Exactly – my apologies for sowing any confusion.
I actually considered getting an RX-8 for a hot second, about a decade ago. I had a very high opinion of Mazdas, generally, but I also knew that the rotary engine has always had a checkered reputation.
do the early-plate s2000 Honda’s come in at under $5000? I know the very cheapest ones over here in the UK are about £5000
Hey, I had one of those! Anyway, a quick breeze through Autotrader shows the floor at about $10,000.
I love my 1980 Fiat Spider. Kinda hard to find, and not in everybody’s comfort zone, but a fine, fun car. I’ll give you a good deal on a '78 model. 
Go earlier! Get the e30 (early to late 80’s). Strong straight six, reliable, easy to work on, handle well. One of the best cars ever made, if you ask me. Got three of them, and always keep my eye out for good examples.
No, it’s tough to find a halfway decent S2000 for under $10k. At $5k, you’re probably looking at a salvage title with a lot of issues.
Very much not in the price range but my first though was a Sunbeam Tiger. Aside from that a Miata is probably going to be the easiest one to find in decent shape for that price.
Yeah, S2000’s are right out, which is a shame…BUT, at that price point you can get an older 3.0 BMW Z4 convertible.
All the fun and laser-sharp handling of a Miata, with an extra ~80 horsepower or so. The M54 engine is damn-near indestructible, and is easy to work on. The rest of the car is also easy to work on (bushings are a 2 hour job, front brakes are a 1 hour job, etc), and there’s a robust aftermarket for parts. They also look great!
I have one as a “city car” that I don’t care if it gets scraped/dinged/whatever and can parallel park in inconceivably tiny spaces, and am pretty happy with it. With the top down and an open on-ramp just begging you to punch it, your heart will sing. 
The Z4 always looked to me like a Miata that went to the gym and got some additional muscle definition.
FWIW, you can go on sites like autotrader and search for convertables, max price $5000, manual transmission and see what is out there.
I did a quick search, what really cut down the results was the manual transmission. I went from about 50 results to 4 when I picked manual transmission. All that was left were a couple of 2002 BMWs, a saab and some other model.
You may have to drive quite a distance to find one if you don’t live near a huge metro area with a giant used car market.
Have you considered bikes or trikes?
If you want a toy to vroom & zoom with, the extra weight that comes with a car is not just unnecessary but deleterious.
Another vote for a Miata. The only caveat I’d mention is that you should pay attention to the models/years if you’re at all on the tall side*. My aunt has a ‘90-something Miata. I’m 5’9’’ and can touch the ceiling with my head, IIRC, I can even see over the top of the windshield if I want. Her (ex) husband is well over 6’, maybe 6’5’’ or so. I believe he had to have the top down to ride in it.
It is, however, a fun car to drive. It has a lot more get up and go than any of my (manual) Hondas have ever had. I was surprised when I made the wheel squeal the first time I pulled away from the curb.
*Checking google for tall people in Miatas to make sure I wasn’t misremembering that, there appears to be a huge difference from year to year and model to model as far as headroom and legroom are concerned.
You know, I’ve thought along the same lines! I’ve always thought of it as “like a Miata, if Miatas looked good” and described it as a tarted-up Miata.
But yeah, I can definitely get behind the “it’s like a Miata that’s been hitting the gym a lot” analogy.
For a dash of verisimilitude, that extra muscle comes with an extra 500 pounds in curb-weight (but the extra 80 horses does help offset the weight), so truly it’s the meathead of the tiny convertible segment. 
Lock the thread.
The thing about Miatas is that they’re SO common. I don’t doubt that they’re fun and great cars, but I’d like something that would turn heads a bit more, which is why I’m thinking MR2 or MG.
What kind of maintenance headaches would I be looking at with an MG? It’s a British car so I know there are going to be some.
Karmann-Ghia?
I dunno. I wouldn’t say anything discussed in this thread is a major head-turner. To most people, these cars just look old, and not in a rare, vintage sort of way.
I had a car that most would describe as a head-turner. One of the first Lotus Elises in the PNW. What it got me was the attention of teenage boys (who wanted to know how fast it was) and old men (who wanted to tell me about their Lotus/Triumph/Healey/whatever from back in the day).
As a guy that was the chairman of a British car club in the PNW for a few years, let me say this. The Miata is for someone who enjoys driving. The MG (any vintage British car, really) is for someone who enjoys working on cars.
As the owner of an MG and an S2000, I endorse this.
The last MGB sold in this country is almost 39 years old…
Where are you located? Based on my son-in-laws recent MGB purchase, it makes a difference.
Some off-beat options are Honda Civic Del Sol, Mercedes-Benz SLK. and Pontiac Solstice/Saturn Sky. There’s always the post-2000 Mustang and C4-generation Corvette, too.
And just sayin’, five grand buys a pretty nice motorcycle.
Can you still get parts for Pontiacs or Saturns. I don’t know enough about them to know if the use the same parts as other GM cars or you’re going to be digging through scrapyards every time you need a new window regulator or headlight lens.
