[Greenkirby21]

My friend in college loves cars. He has ~15k to spend on a car. He really wants a sports car, but also since he is in college he wants it to be reliable. There seem to be many options out there and wanted to hear your opinion.

Some cars I saw were
2006 E90 330i seems great. My other friend actually has one, but maintenance is pretty high since its a BMW.

Nissan 350z - Lots of them, but problem is lots of boy racers used them since they are pretty cheap. We couldn't really find any that were stock and unabused.

G35 - same as 350z

I initially told him to get a GTI or something. Want to see what other owners say.

I know subaru are reliable, but most are heavily modded in the 15k range as well D:

[Shane550X]

Golf GTI
reliable
Sporty
FWD
Highly Modifiable
Easy to maintain and work on
And....
Reasonably priced

[BMWcoupe335ii]

If he wants a TRUE sports car for 15k I'd get a Mazda miata. He can find relatively new one for good prices.

[Greenkirby21]

Originally Posted by BMWcoupe335ii

If he wants a TRUE sports car for 15k I'd get a Mazda miata. He can find relatively new one for good prices.

I think he wants something sporty and practical as well. Probably needs to carry a few things or passengers, although I am not entirely sure xD

[TSM330i]

Sports car and practical don't usually go together (i.e. carrying passengers).

That being said: I vote C5 Corvette. I had a 1997 a while back. Fantastic bang for the buck. 345 - 350hp, very reliable and Chevrolet dealer pricing if you need to have service. Parts are very reasonable too (brake rotors cost about $80!).

[Shane550X]

Golf GTI
reliable
Sporty
FWD
Highly Modifiable
Easy to maintain and work on
And....
Reasonably priced

[wisesoul]

Miata, Ap1 S2000, Ap2 if you're lucky finding a 2004/2005 for that price

[smmmurf]

S2000 is incredibly reliable if not fucked with (kept stock). Extremely fun sports car

[Freon]

I'd vote S2000. $15k USD will actually get you a pretty nice one. Like any used car, you'll have to shop around to find a good example. They're actually available for less if you don't mind higher miles. All of them have a 6MT. They're a blast. With only 240hp and barely much torque as a base Toyota Camry it's not a demon in a straight line, though. For the money on the used market, with the goal of having a "sports car" I think this is your best bet.

The Miata is nice, but S2000 is just better. You'll get a newer model year if you get a Miata with your budget, but not by much, and likely not a ton less miles. Possible upshot is Miata parts may be easier to find.

350Z is less than impressive for some reason. On paper they look great. I like the styling. Not sure why, but just seems like it was missing something. They fixed it all in the 370z, though, but that's not even close to your price range yet.

$15k and some shopping will find you a 06+ WRX that isn't modded into oblivion. 06+ has the 2.5L AVCS engine (same as STI), which is a LOT better than the old 2002-2005 2.0L with no intake cam variable control. They are commonly found with a manual gearbox, which is nice. The 4EAT is snore worthy.

I know a guy selling an 04 STI in Florida for just under $15k, only mildly modified (exhaust, tune), but it has serious miles, like 140k+ I think. He is a professional mechanic and did headgaskets, clutch, timing belt, etc. at least.

[b0bab0i]

As everyone else said S2k.

[Sniz]

E36 M3 HANDS DOWN

for that money you can get a really nice one that will walk circles around the cars mentioned so far

[NemesisX]

Originally Posted by Sniz

E36 M3 HANDS DOWN

for that money you can get a really nice one that will walk circles around the cars mentioned so far

OP asked for something reliable.

[Greenkirby21]

Originally Posted by Shane550X

Golf GTI
reliable
Sporty
FWD
Highly Modifiable
Easy to maintain and work on
And....
Reasonably priced

Originally Posted by TSM330i

Sports car and practical don't usually go together (i.e. carrying passengers).

That being said: I vote C5 Corvette. I had a 1997 a while back. Fantastic bang for the buck. 345 - 350hp, very reliable and Chevrolet dealer pricing if you need to have service. Parts are very reasonable too (brake rotors cost about $80!).

lol i showed him this thread. He likes the GTI.

He wants more options similar to the GTI or WRX.

The miata, s2000, etc are all 2 door small cars. I am guessing he wants just a sporty car with some practicality.

I guess other options would be mazdaspeed 3 or mini cooper s?

[dubsesd]

if hes looking at a gti or wrx, they are more sporty cars rather than "sports cars". that being said, i would vote gti. fun, and turbo. a reflash with get you 260hp pretty easy

[kyleb350]

Looks like you could get a decent '06 330i for around that price.

[bimmerjph]

Miata or you might be able to find a S2K in that price range.

[khaye1]

Wrx, evo, s2k

[Endless619]

Honda S2000.

[GammaZeta]

Easy, Z3M.

Throw on a used supercharger or turbo onto the S52 engine and you have a beast.

[TimZ]

Cannot go wrong with a golf gti.
Maybe he can even get a r32 golf mk4 for that price too?

[wisesoul]

Originally Posted by Sniz

E36 M3 HANDS DOWN

for that money you can get a really nice one that will walk circles around the cars mentioned so far

Walk circles around an s2000? In a straight line or road corse I don't think so, no offense. S2k has better power to weight ratio. Sure it doesn't have the silky smooth I6, but it's still moves.

[GammaZeta]

Originally Posted by wisesoul

Walk circles around an s2000? In a straight line or road corse I don't think so, no offense. S2k has better power to weight ratio. Sure it doesn't have the silky smooth I6, but it's still moves.

I'm pretty sure a E36 M3 would walk an S2000 off the line. Could pull away on the highway.

As far as corners, not idea.

Power to weight ratio isn't everything, and the S2000's isn't that great.