C5 Vettes are not know for the best brakes if you start pushing them.

Depends on how much horsepower you want. Miatas are fun little roadsters and they are reliable as all get out. A friend at work picked up a '12 V6 Mustang for around $16K and it's got all the power you need.

 

Miatas give men breast cancer Don.

I have driven miatas and even fitted with a turbo, just didn't do it for me.

I drove a bone stock Miata in the rural mountainous areas of amish country up in Pennsylvania. Oh my damn, one of the best driving experiences of my life. We are talking flat out orgasmic. The roads are in great shape but follow the contour of the terrain and are razor thin so curves are super-sharp, sometimes off camber, lots of ups and downs (some violent)...just amazing. Since they are so thin and you're constantly working the gears and wheel, it felt like a race car experience. I mean I've flogged good cars on the blue ridge parkway, but this was great. Spectacular. Every turn was a beautiful view and an opportunity to pull some g and flog the crap out it. Without ever breaking 80mph I had a better sensation of speed than driving the around here in a 600hp street monster. That being said on the flats or anywhere where torque and horsepower matter...you feel like the miata needs viagra and some steroids. The miata is for you if you fancy racing in a parking lot, live near a road course or basically live in the mountainous regions. The fun in a miata exists between 35 and 85 on really curvy roads with elevation changes where almost every curve is marked 35.

Now living anywhere else on the planet other than some place that offers the perfect twisty roads for your daily commute with breath taking vistas, I'd rather have a 200* Cadillac CTS-V. You can find a high mileage cream puff some old fart babied under your budget if you dig. It is low on the attention grabbing scale of the police radar, fast and easy to make faster. Best of all it handles great and makes for a great car to take on a trip.

 

Miatas give men breast cancer Don.

 

Maitas give men breast cancer Don.

Oh BS!

 

If you're looking new. You can find a 2016 Veloster Turbo under 20K. That is a fun little car. Deceptively roomy. My son is 6'5" and fits front and back seats. Hatch back gives it decent storage. And you can fit 8 foot lumber inside.
If I didn't 2 kids in college I'd trade my 2012 Veloster NA in for the new Turbo.

 

2003-2004 Mustang Cobra

It's what I'd buy with that 20K anyway.

 

I second this

 

Mazdaspeed3. Just have the steering wheel straight when you punch it 'cause it's going where you've got it aimed.........in a hurry!

 

Not sure what I would want. But I bet you could find the newer challenger with hemi in that price range.

 

If your friends have american style muscle cars and you like them I would look for something similar since you could potential go to similar events if you wanted else you might be the loan ranger in the group, might not be bad thing. Really also depends if your wanting a autocross type car or drag race oriented.

 

You say that you're looking for a "weekend cruiser" in the OP. Is that all you want to do with the car?

 

LS powered C5, hands down.

 

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/678031798/overview/

 

you can get a C5Z for under $20.....that's hard to beat.

If you're handy with a wrench and REALLY want a badass car...look for an FD with a blown motor and swap in an LSx/T56.....doesn't get much better than that and is easily doable for $20k if you do some searching.

My V1 was like $15k....the other $5k would handle the bushings, diff, C/H/I/E....and prob have enough for a 5 lug swap

 

Find a nice C5 Z06 and you can thank me later.

 

Factory Five Kit Build if you like wrenching on your own stuff and want something different

http://www.factoryfive.com/

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I came real close to purchasing, but for the 20K kit, I think you are still looking at wheels, tires, paint, and an engine. Donor car would bring the cost way down.

 

No miatas. Lol. I'm 6'4 . Have a friend with a ls2 swapped Miata and that thing is fast but I'm too tall. Thinking of going the vette route. Found a 03 z06 with 120k for $15000

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You can go the 2011-12 Mustang GT route if you dont have to have a Gov Motors car. Easily made faster as well.
Wont have as many miles on the coyote 5.0

 

I hate Corvettes but bang for the buck they're hard to beat.

 

I'm in this camp. It's the quintessential American sports car and always will be. No amount of geritol-geezer ownership will take that away from what has always been a good sports car.

 

Havent seen a better deal so far than on the C5's and GTO's... Most around 14-17k.. would leave a little extra for parts if needed or if anything, just make the monthly payment that much smaller.

 

https://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/5772908184.html

Found this on Craigslist. For the miles on the body and crate motor it seems to be a good deal. A few issues that could be taken care of easily and it would be a fun car.

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I didn't realize what a car noob I was, to be "old" as I am, till I almost bought a C-6 'vette with 24K on the clock for about $23K a few months ago. I drive all over the place out in the sticks on weekends, and have a AAA card, but when I learned they have no spare tire it kind of freaked me out.

5 is 4, but 4 is only 3, lol.
Learning all the time.

 

Run flats. Just wait til you have to buy a set.

 

Here's something within 10% of you budget, looks similar to that Daytona kit car, and almost guaranteed none of your friends have one in running condition:

http://charlotte.craigslist.org/cto/5740514889.html

Weights about as much as a current Miata, with the 2.4L that has a lot of performance left in there untapped. No emissions controls to worry about. Very good F-R balance.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/datsun-240z-road-test

Would make a bad-ass drift car with an LS1 swap

 

Crown Vic interceptor... $4k... spend the rest on ammo...

 

Or, Mercury Marauder

 

If you have something like this though, anyone who gives you shit gets the pit maneuver...

http://chicagomotors.com/20840/2010-Ford-Crown-Victoria-Police-Interceptor

 

I remember us having a thread on Miatas a while ago. It went badly.

http://www.carolinashootersclub.com/threads/anyone-here-drive-a-miata.169926/

 

Early to mid 70s Chevy 1/2ton Truck with a cummins swap.

 

The C5 is an easy choice. I would recommend getting one with the magnaride suspension system.

A couple other options that I personally like would be a BMW E39 M5, BMW 98-02 M coupe, or E46 M3.

Or if you want an odd money pit get an early 90s Saab 900 SPG.

 

I would say E39 M5 as well, i have always liked those.

I have a couple of SPGs an 85 and 90, i would let them go for less than 20k lol

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