tdi would be a nice daily rollin coal :lol super good gas mileage, or theres a b16 swap hatch for sale on here for $2500 that fits the budget and has some pep to it
i would start with a stock platform, that way you know what your getting into, unless you know the previous owner. No use in buying all of the problems they created.
By a honda. save you from switching later :lol
For $3000 you can buy a real nice and clean Sentra SE-R. That would be high on my recommended list too… The good things have already been said about it. Some not so good things- rust in the door jambs, rocker panels for NE cars. Also, some cars have the infamous 5th gear pop out… It pops out of 5th sporadically, but it’s easy to find on a car you are looking at. PM me if you want more details.
I lurk on the SR20Forum all day long (I have an '01 Sentra SE with the later version of the SR20DE).
Check out this great deal on an SE-R here in Upstate NY. Dunno if it sold already though:
http://www.sr20forum.com/cars-sale/227473-fs-ny-1992-sentra-se-r-5-speed-148k-rust-free-%241250.html
I’d buy it if I had extra $$, most definitely.
Other interesting car suggestions:
Galant VR4 (for 3K you can buy a runner but look for one that hasn’t been modified to pieces, the 4G63 is not the most reliable thing when tuned on a cheap budget, you’ll need a couple hundred bucks extra on top of the purchase)
Mazda 323 GTX (1.6 liter DOHC + turbo and AWD in a tiny package, cool car but even rarer than the Galant VR4)
Mazda Miata (fun to drive, good handling, parts are super cheap, you can find a '90 - '93 Miata with the 1.6 for $3000 if you look around, it won’t be perfect but you could find a reliable one)
One word…Strippers
I sold a 93 civic hatch with a b18b swap a few weeks back. It was real clean, no rust but had dents and dings. Interior was super clean, ran awesome, and beat a GSR no problem along with smoking a civic si sold for $3200
You could also look into a 94+ integra. I picked up a 96 ls 5-speed no rust 145k bone stock for $2000. Runs great, needed a tune up and a little bit of lovin but it is a great car all around
Shift518 Track Rat Crx Si :ninja
Must be 4 cylinder? 1G Stealth TT are about doable for $3K.
Even got a Dodge label so you can pretend it’s not an import. :lol
im really looking for something that i can commute with to school, but not a dawg, id def want something thats stock, i wanna know or atleast have some idea that it wasnt beat on. A lot of these ideas are good. Im going to have a lot of planning to do
brooks has a old school SE-R in his garage, he picked it up pretty cheap and is doing some work to it. i’m sure he’d let it go for 3k… if your interested PM me and ill give you his number. he can explain whats done to it, how the body is, and whatever other questions you might have
'86 Corolla or a '90 Cressida? ;D
buy a old toyota van :nod
i just thought of another one Audi 4000 GT, 5 cyl, turbo, 5 valve per cylinder, awd, its bad ass
Brady Bunch wagon?
sock monster (sohcmonster) has a sentra with a blue bird in it for 3g’s or b/o
It better at ~$4+ per gallon…whatever happened to diesel being cheaper than gas? It’s a pretty much a byproduct of the process of MAKING gasoline…another gripe for another thread right?..
Look for a good used 96-98 suby. I’ve seen some good high mileage 98 2.5RS’s for about 3K, but subys last forever if taken care of.
adam i saw a 95ish impreza L off the rd by exit 8 today by the country drive in… said $1350 on the windows if ur seriously looking.
i want the early sti RA.
Not looking, just putting out the deals for the topic at hand 
My $600 '95 Taurus GL scoots me just fine until the 962 is complete, then I may look for an AWD winter cart.
winter is just about over. so forget that money wasting idea ;D