Need a new car! Thinking of e36 M3!

[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.

[Crono0001]

Originally Posted by The Radium King

straight outta japan like a rocket from the crypt ...

Performance and Luxury Cars for sale | Supra, RX7, Skyline, WRX

Oh my god. This website is so much win. Thank you.

EDIT: Too bad I'm located in the states

[The Radium King]

there's jdm import places like this all over Canada; I presume the same in the us. my understanding is that the Japanese tax their vehicles based on age - the older they are the higher the tax, so cars over a certain age have no resale value within japan and get sold to importers. you gotta not mind driving on the right, however. the cool thing is that a lot of really tuned cars wind up over here; lord knows how hard they got rode in japan (old drift cars, etc.).

[Crono0001]

So, if anyone is still interested.

My Boxster ships off in about 1-2 months, and I need my 2nd car before then. I'm still looking for a fun and semi-reliable sports car that can still be practical for under $6k. I've made the following conclusions:

Any older European car is much too unreliable and expensive for me. As fun as it is, I am not able to financially support two old European sports cars that have high repair bills. This rules out old E30s, E36s, and other old Porsches.

I will not buy American. I hate Mustangs and Camaros. I hate that it comes with all that straight line power, and I have to stamp on the brake and hope I stop in time. I hate how they turn like a truck.

This leaves me with an old Japanese import. My choices, in preferred order:





1. Toyota Corolla GTS AE86


Pros:
This one is at the top for a few reasons. It's a good financial investment seeing as how the prices are continuing to get more and more inflated thanks to drifting pop culture. It was my dream car as a kid, and I would love nothing more to do something crazy like an f20c swap from an S2000. It's also relatively cheap to maintain, rear wheel drive, economic, and practical.

Cons:
It is EXTREMELY hard to find one in good condition. AC is a must since I live in Arizona, and most of them didn't come from the factory with AZ. Plus, all the ones that are nice and clean are inflated beyond measure. We're talking about a 30 year old car that can cost $10k easy. It's also a piece of crap to drive. Old and slow without any work done to it. Big word here is also old. The things fall apart as they drive.






2. Nissan Silvia S13/240SX


Pros:
This one, like the AE86, is cheap to maintain, rear wheel drive, economic, and practical. It also let's me have tons of modification options, from swapping a whole SR20DET, to a RB26 engine if I was to go really crazy. Lots of really cheap aftermarket mods that make the car unique and fun to drive. They are also really cheap to buy one... if you can find one.

Cons:
It is also incredibly hard to find one unmolested by the drift/ricer kids. These cars are the choice of weapons for high school kids to spend their paycheck, and I really dislike super loud exhausts and super flashy-yet-not-matching body kits.





3. Honda Civic (Preferably EK Hatch)


Pros:
This one, like the other two above, is cheap to maintain, economic, and practical. They are also incredibly cheap to buy. They offer tons and tons and TONS of modification options. A b18c1 swap only costs $3k including labor (that's a FOURTH of what my 3.6 will cost). A full body kit costs only $400 (you can't even buy one of my OEM 997 DRLs for that much). They can be made soooooo fast for sooooo little, it's ridiculous. It's also very easy to find one.

Cons:
Oh boy. Front wheel drive. Uninspiring driving. Common. ... but that's about it.





So that's basically where I stand. Hopefully a good AE86 or 240sx will pop up within the next two months, but the most probable choice is to get a Honda Civic. I know this might not sit well with many of you, knowing your hatred for them, but it's the most realistic and responsible direction for me.
Plus, I grew up JDM, so I absolutely love them I'm also young enough to pull the image. It'll be fun to have a Japanese project car again. I really miss my WRX, now in the hands of my brother.

[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