[plus_c]

Wow, hell hath no fury...

As much as I'd love a Lambo at that price, I wouldn't be able to afford the oil changes, let alone a more major repair...

 

[JadeEast]

Sports car and snow = audio quattro coupe.

 

[plus_c]

I owned an old Audi quattro-equipped car once. It was a great car - but heaven help you if you have to make major repairs! And when we're talking the vintage the car would be to fit in the OP's price range, boy are we talking about major repairs...

 

[Ooztuncer]

^^ also i would like to add that I don't want any VW or Audi.

I drove VW and Audi's (passat, jetta, beetle, A4, golf) and for now I am staying away from them. Likewise, I don't want any opel, renault, peugeot, or fiat (they are not available in any case, hehe)...

 

[kwkarth]

If you want a year round every day driver that's easy on maintenance, Roastpuff suggested early in this thread, a Honda Civic SI. Even though that's a front drive car, (which lessens the performance handling) front wheel drive will probably go better in the snow. The Honda in a very low maintenance vehicle, and if you put sticky tires on it, should be fairly fun to drive. I drove a Civic Hybrid for two years and it was a pretty fun ride. The SI is the sporty version of the Civic. Good luck on finding a used one for a low price though. They are high demand vehicles. You might also look at Acura Integra RSs too if you look at the Civics. In the NE, the challenge will be to find a car that's not eaten up with rust already.

In kbb.com, for the Boston area, a '95 Integra RS with average miles (95k) in good condition goes for $4k. On the west coast, the same vehicle goes for $5k. There's a reason for that, and some of it has to do with rust in the NE, and no rust in the west.

 

[lord_tris]

find you a nicely done nissan 240sx with a sr20det in it and you should be good to go

make sure its a five speed though

 

[plus_c]

I wouldn't be recommending a swapped anything for the OP for a couple reasons - for one, reliability will be a complete unknown as you have no idea of the engine's history pre-swap (not to mention the inevitable swap gremlins and shortcuts taken during the swap...), and secondly, forget about passing emissions.

While a decent idea in concept, I don't think an engine-swapped car is going to be able to stand up to DD duty.

 

[Ooztuncer]

guys, I might have found an interesting deal:

I believe it is primed and ready for a $50 rustoleum paint job, lol. Bad thing is it has 155k miles on it... Guess its year / price!


EDIT: by the way, after many hours of looking around/reading I kind of narrowed my choices to - I don't know what! Hmm let me see: prelude, sentra se-r spec v, civic si, nissan 300zx, above model, and perhaps a newer dodge intrepid - thanks again...

 

[Idsynchrono_24]

My friend Carlos has a Sentra SE-R Spec V. It's pretty decent in terms of looks, reminds me of a but it has a ton of torque because of the 175 HP engine in that small frame, and it is GREAT in terms of room, you can easily fit four full grown men in it, and the trunk space is comparable to a Corolla's. The only thing I don't like about it is of course due to its engine choice, it is susceptible to torque steer, and it's not very easy on gas either. If you are undaunted, it is a great practical daily driver that is very fun to drive.

Though given the money, I still think your best bet is on a Z, 97-99 Prelude (Don't know about your area, but there are a more than a few on the west coast around 7K) or failing that, an Integra GSR which has more HP than the RS previously mentioned. All reliable cars that are fun to drive, good on looks, but are also a bit more on the practical side should the need arise.

 

[buddha911]

Lexus SC400. I drive my mom's all the time, and it's smooth like butter, it has a V8 (like it matters any), and it sounds pretty awesome. It's not the fastest car I've driven (that would be my dad's XKR), but it's very respectable. Ive even been able to pull off some controlled fishtails. The SC400 is kind of a cross between a sportscar and a luxury car. It's really a fun vehicle, and I would love to have one of my own.

 

[Ampersand]

Get yourself a nice 2nd Gen Eclipse/Talon AWD Turbo and have some money left over for repairs.

Saves gas until you REALLY want to go.

Plus, NOTHING is more fun than a TURBO.

 

[uzziah]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ooztuncer /img/forum/go_quote.gif ...... last week asking about buying a 88 camry or a 92 acura legend. I got really good suggestions but after some thought I decided to buy an old(er) sports car for about $6-7k

HAH!

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwkarth /img/forum/go_quote.gif In kbb.com, for the Boston area, a '95 Integra RS with average miles (95k) in good condition goes for $4k. On the west coast, the same vehicle goes for $5k. There's a reason for that, and some of it has to do with rust in the NE, and no rust in the west.

Heh, not necessarily, try $3k for a 103k '96 GS

I was looking for a practical car that was not boring to drive (after running my old CRX into the ground..finally). The Integra has definitely been just what I wanted. The grip with good tires is quite a bit more than I've ever been able to exceed (or at least to do so, one would need to drive like a complete maniac, for being on a public road). The steering and just overall handling feel of the car is great. I've only ever like Honda and BMW in that regard. In the end, the car is just very enjoyable to drive, without tempting me to do things of a felonious and potentially lethal nature that an ever quicker beast might have. And the insurance isn't too bad either (which shocked me, considering the car, that I live in CA, and am under 25).

 

[Hiratsuka]

Do not buy the 300ZX. It will be tough to find one in decent condition for $6-7K. Maintenance is expensive on them, especially if you don't know how to do your own work. As an example, I just spent $7k on replacement parts on my '91 300ZX, and another $2k to get the work done. I spent more than you have budgeted on the initial purchase of the car 4 years ago, it now has 111k miles on it and has been well cared for. Parts are expensive because the car was expensive when new, the production numbers were relatively low, and as time goes on Nissan raises the prices on OEM parts. Any sports car from this era will be similar, and cost a lot of money to keep running and looking like new.

IMO, whoever told you to try to buy an older sports car gave you bad advice. If you must have something sporty, then the Prelude, Integra, or Miata are good suggestions within your budget. I would just seek out reliable transportation, Civics or Accords can do this quite well.

 

[porschemad911]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kelvinator /img/forum/go_quote.gif There are other things to consider here. Do you want 2 or 4 seats? Is gas mileage a factor? Insurance premiums Will you ever need to carry anything big (even golf clubs)? Do you like to drive a stick or auto? Daily driver or weekend toy? I see you live in Maine so wet/snow weather driving characteristics (front, rear, or all wheel drive?) Don't want you to buy something that will not work for your situation.

Yes, yes! Please think long and hard about these!

I recently lost $8K AU on my MR2 because I discovered I do in fact need more than two seats, and a proper boot.