Best Budget Dream Car (Is there such a thing)

[crgildart]

OK you have a $50K limit to purchase a "fun" car, and that includes upstart and any required restoration so mo picking an rusted out or major project. where the chassis is under $50K but the rest of it isn't

Post links to price verification if it seems too good to be true.

Ready GO!

 

[coskigirl]

I guess I wouldn't call $50k "budget" but I bought my used 2010 4runner with under 70k miles last year for under $28k. I looooooove it.

 

[SBrown]

 

[Philpug]

Hmmm.

I think I could put my 2 car quiver together for the 50K, so.....

02 Miata Vivid Yellow "Hard S" Sport package, if could be found with less than 50K in miles would be about $10K

17 VW All Track TDI 6 Speed, IF available would be about $33K

That leaves me 7K for "tasteful" mods for the Miata. I think a road trip to "Flying Miata" would take care of the balance.

 

[JeffB]

As much as I'd want to pick a beat up International Scout (and leave it that way), I'm pretty sure I'd opt for something a little weird this go around. I'd make it my dedicated tailgating vehicle with some Big Green Eggs and big screen TVs, but otherwise leave it as is, meaning 1970's awesome.

http://bringatrailer.com/2013/10/31/never-this-nice-1972-mercedes-benz-309d-motorhome-2/

 

[bbinder]

2009 Porsche 997 convertible -- base model, lightly optioned

 

[Josh Matta]

Sun lotus Elise. Gray market lotus with K20a in them instead of the crappy toyato 1.8 liter that fell out of its power band on every shift.

 

[crgildart]

I'd go with a Vette.

 

[x10003q]

Periodically, I think I might be fun to own an American muscle car from the late 1960s or early 1970s. But then I look around and see current Mustangs/Camaros/Challengers and dismiss that idea. I have become used to having shoulder belts, airbags, antilock brakes and 400 plus horsepower for cheap. Plus, you do not need to be constantly fixing the current cars. You can buy 2014 Mustang GTs in the low to mid $20K range today with under 35k miles. These come with 420 hp and 390 torque. This is a huge bargain for a pretty bulletproof car. The same can be said for the Camaro and the Challengers. Even the current V6 models are rolling 300 HP if you want to spend a little less.

It is hard to beat that value.

 

[Lorenzzo]

This looks fun to me. If you don't want ticket red there are others.

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...0&mmt=[BMW[M3[]][]]&listingId=433130484&Log=0

 

[Speeder]

Mustang GT , Muscle on a budget.

 

[Dave Petersen]

The Alfa Romeo 4C is relatively inexpensive for an Italian sportscar.

 

[ScotsSkier]

Aston Martin convertible...

 

[Tom K.]

Chevrolet SS. 4 doors. Last generation Corvette V8. Rear wheel drive. Stick shift. Attracts no attention whatsoever.

A safe, modern, muscle car that happens to handle really, really well.

I came oh so close, but the lack of a folding rear seat --any car of mine has to have room for a bike or two piled carefully inside -- and the need to source a receiver hitch from Australia (where the car is built) were deal killers.

So I continue to soldier on with my Volvo XC60 R Design, which is so fast, and so quiet, and so beautiful inside, that it's almost boring!

 

[tromano]

My next car is going to be a subie forester xt. 2" lift and bfg at tires on it.

 

[nay]

This. Nice color choice, too.

A 100 series Cruiser expo decked with a solid front axle conversion would be high on the list, too. Could do that entire project for $50K.

Or for that matter, just a 2uz-fe V8 in my pig. Base vehicle is free. Total cost outsourced to a shop, about $20K with full electrical and gauge integration.

Bonus - the conversion would come with an entirely new exhaust system. Given my muffler is currently not technically attached to the upstream system, this would save me the disaster of getting off the old rust welded components. Dreaming here...

 

[silverback]

For pure fun-to-drive it is hard to beat a Lotus Elise or Exige.

 

[crgildart]

This. Nice color choice, too.

A 100 series Cruiser expo decked with a solid front axle conversion would be high on the list, too. Could do that entire project for $50K.

Or for that matter, just a 2uz-fe V8 in my pig. Base vehicle is free. Total cost outsourced to a shop, about $20K with full electrical and gauge integration.

Bonus - the conversion would come with an entirely new exhaust system. Given my muffler is currently not technically attached to the upstream system, this would save me the disaster of getting off the old rust welded components. Dreaming here...

Flag on the play for "already free". By that budget measure everyone would already be halfway there and pro drivers would be over the top there in spades..

It really has to be something that any of us could acquire in fully functional working order for under $50K.

What to those nicely done replica Cobras go for these days anyway??

Land Cruisers/Land Rovers are cool but I have a friend with a late 70s one that is on several waiting lists just to get a rear wiper arm. Gotta wonder how much it is to maintain something like that where to keep it original you have to wait for someone to retire another one to get a wiper arm..

 

[cantunamunch]

$50K can't get me into a Lister Bell STR which is the kit car I want - not a Cobra fan. It also can't get me into an E63 wagon, gah!

So, if you take away older cars with possibly scarce parts, there's really nothing out there I can even remotely qualify as 'dream'.

 

[nay]

Flag on the play for "already free". By that budget measure everyone would already be halfway there and pro drivers would be over the top there in spades..

It really has to be something that any of us could acquire in fully functional working order for under $50K.

Land Cruisers/Land Rovers are cool but I have a friend with a late 70s one that is on several waiting lists just to get a rear wiper arm. Gotta wonder how much it is to maintain something like that where to keep it original you have to wait for someone to retire another one to get a wiper arm..

Sure. I paid $13,800 in 2005 @ 105K miles (original price $51K). I have put about $8K into it for upgrades: front and rear tube bumpers, roof rack, custom suspension, diff gears, tires and rims, and some other goodies like head unit. Let's call it $22K. Maybe $23K because I just had a new custom exhaust put in at 231K miles. $25K because I probably forgot a few things, but some stuff was done by the PO in that $13.8K (sliders, driver's seat rebuild and recover, head gasket as PM, etc.).

You could buy such a thing for about $10K now with the basic mods I have, fully baselined maintenance by some OCD Toyota dude. It would not be low miles, but it would be a Cruiser. Mine is solid as a rock at 21 years old. There isn't a single squeak or rattle.

As for parts, it's a '95. I buy most of what I need, Toyota OEM (or their actual parts supplier such as Aisin), from Amazon on Prime and it gets here for free in two days. I did the water pump and fun clutch earlier in the summer. $160 or so, about 90 minutes and two beers.

Because you can do almost all of the work yourself with about 6 different metric sockets and some other odds and ends tools, and because the platform is so overbuilt (it carries about a half ton of chassis weight over a typical peer sized truck) cost of ownership is incredibly low.

Now whether three tons of piggy fun is your idea of a dream is another question. Probably depends on how much things like this move you...

Land Rover? Their reliability is legendary .