300ZX, Supra, or something else?

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mPWRD

mPWRD

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I'm looking for a project car that I can drive to work and thrash around autocrosses on the weekends. It has to be a manual, RWD or AWD, and not a Miata (because I don't fit in one). My budget is around $10-15k US.

I've been looking around, and I'm sorta down to a 300ZX or a Supra. Which one should I choose, or have I forgot something?
 
You can find s2000s in that price range, right? Would you fit in one? Manual, RWD, not a miata, 10-15k budget. Check check check check. Good autocross car, check. 👍
 
mPWRD
and not a Miata (because I don't fit in one)
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I'm 6' dead and fat (280lbs) and I fit in a Miata. Plenty of people taller than me fit in them too once they modify the drivers' side seat rails so the seat sits a bit lower.
 
Aren't E36 M3's around that price range nowadays?
 
casey_2005
You can find s2000s in that price range, right? Would you fit in one? Manual, RWD, not a miata, 10-15k budget. Check check check check. Good autocross car, check. 👍
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Hadn't thought of it... thanks!

Rotary Junkie
I'm 6' dead and fat (280lbs) and I fit in a Miata. Plenty of people taller than me fit in them too once they modify the drivers' side seat rails so the seat sits a bit lower.
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I'm 6'2". It's a matter of legroom.

Leonidae@MFT
Aren't E36 M3's around that price range nowadays?
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Yeah, but two of my friends had a host of problems with their E36s, so that's kind of out for me.
 
R170 slk? B5 s4?
 
While I'm at it, does anybody know some good websites for used cars besides autotrader and Ebay motors?
 
mPWRD
While I'm at it, does anybody know some good websites for used cars besides autotrader and Ebay motors?
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Yahoo autos
 
Well a 300ZX would be much easier to find. A Supra is harder to find, and is considerably more expensive to buy, but is quite a bit faster than a 300ZX.
 
The 300ZX is notoriously hard to work on. The MA70 Supra is a bit heavy, and the JZA80 Supra is expensive and hard to find.
 
Subaru Impreza WRX? Can you find STis for that price?
 
Yeah I figured a Supra was out of the question because every one I could find was at least $25k... I couldn't find any S2000s within 50 miles of where I live, which was disappointing.
 
What about B5 S4? 2.7 Twinturbo V6, plenty of potential and reasonably light for an AWD.
 
Supras are expensive and hard to find untouched. 300ZX's are almost the same except it's even harder to locate a TT with low mileage. An RX-7 is even harder than the previous two. And 3000GT VR4's? Forget about it.

Much easier to locate a low mileage '05 350Z or S2000 for that money. Good luck!



P.S. My preference is the 300ZX twin turbo if you can find a low mileage untouched manual model.
 
JCE
P.S. My preference is the 300ZX twin turbo if you can find a low mileage untouched manual model.
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I found one where all the major components (head, turbos, intercoolers, shocks, springs, rims, exhaust, brakes, etc.) were all upgraded only a year ago. Top of the line equipment everywhere. It was a dream, except for the price. $45k, if you can believe it. I've been looking everywhere for a 300ZX TT with low mileage, but to no avail. I'm not in much of a hurry, but I just wanted to know what people would recommend.
 
Not sure why you would consider either of those fat pigs for autocross.

An S2000, perhaps. I find their interiors even tighter than Miatas. No offense, but if you don't fit in a Miata you must be positively enormous, because I'm 6 feet and when I'm comfortable I can still slide the seat back a solid 6 inches.
 
None taken. I'm actually not that big :lol: My friend has a Miata, and even when I pull the seat all the way back, my knees still knock on the steering column. And if I straighten my legs, my head hits the roll cage. Horizontal isn't the problem; it's vertical.
 
Americans allowed? A 5.7 GTO can be had for about 12k, or a 6.0 nearing 20k. Handles, too.

Haha, nvm, forgot... auto-x! S2K, definitely.
 
I agree with Keef on this, because I've actually been wondering about that as well. The Z32 was a fantastic GT car, but isn't really suited for track use. The Toyota Supra basically has the same problems, only its even heavier.

Leonidae@MFT
What about B5 S4? 2.7 Twinturbo V6, plenty of potential and reasonably light for an AWD.
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If he's been shied away from an E36 M3 because of reliability issues, I have to imagine that an Audi anything would practically give him an infarction, let alone a ticking time bomb like a B5 S4.
 
Hmm. So looks like it's down to S2k or 300ZX. Let's say I open it up to FWD. Besides the obvious Integras and Civics, what could I look for?
 
CyborgGT
Americans allowed? A 5.7 GTO can be had for about 12k, or a 6.0 nearing 20k. Handles, too.

Haha, nvm, forgot... auto-x! S2K, definitely.
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Except if he doesn't fit in a Miata he ain't about to fit in an S2K any time soon either.

On the subject of American stuff... Fox 5.0 then pour the rest of your cash into the suspension... Though that'd throw you into an even tougher class so blah. But the proper Foxes are fairly small, '99+ Cobra IRS bolts in if that's your gig, and anything that goes wrong will cost you about 25 cents to fix. You can wake a 5.0 up for next to nothing (Intake manifold, then swap meet louie heads + cam if you want more more) etc etc... It won't ever quite be a Miata but I got this feeling a Fox done right will worry plenty of E36s.

Edit: Mazda3/6. 2.3/5-speed for the 3, 3.0/5-speed for the 6 if you think the power will be more fun than the slightly better balance of the 4cyl. Also of note is that while the 3 is smaller the hatch is pretty much no lighter than an equivalent 6 sedan, with a V6 6 sedan being only marginally heavier than an MS3. MS6 is actually pretty well useless thanks to the weight added by AWD.
 
mPWRD
Hmm. So looks like it's down to S2k or 300ZX. Let's say I open it up to FWD. Besides the obvious Integras and Civics, what could I look for?
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First generation Neon ACRs were absolute monsters in their day (I also have direct experience with the ACR on a track, because my dad owned one for well over a decade and did track days with it right up until he replaced it with his Cabrio), and there are still quite a few of them left running around track day events. Me and my dad went to a track day with his Cabrio in September last year, and we saw what had to be 2 dozen of the things at the event, plus a few R/Ts and some second-generation Neons as well.

Neon SRT-4s are also good choices, though you should stick to 2004/2005 models, because they had most of the teething problems of the 2003 model sorted out.

VW GTis are also fairly popular cars to use, and so long as you get a VR6 you will avoid most of the reliability problems. Aftermarket is obviously huge as well.

I'd also throw out the Cobalt SS in either of its iterations.



There are a couple of other suggestions I could make, but mostly of older models that wouldn't really be as good as the Neon ACR anyways.
 
mPWRD
Hmm. So looks like it's down to S2k or 300ZX. Let's say I open it up to FWD. Besides the obvious Integras and Civics, what could I look for?
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Mazda Proteges have a solid aftermarket and can perform very well in Autocross. Older Nissan B13 Sentras have a solid reputation too. Civics can be made to handle well for a front-driver, and can be quick, but you have to swap the engine. And then the driving position is still horrible.

If you won't fit in a Miata, you won't fit in an S2000. In my opinion they're even tighter than Miatas. I agree Miatas have cramped headroom with the top up, but that's why you wear a sun hat and sun glasses and leave it down.

Old men try fruitlessly to hammer their monstrous Corvettes through autocross in vain attempts to beat Miatas. Good luck in a car twice as wide. Old Mustangs and Camaros are popular - particularly when they're stripped and shod with 11 inch wide tires, because that's the only way to mask their glorious handling deficiencies.

Same for the Corvette really - the handling characteristics required to be stable at 170 mph are totally different than what you need in the tight, quick transitions of an autocross. You need a front end that is quick to respond and has massive grip, the Miata being one of few cars that doesn't need modification to achieve this.
 
mPWRD
I'm looking for a project car that I can drive to work and thrash around autocrosses on the weekends. It has to be a manual, RWD or AWD, and not a Miata (because I don't fit in one). My budget is around $10-15k US.

I've been looking around, and I'm sorta down to a 300ZX or a Supra. Which one should I choose, or have I forgot something?
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You have to ask yourself what your ultimate goal is. Have fun at a local level? Trophy at Nationals? Blow a small fortune staying in a stock class? Or blow a larger fortune in a mod class?

If you just want to have fun and don't care where you place, then get whatever makes you happy.

If you want to win, then the first you need to do is decide on a class. And how far you are willing take your competitive urges. Once you decide what level you want to compete in, the decisions virtually make themselves for you. If you want to go to Topeka and go home in a fancy jacket, then you want to see what the winners are running.

http://www.scca.com/documents/resultfiles/15171_Results book file.pdf

So beyond the S2000 and Miata already mentioned in your price range, there is:

RX-8
(Cayman)/Boxster
Mustang GT
Corvette
and Mini if you open it up to FWD

If you can't fit in a Miata, the RX-8 may not work for you either, especially with a helmet on. Look for a Touring or Sport with no sunroof. Cayman is out of your price range, but 15k will snag you a nice 986; just make sure you check the real main seal for leaks. C5 Vettes are a total bargain these days.. just not many in a manual, you'll have to look around.

15k will also get you into a pretty clean E36 M3... with some research and preventative maint. I really don't see why reliability would be a concern. What sorts of problems did your friends have?

For an decent auto-x car, skip the B5 S4. Good street cars, decent track cars... not very good auto-x cars. You'd be far better off with a WRX or Evo.


Keef
Old men try fruitlessly to hammer their monstrous Corvettes through autocross in vain attempts to beat Miatas. Good luck in a car twice as wide. Old Mustangs and Camaros are popular - particularly when they're stripped and shod with 11 inch wide tires, because that's the only way to mask their glorious handling deficiencies.

Same for the Corvette really - the handling characteristics required to be stable at 170 mph are totally different than what you need in the tight, quick transitions of an autocross. You need a front end that is quick to respond and has massive grip, the Miata being one of few cars that doesn't need modification to achieve this.
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Depends on how open the venue is. A chapter that is stuck with a tiny lot will naturally end up with courses that play to the Miata's strengths. If the course is open and fast, then the old guys have no trouble getting the times down. Just look at last year's Nationals results. And the front end responds just fine and has plenty of grip, sounds like you've never driven one.


M
 
Isn't an MR2 an option? No idea on interior size though.
 
///M-Spec
Depends on how open the venue is. A chapter that is stuck with a tiny lot will naturally end up with courses that play to the Miata's strengths. If the course is open and fast, then the old guys have no trouble getting the times down. Just look at last year's Nationals results. And the front end responds just fine and has plenty of grip, sounds like you've never driven one.


M
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Good point. It might be a good idea to check out the local venues and see what type of car might give you the best bang for the buck. Most events in my area are long courses, but on the technical side. I have seen a long, fast course in Indianapolis though.

As for Miatas, the stock ones I've driven don't have much ultimate grip, but the front and rear balance is much more neutral than pretty much anything I've driven, and the rear is relatively lively and easy to play with. Many European cars and faster sports cars - even my RX7 - are designed for higher speed operation and therefore are tuned to understeer safely. Oversteer at 120 mph is a recipe for disaster.
 
Murcie_LP640
Subaru Impreza WRX? Can you find STis for that price?
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That is exactly what I was going to suggest especially if you live in a northern climate. I have a 2005 Subaru Impreza RS. Its a very enjoyable, attractive winter car and just all around a great car to daily drive any time of the year. You could easily get the WRX for your price range or even the STI depending on the year you decide to purchase. Some of the bone stock STI will run high 12's in the quarter mile. Bone stock. ANd they corner very well. Its truly the all around vehicle no matter where you live.
 
FC3S RX-7?

caps
 
Thanks guys! I'll definitely look into all of these. I'm not really in a rush to buy, but expect a thread charting my progress once I do.
 
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