help Scott find a whip

[ScottyB]

fellow MM'ers, i come to you seeking wisdom! here's the deal. once i get the audi back i'm going to sell it. it's too complicated, too heavy, too needy and too tan. i tried to love it but it's killing me. i'm in my mid 20's, i have my whole life to drive heavy sport-luxo cruisers. right now, i want a FUN, SIMPLE, TOUGH car that will get me to work and back every day and travel well but something i can also wrench on with regular 'ol tools and take to autocrosses (maybe track days) to beat on.

this won't happen next week, or next month. probably before '08. but i want to start getting decided on something now so i have plenty of time to immerse myself in the communities and forums of these cars and find out every single thing to look for and what cool parts to buy :lol:

here are the requirements:
- $10,000 bucks or less. i'm already paying off the Xterra and my car won't net more than 8k at best.
- MUST have dual airbags. atlanta is a crazy place and as this is my DD i can't risk things.
- MUST have a back seat. even if it's small, i will need to carry people from time to time. probably a dog too!
- 25 mpg or better on the higway. i'll be spending alot of time there.
- must be simple, easy to get parts for, and easy to take to another level if i wish.
- lets try to cap the weight ceiling at 3000 pounds. every car i've owned has been a hoss and every time i look at cars i say, man i wish mine was lighter. i want to make it happen.
- no flappy paddle bullshizzle. 5 or 6 speed.
- toughness. i don't want to have to worry and stress. i'm sick of that, i want to beat on a car all day, put it away and drive it again the next day with no worries.
- feels funny saying this...but no AWD. i'm sick of the complexity, weight, and cost to work on.
- no live axles. i don't care, i have my reasons.


here are cars i am considering in no particular order:

- 240sx. the veteran of some of nissan's better years. needs to be a late S14 or S15. can go turbo later, proven truck engine goodness.
- Focus SVT. great handlers, great price point for comparatively low miles. simple, american, cheap.
- EK Civic Si. plentiful, honda tough and i have very, very fond memories of Jay's Si. i really loved that car, just plain fun.
- 4th gen. Maxima. unbelievably tough drivetrain, very simple, very cheap. quite light and big inside. surprisingly fast.
- DC Integra. pretty hard to beat for overall fun. vast aftermarket.
- Probe/MX-6 twins. fantastic engine, pretty sporty overall. cheap. harder to find good examples though.
- Contour SVT. pretty hardcore for the value. harder to find.
- 5th gen. Accord. sure, why not. pretty much everywhere, can be modified to do some pretty cool stuff. bulletproof. a little boring.
- VW MkIII GTI VR6. good all-rounder, fantastic engine. monster aftermarket. Blair's GTI is a bit of an inspiration here.

cars i've given half-assed thoughts towards are volvo 740's and also saab 9-3's. i'd rather not though, unless someone can convince me otherwise.

so that's it guys. give me you thoughts. what do you like and why? how realistic am i being? i want to hear everything you have to offer and point me to all the reading i should be doing.

and for the record...if anyone is interested in an A4 with a fresh engine, you just let me know :wink: