Thinking about getting a new car.
 

Some guy backed into my car a few days ago and while it doesn't look that bad it is totaled. Now I'm think about taking that money and throwing in some of my own to get a new used car. I figure I could spend around $8000. Probably not anything more than that. I was driving a neon and would like to get something with a little more pep to it. It doesn't have to be really fast but I would like it to be a little sporty. The most important thing is that it is reliable. Do any of you have any recommendations?

The first thing that comes to mind when I see that price range is to go a bit higher and get an early-90's Dodge Stealth R/T twin turbo. Downside: insurance costs and the fact that it's a big jump from a Neon, perofrmance-wise.

If you're looking for something under 8k, maybe an older DSM car, preferably one of the 4wd turbo models. They look nice, are endlessly modifiable, and pretty reliable. You can have a lot of fun with it stock, or slowly trickle money into it until you have a daily driver that can run some respectable times on the strip.

how hard did the person have to hit you to total your neon.. I HATE MINE! lol

They didn't hit it very hard at all. It really doesn't even look that bad. The front headlight and blinker on the left side are out. The big thing is when he backed into it he dented the front bumper side panel and the hood so they all need to be replaced even though none are in horrible condition.