Jay1970Z Posted November 16, 2002 Share Posted November 16, 2002 I'm looking for a decent beater car to get me around town since the caddy is gone and i don't have the time to start on the Z right now. I was thinking of something along the lines of an early 90's 240sx or a 91-95 mr2. I'm looking for something kinda sporty, cheap, that will have relatively low insurance, and something with some decent power. Anyone got any ideas? Let me know thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted November 17, 2002 Share Posted November 17, 2002 a MR2 as a beater. Must be nice! Not sure if I agree with your beater definition. I Chevette (or something similar pops into my head when I hear beater.) Those are nice cars. Also a Toyota Corolla AE86 is nice and quite a bit cheaper. A Honda CRX might do or a 1st gen RX-7. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David K Posted November 17, 2002 Share Posted November 17, 2002 may i suggest a classic sentra se-r? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay1970Z Posted November 17, 2002 Author Share Posted November 17, 2002 well, i'm not talking beater per se, however i need a cheap daily driver that if i have problems with i won't freak out. se-r sounds good, i'm open to just about anything right now...either way it has to be able to reliably get me from orlando to ft. lauderdale and back on a regular basis. thanks for the suggestions, keep em coming! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted November 17, 2002 Share Posted November 17, 2002 hehe....that's funny you should name those two cars. Those are the two cars my brother drives. His summer car is a 91 MR2 Turbo and his winter car is a 90 240SX. Actually, the I sold the 240sx to him. It was my winter car. But yeah, cool cars. The MR2 is super reliable too. Turbos are hard to find. If you can, pick one up. Very easy to mod, but that's probably not the point of the car I guess... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bang847 Posted November 17, 2002 Share Posted November 17, 2002 an old volvo turbo! get a 86 4cyl turbo intercooled... whips a honda anytime yet can hold all your buddies at the same time.... also.. the JTR manual for the 740's should be out soon too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Shasteen Posted November 17, 2002 Share Posted November 17, 2002 Originally posted by Arthur Dent:[QB]a MR2 as a beater.., Not sure if I agree with your beater definition.., Also a Toyota Corolla AE86 is nice and quite a bit cheaper.., I must agree about the "Beater" vernacular. I would consider a beater as something that kind've cramps your style but gets you to and from work consistently, durably, & hassle-free. BTW, I have always considered the Toyota Corollas as Timex Cars...they take a beating & keep on ticking. Toyota Corollas seam to be very tolerable of driver abuses: especially the older Corallas w/the 2tc & 3tc engines. The AE86 engine is also a good timex engine w/a little more up to date enginineering. The Celica's w/the R22 R/RE engines are also excellant beaters w/low maintenance; and the salvage yards are littered w/worn out bodies w/good parts availability on engines/trans. Kevin, (Yea,Still an Inliner) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heavy Z Posted November 18, 2002 Share Posted November 18, 2002 A good affordable car is a 1987-1989 Alfa Romeo Milano. I drove one for six years with only ignition switch go out. Parts are cheaper than comparable Japanese cars, they stat out as follows: 2.5/3.0 V6 transaxle design (trans in rear)- 51/49 weight split roomy 4-door only 2900 lbs. Great looking cars for touring and in town, and the handling is nothing short of amazing. IMO a more neutral/predictable ride than a Z, and you can get them for a song these days ($1k-$4k for the 3.0 verde). A practical italian car, no kidding. Heavy Z Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted November 18, 2002 Share Posted November 18, 2002 You can also consider trucks unless you need a four door. The 'hardbody' nissan trucks while less popular than the toyota run a heck of a long time, the motors are very good. Also you may even consider some of the midsized GM cars if you can believe that. My niece has a late 80's buick four door with the V6 and front wheel drive (regal? maybe) and it has nearly 180 thousand miles on it and still running pretty good considering they don't do really all that much maintanance on it. Regards, Lone Ps: The Corolla's as mentioned are very tough old cars as are the front drive celica's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted November 18, 2002 Share Posted November 18, 2002 My neighbor just succumbed to the government's buy-back program and had his perfectly good '78 Datsun pickup crushed for $500. I could have spit. THAT would have made a great beater/parts hauler. Davy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fl327 Posted November 18, 2002 Share Posted November 18, 2002 i like my 87 toyota p/u truck with two barrel carb as a driver/hauler/. wouldnt call it a beater, because yes- i change the oil reliously. but i dont do things to the truck-no mods at all, its a nice truck that gets the job done nicely, needs a radio though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay1970Z Posted November 18, 2002 Author Share Posted November 18, 2002 lol, my dad has an 86 toyota 4x4 with probably over 170k on the odometer now. the only thing that ever broke on it was the a/c which was sealed back up and has been better than ever since then. the funny thing is, is that the cab looks 100 times better than the bed, like the paint on the bed is faded and the tailgate is starting to rust, and i'm pretty sure that the bed was made in the US while the cab was from japan. but it still is a great truck and has rescued many a V8 full size pickup from the swamps here around the everglades with its little barely 100 hp 4 cyl. also, let me correct myself, maybe the term beater was a bit too harsh, i dont really want something that demeans my style but if it comes down to it i will just go get a pos honda or something like that. again, thanks for the great input Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fl327 Posted November 18, 2002 Share Posted November 18, 2002 eh, beaters a generic term anyways, people know that a beater can be anything from a complete piece of junk to a really nice car that you can drive anywhere anytime. over here we call them "buckets" or "sluckets" or "yuckets" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Posted November 18, 2002 Share Posted November 18, 2002 Just a few thoughts depending on what you need. I live in TEXAS so a truck is a necessity..I also tend to pick bullit proof drivetrains as opposed to sports cars... great beater 89-93 dodge 3/4ton with a cummings... you can haul parts for the z and they get 20-25mpg on deisel. The only problem is it is a dodge and it will rattle and squeek.. but a great beater... On the other side honda civic hatchback with a integra motor comes to mind for the cheep and sick...30+mpg and a real sleaper especially when turbo'd Also depending on how much money you what to spend the Lexus sc300's are dropping like a rock. I recently saw one for under 5k and it was clean. Find one with some body damage and 5speed. bullit proof and they get mid 20's for milage on the highway...and it is a smooth ride.. depends on how many miles you drive a day but older toyota land cruizers AKA FJ60 the iron pigs. are great beaters.. they take a lot of abuse and are relatively cheep compared to the later ones.... BTW my beater is a 90 chevy blazer with 3/4 ton axels and over 270K on the chasis. Still looks good and gets 15mpg consistantly. Real tires and lockers and it goes anywhere..... There are probibly a million other really good beaters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim240z Posted November 18, 2002 Share Posted November 18, 2002 What about an old Z? My daily driver 240 (1973) cost me $400, delivered! I put about another $500 into it for new tires, brake hydraulics etc, odd bits and pieces from the JY (unnecessary additions like 280zx distributor, radiator and twin webers). I bought a new carpet kit from E-Bay and this thing is reliable as clockwork, esp. considering I drive the crap out of it. Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fl327 Posted November 18, 2002 Share Posted November 18, 2002 a rust bucket z that runs good makes a great bucket, i had a 73 and a 78 as a bucket for extended periods of time, being around z's makes them easy to diagnose and fix, the 73 was a blast with the su carbs, very easy car to fix, i used to bring to the junkyard and do parking lot hi-po, they shouldve had a tv show about me called "riggem" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPMS Posted November 20, 2002 Share Posted November 20, 2002 Geez, I'm surprised nobody mentioned the Datsun 510. I understand that they're about as fun as a BMW 2002, but a lot cheaper to fix. And they ooze character! Don't they have a lot of parts in common with a Z, too? Easy to work on, cheap to fix, and fun to drive. What else could you want in a daily driver? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fl327 Posted November 20, 2002 Share Posted November 20, 2002 510 good bucket as well. a lot of stuff will bolt up from zcars, and you could make it work as well. they are kinda rare though i think, except in oregon, where they seem to be around in hordes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPMS Posted November 21, 2002 Share Posted November 21, 2002 510's have a herding instinct, Len. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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