Hey Scotty,
I know I have asked a lot of questions before ike this, but I have been looking for the fastest car under 20k that is reliable. I will be buying a car in a year or two so please do not exclude cars that are more than 20k now but will likely depreciate to be under $20k if they are found at a good deal. I want something with the most performance possible, with a decent interior and preferably back seats, it need to be comfortable enough to drive almost everyday. I am not looking for a camry or corolla, if I were to decide to have one, my parents are looking at buying new toyota's soon so I would likely inherit either the corolla or camry. Thank you!
If you are looking for fast with back seats.
Civic Type R. (Not the regular Civic)
Civic Si. (Not the regular Civic)
Acura TLX Type S. (Not the regular TLX)
Subaru WRX. (Not the regular Impreza)
I’m sure Toyota has a Type R/Type S version, but not sure how they market it.
TBH, I really don’t recommend sport versions of cars because they ride like sports cars. They handle well, they go super fast, but they sacrifice comfort.
But if you are looking for a fast and reliable these are it.
From previous posts, it seems OP is not interested in those cars. He wants high performance, luxury, cheap. I told OP he can’t have all 3 at once. Anyways, your list is a good choice!
What about a C5 Corvette Z06 2004 would you consider it reliable?
That’s a 2 seater AFAIK.
I know that it is a 2 seater, but I am willing to sacrifice the unpracticalility of the 2 seater because of the performance bargain that it is.
Fast, reliable, under $20k, has backseats:
1. Civic Si
2. Acura TL Type S
3. Civic Type R
4. Subaru WRX
5. Lexus IS300
6. Lexus IS350
That's about it. If having backseats is a priority, you can knock out all the muscle cars except the Charger. Insurance would kill you on those anyway.
I would like back seats, but it is not a must are they any cars that are high performance, reliable around 20k and maybe doesn't have back seats or maybe it does.
Weren't you considering a C5Z? If you don't need backseats, there's that, the 350Z, 370Z, and 2005 - 2010 Mustang GT. None have stellar reliability, as reliability is the trade off for fast and affordable.
Between the 3, I prefer the Corvette but, which is the most reliable of those 3.
The Mustang by far.
Really, which would be second? The nissan or Vette?
Nissan. Corvette would be bottom.
What are the main issues you fix on the C5 Z06?
@bclaud8977 that was answered by Mod_Man at this link before:
https://carkiller.com/scottykilmer/qa/what-do-you-think-of-the-c5-corvette-z06/#post-46172
Thank you, it was actually my post, I guess I have memory loss!
Fast, cheap, reliable: “Pick any 2 of the 3, but you can’t have all 3” — a wise mechanic once told me.
I would recommend a used Lexus IS350 or a RC350 (although back seats on the RC are cramped).
That's my motto! I call it "the Triangle of Truth". Lol.
Well, in my opinion, a C5 Z06 Corvette breaks the triangle of truth rule.
@bclaud8977 A C5 Corvette Z06 is going to be very expensive in regards to maintenance. I don’t recommend as a daily driver. As a track machine (on weekends), it’s the best bang for the buck. But if you want to play, you have to pay! For a first car that is not the route you want to go. Also the LS6 engine in the Z06 - some had valve springs break. To fix will cost easily >$1,000. I personally own a regular Corvette C5 with LS1 engine (more common and reliable) with 43,000 total miles on it and it’s been reliable so far except for the window motor regulator assembly failing. Those LS1 engines can last hundreds of thousands of miles if well taken care of. I fixed the window motor assembly myself, but it costs $850 at local shop. I also replaced the brakes, rotors, shocks, bled the breaks. If you have a shop do it, it’s going to be >$2,000. (I know because my friends who also own C5 paid that.). I have not had my more issues but a clutch job should I ever need one is going to be pricey: they have to drop the whole driveline (torque tube, rear differential, etc.). Look it up on YouTube and you will see. Also, with GM you can have electronics issues pop up that are costly and hard to fix. We call them electrical gremlins for a reason. In any event, my C5 can last another hundred thousand miles I am sure, but I would be spending a lot on maintenance and some repairs IF it was my daily driver, including fuel!!!! I recommend it as a weekend toy only.
@bclaud8977 the triangle of truth - the “cost” pillar should include total cost of ownership (including maintenance and repairs).
@DayWalker I hope to do the majority of the work myself, and I may just change the valve springs, are there good aftermarket ones that will hold up for the long haul?
It also looks like the valve springs are an issue mainly on the 03 and 02 models and not as bad on the 04's.
You will have to ask Mod_Man about aftermarket valve springs and how to replace it. Also, when you need a new clutch you will have to pay a shop to do this (lots of $$$ as very labor intensive) or do it yourself - but very difficult if you are not a seasoned mechanic. Total cost of ownership can easily add up to $10,000-$20,000 range on top of the cost of the vehicle itself. That’s why I say it’s a good weekend vehicle/toy (best bang for buck out there - to be sure) but not a good daily driver. But you also want to track it plus have it as daily driver so your costs will be higher (from consumables like brakes, tires, etc.)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=y9kzPNsJfXA
Yeah, there is no way I could do that job by myself, something that big I would take it to a shop.
It will easily run into the thousands. I have not done it since my clutch is still fine 17 years later, but you can ask Mod_Man. He works on Corvettes, mods, building high performance vehicles for his customer. I would also trust his advice since he does this for a living!!
Well, I hope that if I were to get a Z06, that the clutch has been replaced already, so that I won't have to replace it for a while, but you don't have a ton of miles on your car so that maybe why yours is lasting so long.
Note that the cost of insurance for young drivers can be very high. Add in owning a performance car, and a maybe a couple tickets, and the result can be shocking. Take that into account when budgeting for your car.
My second point comes from experience. Where can you go fast? When I had a performance car, I was always frustrated by the other traffic and ticket writers, and could only go fast when coming off on-ramps - and I got pulled over twice for that, but didn't get a ticket because they didn't actually pace me long enough to get my speed. So they stopped me just because I accelerated hard.
So I traded my Supra for a Camry (and got a motorcycle).
We have a ton of back road twisties here in the mountains where you don't need to go fast to have fun, Also, I would like to track the car and Virginia International Raceway is only an hour away from where I live. I have looked at insurance, and at liberty mutual, it says my mom's camry would cost twice the amount of a C5 Corvette Z06 2004 to insure everything being equal.
Just buy a miata and LS swap that boi until you skkrrrr your way to the moon.
This is for humor purposes and not to be taken too seriously, others have better answers for your question.
I have always thought of a Miata as a girl's car, but that may just be me.
There are no really girl cars or boy cars, it's kind of a weird concept. At least from what I see everyone likes miatas, not just girls.
Yeah, you are probably right, I guess I picture a girl in a Miata not a guy! Lol
Well I understand what you are saying, it has a "cute" typical style. The only car I can think of that has a "girly reputation" would be the Volkswagen Beetle. I find that the cars that people mock the most or give some kind of "reputation" are usually pretty popular and pretty well made, mazda miata, ford mustang, honda civic, and so on.
I am not hating on a Miata at all I think they are a great entry level roadster, just more of a girls car, but I understand where you are coming from and there are all kinds of stereotypes about cars like BMW drivers being A$$HOLES.
95 civic si with ebay turbo
