Looking for sportscar advice under 15K
 

Hey guys,

I don't normally post, especially stuff like this, but I'm looking for my next car and having a hell of a time deciding what I should get.

I want something RWD, 4 seats, can be driven year-round, has decent performance stock (something like a low-mid 14 second 1/4 mile and reasonable autoX abilities), and room for upgrades.

I'm between a few different possibilities right now:

-98-02 Camaro/Trans Am.... Great power, lots of aftermarket support, lots of rattles and good luck turning

-early model G35.... Reasonable all-around car, bit on the heavy side and not as quick as a 350Z, but has 4 seats unlike the Z, LOTS of them out there (in a good way, easy to find good ones for sale)

-06+ RX-8.. Probably the best handling on the track, not sure how usable the powerband is since it makes peak HP 500 RPM before redline, don't know much about rotaries but willing to learn


So that's where I'm at right now. Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated..

LS1 RX7, problem solved

I created a similar thread a few months ago, Here's 50+ answers for you :)

http://www.revscene.net/forums/67161...ar-thread.html

Dunno about you, but I'd worry about the running costs of those cars than the price tag. My friend has a G35 and a okay-ish ICBC record, and he pays 5k a year on insurance on his G35. His gas mileage is around 13-18 MPG, and takes premium.

The RX-8 is also a very thirsty beast (13mpg is pretty common), and rotaries are more expensive to fix because they are unlike conventional engines and not all shops can fix em. I'd doubt RX-8 insurance would be cheap either because of it's sports car profile, ICBC probably puts it into a more expensive bracket.

Just something to think about before you dive for these cars.

coming from someone who has owned 3 f-bodies, i never really had any trouble with them, and they can corner very well if you get the ones with the koni shocks. I know of a blue 98 z28 that ran 1:16 at mission raceway, so dont go saying anything about how they dont corner. with 18mpg city and 35mpg hwy it is not that bad, and huge trunk space. G35s are great with manual and great year round if you get snow tires. much better in the snow the the camaro, and rx8 is just going to be expensive to fuel up, to insure and fix. but have you considered an older STi?

5k insurance? You sure he doesn't have a surcharge? I'm paying $1800 on my 08. I do agree with you that the gas mileage isn't great but that's the price you pay for most v6's. It's not a car for those worried about gas mileage lol. I only pour premium however if I remember correctly 87 unleaded is perfectly fine for these cars

Yeah I saw that, but figured our requirements were different enough I may as well say what the hell and start a thread..



Well, I know an fbody can turn, but it's still not as agile or nimble. That said though, I've owned two 3rd gen fbodies and really liked them. How are the 4th gens to work on? The way the motor is tucked in there kind of scares me.

I have considered a wrx but I won't really like the Subaru AWD system. I also don't think I can find one in my price range that hasn't been ratbagged.

lol. coming from people that havent owned an RX-8.

i pay around 160 dollars for insurance my 2010 rx8

wait what happen to a good stock 240SX?

like 13Gs left over for upgrades

:troll:

5k , good surcharge mate.

considering its a 3.5 V6 practically 300 hp that MPG is average.

89 is terrible always run 91/94.

Infiniti makes fucking great cars so god damn reliable.

You get what you pay for.

why not just get a nissan 300zx twin turbo? 7 grand would own it, and 7 grand would build it. you can easily push out 500 rwhp with a built motor/tranny/suspension, or 3 grand to rebuild it into very good condition

Ah, I have done the highly modded 240sx thing in the past. This time around, I don't want to do anything so extreme. I'd like something newer that's pretty close to what I want in stock form.

I'm going to take the rx8 off my list for now. I think it's a great car but not sure I'm up for dealing with a rotary right now.

What about a mkiv supra? JDM/USDM... Never done a Toyota before. Might be cool..

4th gen is much more nimble than a 3rd gen, sure it isnt a miata. and working on it isnt too bad, on a 01 and 02 car is a bit easier since it is only the air pump hoses that gets in the way of some of the stuff.on a 98-00 models have an egr and less power. Feel free to pm me if you have any questions about them. I built mine in my back yard so no matter how bad it is to work on it isnt really that bad. Much easier than skyline gtr for an oil change. Since you owned 3rd gens, you must know about the rear diff issues on the f-bodies. other than that the 4th gens are a much better car than the 3rd gen. And with G35 most common issue I have seen is the valve cover leaking oil into the spark plug holes, and you cant just replace the gasket.

Edit

technically 2 seater car and not practical at all for all year around car..

RX-8 has 2 doors and 2 half doors. ICBC I believe counts that as a sedan insurance. So insurance will be cheaper than other sport cars that are coupes because RX-8 is a coupe; and 2 half doors. Rotaries are really expensive to maintain, yes that's true, and it's a gas guzzler. Tofu knows all about the gas mileage :p

insurance is indeed cheap. (i was surprised)

gas is indeed not great on this car (although much better than my 535i or 840ci..) just be light on throttle and u'd push 350km+ easily on the 60L ish tank (not too bad... my old type R was 50L ish.. could barely do 350km)

maintenance: most expensive items are the spark plugs (due every 40k ish) and coil packs. 04-06 are more prone to flooding... but honestly, ud only flood the damn car if u shut the car off during cold start... or bad ignition related items.

and check your oil supposedly every two fill ups!


mazda has a nice factory warranty on these engines... my car still qualifies for it :notbad:

other wise...... it aint bad. I've had much worse. believe me. much much worse.

RX-8 is already considered luxurious and sensible in my books! (rotary = reliability?? = dafuq to most people)

E36 M3? even better if you find a German Import one.

My Miata costs less than $150/mo with a %0 discount and does an easy 13.5 second 1/4 while spinning through 1st and 2nd. It's RWD, however does not meet your criteria of 4 seats and under 15k. But you should buy it.

Rare 06 or 07 mazdapeed6 with their supposingly AWD system.
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.... just no

^

http://k53.pbase.com/u19/ffsteve/upl...tchedMiata.jpg

Lexus IS300, It has a supra Engine ( non turbo) so swap into the 900hp potential 2jz GTE or turbo the factory non turbo engine ( 500 -600 hp) on factory internals. they handle very well.

Mustang. handles better than f body some decent single turbo kits out there for them

Supra/sc400 - small back seats but Toyota reliability.

^ :fulloffuck:

Engine swap? Turbo kits?!