I have around 9k saved up, it’s gonna be a daily, rwd, manual, and I want to mod it. My favorite car is the 240sx, my other options are 350z, s2000, or I can finance a fr-s. Which car do you guys think would be the best choice for me? Or any other suggestions
Posted Feb 26, 2018, 8:42 AM UTC
Get a used Chevy SS.
V8, RWD, Manual, mod the hell out of it, Chevy warranty. It's not the same as what you're looking here since it's a beefy american muscle car w/ a sedan profile but would be worth considering.
edit - 415hp / 415ftlb stock. 4.6 0-60 and 13.2 for quarter mile. simple upgrades put you over the 500 mark
Hyundai genesis coupe
If you do, get the 3.8. Direct injection, don’t have to worry about a turbo, and it makes 350 bhp.
Yeah definitely, the turbo ones are cheaper and slower, but could be less reliable
“cheaper and slower, AND could be less reliable” ;)
IMO, Hyundai’s are already cheap enough. Throw a turbo on one and put the engine under that much stress and you’re asking for trouble.
Get a lamb0
This whole list will fit your budget, and all of them are great platforms to start modding/tuning on
E34 (these are really cool, my friend is considering buying one right now, actually)
E36 (try for an M3, I have a 325i Sedan and it’s really fun, cheap and reliable)
S2K (more expensive, but cooler)
MR2 (you’re going to die driving it, but you’ll have a hell of a lot of fun doing it)
Celica/Supra (really neat if you find a clean one. definitely catches looks left and right)
300zx (meh.)
280zx (friend has one. super cool and fun to drive, if you lower it, put BBS wheels on it and upgrade the internals a bit, it will cost like 7k overall and will be insane)
FC RX-7 (friend just sold his, had an ebay exhaust and shot flames with stock internals)
S13 (pretty cool, you can do a ton to these cars)
S14 (go for a Kouki)
E92 325i Coupe (2007-2009, these are some cool 300hp cars that lack both reliability and cost efficiency, but the selling price is low and the tuner potential is high)
EDIT: (to make it easy) Your goal has to be to buy a car for no more than 7k, so you have money left over for the stuff you want to start doing to the car. This is possible with the cars listed above.
I really wanted m3 e36, the only thing that pushes me away is the maintenance on a bmw. The 240sx is the dream but the reliability scared me, I want to learn though. Rx7 would be awesome, I wish I could afford a fd.
On any E36 pre-1996, the reliability is pretty good (because they used way more metal parts rather than plastic, and if it’s a non-vanos M50, then it has way less electronics and stuff). You just need to be 100% on regular maintenance, and owning one is pretty cheap, if you choose function over form (i.e. fixing a broking door panel by screwing it back on for free instead of buying a new $500 door) 240sx’s are really neat, and yeah, reliability is an issue, same with the RX-7. If you bought a FC RX-7 and straight piped it, you would break necks so fast that you could just go ahead and call your car the executioner. You can find those things for 1-5k, 3-5k being in pretty good shape. You’ll never see another car with a 13b 2-rotor in it.
Thank you man I really appreciate it, all I’m waiting on is for my 2002 v6 camaro to sell, it’s taking forever
No problem bro. Yeah, selling those sucks because they aren’t very popular (sorry but i’m being honest) and people want the z/28 more than the v6. Just make sure it’s priced right, and put it on sites like OfferUp, Letgo, Craigslist, and Facebook Marketplace. You probably know what you’re doing, but i’m just giving some advice that helped my friend when he sold his RX-7.