I bought my red '92 Mazda MX-3 from a sketchy dealer out on the Lynnway here in Massachusetts. It needed (needs) a paint job, and the clutch was slippy, but man, I love the look, and the price was right (about 1600 bucks... I didn't make much over the summer, even working full time). It was a christmas gift to myself, and it's probably the best gift ever :)

Stock, it's got a crappy 88 horsepower 1.6L SOHC engine, and certainly isn't a sports car, or hardly even a sporty car. But, hey, it was a 5-speed manual, and with a manny, it don't matter. REDLINE BABY! On top of that, it weighs somewhere in the ball park of 2300 pounds, so a little power goes a long way :)

Ever since I bought it (and before I bought it, naturally) I've been dreaming of swapping out that old engine and clutch and putting in the motor from a Mazda Protege, which is a 1.8L DOHC powerplant with about 127 horses @ 7000 rpm. On top of that, it's shared with the Ford Escort, Mazda Miata, and several other cars, so it has a LOT of aftermarket support.

Naturally, I jumped on the swap idea immediately (I had to pull the engine anyway to replace the clutch, so why not?)

Pictures start on page 4 of the car