Whats the best car for a good sleeper (10k'ish)

[live2roll]

okay so i have way to many problems with my bmw right now since it has many exterior mods (body kit, rims, all the goodies) and i get way to much attention that i dont need. so im sellin it and gettin a new car and keepin it pretty much stock on the exterior but heavily modding the engine. off the bat i have about 9-10k for the car itself and im looking for an import type car (i.e. prelude, tiburon, gti, etc...). i want the car to be one that i can heavily mod and that you guys think i can get a large amount of power from and what you guys recommend doing to it. if this makes any sense then let me know what you think. pretty much just what car i should get (used of course b/c i only have 10k off the bat for the car) and then what kind of mods you suggest i do to get max power and have a really good sleeper. i already know alot about cars i just cant decide and wanted some outside opinions..thanx all

[MR2Driver]

If you want an import to get "large amonts of power from" you're going to have to look into the Turbocharged ones. Most of which fall just above 10 grand...

If you're going to get huge gains on the origional engine, chances are, its a fast import to start with and not a sleeper at all, but here are some ideas for ya.

1. MR2 Turbo (anywhere from 4k to 10k+)
2. 300ZX TT (Hopefully you can find one cheap)
3. Supra (MKIII w/ your budget)
4. RX-7 (FC3S w/ your budget)
5. 3000GT VR-4 (Out of your pricerange)
6. 1G DSM's (Very cheap, cheap to make very fast, not very reliable or as attractive as the others tho)

[Zwrangler]

well all the cars Lachean listed are awesome and all but i can't see a single on of them being a sleeper......

Don't know if this is possible within your budget in the U.S. but my friends have done the following here to their cars with less than $10,000 :

1. 1980's corolla with a twin turbo supra engine in it
2. 1989 crx, looks completely stock on the outside but is running a type R integra engine.
3. supercharged V6 lumina. looks like a family car till you hear the whistle of the supercharger when he gets on the engine.

All these were done with less than U.S.$ 10K spent on the mods and car itself.

[aznxthuggie]

well from what i know.. most people jus get a honda civic, almost any year except the new ones, and u can import a jdm integra type R engine or a b16c? into it.. the type r engine has 200hp, the b16c has 185hp, they both cost around $3-4k, and for a car that weight jus a lil over a ton, thats pretty fast already, and you shouldn't throw a turbo in a b series engine, they dont really mix well, but then again i've seen it done before

OR

u can get a 240sx, and all the 240s over here in the US have 155hp BUT then you can also import a jdm sr20dett/det engine or a ca18det engine the sr20 from the s15 silvia will cost like $5000 for the engine and the swap, but it makes 255hp and its a twin turbo 4 banger i think.. the ca18det makes liek 175hp and it runs 7 psi of boost

if those aren't enough for you then you should also get NOS, but i had friends that have blown their engines using nos, and i seriously dont think you should use nos unless u REALLY need it

hm im not sure what else there is as a sleeper, because any other car like.. wrx/evo n stuff like that already have over 200hp so its not really a sleeper.. o yea also this one funny thing ive seen before, this guy has a honda odessey, its a friggin minivan, and it makes like 240hp stock, he pushed it to 300hp all motor, and then turboed it, and in the end the car made around 360-380hp, it was at some import show

[MR2Driver]

You honestly think he wants to go from a BMW to a B18 Hatch? And did you say the SR20 was Twin Turbo? Im sorry....

Either way man, since you havent replied to what I said earlier I take it you're still torn, but must people dont deviate from what they origionally said so I say go with the GTI, either 1.8T or VR6

[aznxthuggie]

hm looks like i was wrong =X

[deadlight]

The only good sleepers I know are domestics

Buick GN
Pontiac GTP
Ford Taurus SHO
GMC Syclone/Typhoon
Spirit R/T

True sleepers tend to be more of an American thing if you're talking stock, of these I know the GTP responds well to mods, and the GN...well, it doesn't really need them The Syclone/Typhoon have the same engine I believe, I'd imagine you could have fun with a Spirit R/T, they are turbo'd after all, and the SHO you can't do too terribly much with. I know this doesn't give you any suggestions leaning towards imports but I honestly can't think of any, everything's been done to Honda's, so a swap wouldn't catch anybody by surprise. If I had to give you a choice for a "sleeper" I guess I'd have to go Tiburon, I haven't seen too many of those real quick yet, but a shaved badge GTI with different wheels would probably be an excellent choice. Seeing as how they range from everything from VR6 to Diesel power.

[rxcutioner7]

there is one import, which is four doors and a hyundai, but it has the PERFECT sleeper chassy. BTW, it's 14 yrs old.....a Hyundai Excel...haha a joke right, heck no, my friend has one and he put the 4g63t in it, which is from the 90-94 Eclipse or early 90's Galant VR4. It is almost a direct swap, bc the Hyundai uses basically the same engine and tranny except the Hyundai engine is a 1.5 instead of 2.0.....that way you have the family look with a turbocharged 4 banger power plant.....my buddy's is lightly modded and he runs 12's with the stock Mitsubishi turbo. I know you dont want to go from a M3 to an old hyundai but hey you asked whats a good sleeper....and it took my friend about $2500 for the whole project....hey that's about $7500 to modify the hell outta it.

[chevydrummer76]

Originally Posted by rxcutioner7

there is one import, which is four doors and a hyundai, but it has the PERFECT sleeper chassy. BTW, it's 14 yrs old.....a Hyundai Excel...haha a joke right, heck no, my friend has one and he put the 4g63t in it, which is from the 90-94 Eclipse or early 90's Galant VR4. It is almost a direct swap, bc the Hyundai uses basically the same engine and tranny except the Hyundai engine is a 1.5 instead of 2.0.....that way you have the family look with a turbocharged 4 banger power plant.....my buddy's is lightly modded and he runs 12's with the stock Mitsubishi turbo. I know you dont want to go from a M3 to an old hyundai but hey you asked whats a good sleeper....and it took my friend about $2500 for the whole project....hey that's about $7500 to modify the hell outta it.

12's with 2500 total??? I'd have to seem some proof to believe that.

[Zwrangler]

exactly, 12's for 2500 sounds ridiculous. I gotta see this too.

[96berettakid]

Originally Posted by deadlight

The only good sleepers I know are domestics

GMC Syclone/Typhoon

I like this idea, I never would have thought of it.

[Boss San]

You could easily go out and find a Mk1 or Mk2 Golf GTi from anywhere from $50-3000 (depending on how much work you want to put into it) and then stuff a 1.8T in it.
You could mod the shit out of it before you hit $10k. Paint it a subtle colour, white or brown, even primer looks great on 'em. You got 'yerself a bonafied sleeper to eat up Porsche's and whatever else get's in the way.

[Boss San]

Originally Posted by chevydrummer76

12's with 2500 total??? I'd have to seem some proof to believe that.

I'd believe that. Read Grassroots Motorsports when they do the $2004 Challenge (the money you use is that of the year). Like the SHOgun Festiva, or the smallblock V8 Miata.
People do in fact use there brains to make power instead of money sometimes.

[deadlight]

Wait, does this Hyundai have the intercooler poking out of the hood? I may have seen this in some videos, did it beat a Ram SRT-10?

[calgary_redneck]

Buy a 6 cyl nova and stuff a 454 in there and leave the steal wheels and 6 cyl trim. Don't be tempted by any of that jap garbage