need help buying a car

hay guys im looking to buy a newer car and was looking for some help i am 21 and i can spend up to 15,000-18,000 and handle the payments.
im looking for like a 1999-2006 car that is nice and fast stick shift of corse and somthing reliable
i have been looking but cant realy make up my mind so im look for some personal experiences and stories to give me some help thanks

PS. i dont like fords

Well, my 2003 Mazda Protege5 has been a lot of fun. Its not fast on the highway with 130hp, but if you can find one, they made a MazdaSpeed Protegé with a turbo and around 170hp. The 5-speed is a joy to shift - the motor is happy to rev and peels around town like a more powerful car. The clutch is light and brakes are responsive. Its been reliable, except the bearings seem to wear quickly, which may be an issue specific to my car? Not sure on that one. Insurance is good, cost to own is very low, and it still looks better than a lot of the hatches coming out today. You could find one well equipped with low miles for half of what you have to spend - get a decent car and tour Europe for 3 months.

i'v started looking at the 2005-2006 GTO im pretty excited about it
LS2 moter with 400HP 6speed. around $14,000-$20,000 and the best thing is, me and my brother are restoring a '69 GTO so when we get it going we could cruse together

OLD SCHOOL MEETS NEW SCHOOL:naughty:

I had no idea the '05-'06's were that cheap - that's a steal! With the 6-speed you'd probably still get decent mileage too. 1967 GTO = dream car. '69's are nice too!

I had no idea the '05-'06's were that cheap - that's a steal! With the 6-speed you'd probably still get decent mileage too. 1967 GTO = dream car. '69's are nice too!

yeah i was serprised to about the price

you could always try checking the government auctions.. got myself a nice 05 tiburon there for $2000 a few weeks ago...

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Plus add a grand to an used car now and starting next year due to cash for clunkers that failed.