For the most part a tuner car such as the S2000 is a horrible investment financially speaking. They will almost never return to their original value let alone appreciate. The rare exceptions would be a low mileage Toyota Supra or an early Nissan Skyline(R32 or before). You would have to baby...
As for cheap to run I would get the Suzuki Swift. The Mini cooper is too expensive.The Mazda 3 is a great car but not cheap either. Honestly, the VW beetle and the Suzuki Swift are the best options for cheap and reliable.
How about a Nissan Versa. They are cheap and reliable too. I know several...
What is your price range? There are many excellent options out there.
The Mazda RX-8 is nice, but because of its rotary engine it doesn't get the best gas mileage and its rather loud if you care about that kind of stuff. It does have a cool back seat feature though.
The Mini Cooper S is great...
I have a 2010 Focus and it sucks. As soon as I took delivery I had fuel system problems that caused me to get horrible gas mileage and sluggish acceleration. I had the fuel system cleaned, but after a few fill ups the car returned to its sluggish state. My best guess is that the fuel injectors...