If you had around $10k to spend on a used car, what would you choose?

[fredtam]

86 - 90 928s
Like so.

I have an 82 but really want a newer one.

 

[OS]

Originally posted by: Actaeon

Originally posted by: shady06
after doing a POLL here @ ATOT, i have come to the conclusion a 2000-2001 Honda Accord is a good buy for 10K ish, of course you are gonna have some miles on it but thats OK for me

I really like the 1998-2002 V6 Accord Coupes. But I am afraid of how boring they might be

I wouldn't buy a 6th gen V6 accord. The transmissions are weak and a small fraction of them are basically rolling time bombs. Also, despite the 200 HP, it's still a slowish car, low 16s in the 1/4.

The 6th gen I4s are sound reliability wise, but really slow, like high 17s for autos. I wouldn't buy one of those with any sporting pretense.

 

[RU482]

Originally posted by: Zorro
Honda Civic

hahaha...he said FUN TO DRIVE silly

 

[OS]

Originally posted by: redly1

Originally posted by: Zorro
Honda Civic

hahaha...he said FUN TO DRIVE silly

I think those are pretty fun to drive because they're light and handle well. Of course the aftermarket for those cars is almost limitless if you're into that sort of thing. What pinnacle of automotive excitement do you drive?

 

[boyRacer]

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis
Get a 1995 240sx for 6k, and use the other 4k for an engine swap etc, and a limited slip diff, and you are looking at over 220hp. And you have RWD, nearly perfect f/r balance, best styling of any car.. Not to mention the privelage of making fun of ricers with FWD.

...and he wont pass smog.

id go this way if you know anyone who'll let you pass though... like gregshin. 240s are awesome cars. better grab em while you can... theres a drifting bandwagon now... and ricers are selling their civics and buying whatever 240s are left...

 

[boyRacer]

Originally posted by: redly1

Originally posted by: Zorro
Honda Civic

hahaha...he said FUN TO DRIVE silly

civics are fun to drive... if you didn't get an automatic.

oh and i don't think getting a fast car and just going fast on the freeway is fun... like those people that swerve around wrecklessly just because they have a corvette or a 350z or whatever...

 

[OS]

Originally posted by: boyRacer

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis
Get a 1995 240sx for 6k, and use the other 4k for an engine swap etc, and a limited slip diff, and you are looking at over 220hp. And you have RWD, nearly perfect f/r balance, best styling of any car.. Not to mention the privelage of making fun of ricers with FWD.

...and he wont pass smog.

id go this way if you know anyone who'll let you pass though... like gregshin. 240s are awesome cars. better grab em while you can... theres a drifting bandwagon now... and ricers are selling their civics and buying whatever 240s are left...

Yeah actually I was casually looking into buying one of those as a project car and there are none left in CA. It's like Initial D made the market for FR japanese cars dry up in a couple short years, 3-4 years ago the used car market was littered with 240s that no one wanted.

 

[Actaeon]

Originally posted by: boyRacer

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis
Get a 1995 240sx for 6k, and use the other 4k for an engine swap etc, and a limited slip diff, and you are looking at over 220hp. And you have RWD, nearly perfect f/r balance, best styling of any car.. Not to mention the privelage of making fun of ricers with FWD.

...and he wont pass smog.

id go this way if you know anyone who'll let you pass though... like gregshin. 240s are awesome cars. better grab em while you can... theres a drifting bandwagon now... and ricers are selling their civics and buying whatever 240s are left...

I don't think I have a smog test here in FL, I don't recall any of my family's cars being tested.

I managed to find 1 1997-1998 240sx in stick, and that was about 8k. Into the Z28 price range.

 

[TekDemon]

http://www.edmunds.com/used/1999/ac...unds.u.tmvmipmake.tmvpricetable.num2.1.acura*

 

[tnitsuj]

Geo Metro LSI or Suzuki Swift

 

[Actaeon]

Originally posted by: TekDemon
http://www.edmunds.com/used/1999/acura/cl/12843/options.html?tid=edmunds.u.tmvmipmake.tmvpricetable.num2.1.acura*

Nice car, but I really don't like the rear on that thing. Ugly!

 

[Thegonagle]

My criteria was similar to yours--under $10,000, fun-to-drive a big, big plus. (Also 2000 model or newer, and low miles.) I found a 2001 Mazda Protege ES with 18,000 miles and bought it for around $9500 a few months ago. It's not a perfect car, but for the price I paid, I got exactly what I wanted. It's not "fast," but it's zippy enough. No question that it's fun to drive though. Its handling is close to perfect for a FWD.

 

[boyRacer]

Originally posted by: Actaeon

Originally posted by: boyRacer

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis
Get a 1995 240sx for 6k, and use the other 4k for an engine swap etc, and a limited slip diff, and you are looking at over 220hp. And you have RWD, nearly perfect f/r balance, best styling of any car.. Not to mention the privelage of making fun of ricers with FWD.

...and he wont pass smog.

id go this way if you know anyone who'll let you pass though... like gregshin. 240s are awesome cars. better grab em while you can... theres a drifting bandwagon now... and ricers are selling their civics and buying whatever 240s are left...

I don't think I have a smog test here in FL, I don't recall any of my family's cars being tested.

I managed to find 1 1997-1998 240sx in stick, and that was about 8k. Into the Z28 price range.

Hard to find those kind of "kouki" 240s here... let alone the 94-96 ones... you should go check out.

 

[wicktron]

1994-1998 Audi A4 1.8T perhaps?

 

[TekDemon]

Oh and I also second a manual Civic, although I recommend an Si. Any year Si will do really, they're all fun, even the new pudgy ones. The Pudgy ones are also absurdly practical being hatchbacks =)

I in fact, recommend it over the Acura RSX(base) any day of the week just because it's the SAME CAR at a lower price with more practicality. Go sit in the back seat of the RSX, then do the same thing in the Civic. Your head will be smacking the rear window in the RSX. As far as handling and fun go though, they're the SAME car =)

Actually I think the Civic is a hair faster stock =)

And while the RSX might look a little nicer when you try to buy that new 20" TV at Best Buy you'll be wishing you had a bigger car...practicality has it's upshot too.

Heh, I noticed though that you didn't like the rear on the CL...well I'm guessing you're not gonna like the pudgy ford focus look of the newer si =P

But the older Si's aren't pudgy at all and quite fun to drive too. And they rev like crazy.

 

[TekDemon]

Originally posted by: wicktron
1994-1998 Audi A4 1.8T perhaps?

I don't think this makes a good used car...just because of the electrical issues you're likely to have =( Not guaranteed to have, but I'd say you'd have a really good shot at having issues =p

 

[Actaeon]

Originally posted by: boyRacer

Originally posted by: Actaeon

Originally posted by: boyRacer

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis
Get a 1995 240sx for 6k, and use the other 4k for an engine swap etc, and a limited slip diff, and you are looking at over 220hp. And you have RWD, nearly perfect f/r balance, best styling of any car.. Not to mention the privelage of making fun of ricers with FWD.

...and he wont pass smog.

id go this way if you know anyone who'll let you pass though... like gregshin. 240s are awesome cars. better grab em while you can... theres a drifting bandwagon now... and ricers are selling their civics and buying whatever 240s are left...

I don't think I have a smog test here in FL, I don't recall any of my family's cars being tested.

I managed to find 1 1997-1998 240sx in stick, and that was about 8k. Into the Z28 price range.

Hard to find those kind of "kouki" 240s here... let alone the 94-96 ones... you should go check out.

What is "kouki"?


Oh, the RSX is a sweet car, just not in my price range. I don't think I'm looking for a Civic, it has a good aftermarket, but everyone has one, and I don't want to be associated with the general ricer clubs.

 

[Actaeon]

Originally posted by: TekDemon
Oh and I also second a manual Civic, although I recommend an Si. Any year Si will do really, they're all fun, even the new pudgy ones. The Pudgy ones are also absurdly practical being hatchbacks =)

I in fact, recommend it over the Acura RSX(base) any day of the week just because it's the SAME CAR at a lower price with more practicality. Go sit in the back seat of the RSX, then do the same thing in the Civic. Your head will be smacking the rear window in the RSX. As far as handling and fun go though, they're the SAME car =)

Actually I think the Civic is a hair faster stock =)

And while the RSX might look a little nicer when you try to buy that new 20" TV at Best Buy you'll be wishing you had a bigger car...practicality has it's upshot too.

Heh, I noticed though that you didn't like the rear on the CL...well I'm guessing you're not gonna like the pudgy ford focus look of the newer si =P

But the older Si's aren't pudgy at all and quite fun to drive too. And they rev like crazy.

Newer SI's aren't bad, I just don't think I'm looking for a Civic.

There is just something wrong with the rear of the CL, it doesn't blend right, or its too bland, or the angles are wrong or something. I can't describe it, but I don't like it.

 

[RU482]

Originally posted by: OS

Originally posted by: redly1

Originally posted by: Zorro
Honda Civic

hahaha...he said FUN TO DRIVE silly

I think those are pretty fun to drive because they're light and handle well. Of course the aftermarket for those cars is almost limitless if you're into that sort of thing. What pinnacle of automotive excitement do you drive?

I had an 01 Civic sedan, automatic. I also had an 02 Odyssey. The van was a hell of alot more fun to drive than the civic.
In fact, the whole time I had the civic, I wished I hadn't gotten rid of my Olds Intrigue...which was fun as hell to drive. That thing would rev like a mofo and had a nice exhaust note to match.

 

[Wuzup101]

My choices would be:

Nice Second Gen Eclipse GSX (97+ if you can) or Talon awd turbo... both have a large aftermarket and are very nice cars to drive. Both have a lot of zip and awd lets you do a lot of fun stuff

If you can find a stick 240zx that would be key... I did test drive a auto vert (97 i think) when I was looking for cars last year... very zippy even in auto form

Porsches are nice and you can get some decent ones for under 10k; however, they do have higher repair costs then your average car.

Camaro Z28 or TransAm (LS1 > LT1)

93 Mustang Cobra Convertable (Dammit I want one of these). First year for the cobra and last year for the fox (square) mustang body. You might want to consider a late model fox body mustang. The latter v8 cars have plenty of torque and 225ish bhp. If memory serves, that corba had something like 280ft/lbs and 235ish bhp. They have a large aftermarket and a huge following.... lots of accessories... blowers, turbo kits, and handle nitrous oxide very well. And since there is a ton of them you can get them relatively cheap and they aren't too hard to work on.

I know when i was looking for cars we found a 92 red convertable that was in showroom condition. Had a blower running 9psi w/ a whole bunch of other nice mods... everything in classy chrome... dealer wanted $10500 for it... had under 60k miles and just had the eng and trans redone.

 

[Wuzup101]

My choices would be:

Nice Second Gen Eclipse GSX (97+ if you can) or Talon awd turbo... both have a large aftermarket and are very nice cars to drive. Both have a lot of zip and awd lets you do a lot of fun stuff

If you can find a stick 240zx that would be key... I did test drive a auto vert (97 i think) when I was looking for cars last year... very zippy even in auto form

Porsches are nice and you can get some decent ones for under 10k; however, they do have higher repair costs then your average car.

Camaro Z28 or TransAm (LS1 > LT1)

93 Mustang Cobra Convertable (Dammit I want one of these). First year for the cobra and last year for the fox (square) mustang body. You might want to consider a late model fox body mustang. The latter v8 cars have plenty of torque and 225ish bhp. If memory serves, that corba had something like 280ft/lbs and 235ish bhp. They have a large aftermarket and a huge following.... lots of accessories... blowers, turbo kits, and handle nitrous oxide very well. And since there is a ton of them you can get them relatively cheap and they aren't too hard to work on.

I know when i was looking for cars we found a 92 red convertable that was in showroom condition. Had a blower running 9psi w/ a whole bunch of other nice mods... everything in classy chrome... dealer wanted $10500 for it... had under 60k miles and just had the eng and trans redone.

 

[boyRacer]

Originally posted by: Actaeon

Originally posted by: boyRacer

Originally posted by: Actaeon

Originally posted by: boyRacer

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis
Get a 1995 240sx for 6k, and use the other 4k for an engine swap etc, and a limited slip diff, and you are looking at over 220hp. And you have RWD, nearly perfect f/r balance, best styling of any car.. Not to mention the privelage of making fun of ricers with FWD.

...and he wont pass smog.

id go this way if you know anyone who'll let you pass though... like gregshin. 240s are awesome cars. better grab em while you can... theres a drifting bandwagon now... and ricers are selling their civics and buying whatever 240s are left...

I don't think I have a smog test here in FL, I don't recall any of my family's cars being tested.

I managed to find 1 1997-1998 240sx in stick, and that was about 8k. Into the Z28 price range.

Hard to find those kind of "kouki" 240s here... let alone the 94-96 ones... you should go check out.

What is "kouki"?


Oh, the RSX is a sweet car, just not in my price range. I don't think I'm looking for a Civic, it has a good aftermarket, but everyone has one, and I don't want to be associated with the general ricer clubs.

It's just the style of the headlights of the same car...

Kouki 97-98
Zenki 94-96

The latter is easier to find but a lot of them have been abused... personally i like the 97-98 style... and its very hard to find one in good condition. gregshin on the forum has one... complete with a swap... here is skoorbs list for the ATOT Nissan Fan Club... ... several people here have a 240... wink osmosis has a 95 one... i think the headlights flow a bit better with the lines of the car... but i still like the 97-98...

 

[TekDemon]

Originally posted by: redly1

Originally posted by: OS

Originally posted by: redly1

Originally posted by: Zorro
Honda Civic

hahaha...he said FUN TO DRIVE silly

I think those are pretty fun to drive because they're light and handle well. Of course the aftermarket for those cars is almost limitless if you're into that sort of thing. What pinnacle of automotive excitement do you drive?

I had an 01 Civic sedan, automatic. I also had an 02 Odyssey. The van was a hell of alot more fun to drive than the civic.
In fact, the whole time I had the civic, I wished I hadn't gotten rid of my Olds Intrigue...which was fun as hell to drive. That thing would rev like a mofo and had a nice exhaust note to match.

You need to test drive an Si or something...but yeah, the automatic Civic Sedan probably isn't going to be classified as "fun" unless you do some serious stuff to it =p Oh Si, how I miss you(car was totaled, and no I wasn't racing or anything stupid, but got into a 4 car pileup on the Cross Island Parkway in New York City, and no I was NOT at fault and my insurance rates agree thankfully).

 

[TekDemon]

Well I guess if you want gobs of power, and some style you're gonna have to either go a bit older to get it under $10K, or have to sacrifice something. Or I suppose you can buy American for the devaluation although I don't really think many of those cars are gonna be all that fun to drive...
*thinks*
LOL buy a CL and rice up the rear with some Altezzas so it looks far worse than it currently does! =)

 

[Actaeon]

Originally posted by: boyRacer

Originally posted by: Actaeon

Originally posted by: boyRacer

Originally posted by: Actaeon

Originally posted by: boyRacer

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis
Get a 1995 240sx for 6k, and use the other 4k for an engine swap etc, and a limited slip diff, and you are looking at over 220hp. And you have RWD, nearly perfect f/r balance, best styling of any car.. Not to mention the privelage of making fun of ricers with FWD.

...and he wont pass smog.

id go this way if you know anyone who'll let you pass though... like gregshin. 240s are awesome cars. better grab em while you can... theres a drifting bandwagon now... and ricers are selling their civics and buying whatever 240s are left...

I don't think I have a smog test here in FL, I don't recall any of my family's cars being tested.

I managed to find 1 1997-1998 240sx in stick, and that was about 8k. Into the Z28 price range.

Hard to find those kind of "kouki" 240s here... let alone the 94-96 ones... you should go check out.

What is "kouki"?


Oh, the RSX is a sweet car, just not in my price range. I don't think I'm looking for a Civic, it has a good aftermarket, but everyone has one, and I don't want to be associated with the general ricer clubs.

It's just the style of the headlights of the same car...

Kouki 97-98
Zenki 94-96

The latter is easier to find but a lot of them have been abused... personally i like the 97-98 style... and its very hard to find one in good condition. gregshin on the forum has one... complete with a swap... here is skoorbs list for the ATOT Nissan Fan Club... ... several people here have a 240... wink osmosis has a 95 one... i think the headlights flow a bit better with the lines of the car... but i still like the 97-98...

I really like the Kouki style better. If they weren't so hard to find, I think I may have settled! I did an autotrader search for a 97-98 240sx within 100 miles, and only 1 came up with a stick, and it was priced at 8k or so. They are pretty hard to find.

BTW, Gregshin's 240sx is beautiful!