A 55-ish y.o. friend was the parts guy at a chevy dealer where we both worked 35 years ago. He put a moderately built 400 sbc into his 2wd Luv. It was pretty scary for the time.

I do have a 911 and a Mustang, I was thinking about something to replace the daily Wrangler that is a no payment cash option. Allowing my to put more into investments and such.

The R53 Mini in S or JCW form has been shockingly solid for me, and for many others. My local Mini specialist swears by the R53, the others not so much.

No 2 seater because I have kids and might need to put a 3rd person in the car from time to time.

I think the RSK and EP3 Civic are at the top of the list, as well as the FRS/BRZ

I picked this up a few weeks ago for $9,600

56,000 miles and six speed manual with all maintenance history and ZERO stories.

I call it The Swede. (Volvo C-30, 5 cylinder turbo)

angela

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http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1629473016.jpg

Well, scratch the FRS/BRZ if you need to get an adult in the back. Rear seats are useless.

I didn't say adult, kids, one is 6' but he's young and bendy. lol

Oh wow, I hadn't thought about the C30, its a car I can't decide if I really like it or hate it... I think like. hehehe

Also thought about a blob eye STi, but would be over budget and iffy finding one that isn't beat to death.

Just took a lil look at some reviews and used prices, man the C30 might be just the ticket!

Angela,
I had a Volvo C30, just like yours. It was one of the best cars I ever owned. Ran great, no major maintenance other than tires, brakes and oil changes. Peppy too with the 5 cylinder. Mine was an automatic. Really well built and dependable. Good luck with it!

Reliable, fun, fast and under $10k?

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1629634555.jpg

You ever hear of this thing we call winter? ;)

Thanks Bob - I quite adore mine! Had the same engine (T5) in my volvo wagon. Really loved the wagon. This is same idea but whole lot less automotive real estate - LOL! I'm surprised that even my husband likes it.

angela

I just did this experiment and ended up with a 2006 R53 JCW, which I picked up with 109K miles at $7K. It was my ideal spec: hyper blue, factory JCW with LSD and no sunroof. This thing is an absolute hoot with 210 BHP. I love the dimensions of the car and the visibility from the cockpit. The factory JCW exhaust is childish and wonderful. Can't comment on the reliability yet!

BTW, I've also thought a FRS/BRZ would be cool, but it would need a supercharger to excite me. How much does the 1st-gen go for these days? The car in N/A spec always sounded gutless to me.

I was catching up on this thread and enjoying the varied suggestions when I came upon this post. In addition to suggesting an excellent option that I would never have thought about but will now consider as I buy my oldest son a vehicle, this appears to be Angella’s Last post on PPOT. I will say another prayer for her and Dteve again tonight.

New thing to obsess over.
 

$6900 from dealership - 08 Acura TL auto, 125K miles. Quite possibly the only decade old Honda product in AZ without sun rash and a decent interior- why I bought it.

Got it 14 days ago, then promptly went crazy over the last 2 weeks:

1-tbelt, wasserpump, motor mounts, valve adjust, brake line and trans flush, reseal oil pan and oil filter mounts (common)
2- used rear door panels off ebay (PO must've been a plumber or something- lots of tears and snags on door panels)
3- replaced incorrect wheels with refurbished correct 08 wheels + brand new Continental all season
4- had paint cut and buffed
5- steam cleaned all the ketchup out of the interior (PO was a chick who apparently liked lots of ketchup and coffee, ****ing pig)
6- floor mats, Lloyds of course
7-Custom BT install today w/ stock stereo- got legit BT in car now
8-new rear brakes
9-alignment
10-Minor PDR work.
11-new ceramic window tint- the good stuff.
This week:
12- new OEM bumper, installed (existing has torn mounts)


It's now a $10K car to me- apart from some minor scuffs on the nose and aforementioned rear bumper car looks almost new now and drives as good as the day it left the lot. Gonna put collectors plates on my truck, and screw driving the Vette daily.

No modifications, no nothing, just going to drive this car.

rjp






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http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1632106543.JPG

Just a month ago, all was well. the world was her oyster. I’m very sad.

What happened?

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/1102514-we-lost-amazing-woman-yesterday.html

Oh, dear.