Best car for under 5,500?

Originally posted by tegsRus
I heard that RX7's are wankle and I will be getting a car with a lot of miles if a wankle engine breaks they are expensive to fix.
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A GTI VR6 would be good but I think they are way over 5,500, and the normal gti aint so hot.
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I dont know much about the suburu 2.5 RS thats the downgrade of the WRX right.

You're right - a $5500 RX-7 wouldn't be a good daily driver.
I think a '95 or '96 GTI could be had for around 5500 if you're willing to keep an eye out.
The 2.5 RS came out before the WRX (in the US at least). The impreza was a 2.2 130-ish hp, then in 98 the RS bumped up to a 2.5 165-ish hp. Both NA. I really like the way those cars handle; I think the RS has a tighter suspension that the basic impreza/wagon, and AWD at that price is a nice bonus. Reasonable torque makes it fun to drive.
Even with the WRX available, lots of people opt for the RS for cheaper insurance, and the 2.5 is easily turbo'able.