I personally think an S13 or a 180SX would be a pretty awesome car. But what about an old Datsun? Plenty of em around and they're just so cool. Also if you can find any Peugeot GTI's, take them into consideration aswell!
I don't think Impulses were sold in New Zealand or Aussie.
A Mitsubishi Galant VR4 is also a great car to take into consideration. The 2nd Generation Twin Turbo V6 one is a real sleeper.
Here is a 3rd Generation VR4 for 18 grand. Thats 2 grand for insurance.
Thats a 2.5L V6 Twin Turbo putting out 206kw. Full-Time 4wd Transmission. But i've seen these as low as 10 grand and less than 100,000KM on the clock. Ofcourse might be a bit fast for a beginner but its a thought, hey? Maybe a 1st Gen VR4 with only about 157kw's.
Heres a 2nd Gen VR4.