Cool Car for $7K or less.
 

So far I am considering:

Mitsubishi Eclipse GS-T or GSX
LT1 Camaros and Firebirds
3000GT/ Dodge Stealth
94-98 Mustang

But I am very open minded. Would definitely prefer a manual, but will consider automatics.

This is now the entry level LS1 F-Body territory. As it get's closer to X-mas, you may find more people willing to sell quite low. ls1z28 can help check them for common problems. This may be more power than you were thinking, but they're pretty reliable and have TONS of aftermarket goodies when the time comes.

LS1s? Nah.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, find me a decent LS1 car for $7K or less. Really the limit is $6K but for something nice enough I'm sure up to an additional $1K would be considered.

You might be surprised, and I expect there to be considerably more as we get closer to to X-mas.

This one may not be so "nice", but took 2 seconds to find.
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/cto/934299341.html

You could look for "nice" ones in the $9-10k range and hard ball them. Nothing ventured, nothing gained . . . find the right seller and flash $7k cash and it's a done deal.

It is surprising how the color green flashed at the right time will change a sellers mind about the price. :truestory:

That car has a salvage title...

Focus on what you can't do and you won't do much. THAT car has a salvage title, which could mean a lot of different things, not all of them so bad. The real point is look in the $9-10k o.b.o. range; you could probably haggle down to $7k. There are distress sales, especially now.

You're right of course, here is a list of LS1's under 8k.

Exactly, this would be my area of operation. :bigthumbsup:

I'm going to check out the blue 6 speed in an hour, thanks Sean.