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The 10 Best Used Cars for Less Than $5,000USD
There are three things you need to know about this list. First, as soon as the unit cost of automotive fun starts to look too good to be true, it probably is. You're not going to get a $10,000 car for $5,000.
Second, cars this capable of driving goodness with sub-$5,000 price tags have at least 100,000 miles — universally. Get over it. Finally, all of them — with careful shopping and plenty of patience — are still worth it.
We did most of our shopping using Auto Trader to gauge pricing and eBay Motors to collect actual transaction prices. Doing so illustrated the dramatic regional price differences. Roadsters like the Miata, for example, go for more in the Sun Belt in the summer than the Rust Belt in the winter. So expect these swings and take your time to find the right car. It's out there.
1994-2001 Acura Integra GS-R
 Here's what's great about Acura's Integra GS-R: It's got an engine with a ripping 8,000-rpm redline and a transmission that keeps the engine in the meat of its big-cam-lobe power band when shifted at redline. Well, that, and it's one of the best-handling front-drivers ever made. It's also a practical hatchback with rear seats that will allow it to haul four people in a pinch.
Finding a stock GS-R in good shape is no easy task these days, as most have either been abused, neglected or received the full rice-rocket treatment complete with polished muffler and painted interior bits. Your best bet here is to find a seller who doesn't know the difference between GS-R and OCD.
If it were our money: GS-Rs remained relatively unchanged over their eight-year run in the U.S., so we'd buy the lowest-mileage, most stock car we could find. A little tuning will seriously awaken the GS-R's engine. We'd add Type R valvetrain components, a more efficient intake and exhaust header and have Hondata retune it all to work together.
Online sources: Acura Integra history:, Honda-Tech (use Integra-specific forums), Club Integra
1985-'94 Chevrolet Camaro/Pontiac Firebird
If your version of automotive fun leans more toward burnouts and powerslides than country back roads, then GM's F-body twins might just be your best bet. You need not bother with anything but V8 power. Two options were available in the third-generation cars: a 5.0-liter or 5.7-liter V8. However, the larger and more powerful L98 5.7-liter TPI engine, which was available from 1987-2001, was only available with an automatic transmission.
Fourth-generation cars ('93 and newer) offer a far stiffer chassis and more powerful LT1 engine — this time with a six-speed manual transmission. Power rating for 1993 and '94 models was 275 horsepower and 325 pound-feet for both Camaro and Firebird — enough to make you forget about your bad taste with sheer pushrod joy. And you might want to avoid T-top cars and convertibles of any vintage. Rattle traps for sure.
There's no shortage of well-maintained third-generation cars available for far less than our price cap. Finding a fourth-generation is more difficult, but thanks to their abundance, success is just a matter of time (and taste). We found several on eBay that had closed in the last month.
If it were our money: In the Camaro/Firebird world, the LT1 is only one step away from nirvana (LS1) and that's exactly where our money would go: the lowest-mileage fourth-generation Camaro coupe we could find. And a new set of rear tires.
Online sources: Chevy Camaro history, Third Gen, LS1/LT1 Forums
1984-'96 Chevrolet Corvette
The C4 Vette, which doesn't age as well as many cars on this list, is here because it's an impressive value at this price. You get an independent suspension with lightweight aluminum bits, huge wheels and tires, real brakes and, if you buy the right year, at least 245 hp.
Finding a C4 Corvette that merits parting ways with $5 grand is going to require patience. Most are junk and all require prudent shopping and a willingness to do some wrenching. One completed C4 eBay listing said the subject of the auction was "rougher than three nights in a South Georgia jail." It sold for $3,150, but it had 123,000 miles on the clock and its interior probably smelled like the men's room in a South Georgia jail. We found running examples for as little as $2,500. And there were plenty that sold for far less than our price cap.
Vetteheads will tell you that the convertible reappeared in 1987, but smart Vetteheads will tell you to avoid them like moldy milk. Structural rigidity is so bad, the doors open on the larger bumps. No joke.
If it were our money: Forget about any car before 1989. That's when the ZF six-speed manual transmission was introduced. Before that, the manual transmission option was a four-speed with electronic overdrive. And it sucked, so don't bother. The L98 made 245 hp beginning in 1988 — the same year the Vette got massive 275/40ZR17 rubber.
Online sources: Chevy Corvette history, Corvette Forum
[ 本帖最後由 Derek128 於 2009-2-13 03:05 編輯 ] |
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發表於 2009-2-13 01:55
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Within all those car .. 97 GSR and a 92 Miata are the only 2 I had ... but ~ 10 yr ago la.. 
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