Pick some hot drives for summer

While winter is generally a time when car enthusiasts moan about not being able to drive their summer toys, the downtime does afford the opportunity to get work done that was put off during the cruising season.

Now's a good time to get the paint, mechanicals and interior back up to par and maybe it's even time to get a fun new ride.

And that brings me to one of my favorite winter activities: window- shopping for summer cars.

Granted, I'm not someone with the means to fill the garage with automotive toys, but I do know a good bargain on a used summer cruiser when I see one, and I do have a few suggestions for fun on the cheap.

First on my list is the Honda S2000. The two-seat convertible with a high-revving four-cylinder engine and a six-speed manual transmission is a bargain today with even newer examples selling for less than 20 grand. Aside from being a good driving car that's OK on gasoline, even if you're a bit of jerk with the throttle, is that most examples have been garage kept and never driven in the winter. That generally means low miles and good maintenance coupled with Honda reliability. The 2005 and newer cars have slightly larger engines and more torque, so watch for that and watch the local lots for winter deals.

Another awesome buy is the Nissan 350Z. I spotted a silver 2006 on eBay with just 24,000 miles for less than 20 grand. The 350 is a great-looking two-door available in coupe or convertible with similar traits to the S2000, except that the Nissan is heavier and its excellent V-6 makes more power. The silver coupe I spotted came with an automatic transmission, although a six-speed manual was an option.

Another 2006 with 63,000 miles had a price of just $10,750, which is typical of the deals you'll find from motivated sellers. The interior quality isn't great on these cars, but for the price, who can complain? A good tip for buying enthusiast cars is to give the local dealer a heads-up on your search. Often they'll know of someone selling, or might even have what you're looking for in storage.

A really underrated and somewhat undiscovered used-car find is, believe it or not, the Chrysler Crossfire, which is one of the few decent things that came out of Daimler's takeover of Chrysler. Sharing platforms with the Mercedes-Benz SLK as well as its engines, the Crossfire was a pricey one-of-a-kind piece of sculpture that's a real bargain today. For example, I found a super-clean white 2004 coupe with 41,000 miles selling for $13,900 and another with a few more miles for $10,980.

Convertibles will go for a few thousand more, and the 333-horsepower supercharged SRT6 models will fetch about $20,000 to $23,000. That car is a total riot to drive, so keep your eyes peeled for a deal.

Understand that even the newest Crossfire is 5 years old and since the parts are German, repairs and maintenance might be higher than for some other makes. If you're contemplating this, it would be worth calling your local Chrysler store to inquire about their service dealings with Crossfires.

For a car that delivers huge thrills on a budget and a car that you can modify and beat to a pulp without it complaining all that much, it's tough to overlook the Corvette. Since there are so many of the current sixth-generation models (2005 and newer), you might want to try standing out a bit by going a little old-school.

Everyone loves the high-performance Z06, but the previous fifth-generation "C5" was also available in a Z06 based on a lightweight nonhatchback body. Depending on the year, the 5.7-liter V-8 was rated at either 385 or 405 horsepower. I found a 14,900-mile silver 2001 Z06 for just $24,000. When you get a car like this, it says to other owners that you're a real enthusiast who knows your stuff. Be advised if you're hunting around online to search ZO6 (the letter "O") and Z06 (zero) since some people mix the two.

For something a little more exotic, the Porsche Boxster is a favorite for its great drive, decent reliability, cargo room and the sound its six-cylinder midmounted engine makes. I came across a 2000 Boxster S (a performance upgrade over the base Boxster) with just 3,650 miles selling for $24,900. The original invoice shows $62,000. If you don't mind potential Porsche maintenance and repair premiums, a Boxster might be your ride. Shopping locally might cost more since the inventory is limited, but you'll be able to see the car in person and save transportation fees.

But this is a story about what you could buy more than where and how you buy it. It might be the dead of winter, but spring is just a few months off, so it's the perfect time to get into the season. Have fun shopping.

Rhonda Wheeler is a journalist with Wheelbase Media, a worldwide supplier of automotive news, features and reviews. You can email her by logging onto www.wheelbasemedia.com and clicking the contact link.