Ok, I'm planning to replace my Isuzu sometime this year. I'm not in a big hurry; it's just that I am a bit tired of the trouble I have to go through to get parts or repairs for something this unusual. That and I'd like to have something more comfortable with better road manners. So, here are the requirements for my next vehicle.

1. It will be a car. Not a pickup, van, SUV, or similar thing, but a car.

2. I figure I can get something that meets my requirements for $6,000, so I'd rather not pay more. I'd like to get a car that feels like a good value for the money. And, of course, I'm not buying new.

3. The car needs to be fun to drive - no Toyota Camries or Buick Centuries here. A manual transmission is highly desirable. It would be great if this could also be run competatively in autocross events.

4. Although I don't have a particular age of car in mind, I would want one I have a reasonable chance of finding with the upholstery and paint still in reasonably good shape and mechanically flawless. Mileage and age don't matter if it still feels like a relatively new car. And I intend to keep it as long as is reasonable practical.

5. I am 6'2". Most cars I fit into well have at least 39" of headroom.

6. Needs to be something that I can find parts for, and someone who knows how to work on it should anything break. I live in a small town, and should I break my Isuzu (or a Subaru, Suzuki, or some European cars) I might have to limp or tow it 40 miles or more to have it fixed. This isn't a problem for American cars or the "Japanese Big Three."

7. Reliability? Well, it will be my daily driver and probably used for occasional long trips. But on the other hand, I have two other cars and have been crazy enough to drive sub-$1,000 cars for state to state trips. So I'd say reliability is nice to have, and I would like to avoid a lemon, but it's not my number one priority. Same goes for gas mileage - it would be nice to get around 28 mpg but I live within a few miles of work anyway.

So, I'm thinking of either getting a relatively new compact (the Focus ZX3, Protege ES, and Nissan Altima top my list there) or maybe reach back a bit further in time to get a Nissan Maxima. Or possibly even an older (E36) 3-series BMW. Any thoughts on the cars I'm looking at or other cars I should consider?