FAQ: What Car to Buy...

Before you start a new thread about what kind of a car is best, or what kind of car you should get, check out the following links. Do some RESEARCH beforehand, and you'll be much more prepared to ask an intelligent, directed, focused question that can actually be answered here. Because the open-ended topics such as "Help! Choose a car and explain...", "What is a good car?", "lookin for a car", and "Help me decide my car and stuff to add..."(those are all just from the first PAGE btw) can't be answered. All they do is waste bandwidth and start flame wars. If you've done some research and just want a final opinion about a car and how it relates to STREET RACING(that's what forum we're in, remember?), then by all means, ask away. If you have a direct comparison question between a few cars, then check out the Car Comparisons Forum (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/f666/). And PLEASE use the search function (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/search.php?s=)! You'd be amazed how many of your questions have already been asked AND answered in the past!

Ok, thanks guys. Not ranting or upset, just trying to be helpful!!

http://www.kbb.com
http://www.autotrader.com
http://www.carstats.com
http://www.vehix.com
http://www.ebaymotors.com

If anyone else has anymore helpful links post them below and I'll add them to this list. Thanks everyone:smile:

I just wanted to say thanks for the links they have been most helpful, keep them coming.

Good idea man, this will help keep the forums a lot less cluttered.

THANK YOU

Glad I thought of it!

*expects this from Carrrnuttt and Self*
:twak: :slap: :chair: :nutkick:

Thank you for putting an end to this, Self.

"Token Black Mod" Nice :spit: :bigthumb:

yes i tried to tell people to do receach on all of those posts.... thanks for makin this thread

Before you ask what kind of car you want, try to decide exactly what you want to do with it.

If you want to go fast in a straight line, buy a late model Camaro/Firebird or Mustang, supercharge/turbocharge it and it will be very fast.

If you want a car that handles really well, go get a sports car like a Miata, 240SX, Porsche 944, light rear wheel drive cars that are made for carving corners.

If you want a car that does both, get a sports car and do an engine swap.

Another good idea is to figure out exactly how much you can/want to spend on this car. If your budget is $1000, you're very limited in what you can do.

If you have $60K to kick around, you can do almost anything. Or just buy a Z06 or Boxster S and have an awesome car out of the box, with room to tune.

Thankyou.

I think...guess i won't ask if i need another car again!!

:uhoh:

well you can get a pretty damn fast 240sx for under $4500 if you don't want to go the honda route

http://www.xatracing.com/xatracingparts.html?row2col1=nissan.html offers a sr20det installed for $3500 and you can find tons of 240's under or right around $1000.

shhhhhhh my nismo lol!!!



hey Cbass nice looking engine compartment on your avatar from what I can see...

1990-93 Mitsu Eclipse GSX. the 6-bolt engines

at the moment i'm trying to get enough money for a car in january.

I saw this on ebay: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2436761545&category=18211

and at the moment i'm thinking about it because it would be a tyte project car.

Another good thing to consider, where you live.

There are many cars that aren't available in North America, both in Europe and in the Pacific. There are many American cars that are hard to come by elsewhere, such as the Mustang and Camaro/Firebird, which are excellent choices for street racing, as well as all manner of older muscle cars that can be had for a song.

So consider, how much you have to spend, where you live, what you want the car to do, and then work within your means. :biggrin:

SR20DETtuner, that's a 924 Carrera GTR, made around 375hp from a 2 liter engine back in 1981. The intercooler is about the size of 24 case of beer :iceslolan

Well I noticed your post on having to get rid of your camaro's, but i would suggest them first from my mind, 240sx's are supposedly real nice, supras are real popular, and I would prefer a mazda rx-7 twin turbo, with a rotary engine, you could get one of those to scream, also american muscle(my style) would be fast as hell

if u get an rx-7, u might as well get 2, so u can race one while one is in the shop. a friend of mine races a rabbit and is an instructor at mid ohio, he has had a hell of a time with his rx-7

If you guys want the most performance for the least money get a beat up old domestic of some type, especially any one of the ford fox bodies (mustang, fairmont, thunderbird, etc.), and drop in a 5.0l and scrounged transmission, maybe AOD or t-5. This is assuming you do all labor yourself, and are willing to put the time in. In stock trim they are a 14 sec or so machine, can easily dip into 12's. There is no satisfaction like building a car yourself from the ground up, not to mention being able to fix it easily yourself.

i say, get what you can afford, depending on what kind of racing youre doing. you don want to buy something that 1 can make you broke when you bought it, 2 when you broke it, 3 when you fixed it up.

There are many factors to when you decide what car you want. Whether it be for drag, auto-x, road races, or even just for sheer pleasure. You have to think about what you want or need the car for. Who knows maybe you might want one that is all around!

people should get what ever makes them happy wheter its a 4 cyl civic or a monster chevelle with a 454. they need to listen to themselves because they are the ones that are going to drive it not everybody else

thank u

i live in east texas, and need to find a good car, like i said in my other post, i like 240sx or 300zx, because they are so rare around this area. i have about 4k to spend on a car. suggestions are welcome. i have researched cars alot, but id like some input. thanks for whatever help you can lend.

Before you ask what kind of car you want, try to decide exactly what you want to do with it.

If you want to go fast in a straight line, buy a late model Camaro/Firebird or Mustang, supercharge/turbocharge it and it will be very fast.

If you want a car that handles really well, go get a sports car like a Miata, 240SX, Porsche 944, light rear wheel drive cars that are made for carving corners.

If you want a car that does both, get a sports car and do an engine swap.


this is what the thread was trying to prevent, now other people started chime-ing in with their suggestions

I would say if you like the handling of a mid-engined car and can't afford a 911 then get a Pontiac Fiero GT and turbo it. Plus it's alot easier to put a 350 in a Fiero than it is in a MR2.

Thanks for those links, very helpful.

well i've learned my lesson... ok, for an intelligent question (from me? wow...) Can a Honda Civic 95 DX 4 door, 4cyl DOHC 16 valve be turned into a decent first timer street car? with the proper mods? I drive a jeep wrangler right now, but i have fallen in love with street cars and i want to buy one that i can turn into my little project. The civic is going for 2K... or i might just save up to buy something else

I also apologize for not looking further into the forum, yes it was a question that has been beaten to the brink of extinction.

well i've learned my lesson... ok, for an intelligent question (from me? wow...) Can a Honda Civic 95 DX 4 door, 4cyl DOHC 16 valve be turned into a decent first timer street car? with the proper mods? I drive a jeep wrangler right now, but i have fallen in love with street cars and i want to buy one that i can turn into my little project. The civic is going for 2K... or i might just save up to buy something else

I also apologize for not looking further into the forum, yes it was a question that has been beaten to the brink of extinction.

Answer: No, it can't. Witta Honda Civic thas definetely impossible, dogg...

Yes, it can. Not for cheap, but it can. Civics have a HUGE aftermarket that is relatively low priced, and easy to modify. They take to mods well, and if its what you want to do, go for it.

thanx people, yea i think if i can't find anything better at the police auctions, then ill stick with the civic. I like the looks you can put on em anyways, plus with a turbo and intercooler properly installed, they're not bad.

If you guys want the most performance for the least money get a beat up old domestic of some type, especially any one of the ford fox bodies (mustang, fairmont, thunderbird, etc.), and drop in a 5.0l and scrounged transmission, maybe AOD or t-5. This is assuming you do all labor yourself, and are willing to put the time in. In stock trim they are a 14 sec or so machine, can easily dip into 12's. There is no satisfaction like building a car yourself from the ground up, not to mention being able to fix it easily yourself.

i dont recall ever seeing a stock 5.0 mustang make 14 seconds. the fastest ones were the LX coupes, they ran mid-to-low 15s. the GTs ran high 15s to low 16s, verts were the heaviest, and therefor, the slowest. but even those ran low-to mid 16s with a decent driver. 16 seconds is pretty darn fast, my fiero is probably a high 16s to mid 17s, and that damn car is fast! i cant wait to get it finished, it will probably be in the 12s or 13s when finished! :evillol:

PS, those mustang stats are from memory, so may be slightly inaccurate

i dont recall ever seeing a stock 5.0 mustang make 14 seconds. the fastest ones were the LX coupes, they ran mid-to-low 15s. the GTs ran high 15s to low 16s, verts were the heaviest, and therefor, the slowest. but even those ran low-to mid 16s with a decent driver. 16 seconds is pretty darn fast, my fiero is probably a high 16s to mid 17s, and that damn car is fast! i cant wait to get it finished, it will probably be in the 12s or 13s when finished! :evillol:

PS, those mustang stats are from memory, so may be slightly inaccurate
Um your not quite right. Notch's have hit 14.7-15.0 pretty consistently. I have heard of many occasions of the LX's hitting that.
Just found this:
1992 Ford Mustang LX 5.0 ... 6.2 .... 14.8
First number is to 60mph, second is 1320.
There are also some freak 5.0s that hit lower. A buddy of mine has a timeslip showing a 14.2 run. He claims he is stock minus his short throw shifter. However for a notch to be 14.2, I know he has something he is not informing me of.

Notches were supposed to be running mid/low 14's when they were brand new. However, being as old as they are now, probably high 14's/low 15's would be the norm depending on condition. I know my old notch with bolt-ons does low 14's, and I'm sure will hit high 13's with the gears installed.

...whatever happened to Self?

whatever happened to the movie you were going to make?

lol... oh yeah, dampachi you owe us a video. and self has been gone for quite some time...

um. i don't owe you guys anything. i was going to get 31 spline axles/differential and drag radials awhile back when I was saying N/A..but I'm getting a supercharger now instead. i'll have a video of me at the dragstrip if they'd ever open..this is the second weekend they closed due to nonexistent inclement weather.

This is not completely off topic or the flaming forum. DON"T POST UNLESS IT HAS TO DO WITH THE TOPIC. This is a warning to everyone involved. PM the member if you have something to say.

John

for the uneducated folk out there interested in making a fast car :)

a very good option is a AWD DSM. 90-99 eclipse GSX's or talon tsi awd's are one of the easiest cars to mod and make quick. You can pick up a awd dsm from $1000 (1g) and up to a not to bad price.. $6k ish for a 2g.
www.dsm.org and roadraceengineering.com list upgrade paths for the dsm that can get you into the 12's with a part time job :)

if your a hardcore honda or other misc rice fan you can stick with a civic and spend lots of money to make it do 14's.

other best option is prob a 90-93 mustang since they are pretty cheap and that block can make pretty good speeds with not alot of money.

as the first few posts state. research, price comparision, and research some more. I highly suggest searching cars.com and autotrader.com to compare the prices of cars you are looking at getting. Search the whole country if you are willing to travel or at least do price comparision. Then review costs to upgrade and actually speed output of those upgrades. I have run into to many ppl with civics who dumped lots of money into their car to go as fast as a dsm stock. It can be done, but at what cost. Research dsm's and you will find a car that moves fast cheaply.

buschurracing.com
roadraceengineering.com
dsm.org - 2g go faster pages

forcedperformance.com
slowboyracing.com

90-93 mustang? What's wrong the 87,88, and 89 of the same body style??

BEFORE YOU BUY A DSM

make sure you know what your getting yourself into, these are cars you can't just leave alone and drive like hell when you want to, they do require some maintenance to keep running right, the older AWD cars become even more expensive to maintain, so if your looking for cheap slow thrills that don't require a lot of maintenance work, then a civic is more your style, if you've got the heart, time, and resources to maintain a dsm, then go for it, but dont' waste a dsm that could be for someone better suited

secondly, dsmtuners.com is a good resource and has a wealth of members

I would get a vr4.... if only the cash :(

http://auto.consumerguide.com has some good specs and comparisons, but they can be a little off with things like the car's weight, overall, however, it's a pretty decent site for a car's basic performance stats and such...

Honda crx hf with no motor $300-$500, b18a/b for $300-$500, shift linkage, mounts and other parts needed for swap $150-$300. so $1300 at most for a 14 second car. Add a $1000 "junkyard" turbo set up and good fuel management will get you into low 13s high 12s all for about $2300-$2500 maybe even cheaper.

OK guys im looking to buy a new car... Can you please let me know what my best bet would be for street racing to buy out of - 94-00 integra GSR or - 95-98 nissan 200sx SE-R?? I plan to do little mods to them and i was just wondering overall how they match up... stock, aftermarket parts, every aspect... Thanx.. Also is there any downsides to swapping a GSR engine into a civic hatchback?? Thanx alot anything will help!!

OK guys im looking to buy a new car... Can you please let me know what my best bet would be for street racing to buy out of - 94-00 integra GSR or - 95-98 nissan 200sx SE-R?? I plan to do little mods to them and i was just wondering overall how they match up... stock, aftermarket parts, every aspect... Thanx.. Also is there any downsides to swapping a GSR engine into a civic hatchback?? Thanx alot anything will help!!

how about a sentra SE-R Spec V, get one of those.
And the down side to the engine swap is that it will still look like a civic.:rofl: