My Top 10 Enthusiast Cars Under $5,000

22 May 2016

10. Mk4 Volkswagen Golf GTI

Often labelled as the worst Golf GTI, this enthusiast choice is easy to find in the classifieds for under $5k with a bearable amount of mileage. Easy to find with a manual transmission and with a large owner’s community, it can be fun to own. In my opinion it isn’t that bad. I would prefer the Mk5 Golf GTI, but it is sadly out of the price range.

9. Mercedes-Benz SL-Class (R129)

These beauties sold brand new for around $100k. Today, however, they are not hard to find for under five grand if you avoid the more expensive SL 600 V12. Maintenance costs are a huge factor to consider when buying an R129. It is a luxury car, so you should expect to get screwed whenever something breaks. It is wise to pursue a lesser sought after model such as the SL 300 or 320 with a 6-cylinder instead of the SL 500’s powerful and sometimes less reliable V8. The R129 is very hard to find cheap with a 5-speed manual, so be prepared to settle with an automatic gearbox.

8. Mazda RX-8

The Mazda RX-8 is stunningly cheap fun. A rotary engine and the common 6-speed manual gearbox can give a good driver a 0-60 in the six second range. The ones with a factory rebuilt engine are often a steal. When maintained correctly the RX-8’s motor will supposedly last as long as any other car on the road. If you can make it through the fuel economy, the RX-8 makes a great enthusiast ride.

7. Ford Mustang (Fox body)

Available with a growling V8 and 5-speed manual transmission, the third generation Mustang offers many cheap thrills. It can be difficult to find a nice example for under $5k, but it’s not impossible. These cars are easy to modify and can be tuned to beastly horsepower figures. Just be careful leaving car meets or you’ll be the laughing stock of the internet.

6. Ford Focus SVT

The Focus SVT is easy to find in the classifieds for a fair price and decent mileage. They are not built for insane speed, but they definitely fall in the hot hatch category, offering 0-60 times in the 8 second range. This true enthusiast car lets you focus on driving and possibly … the meaning of life?

5. Honda Civic Si

For me the best part about the EP3 Civic Si is the manual shifter position. It subtly grows off the lower dash just below the radio. It’s a Civic, so you should expect favorable fuel economy instead of serious speed, but that sure doesn’t mean you can’t have any fun with it. VTEC fans and admirers of hot hatch styling will both enjoy this car.

4. BMW E30 3-Series

The simple yet beautiful styling is what draws most owners to the BMW E30. Usually easy to maintain and fix, it offers a great sense of responsibility for buyers. Clean, stock examples are admired by enthusiasts all over the world. A 325i or 325ix, although not always easy to find, are top of the line affordable examples. A cheap fixer-upper may be the only option for most buyers, since prices for nice E30’s are rising.

3. BMW E36 3-Series

Often cheaper than the E30 and in nice conditions, the E36 is one of the best options for a car guy on a budget. Easy to find with a manual and with configurations such as the sedan, coupe, and convertible just like other 3-series generations, there are many options for buyers. Spending many cold autumn nights under and in the engine bay of an E36, I can honestly say I am quite familiar with these cars. If you’re lucky, you may find a higher-mileage, usually automatic M3 for around $5k.

2. Mazda Miata NA

C’mon, everyone knew it was going to be in here. What can I say? It’s a cheap, lightweight, fun, easy to work on, great on gas, and enthusiast-followed roadster. Patient buyers can find hardtop models in the 100k-mile range for under $4k. By no means is this car fast, but anyone can tell you that it is a blast to toss around corners and overall just be insane in.

1. BMW E39 5-Series

I think I blew my cover of being an E39 lover long ago. It’s one of the most beautiful sedans in the world. It really is a shame that they weren’t produced longer than the roughly 6 years that they were popular in. The pre facelift models (1997-2000, left picture) can be snatched up for absurdly low prices. Most, if not all, engine configurations are available with a manual. The post facelift models (2001-2003, right picture) have updated headlamps and taillights, along with other trim that makes it more closely resemble the ever beautiful M5 of the generation.

I appreciate those who read my post! This was my personally biased list of 10 sub $5k cars and I would love to hear in the comments what your favorites are. If you were given $5,000 to buy a driveable car what would it be?

This content was originally posted by a Car Throttle user on our Community platform and was not commissioned or created by the CT editorial team.

Comments

I’ve got an Ford Escort RS2000. I think that it would be on the list if they weren’t so rare! Getting replacementparts is just a pain in the ass!

I used to have an e39 540i M sport. It was fun to drive around corners, fairly fast, and sounde orgasmic with dual flowmasters and straight pipe. But unless you’re loaded with money, replacement parts are really expensive. And this car will need a lot of small repairs that will add up eventually

If you can’t find a Focus SVT, grab a second gen Focus. Here in NA, the second gen is lighter than an SVT, while packing almost as much power. Plus, the new Duratecs are more responsive to bolt ons.

What about e46? 325/330i?

I almost put it on the list, but I decided that it’s easier to find an E36 in a nice condition for a cheaper price. The E46 is still a good choice though.

Anything Italian 😜

There is no way you can buy an e30 for that kind of money even the beater ones cost about ten grand

It depends on where you live. I have found several driveable, high mileage models in my area.

Here’s a cheap one

http://springfieldil.craigslist.org/cto/5582792540.html

This is also the price range for my Porsche 944. Probably could have a place on this list.

Meh. I’d consider buying only 3 options out of this list. Always remember that you’ll have to live with the car once you buy it. While SL class merc is very nice it still is extremely expensive to maintain, not even including the amount of fuel that thing drinks. It might look like a cheap options, but most of them are just not.

Honestly, I drive a 1991 500SL and the fuel economy isn’t too bad if you don’t drive like a madman. I drive about 120 miles a week just for school, half of that being bumper to bumper traffic on my way home, 1 full tank will get me through 10 days. The later models are better with fuel economy, because they went to a 5 speed auto box in 96, and a new engine in 1999