[Ooztuncer]

*** Post #51 is kind of a new start, so I recommend you to read that before posting anything - thanks ***

Hey guys,
I opened a thread 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.

Now, I never used a sports car before so please help me what to focus on for my budget. I prefer to get a local one or something within 100 miles (Boston is in the radius).

I considered a 85 corvette, 95 nissan 300zx, and 84 porsche 944 by checking out the craigslist. And today, I drove the 944. Even tough it looks great for my taste, the seller didn't know the exact mileage - it says 60k but he claimed that his mechanic said that it should be something close to 100k. The good thing is he changed the timing belt, water pump and related parts 15 months ago (1000 miles ago) for $1800. The bad thing is it was a MESS inside the car - seats ripped badly in several spots, he didn't clean the interior at all with tons of dog's hair,etc (felt like he didn't care much). I have pics and perhaps I can host them for you. He is asking for $2,600 which is not bad...

In any case, please let me know if you had up to $7k what sports car would you buy? If you can include the model year and specific reasons for why you select it, I will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks...

 

[rumatt]

Do you also have a several K budgeted for maintenance and repairs?

Any older car like those mentioned is going to have lots of parts that are worn out and in need of repair.

 

[no1likesme]

It depends on what you want out of a sports car. If you just want performance then a fox body mustang is the best option as they are dirt cheap and have a large aftermarket. but if you want it to look cool as well then i would look at a c4 corvette

 

[MuZI]

Especially on that 944.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rumatt /img/forum/go_quote.gif Do you also have a several K budgeted for maintenance and repairs? Any older car like those mentioned is going to have lots of parts that are worn out and in need of repair.

 

[Ooztuncer]

well, naturally I am ready to invest for the maintenance. I am thinking a proactive method - around $1.5k for the routine maintenance every 2 years or so. Am I dreaming, lol??

And, I would like it to look cool

 

[srozzman]

I would pick this one, the 95 nissan 300zx, because it is my favorite car. But I cant drive yet, sovit would be pointless for me.... But it sure looks purty!

 

[roastpuff]

RX-7 FC, Toyota Celica GT-4, MR-2 (1st Gen, maybe a non-turbo 2nd Gen), Honda Prelude, Civic SI, Volkswagen GTI (Mk3), Mazda Miata (pre-2000, maybe a newer one if you can find one cheap).

Fairly reliable, and quite sporty.

Except for the FC, because rotaries are just sometimes spotty with reliability.

 

[kwkarth]

You know the drill, you came to head-fi and everybody says welcome to head-fi, sorry about your wallet. Well, if you buy that 944, which I wouldn't recommend anyway, welcome to Porsche ownership, and really, really, sorry about your wallet!

It costs me $250.00 just for an oil change. I've got a 20k mile service coming up and I'm afraid to ask how much that will be.

See if you can find a Miata. They're supposed to be great bang for the buck, fun to drive, and fairly reliable.

 

[jmmtn4aj]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwkarth /img/forum/go_quote.gif See if you can find a Miata. They're supposed to be great bang for the buck, fun to drive, and fairly reliable.

I came into this thread just to recommend that

Mmm Mazda Roadster..

 

[MexicanDragon]

You can get a nice NA (first gen) or early NB (high mileage, second gen) miata (maybe). I'd also look at an e30 BMW 3 series (very fun cars, easy to work on, take nicely to some decent mods... 2000-5000$ is the price range). I'd look at 88-91 325is (coupe) or 325i (sedan). You could look for a 91 318is as well.

99-00 Civic Si might fall in your range, as may a prelude as mentioned by roastpuff.

There is a black Nissan Sentra SE-r with a JDM engine swap for 3700$ locally to me (Chattanooga, TN).

You could even have a nice non-M3 BMW 3 series from 92-99 (the e36).

With Porsches and BMW's especially, look for cars with complete (or near complete) service records.

I also recommend the older VW GTI's... quite fun.

**BRENT**

 

[PerformanceFirst]

I second the Miata. I'd get a Miata if you want a sports car. If you want a project, you could look elsewhere.

 

[Idsynchrono_24]

Out of all of those choices, I would recommend trying to find the best Z that you can afford. I just bought a 91' Aztec Red Z off of a middle aged lady who bought it as a post divorce gift to herself. She drove the car about 11k miles in the three years that she's owned it and has all of the maintenance receipts for the car. I drove that baby back almost 2000 miles back home from CA without a hitch. Honestly, I guess you should try to find a car that has the best maintenance history, and won't kill you on parts down the line. If you can do work on the car yourself, that's a HUGE plus. Oh and trust me, you'll look pretty good in the Z

If not the Z, the Honda Prelude is a pretty good choice too, but watch out for dodgy transmissions. I wouldn't get an MR2 since a lot of the existing ones are likely driven into the ground by now, you'll probably have to spend thousands on repairs and labor. The RX-7 is a nice car and can be had for little money, but you'll have to find a rotorary engine specialist.

 

[Seaside]

I do not recommend old car for obvious reason. The maintenace. Go for this route only if you're willing to pay for it, or else the car will be a big headache pretty soon.
I peronally had very bad experience with mazda (my former vehicle), so anything mazda will be ruled out of my list. And also I am not a fan of europian car. So... based on my prejudice, hehe... I would go for ZX300 if I were to choose from those three. And if I may add another one, it might be a used Toyota Supra. I drive a friend of mine's old supra, and the car was quite impressive.

 

[Rock&Roll Ninja]

The 924/944 is going to be a beast. There is a very good reason they sell for $1000-2000. Also you'd be buying a "sports car" with less HP than a Saturn Ion.

I'd get a used Miata also.

 

[Mrvile]

For that much money I'd go with a 300ZX.