Agreed w/ GDS14... ae86 are not cheap! Maybe before initial D came out in the US, and before whenever they got popular in the japan they were good cars because of cheap and abundant parts... but these days even a beat up ae86 will cost you more than an S13!
Good performance (4A-GE/4A-GZE) with a good chassis (AE86) but not so good cost, either stateside NOR J-side.
Sentra SE-R... I learnt to drive stick in one of these... <img src="#/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt='
'> They seem like fun cars to throw around, but I don't know if I'd really ever buy one... come on, after driving RWD, I'd never go back to FWD!!
Therefore, through the process of elimination, we come to the S13 chassis. cheap (often known to be had w/ blown engine for under $500), abundant OEM parts (relative to AE86 and SE-R), Growing aftermarket support, classic good looks (can't say the same for the SE-R!<img src="#/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt='
'> and a nicely balanced FR layout make the S13 the winner here! <img src="#/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/thumbs-up.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':thumbsup:'>