Well, with transferring to a four-year university, I'm probably gonna keep the (probably the slowest car on the forums) '88 Nova for awhile. however, that won't keep me from looking.
so, Ideas for my next car I've had.
1. Toyota Corolla GT-S or SR5.
Pros: Is AE86, have experience with Corollas of this vintage.
Cons: Will it still be overpriced when the drift fad is over?
What I want to do: Swap the nose with my Nova's and make look like it came from factory that way.
Great car, but is going to cost you more than you think. I call it the Fast and the Futally stupid syndrome. Cars like the Early Corolla's and 240SX's will be sold for more of a premium due to the whole stupid "ricer" scene and the drifting scene. If you can find a gem of one get it.
2. Merkur XR4Ti
Pros: Is the Un-Mustang
Cons: Rare as heck. Hard to get parts for
What I want to do: Cossie engine, suspension, and Body.
There's a reason why I've never seen one driving on the road and only in salvage yards. Reliability is horrid. Cool looking car and is definately unique. Find a way to stuff some foxbody Mustang drivetrain in it and it'll be a good project.
3. Pontiac Ferio
Pros: Cheap, reliable MR
Cons: finding one in good condition
What I Want to do: run some form of blown GM V6
I actually quite like the last "GT" models of the Fiero. There are more engine swap possibilities with it than the MkI MR2...and that's why I would take one over a MkI MR2 myself. A much better suspension can be put on to solve the ride issues. And there are a ton of aftermarket bodywork kits and even a few interior kits that upgrade the interior to look like a certain "Italian" supercar.
4. '73-later VW Beetle 1600
Pros: World's most tunable car
Cons: Hard to find one that isn't a project for a decent price. (Damn New Beetle)
What I want to do: Make Civic Killer in straightline and corner.
Cheap to buy, cheap to maintain, and cheap to modify. The only problem is if you prefer normal coupes over hatchbacks you *might* get bored after a while.
5. Mitsubishi Starion/Chrysler Conquest
Pros: awesome FR missed by the Drift Fad
Cons: finding one.
What I want to do: basic tuning
Great looking car and a great soon-to-be classic. I love these cars and would at the chance nab one for a project car. Finding one with no rust around the door sills and rear fenderwell might be a problem. You will either find them in prestine shape for $6k+ or in real bad shape for $1500. Check for rust, and if the $1500 one you find doesn't have the rust buy it that second.
6. Mazda MX-5 NA8C
Pros: Sports car, not much money.
Cons: It's a convertible...and a bit of a girl's car...
What I want to do: Add hardtop and a bit more power.
Everyone here knows how I feel about the MX-5, but you said the most important thing yourself on your "Cons" section.
Oh, I don't want a Camaro or Mustang. Consider where I live. Most of the young folk have one, or a big pickup on monster mudders.
Why not? There are a million things to do with a pre-4th gen F-body. A 3rd gen (I have one) is so customizable that you could definately stand out from the crowd. And I'm not just talking about the engine/tranny. There are a ton of aftermarket CF and fibreglass bodywork available.
I'd avoid the Merkur like the plague, and the same can be said for the Mitsu as well. I wouldn't want to play the replacement part game, and those are going to be dealing that in spades...
Agreed.
If I may ask, how much money are you looking to spend? I'm always an advocate for looking at the full picture, obviously keeping what you want in mind, and then going from there.
+1 Exactly correct. You have to figure out the "big picture".
From the looks of things, it would appear as though you want a cheap, fun-to-drive car from the era in which that idea exploded. An MKII VW GTI may not be a bad idea, that is of course, if you can find one...
Finding one and then finding one cheap are both hard to do.
I'd throw an mk1 MR2 in there, just because it's sort of a mix between the Corolla GT-S and Fiero.
Agreed. While I may choose a Fiero for myself I recommend a MkI MR2 to others. It is a street legal go-kart.
Is the beetle the world's most tunable car because there's no way it could get any worse than it came from the factory?
There's a guy in my town--read: "guy" with a purple one with big dark purple ears on the roof and somekind of SBC 350 out back sticking half out of the car. It's hideous.
I say find a Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth Conquest or Mitsubishi Starion, shame you Americans did not recieve it in 4G63 form.
Seriously. I wish we did get the good ones.
Don't bother with the Fieros... just don't. The suspension on them is a joke, and not just how soft it is. The design of it made bump steering and such a huge problem.
There are kits out there that fix that problem, and they aren't that expensive. I was looking at one when I was thinking about buying one. And from what I've read installing an iron block'd Chevy small block semi-solves that problem. Of course I'd have to see it to believe it myself. lol
I recommend the Mk1 MR2. You'd find the engine bay familiar (if backwards) from a Nova, and there is quite a bit you can shove in there. Combined with a light curb weight (2250 lbs or so in the hardtops) and a short wheel base, they are a blast to drive. And quite a bit of after market for the engine thanks to the AE86 explosion. That and you can get spare parts from 3 generations of Corolla, the Prizm, Nova, MR2, and random parts from a variety of other Toyotas.
+1 Agreed 100%. The MkI MR2, again, has to be a good choice. You can snag the 4A-GE silvertop out of several Toyota's and get a good 160bhp in a car that weighs almost nothing. The car is quick stock with it's 115bhp non-supercharged engine, now imagine adding 45mph more without adding any forced induction!
Otherwise, I'd say go for the Miata, but they tend to cost more than the MR2 and finding spare engines and such isn't quite as easy at the junkyard.
I liked you up until you made that statement. 👎
You'd look like a crazy person
There are some body kits that can make it look at bit better... check my sig to see how mine looks
And Fiero just doesn't perform as well. The V6 model is classed the same as the NA MK1 MR2s for autocross classes, and the 4 cylinder Fiero is in the same class as my Tercel.
+1 There are some KILLER body kits for the MkI MR2 that make it look VERY good...and they are from Germany...and they are as far from RICE as you can get.
That aside, I know the old Starions were fun but I'd be nervous on reliability.
The one person who I've known who owned one said it was quite reliable. Granted they were older and probably didn't drive the piss out of it.
Oh, and another FR that the drift fad over looked. The old 80's 200SX (S12) CA18DET power was an option, and i believe you can drop the 6 from the 300ZX in there with out much trouble. Not a bad looking car either, IMO.
Thank god the drifter ricer morons haven't ruined it. Here's one near me...god if I had the money I'd buy it. This one looks very clean.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1987...oryZ6395QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
There was a pretty wicked old Beetle that ran in a few rallycrosses out in Oregon.
