Guest Casey240Z Posted March 20, 2005 Share Posted March 20, 2005 I need to get a new car because my current daily driver is a POS. The cars I am thinking about getting are (in no particular order): '93+ LT1 or LS1 F-body '90-96 300ZXTT '93+ RX7 (reliability?) '94+ Mustang GT or Cobra Any other suggestions? I would like to spend around 8-9K, but could always save some more. My list of requirements are (in order): 1. Performance a)handling b)acceleration 2. Ease of modifying 3. Cost to own (insurance, parts, maintainence, etc.) 4. Reliability So what does everyone think? I would love to hear from people who own or have driven any of these cars. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparks280zt Posted March 20, 2005 Share Posted March 20, 2005 I dont think you can find a nice rx7 that cheap, so throw it out. I would say go with an F body. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bastaad525 Posted March 20, 2005 Share Posted March 20, 2005 Hmm... LS or LT1 - good handling, great acceleration, not too hard to modify (any more current/modern car, to me, is a pain to modify... the engine bays on all of em are just too crowded), pretty reliable, parts are cheap, so shouldn't cost much to maintain... insurance... well.. insurance on any fast car aint gonna be pretty... 300ZXTT - Great handling, great acceleration, pain in the butt to modify, very cramped engine bay, very reliable, parts are so-so in cost, maintenance can be kinda pricey... This would be my pick if only because I've always loved the body style of this car and they are very fast and can be made oh so much faster RX7 - this all depends, I'm assuming you want the turbo version? Well... I suggest stay away. They can be very buggy, a pain in the butt to maintain, very costly, very difficult to work on, have a bad reputation for having problems, even with Mazda dealership mechanics... this thing ranks right up there with older ferrari's and lambo's in that, yeah it's fast, it's beatiful, it handles fantastic, but it's not the kind of car you'd want to drive every day. Also as Sparks said, good luck finding one in that price range. Now the NON turbo RX7, on the other hand, would be a much better choice, not nearly as buggy or hard to deal with as the turbo, obviously would be much cheaper, and would still be pretty quick, but in the end, any 3rd gen RX7 would probably rank lowest in most of your categories of what you're looking for, among all the cars listet. Mustang - well this would depend a LOT on the year. There is such a huge variance in some of the HP numbers among different year GT's or actually among the cobra's in particular. Either way, this would end up being one of if not the slowest out of your list, but that's not to say they are slow in general, just slower than your other choices. Handling wise, well... most people agree that a stock Fox chassis Mustang from any year is not a good handling car. However, they are cheap to upgrade, and cheap and easy to maintain. I have heard a lot that they can be a bit low on reliability... but since they're kinda cheap to fix I think most people just don't care as much. One thing... there was a survey done late last year, I remember seeing it on the news, that showed that the Mustang GT was one of the most expensive 'common' cars to insure. I say, go with the Z or the Camaro... if I put aside my love for Z's I think the Camaro is actually the more logical choice all around, and you can definately find one well within the price range you listed and probably have plenty left over for go-fast parts for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KEINoze Posted March 20, 2005 Share Posted March 20, 2005 I would consider a force induced Miata. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwik240z Posted March 20, 2005 Share Posted March 20, 2005 If I was looking for a daily driver, I think reliability would be higher up on the list. It sucks when you break down on the way to work and have to tell the boos why you were late again. Just Sayin" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Casey240Z Posted March 20, 2005 Share Posted March 20, 2005 bastaad525, Thanks for all the info, I agree about the RX7 I was just throwing that one out there because they are so good looking. I was leaning toward an F-body or a 300ZXTT. I used to have a '91 Z28 and I loved it. Reliability is low on the list because I live in the Bay Area and there are plenty of public transportation options. A forced induction miata would be good for performance but I would rather not have a convertible. That would be a sweet car. Also I would like to have a little room to fit groceries etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim240z Posted March 20, 2005 Share Posted March 20, 2005 I have a 94 Z28 as a daily driver. It is great...very comfortable, good power, decent handling (I have Bilsteins on all corners), and dial tone reliable. The only downside is fuel mileage (in traffic). I get an average of 17mpg (I log every fillup and always use 91 octane). When doing all open freeway runs (T56), I get 25 mpg. LS1 F-body would likely be a bit better in mileage and power, but will require higher buy in. Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop N Wood Posted March 20, 2005 Share Posted March 20, 2005 I would consider a force induced Miata. The nice thing about that is the woman/teen age girl you buy it from probably took really good care of it. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazy280 Posted March 20, 2005 Share Posted March 20, 2005 If it's down to the 300zxtt or the Camaro, I'd get the Z. They accelerate about the same, and are both easy and cheap to get plenty of HP from, but the Z handles much better, and is more reliable. Also, I don't think there was a nonturbo '93+ rx7. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auxilary Posted March 20, 2005 Share Posted March 20, 2005 all 3rd gen (93+ rx7s) were twin turbo, and they're not cheap to maintain. US smog crap screws with the engine reliability quite a bit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Casey240Z Posted March 21, 2005 Share Posted March 21, 2005 I think I am leaning toward the LS1 unless I come across a nice 300ZXTT. Thanks for the responses and opinons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted March 22, 2005 Share Posted March 22, 2005 Have I got a deal for you... I know where there is an EXCELLENT deal on a 340+wheel HP 95 Camaro for a steal and the price of a one way ticket to Richmond Internation Airport in Virginia. Contact Jamie T. here off line... He has an awesome t-top 95 6speed camaro with a set of ported heads, cam, headers, pumpin' system and it is CLEAN... Cheap for the money! Otherwise I'm becoming a HUGE fan of BMWs... I'm falling for my wife's 328i! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z Driver Posted March 22, 2005 Share Posted March 22, 2005 Have I got a deal for you... I know where there is an EXCELLENT deal on a 340+wheel HP 95 Camaro for a steal and the price of a one way ticket to Richmond Internation Airport in Virginia. Contact Jamie T. here off line... He has an awesome t-top 95 6speed camaro with a set of ported heads' date=' cam, headers, pumpin' system and it is CLEAN... Cheap for the money! Otherwise I'm becoming a HUGE fan of BMWs... I'm falling for my wife's 328i! Mike[/quote'] E36's are great but the parts are so expensive. I would avoid the RX-7's and 94-98 Mustang GT's. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted March 22, 2005 Share Posted March 22, 2005 Oh I'd not avoid the 94-95 Mustang Gt... if still has the 5.0, which has an abundance of hop up and go fast parts for cheap and gets reaosnable fuel mileage! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bastaad525 Posted March 22, 2005 Share Posted March 22, 2005 The Z would be inherently more reliable BUT, the Camaro would be easier for a home mechanic to work on and fix or cheaper to get fixed at a shop... 300ZX TT's are notoriously cramped and hard to work on and even routine tune up stuff can be a pain in the ***. I agree the stock Z would probably outhandle the Camaro but again, upgrades for the Camaro should be relatively cheap and easy to do. Like I said *I* would go for a Z because I love Z's... but the Camaro just makes more sense for the categories he's looking at, and will be cheaper = more bang for the buck and more bucks left over for making bang. Tim240z - you friggin STOLE that Camaro!!!! after seeing it I could not believe what you paid for it!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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