I asked about cars with this list of requirements:
>1) Cheap ( <$5K US )
>2) Rear wheel drive
>3) New-ish ( >1989 )
>4) Light ( <2500 lbs )
>5) Well balanced
>6) Need a trunk
>7) 5 speed
>8) Rack and pinion
>9) 4 wheel disks
I got quite a few useful responses. Thanks, everyone!
For me, the most *interesting* responses were:
MX5 Miata
Toyota Supra
Nissan 240SX (2 votes)
3 series BMW (3 votes)
Porsche 944
Alfa Romeo Milano (2 votes)
any good 1L bike
gen1 MR2 (2 votes)
Merkur XR4ti
Of these, my favorite comment of all was:
> any good 1L bike (thanks, Jim, and yes I'm in So Cal)
because direct steering is *even better* than rack and pinion
steering ;-) Too bad it doesn't have a trunk OR a hatch ;-)
Seriously, I've been tempted to buy a Ducati twin for years. The
only problem is, using something like that as a commuter vehicle,
I'd be afraid of either getting killed by someone making a left
in front of me in heavy traffic, or of killing myself by
becoming over-exuberant in some twisty bits. I'll probably buy
another motorcycle some day, but if so, it certainly wouldn't be
for use as an everyday vehicle!
I love my Miata, but I feel bad about parking it outside all
the time because the soft top gets weathered so fast. I can't
fit in a Miata with the hard top (I know; I tried!) Actually,
I barely fit in the car with the soft top. Amazingly, I can
find a much more comfortable driving position for my 6'3" body
in an Elan than in a Miata! Also, the Miata trunk is poorly
designed, with less usable room than an Elan boot despite being
bigger volumetrically. (thanks, Peter)
I didn't know that the 240SX came as a notchback. Hmmm. That
may bump it to the top of my list, tied with the AE86 Corolla.
What years did they make the notchback? (thanks, Rod!)
I really like the gen1 MR2, and in fact I almost bought one
before I got my Miata. But the trunk is pretty much for show
only (thanks Brian, and Jason!)
If I was going to consider a Porsche 944 (which of course I
would, if I didn't need a trunk!) I would in any case probably
buy a gen2 RX7 first. I've always wanted to try a rotary
powered car... never had one yet.
The MR2, MX5, and 240SX seem like be sure bets in terms of
reliability, but what about the A/R Milano, Merkur XR4ti, and
the 3 series BMWs?
Any more opinions on reliability?
Regards,
Erik Berg
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