are sporty sedans, not nimble roadsters.

My dad looked at Z3 convertibles in both 1.9l 4 cyl and 2.8l six form...he found them kinda 'meh' and ended up with a 2001 Miata 6 spd. It's a great car. 150 or so hp, ltd slip diff. Super fun to drive.

One of my closest friends has a 4 dr E36 M3, and I drove a modded E36 325is for 6 yrs...nice cars and both probably have higher performance ceilings than Dad's stock Miata..but they aren't nearly as fun to drive.

I like the 350Z... but when looking around here they seem to be pushing over $10K

Now the E36 M3... oh my... you guys are evil! :D

I must reevaluate my priorities!