$0.02

Volvo 740 Turbo.

Get one with a 5spd and put some stiffer springs on it. Relatively quick, fun to mess around with, simple to work on, incredibly reliable, cheap to insure and maintain, and most importantly, ridiculously cheap to buy into. You can find one in good shape for $1500.

And you have a much better chance of surviving an accident (caused by you or someone else) in a Volvo than you do in a Civic.

And I just think they look cool when you do them right: