AHTOXA wrote:There is a reason why people say "Civic" when someone asks for a cheap beater car. Honda, Toyota and perhaps Mazda and Nissan of the 90's are best options.
Personally - see if you can find a mid 90's Corolla. They are known for taking lots of abuse and neglect and still give a good service life. They may be a bit more than an Escort of similar vintage, but I think it's worth it. The higher price is generally driven by the market and I think that in this case the market is right.
x2, fa sho. THC, you'd love this car. For a run of the mill car, it sure responds well to any and all inputs. You can feel when the front or back starts to step away easily, and the throttle on these cars is terrific.