Mustang's car search thread - IT'S OVER!

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I suggested the Volvos on the first page. I think he left..?

Volvo 740
Volvo 240
Volvo 940

Hey, one could even find a 190E with a manual transmission for under 4k.

It's safe, decent mileage, and not too bad on insurance.

Taurus SHO = :drool:
 
JCE
1992-1996 Honda Prelude (4th gen):
96prelude.jpg


1997-2001 Honda Prelude (5th gen and my favorite):
prelude_p.jpg
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Sorry JCE, according to a very biased and ignorant opinion of a Civic, these 2 cars are complete and utter horse poo and will not be considered.

Along with the other quick-ish Japanese cars.


:rolleyes:
 
Perfect Balance
Sorry JCE, according to a very biased and ignorant opinion of a Civic, these 2 cars are complete and utter horse poo and will not be considered.

Along with the other quick-ish Japanese cars.


:rolleyes:
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But...the Preludes ROCK..? I don't get it. :grumpy:👎
 
Perfect Balance
Me neither.
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And honestly, quick and semi-quick FWD Japanese boxes can be 90% as much fun as a V6 pony car. The only loss is not being able to swing the tail out at a whim at any time. Sure, lift-off oversteer and ebrake drifts ARE possible--they just can't compete with a RWD slide. But the handling more than makes up for the fun. Taking corners +25mph in the Prelude over my Camaro was just as much fun as sliding with the ass out around the same corner. :D
 
Perfect Balance
Me neither.
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I don't understand what your problem with Preludes is. You are the only person, enthusiast or non that I have ever heard talk down on the Prelude. You have probably never driven on so you don't realize that even though it weighs almost 3000LBS it would outhandle pretty much anything you put it up against. It really, really makes me angry for some reason to read your degrading posts that say the Prelude is garbage, which it isn't.
 
Boz Mon
I don't understand what your problem with Preludes is. You are the only person, enthusiast or non that I have ever heard talk down on the Prelude. You have probably never driven on so you don't realize that even though it weighs almost 3000LBS it would outhandle pretty much anything you put it up against. It really, really makes me angry for some reason to read your degrading posts that say the Prelude is garbage, which it isn't.
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You've read it the wrong way, I was being sarcastic. The original poster mentioned how he sat in a Civic, and didn't like it, and literally said "yes I'm using that as a basis for judging all japanese cars"

Which I think is really ignorant of him.


I'm actually saying that the civic (a fairly "normal" car) shouldn't be the reason to say a prelude (a pretty powerful car, and by his criteria I think he wants a bit of power) is complete crap.

EDIT: JCE got it. 👍

To put it simply, what I meant was, just because:

Civic = What you could call a crappy car, doesn't = Prelude is a crappy car.

EDIT #2: @JCE: Today I drifted my civic around a few corners by trail braking, and almost spun one time. It just depends on how you drive it. I can get my civic to slide just as much as a rwd.

Well, almost.
 
...Or if you're feeling frisky, you could just get the ultimate sleeper from the '90s...

blackrsside.jpg
 
The Isuzu Impulse RS, probably the most-EPIC car that no one knows about. It had a 160 BHP I4 matched with AWD, and it was known as the Porsche 944-killer for some time. The last ones arrived here in 1992, which I believe that one is right there.

That car = FTW

(good luck finding one!)
 
I cant really find any performance specs on it. Anyone know 0-60, I assume its in the neighborhood of a 4th gen Prelude Si but maybe it weighs nothing.
 
I don't have that old issue of Motor Trend anywhere nearby, but I believe it used to out-gun most of the cars in the segment at the time. As I recall, it was about as fast as the Eclipse/Talon/Laser of the era with the turbochargers and the AWD.
 
YSSMAN
...Or if you're feeling frisky, you could just get the ultimate sleeper from the '90s...

blackrsside.jpg
Click to expand...

That's the Isuzu Piazza/Impulse. The Geo Storm GSi was a clone of it, only without AWD. Still, the Geo Storm is a nasty autocross car. Either would be quite cool to own as a first car among a ton of other Japanese boxes.
 
I've heard good things about the first gen Piazza though I don't know much about them and the looks don't do it for me
 
Its an ugly bugger, but thats what makes it fun. No one expects it to be a fast car...
 
If you want American, RWD, reliable, and decent gas mileage.
Stay away from the Geo Storm. Unless you can find one that has been babied from the day it left the lot, with a manual trans. The auto is only a three-speed and it is a "buzz-bomb". I have one that I'm currently trying to sell...

If you life somewhere with little to no snow, try to find a low mileage 4 cyl, king cab Ranger, with a 5-speed.
If you live where it snows, you will want some sort of device that adds about 300 lb to the bed in the winter.
Don't ask. Just trust me on this one.

No, it won't be fast. But it will pull an honest 25 MPG if you do your part.
Mine has pretty high miles on it now, but it's a '96 that I bought with 70K miles on it, for $4,000. I figure you can probably get into this decade for that money now.
The clutch is so forgiving you will be amazed at how easy it is to drive.
The king cab is "required" so you can roll the driver's seat back enough to be truly comfy.

The only bad things I can say about the 4 cyl, is that it is a bit short on REAL power, but it will take a beating. And nit-picky as it is, the clutch is at a weird angle with a pretty long throw. If you are under 6 feet tall you probably won't even notice.

If the Ranger is absolutely out, (because you've actually driven one and hate them for a GOOD reason) A V-6 Full size Chevy or Ford pick-up would not be a bad choice either.
Reliable as an anvil, and pretty versatile for things like hauling stuff, camping, cruising, etc.
 
Gil
If you life somewhere with little to no snow, try to find a low mileage 4 cyl, king cab Ranger, with a 5-speed.
If you live where it snows, you will want some sort of device that adds about 300 lb to the bed in the winter.
Don't ask. Just trust me on this one.
Click to expand...

:lol: A friend of mine spun his ranger around at a 4 way stop, going five miles per hour, after getting his turn to go. :scared:
 
I still believe that with good tires, RWD isnt as bad as people say it is in the snow. I drove a Lexus SC300 in one of the worst snowstorms that we have had in like 3 years, and I didnt crash. The only problem I had was the traction control not letting me move because it was stopping the wheels from spinning. I have been in a ranger with a kid who could easily control it, he could swing the ass end around with so much control that we were in a controlled fishtail for like 1/4 mile, at that point, he swung it around and went back in the same manner that we came down. Its all about throttle control, and a good set of winter tires, IMHO.
 
JCE
I'm doing to disect this a bit:

What's gotta be there:
1) Manual trans <-- can be a GREAT thing--just not for a new driver, the less things for you to do the better
2) No less than 16 MPG city <-- a realistic goal
3) Not so tough on insurance <-- would be hard to find any good RWD car for that one
4) Typically reliable <-- realistic goal
5) Less than 4,000 <-- going to be hard to find a reliable car for $4,000 that isn't either a beater or something that your insurance will rape you

At the moment, my considerations list looks like this:
1) V6 96-04 Ford Mustang <-- Avoid the 1994-1998 V6's like the plague--they suck all the way around. The '99-2004 models are ok--and in 5spd trim quite fun to chuck around corners.
2) V6 94-02 Chevy Camaro <-- lower your years to starting @ 1987 and you'll be able to find one quite nicely in good shape. A V6 Camaro can be turbo'd to be just as fast as the 305 models...and depending on your wallet faster than the higher V8 models. mustangGT90210:'87 eh? I'll have to check that out. My only fear is that there would be a ton of miles on it.3) V6 94-02 Pontiac Firebird <-- *see above
4) Ford F-150 (Auto is ok here) <-- insurance will be more than a Camaro
5) Ford Bronco/Bronco II (Auto ok here) <-- *see above
mustangGT90210: Trucks with higher insurance than a Camaro?! Why??Your choices are somewhat limited, but a Mustang (non-4cyl and 1999+) and Fbody (Camaro/Firebird) will be reliable as a wood burning stove. You should open up to some FWD cars...there are quite good ones that are quick or semi-quick and handle great. 1990-1998 Nissan 200SX SE-R is one, 1992-1995 Ford Taurus SHO, 1998-2000 Ford Contour SVT, 4th and 5th gen Honda Prelude, 2000-2001 Ford Focus hatch, an old VW Golf/Jetta, 1994-1998 Toyota Celica, 1993-1997 Ford Probe, 1993-1997 Mazda MX6, Mazda MX3, and a 1992-1993 Geo Storm GSi--which is an Isuzu Impulse/Piazza. Don't laugh because the Geo Storm in 1992-1993 had 140bhp and it only weighed 2,200 lbs, 0-60mph was 7 seconds flat. Not bad.

Pics of my choices:

1992-1995 Ford Taurus SHO:
800px-Ford_Taurus_SHO_(second-gen).jpg

I haven't seen one of those since in years, where did they go? :cry: it's like they're running from me
1998-2000 Ford Contour SVT:
driver%20front.jpg

Beautiful car, but wouldn't that nice little SVT make an insurance company jump for joy with a 16 year old?
1992-1996 Honda Prelude (4th gen):
96prelude.jpg

I need to ride in one. If it sounds like a rubber band from the interior I'm gonna have to pass.
2000-2004 Ford Focus ZX3:
2003ZX3.jpg

Bold 'cause I must say, a 4cyl Focus sucks. Mom had one, man, it couldnt do anything right, it was slow, rode rougher than her escape and got WORSE gas mileage.
I can't find any unmolested pics of a VW Golf MKII or MKIII that was shipped to the US.
I like the Gulf, but you're right, finding a non molested one won't be easy. I also heard parts on those are expensive1994-1998 Toyota Celica (GT preferred):
whitecelica.jpg

Gotta ride in it to learn, but it has nice looks
1993-1997 Ford Probe GT:
1997.ford.probe.22243-396x249.jpg

Cousin had one of these, not so bad on the looks, and it just wouldnt die!
Still to this day this is my favorite looking Thunderbird ever:
2618-1987-Ford-Thunderbird.jpg

Unlce had a black V8 version of this, 205,000 before he traded it in.


+1 The Taurus SHO from 1992-1995 is just the business. I want one.

*edit*
Do I get points for having one long ass post? :D
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I've been driving a stick since I got my permit, I have no trouble with it whatsoever. '94-'98 Mustang V6 like the plague? My dad's was as reliable as they came even though I think it had something extra in it. I'm pretty sure they aren't sposed to get 232 horsepower.. (1996). He traded it in in 2005 for a new '04 V6.
Perfect Balance
You've read it the wrong way, I was being sarcastic. The original poster mentioned how he sat in a Civic, and didn't like it, and literally said "yes I'm using that as a basis for judging all japanese cars"

Which I think is really ignorant of him.
It is ignorant of me. But once I start touring the car lots I'll be able to check out more on the japanese front. I'm pretty set on American though.

I'm actually saying that the civic (a fairly "normal" car) shouldn't be the reason to say a prelude (a pretty powerful car, and by his criteria I think he wants a bit of power) is complete crap.
I don't find the Prelude crap, it's probably the best looking car honda ever made.
EDIT: JCE got it. 👍

To put it simply, what I meant was, just because:

Civic = What you could call a crappy car, doesn't = Prelude is a crappy car.

EDIT #2: @JCE: Today I drifted my civic around a few corners by trail braking, and almost spun one time. It just depends on how you drive it. I can get my civic to slide just as much as a rwd.

Well, almost.
Click to expand...

I was right when by saying I was blinded by the Mustang, I didn't even look at the Contours or anything. Thanks for pointing a good bit of cars guys!

But honestly, Bronco/F-150 with higher insurance than a Camaro?
 
mustangGT90210
Perfect Balance
You've read it the wrong way, I was being sarcastic. The original poster mentioned how he sat in a Civic, and didn't like it, and literally said "yes I'm using that as a basis for judging all japanese cars"

Which I think is really ignorant of him.
It is ignorant of me. But once I start touring the car lots I'll be able to check out more on the japanese front. I'm pretty set on American though.

I'm actually saying that the civic (a fairly "normal" car) shouldn't be the reason to say a prelude (a pretty powerful car, and by his criteria I think he wants a bit of power) is complete crap.
I don't find the Prelude crap, it's probably the best looking car honda ever made.
EDIT: JCE got it. 👍

To put it simply, what I meant was, just because:

Civic = What you could call a crappy car, doesn't = Prelude is a crappy car.

EDIT #2: @JCE: Today I drifted my civic around a few corners by trail braking, and almost spun one time. It just depends on how you drive it. I can get my civic to slide just as much as a rwd.

Well, almost.
Click to expand...


I was right when by saying I was blinded by the Mustang, I didn't even look at the Contours or anything. Thanks for pointing a good bit of cars guys!

But honestly, Bronco/F-150 with higher insurance than a Camaro?
Click to expand...
You forgot to bold the second part you added, I was freaking out, checking my last post because I didn't remember writing it.

Anyway, check out some of the "better" japanese cars, I think you might like them.
 
Perfect Balance
You forgot to bold the second part you added, I was freaking out, checking my last post because I didn't remember writing it.

Anyway, check out some of the "better" japanese cars, I think you might like them.
Click to expand...

It's just the "better" ones that cost more, and with me being extremely brand loyal to Ford, it'll take a bit to pull me off a Ford. My huge gripe even the better japanese cars is the rubber band sound I just can't stand!
 
mustangGT90210
It's just the "better" ones that cost more, and with me being extremely brand loyal to Ford, it'll take a bit to pull me off a Ford. My huge gripe even the better japanese cars is the rubber band sound I just can't stand!
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Get an MX-3 V6. No rubber band and meets all of your 5 conditions set out in post 1 to the letter.
 
mx3.jpg

It's so ugly! :scared: It looks like that Honda Insight!

I'm going to have to say pass on that. MX6 on the other hand ain't too hard on the eyes
 

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