I would like your opinion on what's a good, cheap, reliable car to buy that's fun to drive. Anything will help. Maybe you'll convince me to buy something odd. Your help is much appreciated.  

I would look into like a 240sx or 300zx there both cheap and have great potential. If you just want like an every day driver and dont plan to mad it than I guess a Honda would work. But I would look into the Nissans way before any Honda.  

B13(1991-1994) or B14(1995-1999) Sentra or 200SX SE-R. They are cheap, reliable, easy on gas, cheap to insure, can carry you and a friend or two. They also handle way better than any front-wheel-drive car should, given the proper suspension tuning.  

This man speaks the truth. Great cars. A bit hard to find sometimes if you live in the middle of "we ain't got no small furrin' cars here" tennessee, but they're good cars. One guy here has one that I know of. Turbo'd, well set up, etc. He autocrosses it and it runs 8.80's in the 1/8. I'm a currently in the knuckle-dragging-put-a-bigger-carburator-on-it group, and he's embarrassed a lot of other "built" v8's with a stock looking white car. Makes me laugh. Oh, and they're dead nuts reliable. Aside from a simplistic transmission problem, they're great cars.  

Miata. Early to mid 90's are pretty cheap to come by and they are prolly the most fun car you can get for the money.

The handling is amazing, especialy with some shocks and springs and good tires, lots of fun to be had. Weighs little and its also a convertible so when its nice weather you can go topless..

www.flyinmiata.com has many good, inexpensive upgrades. Also, miatas are cheap to fix oem if something does break.

If you are looking for power, look somewhere else though. Miatas aren't extremely slow, but they aren't fast either... But who needs power when you can out-corner most brand new cars on the freeway on-ramp anyway  

A turbo Miata could do 250 reliable horsepower. That, combined with some light weight, could convincingly beat an E46, I would surmise. Or you could go the SR20DET route, if you are so dedicated.  

I am a big fan of the E30 BMW's. They are cheaper than people think to find parts for (ie same alternator that vw used for A1, A2 cars) and are now pretty cheap to find good examples of.