please advise. so desperate i'll try domestic

i am having a hell of a time finding a good Impreza RS 2.5, Nissan 200sx SE, or any other decent affordable J-car within a hundred miles of me. i am ready to consider domestic. any advice on under $10,000?

i have looked at Pontiac Grand Am v6s, ford probes, you name it.

i like the cockpit of the grand am, but am concerned about its reliability & high weight.

i like cars that develop torque at low rpm for fun driving under 70 mph, ie., around town at 20mph-50-ish. top speed is not priority.

if you have any ideas, please share them.

more info to help kind souls help me:

--back seat room is not important
--handling on snow & ice & rain is VERY important
--low slung drivers seat is high priority
--extreme power is NOT neccessary;
--i'll be satisfied with, for ex.; 2900 lb & 160 tq@ 3000rpm
--i don't care if car isn't "cool"
--i hate huge spoilers! : )

thanks!

How about a corolla? Tons of 99-2002s could be had for well under $10k.

Steer clear of the grand am and its kin. Won't go into detail here but they were miserable in 84 and they're still miserable today.

Heck, you can get a brand new Kia for $9000. Reliability isn't top notch, but they're still WAAAAY better than a grand am, plus you get a warranty.

I noticed your query over at the Hyundai forum about the Tiburon. That would be a good choice.

I've heard good reliability stories from Neon and Focus, although you couldn't pay me to own one.

Camaro V6 and Mustang V6 fit your criteria nicely

Any of the above (even in Canada) would handle quite fine with some Blizzaks. I'm not northern anymore, but my first 28 years were in PA. Just my 2 cents take it or leave it.

also, the Probe has a Mazda engine since for some reason you're so obsessed into owning a japanese car. But ya, V6 Camaro sounds exactly what you're looking for.

Nissans are always a safe choice...though finding one for a great price can be tricky because they hold their value well. On a good note...I have one and I have never had any major problems ( except rutine maintinance of course). A nissan will rust and fall apart before it will stop running as long as you take care of it.

i would definetely recommend a 93-01 Nissan Altima, the KA24DE engine puts out 167lbs of torque @ 4000rpm, and the car weighs only 2800 lbs, so its not going to be too slow. it also responds well to mods. its FWD with a factory installed LSD so it handles very well in rain and snow. its got a back seat for your friends too and gets decent gas mileage.

thank you all!

"indeed" says my wife from over my shoulder as i read this, "we know this about Nissans from experience!"

(my '92 SE-R sits loyally rusting to dust in the snow; i drive it to work every day but i have to be careful kicking ice out of the wheel wells since "ex-metal" comes off with every bit of fenderberg)