wheelman Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 I'm in the process of looking for a new daily driver. I'm selling the Volvo I was given and I'm tired of driving the truck. I want something thats comfortable, has an automatic, good power, gets decent MPG and is a little sporty. My price range tops out at around $7,000. Here are the rides I've been considering: Maxima or Altima 240SX Sentra SE-R (will not have an automatic but who cares ) Mustang (94 - 99) Mitsubishi Galant or Diamante Camry Lexus IS300 Infiniti I30 (possibly J30 but I don't like the styling) I'm the perrenial cheapskate so I have a very hard time buying a new (as in new to me) car so any suggestions for others to consider would be very welcome. Some of the more crazy ideas I considered are the late 80s early 90s Mopars with the turbo 4s. Kind of weird but could be a lot of fun, although I'm not really looking for another project, but you know how that goes (everything has project potential). Wheelman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZuL8r Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 On that list it would have to be the IS300 for me. Sweet car, Awesome styling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparks280zt Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 How about the Lexus SC300? Those are really cool cars. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/98TXLexus-Leather-6discCD-Clean-FreeShip-WarntyBuyItNow_W0QQitemZ110005100208QQihZ001QQcategoryZ6300QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest l28et Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 Don't know if you've ever driven one, but I think a 1991-1995 Acura Legend fits the bill. Offered in base, L, LS, and GS trims it fits your price range and criteria. 1991-1993 200HP 3.2 V6. 5 speed manual/ 4 speed auto 1994-1995 230HP 3.2 V6. 6 speed manual/ 4 speed auto Coupe/Sedan I drive a '92 LS. Auto, pearl white, tan leather. Been in the family forever. Great car, VERY low maintinence and 174K+... still going strong. http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/searchresults.jsp?mod_bookmark_id=null&advanced=&bkms=1152251500107&num_records=&certified=&isp=y&search=y&lang=en&search_type=both&make=ACURA&model=LEGEND&start_year=1981&end_year=2007&min_price=&max_price=&distance=100&address=99336&x=45&y=13 There are two within 100 miles of ya. They're kinda hard to come by, but that '95 coupe for 9200 is a killer deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randy 77zt Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 my girlfriend just traded in her 2000 maxima with 90k miles on it for a 2006 honda accord v6 coupe.she only got $6900 for the trade in.the maxima was lighting the check engine light for a weak cat convertor and she didnt want to fix it.but the maxima seemed faster than the accord even though the accord seems like a lighter car.the maxima would run out to 130 mph and cruised easy at 100mph.usually got about 28 mpg on the freeway at 75.kind of like a japanese 5 series bmw.i would have bought it but there was a bank loan involved on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbk240z Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 A 1996 Mustang V6/auto, original owner, in great condition? I'd part with it for a decent Z, 240Z preferable, but would go for a later one also, (S30 only). Let me know if you might be interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.INSANE Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 get an mr2, they are cheap to come by Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savageskaterkid Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 I too agree with Mr. Insane. MR2's are deffinitly fun cars. The older ones can be had for cheap, but a newer one in turbo trim sounds apealing in your price range. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1991-Toyota-MR2-Turbo-Red-T-Tops-Immaculate-New-Tbelt_W0QQitemZ290005257462QQihZ019QQcategoryZ15289QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem The only thing I see that doesn't fit your bill, is the manual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlderThanMe Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 get an old vw bug...30+mpg...and you can modify it to your heart's content all for under $7000!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auxilary Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 On that list it would have to be the IS300 for me. Sweet car, Awesome styling. i want to know where you find is300s for 7k Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlderThanMe Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 you could do this to the little 1.6... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelman Posted July 8, 2006 Author Share Posted July 8, 2006 Thanks for the suggestions guys. jkb240z, Not interested but thanks for the offer. My Z is worth way more to me than I'll ever get for it. Olderthanme, I've already done the air-coooled VW thing. I had a 58 Kharmann Ghia when I was in high school. The motor put out around 100 HP. It had a 66 transaxle and the front off a 60 ghia with a select-a-drop on it. It was fast and had terrible brakes. No I don't want another air-cooled VW. I thought about adding an MR2 to the list and will be checking out an 88 Fiero tonight. The Fiero has a 5 speed and the Iron Duke 4 so would be a good candidate for a project once the Duke dies. I guess an auto isn't a hard and fast requirement. Wheelman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlderThanMe Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 haha...ok. having a 100 horse bug is like having a 200-220 horse Z...pretty nice ratio there...I was about to get a bug and do the offroad stuff but I found the z first...probably want a car than be a project car in 5 years when you wear it out...ford T-bird turbo super coupe? it has the standard 2.3L 4 cylinder and is a pretty good driver... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veritech-z Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 OTM, the super coupe was the supercharged v-8, you're thinking of the turbo coupe that was contemporary with the 2.3 turbo mustang svo and the merkur xr4ti. Hey wheelman, I'd steer clear of the fiero if you don't want to end up with the blazing inferno on your hands. I've heard those cars have a bad reputation for catching fire inexplicably... You could always get a subaru and do the trunk mounted turbo upgrade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlderThanMe Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 yeah...that's right...just turbo coupe... You could also get an early 90's miata...1.6L motor making about 90 horsepower...and really good gas mileage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veritech-z Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 Plus you'd have middle aged guys speeding up to see if you were a hot chick, and then getting dissappointed when you weren't (edit: or maybe you are? I don't have any idea so don't be offended either way). I've observed that behaviour, but never engaged in it....I certainly don't profile car owners by the type of vehicle they are driving... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelman Posted July 8, 2006 Author Share Posted July 8, 2006 Veritech-z, Nope, not a hot chick myself, in fact I'm one of those middle aged guys that speeds up to see if it's a hot chick. I did a lot of research before really considering the Fiero and they only had the fire problem in the first model year, 1984. They have tons of potential for a project car also, lots of engine swap options and good after market suspension support. I checked out the car and it's in very good shape but I really didn't like it. You have to climb down into it and thats not what I want for a daily driver. I'm thinking this also rules out the MR2 and several other sporty cars that are built rather low. Also, 1 correction, the Ford SuperCoupe didn't have a V8, it was a 3.8L supercharged V6, just like the Pontiac Bonneville. If I could find a TurboCoupe I'd definitely consider it but they are few and far between here in the Tri-Cities. Tomorrow I'm going to check out a loaded 93 Mustang LX convertible with a 5.0 and automatic. It's priced $1000.00 below blue book and only has 64,000 miles. We'll see, maybe I'll come home with a new pony. OTM, Yeah, that ghia was a blast but I don't want to deal with another car that has no creature comforts and is composed primarily of rust. Zs aren't the only cars that suffer from that mallady and I think old VWs are even worse. Wheelman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlderThanMe Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 but you can basically build a vw from parts from a catalog...chassis and all...lol. That Rustang should be pretty good...just slap a set of flowmasters on there and it will sound sweet! about the t-bird...which motor did the SVO version have? was that the v8? it had so many different motors... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest l28et Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 Wheelman - I'm telling you to check out the Legends. Leather, air, seats 4 (coupe or sedan), 25mph highway, and very smooth, linear power. Awesome for a DD and very underrated. I dislike FWD cars, but this one I've really grown into. Test drive one. As for the Fiero, that "they're a death trap, they catch on fire, etc" is BS. The car is already 20+ years old, if it hasn't gone ablaze yet, why would it now randomly? Great safety rating for the year and like Wheelman said, only the first 2.5 dukes had the issues. The first 1.9 Z3s burned up frequently, but thankfully they didn't catch the rap. Once again.. if I were looking for a car under 10K that fill the DD duty, I would without a doubt buy another Legend. AWESOME car. (should be, stickered over 40K new in early 90s and is as reliable as any other Honda) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veritech-z Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 OTM, the SVO, T-coupe, and XR4-Ti all had the ford 2.3 turbo 4 cylinder. I always thought the super coupe was a v-6, but in the "supercharging a z-31" thread I had gotten the impression that it was a v-8 for some reason. I second the legend, they are spectaculary durable and comfortable, and I think acura shot themselves in the foot by dropping the names off of all their cars to do the euro style alphanumerics. Something about a car with a real name just give it character, good or bad. I hesitate to recommend you go for a car 20+ years old if you are looking for a daily driver though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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