*small* car advice; MR2, Mini, any others?

[WayOutCat]

if they sold the Daihatsu Copen in the U.S., i might buy one.

if i could afford the lowest, smallest morgan or a lotus elise, or a BMW z3 hardtop, i'd have one now!

i think i've made clear how tiny and low to the ground i'm looking for.

like that car that James Dean killed himself in...i realise small cars aren't safe.

i currrently drive a 2250 pound '92 nissan se-r, which is rusting apart, and if i'm lucky in my current search is the biggest car i'll ever regularly drive! : D

any advice?

one more thing, the reason i started by mentioning the MR2 & Mini is that i am not looking for a convertible, which many small cars unfortunately are...

thanks in advance.

[buymeabmwm3]

the miata is coming out in hardtop soon. E30 bmws are pretty tiny (~2700 lbs), you could even go with an old 2002. The MINI might be your best best in a hardtop. focus hatch is way fun to drive, CRX is small.

[WayOutCat]

thanks!

those 2002's look awesome!!! : )

a bit older than i was thinking of buying.... but nice looking. do they handle half as good as a 90's Japanese car? technology has come a long way. if you know their good and bad points already, please let me know. i am researching it myself, but every little bit of info helps!

thanks again!

[buymeabmwm3]

never driven one, but the 2002 was the car that started the whole idea of a "sports sedan". As I understand, they are a hoot. There was even an old Datsun that kind of looks like a 2002 (the 510) dont know if they're good cars or not. But if you really want to go the route of a good handling, light car check out the e30 m3. Hands down best car i've ever driven, and i've driven a lot. $10-15k for a good example, and it'll embarrass any modern sports car on a winding road. My vote though for cheap, lightweight fu would have to be the miata. Even though you dont want the conv top, its still the best choice in the lightweight sports car arena.

[nbr1nthuzyst]

older saturns are light but i dontknow about quick...