Help picking out a first project car

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makospeed44

makospeed44

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Doctor_A44
Hello all,
I'm looking to get my first project car. HOWEVER it IS going to be my daily driver as well. Something I can get my hands dirty with, learn more about cars and modification, and pretty much just somethin quick and fun to have. I'm not sure what my budget is yet but I'd like to set a cap at about $10,000. Here are my top 4 picks in no specific order:

I'd like all cars to be manual gearbox, little to no modification, and preferably 120K or less.

1992-2000 Mazda RX-7 FD
1995-1998 Nissan 240SX S14
1993-1997 Chevrolet Camaro Z28
1998-2000 Pontiac Firebird Formula


I'm leading more towards the F-Bodies, specifically the Camaro Z28, but I want some opinions. Or any other suggestions you cats might have. Also any tips on where to find said cars would be a major help too (I'm in South Jersey). Thanks in advance for any and all feedback.
 
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Definitely go the RX-7. Awesome looking car with heaps of tuning potential. What you will learn in terms of engine modifications will differ from most cars (obviously being a rotary), but the car is lighter and more focused than any of the others on your list.

To be honest I'm not much of a fan of the other 3, have you considered the Pontiac GTO? I have no idea what they're worth in America, but they are a good car also with plenty of tuning possibilities, not to mention the V8 soundtrack 👍
 
If you get an RX-7, you better have alot of money to spend if something goes wrong with it. Parts are quite expensive too. There's alot of muscle cars around Pennsylvania away from the cities and alot of them are pretty cheap.
 
You seem to have two very different kinds of cars on your list. RX7's and 240SX's are nimble little things while the Camaro and Firebird are muscular. Think of it this way. If you want something you can floor down the highway with a big stupid grin on your face, or just rumble down the street with the presence of Thor the God of Thunder, grab a muscle car and play with the engine. If you want something you can throw around corners in the hills with a serious expression and go to an empty lot and try some drifting, go for the Japanese options.

Craigslist is where I've found all my cars.

RX-7's are tougher to find for 10K, even tougher to fix once that Wankel goes wrong (it will)

Good weekend cars for 10K

Corvettes
MR2's
Mustangs (1967? :sly:)
MIATA I've seen millions of these at Laguna Seca and Thunderhill. These things have seriously amazing chassis. It corners great with and without mods

The important thing to remember is that it's a PROJECT CAR. It doesn't need to be able to do everything. Muscle cars and sports cars make great project cars because all the space, effort, engineering, and weight that they save skimping on things like rear seats, or fuel economy, or comfort, they make up for with personality.

Good luck! 👍
 
Wow, turns out you can pick up a nice GTO for less that $10K in the States! I'm jealous, cars are so expensive over here...

Do yourself a favour and buy a GTO, ditch the ugly Pontiac front bumper/grille and replace it with a Monaro front bumper 👍 Then fit some nice wheels and go from there

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Are you kidding me? That is an Australian based car right? Yet it is cheaper overseas...🤬 our lives.
 
I'd lean towards something a bit older.

A 1968-72 GM A-Body would be a great 'project' car as you can find many in various conditions and for reasonable prices. A 'running project' with a small block and no body rot should be well within your budget. Pontiac GTOs, numbers matching SS Chevelles/442s, and other 'collectibles' shouldn't even be looked at as they command higher dollars. You need a clone or a car that was originally equipped poorly as a project car.

On the other end of the spectrum; pre-1974 Porsche 911s. Very cool cars and if you can spare a bit more coin at first, you can find one in very good shape. I'd check out the forums at Pelicanparts and get an idea of what's out there. These cars are somewhat easy to 'hot rod'...won't be cheap though. You'll love the car though and will probably keep it for the next 10 years.
 
Legendary
Are you kidding me? That is an Australian based car right? Yet it is cheaper overseas...🤬 our lives.
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FOL indeed... Monaro's are still worth between 20 and 30 grand in Australia. Believe me I know because I'm looking to buy one.

The Pontiac GTO is an Australian made Monaro. All they did was change the name and, by fitting a new grill and bumper, made made what was once a beautiful looking car, ugly...

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04-gto-hero.jpg


Hmmm....
 
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CarreraGT
FOL indeed... Monaro's are still worth between 20 and 30 grand in Australia. Believe me I know because I'm looking to buy one.

The Pontiac GTO is an Australian made Monaro. All they did was change the name and, by fitting a new grill and bumper, made made what was once a beautiful looking car, ugly...
Hmmm....
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That's the cheaper VY versions too, if you want a VZ Monaro you could be looking at $40-50k, especially if it's the very attractive CV8-Z (which unfortunately has a sunroof which is a bad thing in so many ways). For the GTO I think you'll also find it has more power than a standard Monaro, and a crappier suspension tune. If he can get the GTO, I'd highly recommend it.👍
 
Run from the FD, get a much nicer FC for half the price.

Make it an NA as well; you'll have a lot fewer troubles working on it and a lot fewer troubles with things going wrong. Wheels/tires, suspension, brakes. In that order. Unless it's a 4-lug car, in which case brakes (and 5-lug conversion), wheels/tires, suspension. It won't be blazingly quick with ~175hp after cracking the exhaust open but it'll be quick enough... And extremely capable around corners. Get comfortable with it, figure out what you want to do from there.
 
Almost anything Toyota is going to be cheap-ish, reliable and plentiful especially when you go to buy parts. Not cheap like a domestic but at the same time it won't fall apart on you and you won't want to kill yourself when it comes time to work on it. Stay away from the higher end cars like Supra/MR2 though. They aren't for a beginner. These cars don't follow the advice I just gave about being cheap, reliable or plentiful. A corolla or celica would be a better bet for an entry level tuner car.

Bang for your buck those American behemoths would be the best bet. An RX7 has trouble written all over it. 240s are over rated and played out but parts are usually easily available. Miata is a good choice. Resale is a bit high but they're great cars.
 
Paulie
That's the cheaper VY versions too, if you want a VZ Monaro you could be looking at $40-50k, especially if it's the very attractive CV8-Z (which unfortunately has a sunroof which is a bad thing in so many ways). For the GTO I think you'll also find it has more power than a standard Monaro, and a crappier suspension tune. If he can get the GTO, I'd highly recommend it.👍
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Personally I prefer the V2 to the VZ, I'm not a big fan of the bonnet scoops or bumpers on the VZ. The V2 misses out on the 6L engine though, so I'm going to need to spend a bit of money waking up the old 5.7...
 
Agree 100% with the American stuff doing cheap performance best. If you want fast, you've got it. If you want good handling you'll have it at a lower cost of entry than any FD RX-7 that isn't a scam. Ford does better chassis', GM is cheaper to make power with unless you really know what you're doing with a Ford (which kinda requires a donor vehicle and a bit of knowledge about EFI tuning and turbo setups, as well as being able to rebuild a motor with better bits).
 
RUN from a 4th gen F body if you want to work on it yourself.

You could find an F150 Lightning to play with too
 
Looks like I'm gonna stick with the F-Body's. I'd really like a 1998-2002 Firebird Formula but idk if I'd be able to find a good one for 10k or less....especially with a 6 speed. So Camaro Z28 it is?
 
How old are you bro? If this is your first car you really should think about buying something else. Insurance and gas will kill you.
 
makospeed44
Looks like I'm gonna stick with the F-Body's. I'd really like a 1998-2002 Firebird Formula but idk if I'd be able to find a good one for 10k or less....especially with a 6 speed. So Camaro Z28 it is?
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Honestly, if you are thinking about a Camaro you should seriously consider the GTO. Its got the same engine but looks a hell of a lot better IMO
 
If this is a first car then I can't recommend going with something classic any higher. 10K will get you a good 60's or early 70's American V8 car. They're insanely easy to work on, the aftermarket lineups are great, and the amount of stares you'll get from people will never get old, especially compared to 90's american cars (according to my teenager).
 
Time_Attack
How old are you bro? If this is your first car you really should think about buying something else. Insurance and gas will kill you.
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I'm turnin 19 in September. This will actually be my 3rd car, my first non-Chrysler product, and my first "project" car. Somethin I can actually work on and learn the basic mechanical stuff with.
 
CarreraGT
Honestly, if you are thinking about a Camaro you should seriously consider the GTO. Its got the same engine but looks a hell of a lot better IMO
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I'd love a GTO but I doubt I could find one for 10k or less, let alone a 6-speed. And I would like somethin a little less valuable just in case I screw up
 
Zenith013
If this is a first car then I can't recommend going with something classic any higher. 10K will get you a good 60's or early 70's American V8 car. They're insanely easy to work on, the aftermarket lineups are great, and the amount of stares you'll get from people will never get old, especially compared to 90's american cars (according to my teenager).
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I still have my first car and it is in fact a 1969 Dodge Coronet 318 Magnum. My pop, my cousin, and I decided to turn it into an R/T clone but I never got to really work on it because we wanted it to be perfect. My dad didn't want me screwin it up. Its also a column 3-speed Automatic. I definitely agree that those cars are the best but I need something more livable with every day and I don't think my folks will appreciate putting two cars on classic insurance. Especially if one really isn't worth it.
 
Mazda RX-7 - Its a timeless design, its nearly 20 years since the last model was released and it still looks absolutely beautiful, not to mention sexy performance.
 
makospeed44
I'd love a GTO but I doubt I could find one for 10k or less, let alone a 6-speed. And I would like somethin a little less valuable just in case I screw up
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Fair enough, I don't really know what they're worth over there. From your list, I'll stick with the rx7 then. It would definitely be the best performance car of the four.

Otherwise if you want something that works better as a daily driver and is a bit easier to work on/maintain, get the firebird. I would recommend the camaro but it's just too ugly... Besides they have basically the same engine anyway
 

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