So, little background here is I'm a college student who needs a reliable and relatively cheap car (3,000 or under), but also wants something a little sporty but can't decide what's the right choice for me. I'm mainly looking at 90's cars specifically Civics, Integras, Miatas, and 240sx. I don't know much about reliability for the miata but willing and needing to hear opinions as to what would be the best choice, suggestions are welcome but I'm an import car guy not a domestic car fan.

 

Pretty much any 240 you see for 3 grand is beat to absolute shit, or an unfinished project. I'd stay away from those but that's just me. I think a Miata is a good choice, just make sure you find one that doesn't have a lot of rust. You could also find a relatively decent Jeep Cherokee (XJ) for that price range if you're into those.

 

Ferrari F40

 

You must spread some reputation around before giving it to POS DSM again.

 

There's usually a lot of conflict there. The more money you can spend now, the less money you'll have to spend later when trying to keep a $3k running. Be prepared to work on whatever you buy, because age and mileage aren't going to be on your side...

You need to start with some realistic expectations about what a $3k starting point is going to get you...

 

You could probably pick up a late 90s Civic for 3000 as long as you're getting it from a middle age couple and not some kid on Vadriven.

 

With any car 16+ years old car "reliability" don't mean shit. What you're looking for is something well maintained. There's no 16 year old car that I could just point you to and blindly say "yeah, that'll be reliable" it's all about how well maintained that specific example is. All of those are known for a general level of reliability, but at that age and price you better set a little something back for repairs and really REALLY kick the tires on whatever you're purchasing. Trying to buy something at that price that's going to be your only car though is really asking for trouble.

Like Fabrik8 said, adjust your expectations to meet your budget. 3k might seem like a lot to a college student, but in the real world that buys you very little car. A better strategy might be to buy the newest, lowest mileage "reliable" car you can get for your money regardless of preference and make it last until you have enough saved to get something you'll truly enjoy driving.

 

There has always a lot of stupidity involved with kids in terms of their expectations of cars.

"I'm a college or high school student and I need cheap, reliable transportation but I'm an idiot and I'm going to also expect something sporty. This means that I limit my search to a much smaller number of sporty options, and will likely be stuck doing more repairs with money that I don't have but, I'm an idiot and I don't care. I could wait until I graduate or get some sort of fellowship and can afford something better but once again, I'm entitled and I'm an idiot. I want instant gratification without having to earn it."

 

http://norfolk.craigslist.org/cto/5247627919.html