Need some help narrowing down my car search

Ok, this month I will be shopping for cars with an $8,000 spending limit. It has to be 1997 or newer. I've already considered a few, other suggestions are appreciated... (No Ebay, my dad perfers to see and test drive cars before he buys them)

Acura Integra LS - I'm having trouble finding these within that age and price range.

Honda Civic- Easily found within my dad's price range...unfortunately the SI model isn't one of the ones i've found.

Nissan 240- RWD, so it's not good in snow. Also hard to find in age and price range ('97 was the last year they were made, right?)

Honda Prelude- Found a '96 with like 85k, but my dad turned it down due to age. >_<

Mitsubishi 3000 GT- Found a '96 SL within price range, turned down for the same reason as the Prelude. And another reason...see eclipse

Mitsubishi Eclipse (Non-turbo, insurance reasons)- Apparently, Mitsubishi's having finacial trouble and my dad is worried about the cost of parts and such going way up. He thinks they will be out of business by the end of the year.

Hyundai Tiburon- I found a '98 with 33k for 8 grand. I've heard good and bad alike about Hyundai reliability though...

That's mostly what I've looked at, if you have any other suggestions just post them up, or comments on the cars above are appreicated to.

dude, that sucks shopping for a car with your dad. I know what its like. My dad pressures me to buy the first one that I find that I like. I am paying for the car but he had to co-sign the loan. he wouldn't just sign for anything. hence the accord

Go buy yourself a rio because 8000 and newer than 97 is hard to find.

i say go with the 240sx and when you dad is not looking drop in a turbo package on the motor a nice t04e will be good enuff for 250+whp.. hehe and the 240sx looks bad ass.. please dont get a civic or integra unless you dont want speed and you want to go for the whole "JDM" think well then take the civic or integra and JDM the hell out of it..
my 0.02..
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Try either a integra gs-r like mine (though I'm biased, of course, but they handle great and have a gigantic aftermarket), a vw gti vr6 (not the greatest reliability, but cheapish and fast), or a domestic like a mostang or camero. Also maybe a swaped civic, if you don't have a problem with buying an already modded car, or a civic cx hatch for 4000-ish and a swap (a full h22 swap goes for like 2200, with another 1000 or so needed to swap it into a civic). The cx/h22 will get you into the mid to low 14s easy.

I beg to differ with the "all hondas are slow" argument. Just cause some people don't know how to mod their cars doesn't mean there aren't daily drivable and reliable 12 second civics around.

I wouldn't dismiss mitsu for those reasons. the 3000gt will be a harder find, as they stopped making them in 99, and therefore due to limited numbers, parts and insurance is higher for them, but there are tons of eclipses out there, so finding one in your price range wont be hard, and parts will always be available rather cheap. Mitsu may have financial difficulties, but so does every other large corporation when a plan doesn't unfold like it should. I highly doubt they will go out of business, and even if they did, I can't see it having a dramatic effect on stock eclipse parts. Just my .02
I noticed your list is all sporty imports, just fyi, the dodge stealth is the same exact car as a 3000gt, except the dodge can usually be found a grand or so cheaper. Also eagle talons are the same as the eclipses(I think) so that might help broaden that search, and relieve worries over Mitsu. You could go domestic, for 8000 you could get a nice v8, maybe not 97 or newer, but a nice v8.

Spacemanspiff's idea was a good one too. If you are down for engine swaps or aftermarket turbos. You could get a civic or something and throw in the Prelude H22 or turbo it. Also with honda/acura I wouldn't be so worried about the 97 cutoff, I'd go by mileage. They will last forever with minimum maintence, I got a 90 accord with 160k on it and the engine still runs great.

As far as the tib...I'm personally not a fan, but to each his own.

Also eagle talons are the same as the eclipses(I think)
Yes the DSM family includes the laser, talon and eclipse...where the laser dropped out after the 1st gen, talon after the 2nd gen and the eclipse is still going. Essentially, the DSM's and 3s's are the same engine, just some minor body that differs. But for insurance reasons, get a domestic 4 door n/a. You can fill out the name of the cars that fit into that category and then pick which one you liek most

cheap, reliable, and easy to modd get a honda

To some above posters... a 1997 240Sx and a 1997 + VR6 Golf or GTI will be hard to find around that price too.

Like it has been said, its a hard thing to forfill being +1997 and less than $8,000.

I suggest trying to talk your dad into lowering the year on the car's he'll let you get. There are some nice older cars. Maybe 1995 or so.

We assume that the cars on the list are at his disposal

Try either a integra gs-r like mine (though I'm biased, of course, but they handle great and have a gigantic aftermarket), a vw gti vr6 (not the greatest reliability, but cheapish and fast), or a domestic like a mostang or camero. Also maybe a swaped civic, if you don't have a problem with buying an already modded car, or a civic cx hatch for 4000-ish and a swap (a full h22 swap goes for like 2200, with another 1000 or so needed to swap it into a civic). The cx/h22 will get you into the mid to low 14s easy.

I beg to differ with the "all hondas are slow" argument. Just cause some people don't know how to mod their cars doesn't mean there aren't daily drivable and reliable 12 second civics around.

Wow a CX hatch weighs about 2300 lbs, with an H22 in the bay of that my friend is running in the low 13s on street tires.

the key here my friends is that his dad has to approve and i know most parents do not want their childern to modify their car b/c its more money they will spend in the long run..
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the key here my friends is that his dad has to approve and i know most parents do not want their childern to modify their car b/c its more money they will spend in the long run..
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Very true, go with a 240sx SE model should keep you happy.

The only problem is finding one in my area...I have till the end of the month, so no sweat...kinda. I'm just glad to be getting out of this taurus.

get an eagle talon or dodge stealth, as Igovert500 and raz kaz said, they're cheap and you get the exact same performance as a mistubishi with only minor body difference. I think polygon posted a picture of his friends stealth, that's a classic example of what ur car can turn into.

here's a link to the thread which shows the picture, it's about halfway down the page.

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=239985&page=2

NO stealths around...what about Avengers?

Edit: What about Sentra's? Can't you put a SR20DET engine in them? And it'd be driveable in snow, unlike the 240.

yea the sentra can hold a sr20det motor not a s13-s-15 motor tho.. you have to get a bluebird motor i beleive from a pulsar (not sure).. but it will only fit into a 89-93 shape sentra like carnutts se-r..those actually come with the n/a sr20de motor..
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I personally would not buy an avenger. In order to get a manual tranny, you have to get the base 4 banger, which is slow as hell. I'm not sure you could do sentra with a sr20det on your budget, since a 97 or later sentra is going to run you an easy 5000.

I'm still voting the high milage civic hatch with a swap, preferably an h22, or maybe a b18c1 if you care more about handling and don't want to mess up your weight distribution. Easy to tune, fast, mods up the wazoo, double wishbone suspension, 170-200 hp and 2300 odd lbs. Wheeee!

SpaceMan, I believe it will be a civic. Mainly because my dad decided to look in the 5-6 thousand range instead of 6-8. He thinks Mitsubishi's would be a bad investment...and it still has to be the same age. Can you do the H22 swap into a civic coupe? I perfer the coupe styling to the hatchback.

Yes, you can do the swap in any civic, though it will be hard to do both a '97 and newer civic and a h22 swap for less than 6 grand. Hasport makes a mounting kit that I believe lets you keep the a/c and power steering for $600 here: http://hasport.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=32_37&products_id=36 Expect to pay about $2200 for the h22 engine/tranny.

On the other hand, what you might want to consider is buying an already swapped car. Be sure the swap was well done though. You can also tell him that hondas have excelent reliability and tryo to get him to agree to a '95 or so, which will be cheaper.