Hey all,
I've got a problem. I need a car. I have one in my garage right now but it is not wholly operational in that it isn't going to turn over until i turn over another $1500 and at least a months hard work. However, this is hard to do due to university and work. Which brings me to my next point. I need a car. Scabbing lifts off mates isn't the most ideal situation as it means i have to be down at uni longer than i need to be. Time wasted that could be spent working on my car. I've decided to get another vehicle.
There are several constraints to my solution:

A: The vehicle must be easy on the petrol. (Travelling to wollongong and back every day isn't cheap)

B: The vehicle must be good in wet weather (To provide an alternative to powersliding around every corner when my z31.5 gets back on the road)

C: The vehicle must be fast/exciting (to satisfy my desire until my z31.5 gets back on the road)

D: The vehicle must be cheap (to allow more money to be put into the zed)

I have thought about a few options:
1) Buy a bike. Learners and provisional riders aren't allowed anything bigger than 250cc 4stroke or 150cc 2stroke. However, due to this, these smaller bikes are priced through the roof as they are 'learner legal' which makes this a rather pricey option. I've always wanted to learn to ride too. Unfortunately this option only satisfies constraints A and C.

2) Buy a cheap shitty car. I almost bought a '95 Hyundai Lantra last night for $1500 but decided against it because I've got a habit of being too fucking spontaneous all the time. Too cheap though and I could end up paying through the roof in maintenance.

3) Buy a mini moke. This would be awesome in summer, handle well in the wet and be cheap to run. However they're not very fast and far too expensive because they're collector cars. :(

4) Catch the train to uni every day (expensive) and Just hurry the fuck up in getting my zed back on the road. :(

5) sweeeet (http://www.everettaero.com/gnat.html). Unfortunatly, not satisfying constraint D.



Opinions? Advice?

Thanks,
-Mike

Buying anything is going to take away from getting the Z back on the road. Figure out how long it will take you to get the Z running again and then find the cheapest beater car that will last at least twice as long as you figure the Z will take, SOP for project cars. Then get the Z done as quickly as possible. Then if the Z is having a bad day the beater should be able to pick up daily driving duties for a bit before the Z is runnable again.

Or if you are looking to have a gas saving daily driver to go with the Z then find the cheapest beater in decent shape that will last a few years.

quick question .... Z31.5 ??????? explain please.

quick question .... Z31.5 ??????? explain please.
Eh, its my nickname for my z31 chassis with z32 engine and gearbox, as well as other little z32 parts. Other various names suggested have included 'z3what?' and 'frankenzed'

-Mike

cool car man, i like Z31.5 lol it works. good luck

A: The vehicle must be easy on the petrol. (Travelling to wollongong and back every day isn't cheap)

B: The vehicle must be good in wet weather (To provide an alternative to powersliding around every corner when my z31.5 gets back on the road)

C: The vehicle must be fast/exciting (to satisfy my desire until my z31.5 gets back on the road)

D: The vehicle must be cheap (to allow more money to be put into the zed)


Opinions? Advice?

Thanks,
-Mike


Easy... Mazda 323 GTX :grinyes:

A. It has a little turbocharged 4 banger

B. AWD

C. Turbos? AWD? Affordable Rally car? C'mon! I heard these cars can kill big ol' GTR's with the right mods!

D. Should be pretty plentiful, old and dirt cheap in your area....

pulsar gtir's are basically the same thing... sr20det with beefier internals on an awd base.. anyway, why don't you look at importing something from japan? i'm sure it'd be hella cheap (yaggus probably knows about australian importation) and you could get something fast and fun for a cheap price...

get a second gen rx-7 turbo its freakin awesome car my second favorite car

I'm also familiar with importation. I've got a few mates who deal with JustJap imports all the time. However, the main problem here is cost. I'm talking $2000 max. No gtir, no base model 323 let alone GTX. If i was going to spend that money, I'd buy a moke and throw a GSXR1000 engine in it.
Come to think of it, that might not be a bad idea. :D

Someone, anyone, please knock this idea out of my head before i start to seriously think about it. Preferably with a 2x4.

-Mike

twin supercharged, gut wrenching, shit staining wheel burning z31...

that good enough? lol

twin supercharged, gut wrenching, shit staining wheel burning z31...

that good enough? lol
Cheers mate, I owe ya one. :D

-Mike

Eh... Minis are REALLY expensive if you have to get any work done to them. Parts are really pricey and cuz the engine is in the back its a bitch to get at. However i must say they are awesome little cars. A mate of mine has an EXTENSIVELY modified mini clubman. Im talking like $45,000 worth of modifications.

Lantras are pretty nice cars once they are working. My sister had one and is was a pretty decent car when it was working. The transmission was pretty mucht the only thing that hadn't been replaced in it though...

Once i get my 2 cars sold off for when i go away ill just buy a basher. Im looking at getting a old skool charade. The parts are cheap as, they are really good on petrol, and are fairly reliabel. Also if you get bored with it, there is a turbo engine that is an easy swap.

If your looking at spending a little over 2k then maybe a cheap N?A S13 silvia? They are common as mud, cheap reliable and they go alright.

A Galant GSR can go for $3500. 1.8L turbo AWD. responds well to mods.

You could also pick up an old skool Telstar TX5 turbo for under 2K.

Just some suggestions.