zero Posted January 2, 2004 Share Posted January 2, 2004 My best friend recently was involved in an accident with his 1991 300zx 2+2. He hit a small patch of black ice at very reasonable and legal speed and plowed into a very tall curb, basically destroying his front suspension. He is already in debt from a previous accident, and does not have the money to fix the car. He also does not have collision coverage with his insurance. He is going to sell the car in its current condition for what he can and is expecting a couple thousand for it. His house also very recently burned down so he now is in desperate need of transportation. He wants something that he can have fun in, but wont be too expensive. At this point, his parents arent going to let him buy a sports car like another z or a supra. His other requirements are rwd, around $1000,manual, and reasonably practical. The cars we have been looking for so far are the 240sx, the eighties 200sx, and the ae86 corolla gts. If you guys can suggest another model that would fit the bill please do. and if you have one of these cars for sale or found one for sale in the NJ/NY/PA area, please let me know. Thank you for all of your help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silicone boy Posted January 2, 2004 Share Posted January 2, 2004 V8 Fox body Mustang. Best deal for the money today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ON3GO Posted January 2, 2004 Share Posted January 2, 2004 the GTS is prob the best best, also maybe a MR2. mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fl327 Posted January 2, 2004 Share Posted January 2, 2004 240sx hands down. gts goes for too much, might be different out on east coast, but here they go for way too much for a high mileage car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Chris240turbo Posted January 2, 2004 Share Posted January 2, 2004 I'll make an off the wall suggestion, how about a late 80's or early 90's Chevy S10 pickup, they can be had for a case of beer (for a nice one!) and a V-8 swap would be fun (a friend has one, might be for sale actually) and would likely fly right by law enforcement officials, insurance is super cheap, as there's no real reason to tell your agent you just finished installing a 11:1 383 stroker... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted January 2, 2004 Author Share Posted January 2, 2004 thanks for the ideas guys. He definately could not get a mustang or mr2 past his parents. They are pretty adament about the non-sportscar thing. It is very annoying. I will definately look into the s10 idea. The thought of a pickup had crossed my mind after driving with my friend who owns a stick v6 ranger. Any more thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted January 2, 2004 Share Posted January 2, 2004 I'd not recommend the 240SX unless he plans to ditch the motor... The car is pretty heavy and that motor is a slug... And I would NOT get an MR2... We have one... Nice little car... PAIN IN THE A$$ to work on and NOTHING is cheap for them... NOTHING... Honestly, for a fun daily driver with intention of maybe the occassional autocross, I'd get a little late 80s or ealry 90s Civic hatchback and throw some springs and struts on it... They are slow, but handle pretty darned well. I love mine as a daily commutor at 38-40 MPG. Then he could scout his next project car while he has something to beat around in, saving money FOR his project car parts, in the guise of excellent fuel mileage! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bastaad525 Posted January 2, 2004 Share Posted January 2, 2004 Mike we warned you about that MR2 okay well I guess no one specified those issues but we did try to talk you out of getting it in general!! 240sx's have seen a BIG increase in going price around here in SoCal. Pretty much EVERYONE is aware of the SR20DET swap into them and as such they have increased greatly in popularity hence demand has gone up. I agree that the early 90's mustangs are the best deal for the money right now, they are cheap to buy and hella cheap to make super fast. Somehow I still couldn't see myself owning one... The Corolla GTS is a cool car, I think they are more well known for being made into great handling touge (japanese mountain roads) cars, but I dont think I've even seen one that was straight line 1/4 mile fast, though of course there has GOT to be some out there. What would you put in one to make it super fast though? I think if I had to get a little car, non sporty, cheap, that could be made into a great handler and fast car, it'd be a sentra. I went looking for sentras for my g/f (gonna buy her a car with our combined tax refunds) and I was shocked at how many decent looking, (claimed to be) good running examples, even some early 90's ones, for less than a grand. Though I saw no SE-R's Still... for a thousand bucks... and just knowing the potential, that's what I'd go for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted January 2, 2004 Share Posted January 2, 2004 Well my wife had it in her head to buy him what he wanted within reason. So... I went along with it... I mean, it is a toyota and how much work should be required, right? The timing belt needs done... Did I mention doing it requires the motor and trans to be dropped? YUCK! It does handle well, and we just installed some Tien springs and new brake pads in the back, although the new struts will have to wait until we can buy the stupid specialty tool to extract the inserts... But I wouldn't buy it again... I'd do something else as a first car for him! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted January 2, 2004 Author Share Posted January 2, 2004 i have tried to talk him into getting a little civic or other small fwd car. but he is pretty much a rwd fanatic. I dont think he will drive anything that isnt. And again the fox body wont be cool with his parents. Thanks again for the input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bastaad525 Posted January 2, 2004 Share Posted January 2, 2004 well that's the problem right there, he isn't taking your suggestion because you're trying to talk him into a CIVIC... come on dude. Even if I DIDNT hate civics, fact remains that everyone and their mother (and even their mothers mother) drives one nowadays and they are just plain boring. But I can agree with him on the no-FWD-thing, Personaly I HATE FWD, but there are still a few I would consider. Isn't the GTS front wheel driver or is that before celicas switched over? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forrest Posted January 2, 2004 Share Posted January 2, 2004 The GTS 1985-1987 is RWD. They're hard to find though. All the ones I've seen go for about 150%-200% of the blackbook value, as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted January 2, 2004 Author Share Posted January 2, 2004 does anyone have experience with the later fwd gts's, because those sell for considerably less than the ae86's. Well i was trying to talk him into a nx2000 which are light little cars that handle well. What are some other good fwd cars that you can think of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DatsunBoy77 Posted January 2, 2004 Share Posted January 2, 2004 NX2K's are great lttile cars. Can handle incredible to. They are very low and heavier in the front than sentra's but can be made to have oversteer. Plus the only factory limited slip in its class helps. i have been in and seen some insane SR20's in FWD's. There is a built turbo NX in my area for sale that runs high 11's. It is pretty quick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZROSSA Posted January 2, 2004 Share Posted January 2, 2004 I may be a little old school but here are some ideas that would be cheep and still get you past the no sports car rule: Mazda r100 ,rx2, rx3, rx4,rx5, first rear wheel drive 323- rotary slots in Toyota any early corolla or celica. I would go for te55. basicly the same chassis as the ae86, slot in a 2.4 turbo out of the truck. What about a pinto or vega. The chev monza, loved the imsa ones. Btw the first of the fw drive corolla gts is the one to have. Much lighter and seemed to be faster around the race track then the later ones. Douglas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datsunlover Posted January 2, 2004 Share Posted January 2, 2004 Well, the S10 V8 swap is ok, but the gas milage will be crap.. and there are a million out there. But the Truck thing is the way to go for cheep insurance.. I drive a 93 Nissan King cab with a V6/auto, and would highly recomend it to your friend. If you can find one with the 5 speed, you'll be suprised how quick they can be. Easy to work on, not to bad for parts, and its basicaly the same 3.0V6 as the 300ZX. With the torsion bars dropped, 2.5"blocks in the rear, and 15X6"rims (205/55/15 tires) my truck was quite fun to rip around in during the summer. Can kill a civic easily, and still get good milage when driving normaly. Just my $.02.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deep Posted January 3, 2004 Share Posted January 3, 2004 does anyone have experience with the later fwd gts's, because those sell for considerably less than the ae86's. Well i was trying to talk him into a nx2000 which are light little cars that handle well. What are some other good fwd cars that you can think of. I've driven a few of the 88-91 Corolla GTS'. They handle very well, very neutral and with good rubber and driving they don't understeer at all, but they're not meant to be drag cars, so don't expect to win every stoplight to stoplight run. Parts are dirt cheap and so are the cars. They use two different versions of the 1.6L 4AGE engine that was found in the earlier RWD GTS. The first is found in the 88-89 model and has a TVIS badge on the intake manifold, that motor is rated at around 115HP, the later motors are of a higher compression and are rated at 130HP, they don't have the TVIS badge. Avoid the SR5 at all costs, different engine/tranny/suspension/interior. I'd tell your buddy to go drive one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silicone boy Posted January 3, 2004 Share Posted January 3, 2004 I had a first generation MR2. Remember, it originally came out as a commuter car. Overall, it was the best car I have ever owned. Handling was awesome, and performance from the motor was ok once I put on headers and a new intake. Better yet, my insurance company didn't consider it a sports car. They can be had really cheap. As for the Fox body thing, how about a non-hatchback LX model with a V8. I'm sure he could get it past his parents as a non sports car, and they are really cheap. Actually, they perform better than the GT models cause they are considerably lighter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silicone boy Posted January 3, 2004 Share Posted January 3, 2004 Well my wife had it in her head to buy him what he wanted within reason. So... I went along with it... I mean, it is a toyota and how much work should be required, right? Mike, Your wife sounds really cool. Maybe I should work on her and convince her that that spare LS1 in you garage needs to be gotten rid of once your supercharger project is done . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted January 4, 2004 Author Share Posted January 4, 2004 as soon as the kids dad hears mr2 or mustang the deal will be off. Im not even kidding. he has to get something pretty low key. Thanks guys, keep em coming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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