In need of even more help

  • Thread starter Thread starter Boz Mon
  • 25 comments
  • 794 views
Boz Mon

Boz Mon

Messages
1,478
Ive been looking for a Honda Prelude for about a month now and cant seem to fine one for 5-6k in good condition and im starting to think that one like that doesnt exist. i am trying to get more ideas for cars but i cant think of any. could you guys give me some ideas? no mopar products, it has to have good styling, be quick (not rediculous but respectable) and get good gas milage

thanx for your help
-Boz-
 
Damnit, be patient will ya?

Again, it took me literally 3 and a half to 4 months to find my Protege, and I was looking for 3 Mazda models in the classifieds, on AutoTrader, and E-bay.

Drive what you have and just wait and you'll find what you want.
 
. . . It sounds like you are talking about GT3 the game there Nick. . . and that font size...

Anyhow, if you don't want any space or anthing, sure you could get a Miata, but they aren't really al that cheap anyhow. Integra would be a good choice, all have good engines, though the GSR is just below the Type R. Corolla's are also nice, but you don;t seem interested. Honda Civic Si is nice and quick. Nissan 240SX if you don't mind RWD, or a Sentra SE-R like early 90's. Good pep in the Sentra, very nice care with an LSD and what not. If you get lucky, you might be able to find an early 90's Celica All-trac.... 200 HP and AWD... awesome car if you can find one, and about that price half the time.
 
Best choice:

96904071990203LRG.jpg


1994-1996 Volvo 850 Turbo sedan​

1994: $3800-$5200
1995: $4500-$6000
1996: $5500-$6900

- 222-horsepower 2.3-liter turbocharged five-cylinder
- 0-60 in 7.1 seconds
- 1/4 mile in 15.2 seconds @ 93mph
- Standard power sunroof, heated leather, tri-mode automatic transmission, heated power mirrors, 16" alloy wheels, four-wheel all-disc ABS, dual-zone automatic climate control w/ five vents, side airbags (95-96)
- EPA rated 22.5mpg
- The best performance-oriented used car under $10000
- Drive it before you say no: this thing is QUICK

Or...

92808091990211LRG.jpg


1990-1994 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX​

1990: $1300-$2200
1991: $1600-$2500
1992: $2000-$3000
1993: $2400-$3500
1994: $2900-$4100

- 195-horsepower 2-liter turbocharged four-cylinder
- 0-60 in 6.9 seconds
- 1/4 mile in 15.1 seconds
- Same vehicle as Eagle Talon, owned by Chrysler; you said you didn't want "mopar products" so you might prefer the Mitsubishi, but the Talon depreciated more so it'll be cheaper used
- All-wheel drive standard, or you could get the Eclipse GS Turbo, which was front-drive only
- EPA rated 24.5mpg (w/ manual transmission)
- The best performance-oriented used car under $5000
 
Azuremen
If you get lucky, you might be able to find an early 90's Celica All-trac.... 200 HP and AWD... awesome car if you can find one, and about that price half the time.
Click to expand...

Great cars - but why pay 30% (or more) more than a Talon TSi/Eclipse GSX for what's basically the same vehicle except with a Toyota badge?
 
Interesting, but Doug, why did you not mention say the DSM Galant VR-4?

new5.jpg


This car has great potential and is a steal under $5000 which is easy to do. The model year I believe it came to the States was 1991 and although rare, it was about 5 to 7 years ahead of its time. . . Plus with 4 doors, your insurance is going to be less : )

Fuel Capacity = 15.9 gallons
Curb weight = 3351 lb
Displacement = 1997 cc
DOHC turbo 4g63
AWD

I believe it had somewhere in the range of 216 hp and 220 lbs. ft. That is just a guesstimate and I also know that 300 hp is just four bolt-ons away without having to do any mods to the turbo. It is a bargain price for a car of this performance and a total sleeper if you don't know what to look for. The one downside I see is that safety is no-where near par the Volvo you posted. : )
 
Yeah - the VR-4 was actually sold in both 1991 and 1992. The engine and drivetrain were the exact same as from the Talon TSi AWD/Eclipse GSX - 195-horsepower 2-liter turbo four with all-wheel drive.

But two problems:
- rare as hell
- slower than Talon/Eclipse

Since I figured out what these things were like six years ago, I've maybe seen two. They were ahead of their time indeed - and they didn't sell at all. If he can find one cheap, it's worth a look. But they're difficult as hell to find, and even more difficult to find as cheap as the Talon/Eclipse, since they're so rare, which is point number two - why go for something more expensive that's also a bit slower (because it's heavier)? And it doesn't handle as well either, obviously. Unless you need the room, I'd stick with the Talon or Eclipse.
 
It might be heavier and slower, but considering that I have seen one that needed a little knick-knack work, nothing major just cosmetic for $2000 it is not bad at all. Plus you need to factor in how many people selling a talon or Eclipse has beaten on it. Being rare is a major disadvantage the VR4 has, but to find one would be great. They probably won't be as beaten up as the Eclipse or Talon for the fact that the market this car was set for was a more mature group versus boy hot rodders.
 
Azuremen
. . . It sounds like you are talking about GT3 the game there Nick. . . and that font size...
Click to expand...

It does sound like I'm stuck in GT3. But seriously you can find an old Miata from before 1994 for about $3,500. With the left over money you can buy a turbo kit. Greddy makes a $1,200 turbo kit that increases horsepower to 160. Then you would probably have to pay a mechanic about $800 to install it if you can't. So for $5,500 you have yourself a great handling car that goes from 0-60 in under 7 seconds. I've thought about doing this before I bought my car. The reason I didn't is simple, I'm 6'2" & can't even fit in a Miata.

http://www.optionimports.com/import-store/grtukitmi111.html


Azuremen
Anyhow, if you don't want any space or anthing, sure you could get a Miata, but they aren't really al that cheap anyhow.
Click to expand...

Miatas are one of the smallest cars ever.
 
miata13B
It might be heavier and slower, but considering that I have seen one that needed a little knick-knack work, nothing major just cosmetic for $2000 it is not bad at all.
Click to expand...

If you can find one. Then it's still slower, less nimble, and heavier than the Eclipse and Talon.

Plus you need to factor in how many people selling a talon or Eclipse has beaten on it. Being rare is a major disadvantage the VR4 has, but to find one would be great. They probably won't be as beaten up as the Eclipse or Talon for the fact that the market this car was set for was a more mature group versus boy hot rodders.
Click to expand...

I disagree - there are all sorts of Talons and Eclipses on the market. Cheap ones have had a tougher life, but thousands have been maintained to a notable condition and carry only a small price premium. Plus - Galant VR-4 owners aren't Sunday drivers. In fact, even the one you posted has an aftermarket front air dam and aftermarket wheels - even though it might not look like it. This was stock:

91808021990215LRG.jpg
 
Quick_Nick
It does sound like I'm stuck in GT3. But seriously you can find an old Miata from before 1994 for about $3,500. With the left over money you can buy a turbo kit. Greddy makes a $1,200 turbo kit that increases horsepower to 160. Then you would probably have to pay a mechanic about $800 to install it if you can't. So for $5,500 you have yourself a great handling car that goes from 0-60 in under 7 seconds. I've thought about doing this before I bought my car. The reason I didn't is simple, I'm 6'2" & can't even fit in a Miata.

http://www.optionimports.com/import-store/grtukitmi111.html




Miatas are one of the smallest cars ever.
Click to expand...
Sure you can find it for cheap but they guy wants it in good condition and by that I am assuming that he also wants it to be reliable?
 
Quick_Nick
It does sound like I'm stuck in GT3. But seriously you can find an old Miata from before 1994 for about $3,500. With the left over money you can buy a turbo kit. Greddy makes a $1,200 turbo kit that increases horsepower to 160. Then you would probably have to pay a mechanic about $800 to install it if you can't. So for $5,500 you have yourself a great handling car that goes from 0-60 in under 7 seconds. I've thought about doing this before I bought my car. The reason I didn't is simple, I'm 6'2" & can't even fit in a Miata.
Click to expand...

:odd: My dad is six foot and he drives his almost every day of the summer. I doubt that two inches really makes a difference.

Plus, hes over 50 and has Kuhmo VictoRacers and sets the KYB AGX struts to level 5-6 when racing, making a very stiff ride.

Stop being a wuss and jam yourself in there. :D

Also, I believe there is a guy with a supercharged Miata that races locally. Although the little bugger is quick, even he has a hard time keeping control of the thing.
 
Nick, I'm 6 foot 4 inches and I drive an 87 MR2... and I can fit in a Miata.

I've never seen a Miata for less than 4 grand in the paper here, private or dealership, so thats what I was working off of.

If he's not worried about space, get an MR2. The GT-S is balls to walls fast, and can be found for under 6 grand, if you look hard. THe NA 91-95 is kinda sucky though, cause of the Camry motor in it. The down side to MR2s is they are like Miatas... no storage space.

If you want some space, a Mazda MX-3 or MX-6 would work better, and they had the option of a V6, so good scoot there as well.
 
Quick_Nick
The reason I didn't is simple, I'm 6'2" & can't even fit in a Miata.
Click to expand...

You do know that the roof comes off, right?
 
Goomba
Stop being a wuss and jam yourself in there.
Click to expand...

I've sat in a 90 Miata once. My impression of the car: I can't even lift my foot off the clutch without kicking the steering wheel. I didn't even get to test drive it. Inches count with interior space.
 
Move the seat backwards, fool. The lever is on the right-front of the seat. Jeeze.
 
WOW thanx guys, Ive decided to keep looking for preludes for the time being. which brings up another question: how far do you think is too far to go to pick up/look at a car? i found pretty nice preludes but they are 150-200 miles away? again, thanx for all the help 👍
 
Well, when I started searching I used a 50 mile radius, that went up to 75, then 100. 100 is pretty far, any farther and it's risky driving a newly bought car home, especially if it has any sort of drivability issues. Also, AAA free tows only go in a 100 mile radius, my friend has the towing plan, so that's what I went by just incase I found a non-running car that I wanted within that distance.
My Protege was at a dealership about 20-25 miles away from my house.
 
M5Power
If you can find one. Then it's still slower, less nimble, and heavier than the Eclipse and Talon.



I disagree - there are all sorts of Talons and Eclipses on the market. Cheap ones have had a tougher life, but thousands have been maintained to a notable condition and carry only a small price premium. Plus - Galant VR-4 owners aren't Sunday drivers. In fact, even the one you posted has an aftermarket front air dam and aftermarket wheels - even though it might not look like it. This was stock:

91808021990215LRG.jpg
Click to expand...
Yes I understand that the Galant vr-4 I posted is an aftermarket car. Probably to sum degree beaten too, but due to the limitation of caring too much to search for a suitable picture, I decided to stop at the first site I saw with a pic to attach over the extreme caring notion of finding a stock picture within five minutes.

I must say that I have searched throughout autotrader.com / cars.com / so on so forth to find a few gems that I did a visit too and price per performance I must say this car would suit my needs. I know both of our thoughts towards automobiles is different, but that does not make one of us right or wrong. Different strokes different strokes. The thread starter wanted an opinion and I gave one. I figured to throw in another car towards your opinion because automatically I would have opted for the Eclipse GSX. I decided to play a different angle.
 
Boz Mon
WOW thanx guys, Ive decided to keep looking for preludes for the time being. which brings up another question: how far do you think is too far to go to pick up/look at a car? i found pretty nice preludes but they are 150-200 miles away? again, thanx for all the help 👍
Click to expand...

I drove 380 miles to get my baby. Longest drive evar :dopey:
 

Latest Posts

Back