Looking for a RWD car.

[AMCRambler]

Can't believe no one has brought up Corvette. Early to mid 90's vettes are pretty cheap now. Corvette's are usually pretty good handling wise and it's gonna have the nuts to go with cuz of the V-8. I'm guessing you should be able to find one for around 10g's in that year range.

EDIT: Nevermind, TerryMathews did

 

[Aikouka]

Originally posted by: alimoalem
1 more vote to check out the miata and see how you fit in it.

I'll have to check that out, but it seems like a great deal of the Miatas for sale have that sort of "premium price" even for a base model. I've always hated it when people think their cars are magically worth more than normal for no real reason. I mean, when I searched for Miata, MR2 and 944... I found about 90% miatas and around 80 matches, so it's not like there are only a few for sale .

Originally posted by: alimoalem
300zx twin turbos are fast, but i'm not sure on the handling.

That's something that I was thinking about as well. I don't know as much about the 300ZX as I'd like... so I looked it up . Seems from what I can tell, the 300ZX might be a bit heavy of a beast (3500lbs), but the car still handles fairly well. I doubt it has the handling of the little cars (miata, s2000, etc), but it sounds like the handling is moderate.

Originally posted by: alimoalem
btw, do you have a budget you're working with?

Between 5,000 and 7,500 excluding any initial maintenance.

Originally posted by: Truenofan
most ricers out there will want to know if your "SUPER DRIFTO INITIAL D TOUGE MASTER" if you drive it around.

I'll have to tell them that I am then . Although no good driver ever drove a Silvia in Initial D. Well... Mako and Sayuki drove (and the latter navigated) the Sil-eighty, which is kind of sort of like a Silvia.

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero
I wouldn't avoid the 240 just because of what some 'ricers' may think. Are there really that many of them waiting at every corner to challenge you to a drift battle?

I think that'd make it more fun :laugh:.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: alimoalem

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: TerryMathews

Originally posted by: exdeath
2nd gen MR2 Turbo, but they are expensive as hell; they go for 8-10k for a 16 year old car with 150,000+ miles

And high mileage + turbo = bad juju.

Only if the previous owner was a complete idiot. Over 160,000 miles and 21 years on the turbo in my 951 and it's still performing beautifully. Doesn't lose oil, no smoke, excellent shape.

I'll agree with you about the 'Vette though. They're great cars and are a lot of fun.

ZV

you're somewhat evading the point. you're basically saying a car with a turbo when compared to its non-turboed counterpart would be just as reliable.

Precisely. There is absolutely nothing inherent to a turbocharged engine that would automatically dictate that it be less reliable than an NA engine. Nothing.

A turbo will require more attention to maintenance (turbos are very sensitive to old oil, for instance, and it's vital to change the oil frequently on a turbocharged car), but as long as you follow the maintenance schedule there's absolutely no reason for a turbocharged engine to be less reliable than an NA engine.

The supposed problems with turbos are, in my experience, always trace-able to owner mis-use. People will shut the cars off without cool-down time, let the oil go 5,000+ miles between changes, etc, all of which seriously impact turbocharger life expectancy. If you treat the engine right, there is no difference in reliability. Just a more demanding maintenance schedule.

ZV

 

[Aikouka]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
The supposed problems with turbos are, in my experience, always trace-able to owner mis-use. People will shut the cars off without cool-down time, let the oil go 5,000+ miles between changes, etc, all of which seriously impact turbocharger life expectancy. If you treat the engine right, there is no difference in reliability. Just a more demanding maintenance schedule.

Do most cars come with turbo timers these days? I know back when I had my DSM, you could get one if you didn't want to sit there with your car while letting the turbo cool down.

 

[exdeath]

Originally posted by: Aikouka

Originally posted by: exdeath
2nd gen MR2 Turbo, but they are expensive as hell; they go for 8-10k for a 16 year old car with 150,000+ miles

Kinda like this one? http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=225061431

Although it seems every MR2 I run into is red... red red red... don't other people like black .

That would probably be why I see higher prices, I ignore the red ones

But you can't beat that 3SGTE in bolt on mod potential, it's one of those most potent 4 bangers out there and built like a tank.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...?hash=item130156598175

Gen III Caldina engine, 260 HP stock. Too bad about the body damage and the body kit :|

Don't know why I like MR2s so much, guess I've always wanted a 2 seater roadster, and the 2nd gen models have great potential with that easily upgradeable engine and MR platform, big after market, typical 90s Toyota overbuilt workhorse quality, and the interior is familiar to my 95 Camry.

This picture certainly doesn't help deter me either: http://members.cox.net/exdeath/mr2.jpg

I'll take one of those with 450 HP on 91

 

[Aikouka]

Originally posted by: exdeath
That would probably be why I see higher prices, I ignore the red ones

Nothing Maaco can't fix... I kid, I kid!

Originally posted by: exdeath
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...?hash=item130156598175

Gen III Caldina engine, 260 HP stock. Too bad about the body damage and the body kit :|

I don't think that's too bad looking... I mean I don't get why you'd have such a gaping mouth in the front bumper unless you have a FMIC and I don't see one. I guess you could just see that as upgrade potential .

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero
I wouldn't avoid the 240 just because of what some 'ricers' may think. Are there really that many of them waiting at every corner to challenge you to a drift battle?

the dude drives a car with paint falling off of it. I don't get many initial D things, I have been asked if I have a SR, do I drift, etc.

i have also been approached by older people looking to buy the car outright.

Only 2500 of my 98 240SX were made.

The 240SX has been directly compared to the NA 944 and is about 10 years newer. I had the budget for a 88/89 944 Turbo S, however; the interior pieces are extremely expensive and I was looking for a mint car. I either found sub 40k mile garage queens at $30k+ or they were closer to $18k but in need of serious reconditioning IMHO (florida sun seems brutal on these cars). On the flip side the Porsche parts are reasonable...the labor is more extensive, but if you turn your own wrenches it's just time not money. I have been helping my brother with his 996 a bit. His $500 service we did in an hour and $200 in parts and the tools needed. Any parts you need for any car check www.parts.com first. Even with shipping they smoke our Palm Beach County dealerships (his corner marker was $100 at the local Porsche place, he bought it from a midwest Porsche dealer for $35).

I bought my 98 240SX about 3 hours away and put the difference back into it. Only thing left for me to do is turbo and then rebuild it and go for more boost. I made a choice to buy a house and wait on the turbo charging though . It's a great car and easy to work on.

The OP would need to clarify more of what they are looking for, there are tons of RWD cars in the $5k range. Are you going to be working on them yourself or need a mechanic? Something like an MR2/Fiero is harder to work on due to the engine layout, but both are in that category. The Mustangs/Camaro/Firebird can handle well too.

 

[Aikouka]

Originally posted by: alkemyst
The OP would need to clarify more of what they are looking for, there are tons of RWD cars in the $5k range. Are you going to be working on them yourself or need a mechanic? Something like an MR2/Fiero is harder to work on due to the engine layout, but both are in that category. The Mustangs/Camaro/Firebird can handle well too.

I mentioned somewhere (I don't think it was in the OP) that I do not want to work on the cars myself right now. If any upgrades will be performed, they will mostly be done in shop as I don't have the space to do any work like that anymore. If I get my own house, I will most likely try doing things like that again .

Also, the car I'm looking for isn't just any RWD car but I guess you could say a car that could be proficient in autocross (although that isn't the purpose for me getting it). A car with decent speed and good handling. It'd be nice if it were faster than my Altima too, but I know some of the cars wouldn't stand up too well against the VQ35DE-equipped Altima. So that really isn't a big deal. I mean the whole reason I bought my Altima is because it gave me a nice balance between comfort and power. Although those factory tires are quite annoying, I swear I can take a turn at 15mph and they squeal like a pig running from a butcher knife.

 

[DivideBYZero]

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero
I wouldn't avoid the 240 just because of what some 'ricers' may think. Are there really that many of them waiting at every corner to challenge you to a drift battle?

the dude drives a car with paint falling off of it. I don't get many initial D things, I have been asked if I have a SR, do I drift, etc.

i have also been approached by older people looking to buy the car outright.

Only 2500 of my 98 240SX were made.

The 240SX has been directly compared to the NA 944 and is about 10 years newer. I had the budget for a 88/89 944 Turbo S, however; the interior pieces are extremely expensive and I was looking for a mint car. I either found sub 40k mile garage queens at $30k+ or they were closer to $18k but in need of serious reconditioning IMHO (florida sun seems brutal on these cars). On the flip side the Porsche parts are reasonable...the labor is more extensive, but if you turn your own wrenches it's just time not money. I have been helping my brother with his 996 a bit. His $500 service we did in an hour and $200 in parts and the tools needed. Any parts you need for any car check www.parts.com first. Even with shipping they smoke our Palm Beach County dealerships (his corner marker was $100 at the local Porsche place, he bought it from a midwest Porsche dealer for $35).

I bought my 98 240SX about 3 hours away and put the difference back into it. Only thing left for me to do is turbo and then rebuild it and go for more boost. I made a choice to buy a house and wait on the turbo charging though . It's a great car and easy to work on.

The OP would need to clarify more of what they are looking for, there are tons of RWD cars in the $5k range. Are you going to be working on them yourself or need a mechanic? Something like an MR2/Fiero is harder to work on due to the engine layout, but both are in that category. The Mustangs/Camaro/Firebird can handle well too.

I prefer the UK version, the 200SX. It's got a turbo.

 

[imported_Truenofan]

hey, thats a car. get an old Datsun(nissan), those are nice too. i just dont like the whole drift crap thing. if your getting a rwd for "drifting" thinking its an "art" then dont get a rwd. all you'll do is spend money, and get nowhere faster.

 

[DivideBYZero]

Originally posted by: Truenofan
hey, thats a car. get an old Datsun(nissan), those are nice too. i just dont like the whole drift crap thing. if your getting a rwd for "drifting" thinking its an "art" then dont get a rwd. all you'll do is spend money, and get nowhere faster.

To be fair you started the drifting yak. I was just thinking of it from a RWD coupe standpoint.

 

[Summitdrinker]

ya, consider mustang , camaro, firebird
plenty of these cars around, plus plenty of aftermarket parts

another car to look at is the 92-93 or 96-97 mercury cougar/ford thundebird with a V8
true there not true performance cars, but there nice rides, and are durable

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Aikouka

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
The supposed problems with turbos are, in my experience, always trace-able to owner mis-use. People will shut the cars off without cool-down time, let the oil go 5,000+ miles between changes, etc, all of which seriously impact turbocharger life expectancy. If you treat the engine right, there is no difference in reliability. Just a more demanding maintenance schedule.

Do most cars come with turbo timers these days? I know back when I had my DSM, you could get one if you didn't want to sit there with your car while letting the turbo cool down.

Actually, most modern turbos have water jackets and are plumbed into the car's water cooling system. This prevents much of the heat soak that used to occur. In most cases, a modern turbocharged engine is off boost at low speeds too, so in addition to there being less heat overall due to the water cooling, the time spent pulling into the parking lot to park the car is usually long enough to cool the turbo down. All turbo Volvos since the late 1980's have had water-cooled turbos, and they are not known for any special problems from their turbos.

Some systems even have an auxiliary electric pump to circulate coolant through the turbo after the engine has shut off. This does an exceptional job of keeping a turbo alive, but it's rare. Probably overkill since the simpler system that Volvo uses seems to keep the turbos alive just fine.

The biggest things are just not to run the car hard and immediately shut the engine off (bad for any engine, worse for the turbo because it might still be spinning when the oil pressure drops) and not to get heavy into boost before the engine is warm (again, bad for any engine, but more for turbos since cold oil doesn't flow as well and may not lubricate the turbo properly).

The truth is that most people do not take very good care of their non-turbo cars, but the bad habits they have take longer to damage NA engines. Then when they get a turbo car, they don't pay any attention to the extra care necessary, then blame the turbo when they grenade the engine.

ZV

 

[Aikouka]

Originally posted by: Truenofan
hey, thats a car. get an old Datsun(nissan), those are nice too. i just dont like the whole drift crap thing. if your getting a rwd for "drifting" thinking its an "art" then dont get a rwd. all you'll do is spend money, and get nowhere faster.

Like the old Z: 240Z? My friend absolutely loves that car.

I want a RWD car because I enjoy driving, but I don't think anyone who enjoys driving likes doing it like a grandpa and I want to avoid putting undue strain on my Altima (not inferring anything reckless). I can say that I enjoy driving enough that it's the only "job" I'd do over my current job .

Originally posted by: Summitdrinker
another car to look at is the 92-93 or 96-97 mercury cougar/ford thundebird with a V8
true there not true performance cars, but there nice rides, and are durable

I'm not sure what you mean by nice ride, but that's really what my current car is for .

 

[DivideBYZero]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: Aikouka

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
The supposed problems with turbos are, in my experience, always trace-able to owner mis-use. People will shut the cars off without cool-down time, let the oil go 5,000+ miles between changes, etc, all of which seriously impact turbocharger life expectancy. If you treat the engine right, there is no difference in reliability. Just a more demanding maintenance schedule.

Do most cars come with turbo timers these days? I know back when I had my DSM, you could get one if you didn't want to sit there with your car while letting the turbo cool down.

Actually, most modern turbos have water jackets and are plumbed into the car's water cooling system. This prevents much of the heat soak that used to occur. In most cases, a modern turbocharged engine is off boost at low speeds too, so in addition to there being less heat overall due to the water cooling, the time spent pulling into the parking lot to park the car is usually long enough to cool the turbo down. All turbo Volvos since the late 1980's have had water-cooled turbos, and they are not known for any special problems from their turbos.

Some systems even have an auxiliary electric pump to circulate coolant through the turbo after the engine has shut off. This does an exceptional job of keeping a turbo alive, but it's rare. Probably overkill since the simpler system that Volvo uses seems to keep the turbos alive just fine.

The biggest things are just not to run the car hard and immediately shut the engine off (bad for any engine, worse for the turbo because it might still be spinning when the oil pressure drops) and not to get heavy into boost before the engine is warm (again, bad for any engine, but more for turbos since cold oil doesn't flow as well and may not lubricate the turbo properly).

The truth is that most people do not take very good care of their non-turbo cars, but the bad habits they have take longer to damage NA engines. Then when they get a turbo car, they don't pay any attention to the extra care necessary, then blame the turbo when they grenade the engine.

ZV

That may be the case, but my MY2000 scooby had a IHI unit that was oil cooled only. It had a warning sticker on the drivers door regarding hard driving when cold and stopping directly after giving it beans.

Essentially the rule of thumb with any turbo car is don't run it hard until the OIL has heated up (not just the water, get an oil temp gauge if not there OEM) and cool it down before shutting it off. As you said, most runs will involve 5-10 mins of slow, smooth off boost driving at the end, but a two minute idle never hurt anyone. Do that and any turbo will last the lifetime of the car.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero
I wouldn't avoid the 240 just because of what some 'ricers' may think. Are there really that many of them waiting at every corner to challenge you to a drift battle?

the dude drives a car with paint falling off of it. I don't get many initial D things, I have been asked if I have a SR, do I drift, etc.

i have also been approached by older people looking to buy the car outright.

Only 2500 of my 98 240SX were made.

The 240SX has been directly compared to the NA 944 and is about 10 years newer. I had the budget for a 88/89 944 Turbo S, however; the interior pieces are extremely expensive and I was looking for a mint car. I either found sub 40k mile garage queens at $30k+ or they were closer to $18k but in need of serious reconditioning IMHO (florida sun seems brutal on these cars). On the flip side the Porsche parts are reasonable...the labor is more extensive, but if you turn your own wrenches it's just time not money. I have been helping my brother with his 996 a bit. His $500 service we did in an hour and $200 in parts and the tools needed. Any parts you need for any car check www.parts.com first. Even with shipping they smoke our Palm Beach County dealerships (his corner marker was $100 at the local Porsche place, he bought it from a midwest Porsche dealer for $35).

I bought my 98 240SX about 3 hours away and put the difference back into it. Only thing left for me to do is turbo and then rebuild it and go for more boost. I made a choice to buy a house and wait on the turbo charging though . It's a great car and easy to work on.

The OP would need to clarify more of what they are looking for, there are tons of RWD cars in the $5k range. Are you going to be working on them yourself or need a mechanic? Something like an MR2/Fiero is harder to work on due to the engine layout, but both are in that category. The Mustangs/Camaro/Firebird can handle well too.

I prefer the UK version, the 200SX. It's got a turbo.

So does the 180SX...but that is an easy swap or even addition to the stock engine.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero

Originally posted by: Truenofan
hey, thats a car. get an old Datsun(nissan), those are nice too. i just dont like the whole drift crap thing. if your getting a rwd for "drifting" thinking its an "art" then dont get a rwd. all you'll do is spend money, and get nowhere faster.

To be fair you started the drifting yak. I was just thinking of it from a RWD coupe standpoint.

man another dude thinking drifting is about getting to a finish line. Drifting is about driving at the limits...these same guys do grip/togue and rock some very quick laps.

Drifting is expensive though...you'll go through tires like mad and you are bound to have a few accidents no matter how good you are if you are really doing it.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero
That may be the case, but my MY2000 scooby had a IHI unit that was oil cooled only. It had a warning sticker on the drivers door regarding hard driving when cold and stopping directly after giving it beans.

Essentially the rule of thumb with any turbo car is don't run it hard until the OIL has heated up (not just the water, get an oil temp gauge if not there OEM) and cool it down before shutting it off. As you said, most runs will involve 5-10 mins of slow, smooth off boost driving at the end, but a two minute idle never hurt anyone. Do that and any turbo will last the lifetime of the car.

Interesting. I'd thought that those had been phased out in stock setups. I'll admit though that I have most of my experience with European cars so I'm not fully up-to-date on Japanese models. Thanks for the information.

I definitely agree about letting the oil heat up, I should have been clear that I meant the oil and not the coolant. The rest of your post is spot-on too. :thumbsup:

ZV

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: alkemyst
man another dude thinking drifting is about getting to a finish line. Drifting is about driving at the limits...

If you're really at the "limits" then you're turning in the fastest lap times possible with your car. Otherwise you're below or above the limit. "Drifting" is definitely an exercise in control, but it's all about getting the control back after you've already f-ed up the line. If you're on asphalt, drifting is the slow way around the track.

ZV

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: alkemyst
man another dude thinking drifting is about getting to a finish line. Drifting is about driving at the limits...

If you're really at the "limits" then you're turning in the fastest lap times possible with your car. Otherwise you're below or above the limit. "Drifting" is definitely an exercise in control, but it's all about getting the control back after you've already f-ed up the line. If you're on asphalt, drifting is the slow way around the track.

ZV

limits in this case is being in control vs out of control. Not the limits of the car/track.

Should have been more clear.

What's called 'Drifting' is way different than in turn drifting on a high speed track. Most people don't really understand what it is.

I don't care for it. To me it's fun to get into a slide here and there, but it's so hard on my tires and risky. All it takes is sliding into some loose gravel or someone's antifreeze/oil they lost and you are going for a ride.

 

[imported_Truenofan]

i'll agree with you alk, i would do it for fun. it is pretty fun to just blip the throttle in some snow/gravel and have it slide out, start a little counter steer, and have fun. ahhh the joys of a rwd with lsd is great. yeah the 180/200/240zx's are good cars. i know someone with a 240zx i believe it is. i love how they look. if i could ever afford a good condition 180/200/240zx or, my wish car a toyota 2000GT, i would buy them pretty much straight up.

 

[Aikouka]

Originally posted by: Truenofan
i know someone with a 240zx i believe it is. i love how they look.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/240Z

or

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_280ZX

 

[imported_hscorpio]

I'd love to get an RX-7 or 240sx, then transplant an LS1 into it.

 

[imported_Truenofan]

bleh, ls1 in a 7 is blasphemy. you'd ruin a perfectly good handling machine to go fast in a straight line.. and aikouka, i like how both look honestly, those were the best datsuns/nissans I've ever seen.

edit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangan_Midnight he he, i love the old datsuns.

 

[imported_hscorpio]

Blasphemy? Its the best mod you could do to those cars. This guy seems to have no trouble with his in autox scroll down to u-class

Why would you assume an LS1 powered RX-7 would only be good for straight line?