Need a new car! Thinking of e36 M3!

[Crono0001]

I resent that, madmods. I grew up on Japanese imports. To me, they're dead reliable, cheap, and easy to mod.

In all reality, I'm probably going to end up with an EK hatch Civic. It's cheap, fills my transportation needs which the Boxster lacks, provides fun mod opportunities for practically nothing, and can even handle some power when I'm done with the Boxster. Yes, the driving at first is ... well, barely existent. But I can teach my girlfriend how to drive stick! And it'll be a fun car I can tune and mod on my own time.

Also, the cheaper car I buy, the faster I can get my Boxster to Cali. I'm very excited for the 3.6

The M3 has everything I want, but I'm not sure if I want to handle the stress of another European car repair if it were to break down. I'm going to need it 100% when the 986 goes away.
I cannot stand American cars. Fast on the straights, but so empty everywhere else. I once rented a Camaro SS and prayed every time I stepped on the brakes that it would stop.
The RX8, while a great car, is just... well I can't think of a good argument against the RX8, aside from the fact that it will never live up to its predecessor... That and it's ugly... and lacks power... But we're Boxster drivers after all :P

[madmods]

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[Crono0001]

I test drove an SR20DET 240sx. That light little rice rocket flies! Made me almost jealous when I got back and realized how soft the 986 clutch is compared to those things. And I may be biased because of my auto upbringing, but I think this is gorgeous:



No rush. Plenty of time to decide.

[AKnowles]

Oh, I hate you now. That web site was really nice. And only after browsing and reflecting on your comment about being in the states for a bit did I realize the site is a Canadian site and it's not going to help at all!

Well, that is OK though since I'm heading up to AZ this weekend to pick up my nephew's BMW Z3. He offered to sell it to me for 5K. Has 155K on the engine, but has been well maintained. Minor fender bender, but all repaired under insurance and he's putting on new shocks this week just to keep the warranty on the new tires & rims - so he informs me.

Hopefully it will all work out. If so, I'll be putting my Boxster on the market shortly after that so I can buy a house. The things I do for family! Ah well, my wife assures me I'll be able to buy another Porsche afterwards. But so many possible choices, I'm not sure what I'll do.

[urban]

The RX8 is a fuel and oil hog. I don't know if it's reliable, but the e36 is. Trim parts for the e36 aren't that expensive, but some of the mechanicals are. The e36 M3 doesn't have any electronic driving aids besides ABS, so with almost 300 bhp (and 5 gears) it's a bit tricky to drive, specially in the wet. A big engine Mercedes (C32, CL500), or an Audi 4.2 is around the same price here, if you want comfort, or an Evo VI if you want to stay on the same type of car (like your WRX).

[Crono0001]

Originally Posted by urban

The RX8 is a fuel and oil hog. I don't know if it's reliable, but the e36 is. Trim parts for the e36 aren't that expensive, but some of the mechanicals are. The e36 M3 doesn't have any electronic driving aids besides ABS, so with almost 300 bhp (and 5 gears) it's a bit tricky to drive, specially in the wet. A big engine Mercedes (C32, CL500), or an Audi 4.2 is around the same price here, if you want comfort, or an Evo VI if you want to stay on the same type of car (like your WRX).

Most of those are out of my price range. I don't want to finance a car, and don't really want to spend more than $6k. The less I spend on my 2nd car, the faster I can get my 986 to the shop.

[Bmod986]

I say go with any of the 240sx models from s13 till s15. I don't know what part of AZ your in so I cant scope out craiglist for you but I did look around and generally they are some good deals and not in horrible riced out conditions. They are good cars, very fun, and easy to mod. There are a couple of older fc rx7s but Im not very familiar with the rotary system nor have I ever been in one.


Or you can take the scary not to electrically reliable MR2 route. Like a boxster just that jap and not a boxster. Still mid-engined and fun.



If it was my money find a 240

[Crono0001]

Originally Posted by Bmod986

I say go with any of the 240sx models from s13 till s15. I don't know what part of AZ your in so I cant scope out craiglist for you but I did look around and generally they are some good deals and not in horrible riced out conditions. They are good cars, very fun, and easy to mod. There are a couple of older fc rx7s but Im not very familiar with the rotary system nor have I ever been in one.


Or you can take the scary not to electrically reliable MR2 route. Like a boxster just that jap and not a boxster. Still mid-engined and fun.



If it was my money find a 240

Can't do an MR2 for the same reason I can't do a Miata. Already have a Roadster.
240s very hard to find in AZ.

[Bmod986]

almost forgot Check out the 3000GT they are very nice cars. Don't know the price range in AZ

here is a random one from CL ******1999 mitsubishi 3000gt***** sale/trade ASAP

[Crono0001]

Been a while so I guess I'll update this thread.

I got a second car! I know a lot of you aren't into the tuner scene, but here its:





It's a 1985 Toyota Corolla AE86, or HACHIROKU! For those of you who don't know, it's a cult car following the cartoon Initial D, which spurred the whole drift scene in Japan, which recently made it out west.

Now the car I got was a 2-owner barn find. Very stock, very together. Most of the ones you find are completely gutted out and ruined by kids. This one is all in one piece.

Man is it slow! We're talking foot down full throttle and I'm still losing speed going uphill. But I must say, it's a happy little car. The steering is responsive and tight, not unlike the Boxster. Where handling and driving experience is concerned, this thing blows Civics and other cheap imports out of the water. None of that steering wheel play or unresponsive throttle. This truly is a driver's car. I can't really explain why I love it so much, other than the fact that it was my dream car as a kid. It knows it's not fast, and it knows it's not pretty. But it tries its best to please you. Like an old dog, almost.

Plans? Not to rice it up. JDM bumpers, maybe Initial D replica for exterior. As for interior, I'll probably go full Honda F20C VTEC swap (engine from an S2000). This will give 986S kind of speed and handling. Will let you all know how it goes.


For those of you interested, the build album is here:
https://www.facebook.com/crono0001/media_set?set=a.10201108279841939.1073741827.10172 70010&type=3

[TripleTrophy]

I know this is late, but I just found the thread.

I had an RX-8 for 7 years, driving it year round. Great car in the winter with proper snow tires, and the traction control was just right - let the back end start to slip before cutting in (usually my foot beat the traction control on reaction). Great fun, I only managed to spin it once in the snow. Good handling in the summer. Oil consumption was about 1 quart every 3-4 K miles - about the same as my wife's CTS. Fuel consumption was not great - around 12-12.5 l/100 km (about 20 mpg US). Didn't seem to matter what kind of driving, it was pretty constant. In some ways the engine seemed more like a motorcycle engine - keep the revs up if you wanted power.

Cons? HVAC was likely undersized to save weight. Thank god for heated seats in the winter, because it took forever for the cabin to heat up, and air conditioning was not the most effective in the summer, but better on the highway. It absolutely did not like short drives, especially in the winter, and would flood if not warmed up enough.

I sold it last year because the seat was starting to bother my hip joints - too low and pressure at the wrong points for me to drive on a regular (daily) basis. Which brings me to being in the market for a Boxster...

[evo-r]

Nice find Crono!

[Johnny Danger]

Hope it came with a valet key.

[The Radium King]

hah - we had one of those when I was a kid. in Canada they came in three trim levels - standard, sr5 and gts. I guess the gts is the ae86 version. after trying to decide whether to get the corolla or a prelude we decided on a coupe version of the gts. we'd owned it a month and I was coming home from a party one night in the wet, hit a corner too fast, the rear end drifted out into the other lane, onto the far shoulder, and clipped a light standard. rolled it twice until it slid to a stop on the roof. I was knocked-out but came to hanging upside down (seatbelt on!) and the engine running. shut off the engine, undid the belt, fell to the ground (roof) and passed-out again. came back to consciousness only to see some big black shoes standing outside my window and a voice saying "may as well go home now folks, nothing you can do here". it was a cop and he thought I was dead. he didn't even check; didn't even call an ambulance. he was pretty surprised when I crawled out the window. didn't take me to the hospital, just took me to the station, charged me with careless driving and told me that insurance wouldn't cover the car (he was lying). parents showed up and took me to the hospital (concussion). I've hated cops ever since.

insurance gave us the money and we got another one - hatchback this time. I managed not to roll this one, and it was the most fun I've ever had with 113 hp.

[Crono0001]

Originally Posted by The Radium King

hah - we had one of those when I was a kid. in Canada they came in three trim levels - standard, sr5 and gts. I guess the gts is the ae86 version. after trying to decide whether to get the corolla or a prelude we decided on a coupe version of the gts. we'd owned it a month and I was coming home from a party one night in the wet, hit a corner too fast, the rear end drifted out into the other lane, onto the far shoulder, and clipped a light standard. rolled it twice until it slid to a stop on the roof. I was knocked-out but came to hanging upside down (seatbelt on!) and the engine running. shut off the engine, undid the belt, fell to the ground (roof) and passed-out again. came back to consciousness only to see some big black shoes standing outside my window and a voice saying "may as well go home now folks, nothing you can do here". it was a cop and he thought I was dead. he didn't even check; didn't even call an ambulance. he was pretty surprised when I crawled out the window. didn't take me to the hospital, just took me to the station, charged me with careless driving and told me that insurance wouldn't cover the car (he was lying). parents showed up and took me to the hospital (concussion). I've hated cops ever since.

insurance gave us the money and we got another one - hatchback this time. I managed not to roll this one, and it was the most fun I've ever had with 113 hp.

It's rear wheel drive!

[Bmod986]

Ok time to paint the car white, the wheels black and put a tofu store vinyl on the side. Call it a day. oh and find a friend with a yellow RX-7