Good alternative to 5th gen?

[highgear56]

So my 91 ST is in pretty bad condition, struts need to be replaced, radiator hose broken, needs new brake rotors, alignment issues, possible vacuum leak, transmission gasket, oil gasket and other problems as well as fading paint/rust. I took it into Midas for a typical oil change and they told me to sell the car ASAP.

Only 121,000 miles and to fix all the problems would cost about $1700 in parts. Car is worth about that much, and it's a base model with cloth seats, no power doors or windows, no cruise control and an automatic 4 speed. So it's really not worth fixing up at all which is a shame because I could have modified (appearance, lowering springs/tint/wheels) to make it nice and clean and I could have kept up with maintenance over the last 5 years of owning it.

Still trying to milk everything I can out of it, just filled up this week for a combined average of 32mpg city and highway driving. I like that it's sporty, light, rare and economical.

What would be a good alternative to a car similar to a 5th gen? (2 door coupe, sleek styling, economical, uncommon)

I don't care for power right now, I'm strictly looking for something economical and sporty. I was thinking of a 5th gen Prelude.

Also something for under $5,000. I was almost considering checking out other 5th gen Celica's if I could find one in good condition. I don't like the 6th and 7th gen ones.

[Django]

Preludes are cool. you have a few choices. If you want something reliable and don't care to much about looks etc, then just get a civic or corolla. They're cheap, easy to fix, reliable, and for 5k, you can get yourself a car that hasn't hit drinking age. If you want something sporty, and want an awesome 90's japanese body styling (cause mid 80's to late 90's had the best looking cars) then find a collectible car like an rx-7, or civic del sol, prelude, 240, 200sx, 300zx, etc, because you can find one of these in decent condition for around 2-3k, and you could put the rest into restoration. You'll never get the money you put into an older car like these back when you want to sell it, but since older japanese sport cars are becoming harder and harder to come by in good, non-abused condition, if properly taken care of, you have better chances of recouping that money. rx-7s are great. Had an fc years ago and its fantastic. lots of aftermarket support, and a really strong community. 240's are cool, but if you live in cali, dropping an sr or whatever into it can be a real bitch when it comes time for smog and reg etc. 200sx (s12) are cool, but the aftermarket support for them is fading out. 300zx's are cool, great handling if you get the 2+0. My sister has a 95 del sol si, and aside from the lack of space for anything other than you, are super fun to drive, especially with the lsd.
You got to figure out if you want to stay with an ff set up, or fr. Fr is way more fun, but if you've never had a rear wheel drive car before, you may end up getting a lot more tickets when you get that itch to go do some donuts and fig 8's in a parking lot. Its also pretty common for people who aren't used to fr cars to smash them up thinking they can drift, or crashing in the rain because they are used to ff handling.
I love the 5th gen, and though finding parts can be a bitch, imo they're pretty bullet proof. plus you can find a gt-s in good condition again in the 1800-3000 range, i see them on cl all the time. I know 6th gens are a little weird looking, but they too are great cars, again pretty bullet proof, and parts are a little easier to find for them, plus if you hate the front end so much, you could always do a curren front end conversion, which looks bad ass.
You have a lot of options, you got to figure out what you want. Also where you live will dictate what you should get, if your on an area that rains or snows a decent amount, you might want to steer clear of rwd cars and go with an fwd. If you can save a bit more, then find an awd, like a 95 impreza rs or something. If your in a dry area like LA, or arizona or something, then get whatever.
Hope this helps.

[Old_El_Paseo]

django is pretty much right. but well need to know how much $ and what you want. my wife loves her beige camry but i hate it. i love my 93 gt convertible but she hates it. its all a matter of what youre lookin for

[Snowfork]

Django, can I move in with you?

[Django]

um, id be cool with it, but i don't think my girlfriend would be too happy about it... oh wait she said its fine.

[Snowfork]

lol I mean you must live in Oz or something, where I can haz a complete RX7 for under 5 grand

[Django]

im not saying a built one, and in case you missed it, i said fc, not fd. I'm saying you can find a decent one, for like 3k, then put 2k into whatever mechanical issues may be present, maybe an ac recharge or paint or whatever, some rims etc. Im obviously not saying an fc with an ls1 and racing beat everything and expensive ass work rims etc.

[mrlieu]

Dude 121K and you're thinking about selling? I say fix everything and you'll have a good looking reliable, car the 5th gen is an awesome car fixed up.

[91GT]

200SX... are cool.. u don;t need to modify them that much its got n SR20 as it is ... had an 89 sentra with an SR20DET LOVED it.. & miss it as well... aahh gud old days lol with that OEM look just minor side skirts around n baammmm u have a ROCKET hahahah

[91GT]

think most of the job he can do on his on... n save some $$$