best cheap 80's sports car, which, why?

What do you think the best 80's sports car is thats affordable?

Either a Supra or even cheaper and mabye faster a Dodge Daytona Shelby Z (Turbo 2). :evillol: Have one and I love it!

i say either the rx-7 or datsun 280Z. those are two nice little sports cars.

rx-7 or supra

RX7 or corolla GTS (RWD)

no body likes the 80's 300ZX? surely its better then a corolla GTS?

its nice I can use this long post for multiple threads. :D


Cars on my list:
Mk1 mr2(aw11): Lightweight(NA's are about 2300lb's where as the SC weigh about 2600lb's do to standard fluff like t-tops) cheap little mid-engine car that is simply a blast to drive. the 4age has a good fallowing behind it but they are a little down on power with just above 100hp(keep in mind that it doesnt take much hp at all to get this car moving!)
Miata: Light weigh rwd, autocross demon. My only complaint is they are convertables... I hate converts! but thats just me... Dont nock this car off your list do to the label as a "chicks car". these cars own!
88 Fiero: mid/lightweight(about 2750lb's) mid-engine car. The engine that isn't much but an engine swap isnt that hard to do in this car. there are many v8 fiero's out there. the northstar v8 is a popular swap. Reason I chose 88 in piticular was becuase that is the year Pontiac got the Fiero right. It finaly got a revised suspension amungst other things that I cant remember atm..
CRX: Yeah i said it. These cars are really light and really cheap to buy and practicle!
Omni GLH/Shelby GLHS: I dont know jack about them but I remember reading about them being preaty cool. lightweight turbo 4bangers is about all I remember..
corrola gts(ae86): Lightweight FR car that is gaining popularity again do to a cartoon. Great car though if you can find one. ATM I dont remember much about them. 4age and yup.. there goes the rest of what I remember.
Mistubishi Starion/Dodge Conquest: FR turbocharged 2.4L 4bangers. dont know much about them though.(other then they look bad ass)
Foxbody Ford Mustang. GT or LX: at around 3000lb's stock with a 5.0L v8... HUGE aftermarket with tons of cheap stuff. It was and still is one of the best bang for your buck sports cars you can get!
Mazda GT-X/ ford TS3: Light weight AWD turbocharged. what more needs to be said? well, allot but saddly I dont know anything about them.. :p
z31 300zx: no info, sorry

how the hell do you figure a 300zx is better than a toyota? I'll admit on the straight away it's better but for everything else hell no.

lol what are you talking about. MK3 sucks. Low on power, heavy, dosent handle very well, and imo very plain looking. The Z is all around better in my opinion.

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=501/127540watermark.jpg

by, toyota, i auto maticly thought you ment the supra. the corolla gts, is an alright car but its ugly as hell and slow.

Dodge Daytona turbo. I think they run low 15's stock or is it even 14's I can't remember.

1989 Trans am GTA.

Sexy body, handles decently, 340lbs of torque.

yeh i heard those dodge daytonas, or a certain model had the most HP per cubic inch then any factory mopar ever. I think it was the shelby turbo II or something of that nature

turbo rx7, what else needs to be said, that car still kicks ass.

the 300zx turbo does high 14s. plus it looks better than the supra or gts or rx7.

RX-7 Turbo II

(Just raced one on the way home, its a friend's TII tho)

the 300zx turbo does high 14s. plus it looks better than the supra or gts or rx7.
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/images/smilies/eek7.gif
You're smoking something. FC and FD are both better looking than the ZX. Performance wise, you can't compare a ZX with any of those cars. They'll outhandle the Z almost anywhere.

325is!!!

is the 325 a sports car?

yay for BMW ^ lol.... nah there are so many of these cheap 80's sports cars - nissan s13 silvia/180sx/240sx, cefiro, skyline r32 GTS, subaru liberty RS, toyota ae86 sprinter, mkIII supra GT, bmw 318is, bmw 325is, and many more

is the 325 a sports car?
well put it this way... the 325iS is kind of a sports car ... u get a lot of sports parts with the S package... and the M3 is based on the very same platform as the 325iS... put it this way, the 1998 e36 328iS runs mid 14 sec quarters

The dude was asking about cheap 80 sports cars, you're talking about a 98. Didn't the R32 skyline come out afterwards? I don't know about that one but I don't think it would be on the cheap side to get one of those. Maybe I just have a different definition of cheap.

sure the Z isnt to good in the corners stock (u.s). But that can always be upgraded. Can you even consider the corolla gts a sports car, its so slow?! and not to mention gross. The FC is alright looking, but nothing special. My neighbor had one a long long time ago with a body kit and it looked awsome, sound like crap at low rpms and non turbo.

Supra Turbo, 300ZX Turbo, RX-7 Turbo are all good bets.

which do you think is best looking?

also dont count the FD3S because its a 93

wow, everyone has pretty much only said rx-7, supra except for a select few. damn cheap car from the 80's sports car, hmmm MUSTANG 5.0 come on now

I was gonna say Mustang 5.0, but I say it so much on here that it's started to sound redundant. The Camaro Z28 is a good bet too.

is the 325 a sports car?

325? no. 325is? HELL YES!!! :naughty: 'specially if you bolt a turbo on that 2.5 liter i6... even more so if you're feeling adventurous enough for twin turbos

im not saying that this is a sports car but has anyone driven a 88' audi 90 quattro turbo? those things are so much fun i can even describe it, and they last FOREVER. anyways, still stand by the rx-7 turbo, and i hate how the z31 looks.

Ferrari Testarossa. If $40K is your one evening budget :).

lol the side scoops on the testarossas were ridiculous....

im not saying that this is a sports car but has anyone driven a 88' audi 90 quattro turbo? those things are so much fun i can even describe it, and they last FOREVER. anyways, still stand by the rx-7 turbo, and i hate how the z31 looks.


everyone says rx7....somethin about rotaries.... in my head i know that they are so much more power efficient and better design and i love that they make 800hp from 1.3 litres and are so light and small and they are so revvy and they make four power "strokes" per revolution per "cylinder" (rotor) as opposed to 1 per revolution... but my heart lies with piston engines... thats just it

Not only does my heart lie with piston engines, my wallet does too. It can be pretty difficult and costly to find a mechanic who can work on a rotary engine.

yeah.... it might have been different if more car manufacturers had decided to develop the rotary as far as mazda has....

how can you hate how the Z31 looks. I didnt like the early ones other then the annivesary but a Black 88 with a shiro lip and side skirts is just sick,

you people have no sense.... daytona??? supra??? jesus.... 80s supras sucked balls... you damn ricers....

best cars from the 80s.....

#1... 88 buick grand national... 3.8 turbo...
#2.... any GM powered by the 3.8 turbo...
#3... FOX MUSTANGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
#4 the turbo 2 rx7 was stout... 410 gears stock... IRS.. coil overs.. 4 wheel disc... all good... 13bt was strong... but NOT reliable... good car for engine swap...
#5.... best engine swap car ever made.... 1979 rx7 SA22.... 1700 lb car... coil over front suspension, solid axle with panhards.. FULL FRAME... not flimsy like the datsuns.. 393 gear stock.... and the best part about them.... A FORD 302 WILL BOLT TO A STOCK 12A CROSSMEMBER TURNED BACKWARDS!!!! ive done it myself... easy swap... imagine a 1900 lb 5.0 with good suspension and 393 gear... EASY 11s!!!....

everyone says rx7....somethin about rotaries.... in my head i know that they are so much more power efficient and better design and i love that they make 800hp from 1.3 litres and are so light and small and they are so revvy and they make four power "strokes" per revolution per "cylinder" (rotor) as opposed to 1 per revolution... but my heart lies with piston engines... thats just it

whoa whoa whoaaaa......... whoaaa... hold up there killer.... the rotary is the biggest piece of shit ever made.... an 800 hp rotary.. about as reliable as john force's funny car... realistically... no NA rotary makes over 300 hp without being a regular rebuilder...

rx7 chassis is amazing.. way before its time... 79 rx7 is as advanced as a 90s mustang.. BUT... the rotary sucks!!!!!!!!!!

if you love rx7s.. and hate rotaries... like myself...
try HINSONSUPERCARS.COM v8 RX7 builders/enthusiast...


food for thought... a ls1 is liter than a fully complete 13bTT... and fits in a FD3 rx7 nicely....

you people have no sense.... daytona??? supra??? jesus.... 80s supras sucked balls... you damn ricers....

best cars from the 80s.....

#1... 88 buick grand national... 3.8 turbo...
#2.... any GM powered by the 3.8 turbo...
#3... FOX MUSTANGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
#4 the turbo 2 rx7 was stout... 410 gears stock... IRS.. coil overs.. 4 wheel disc... all good... 13bt was strong... but NOT reliable... good car for engine swap...
#5.... best engine swap car ever made.... 1979 rx7 SA22.... 1700 lb car... coil over front suspension, solid axle with panhards.. FULL FRAME... not flimsy like the datsuns.. 393 gear stock.... and the best part about them.... A FORD 302 WILL BOLT TO A STOCK 12A CROSSMEMBER TURNED BACKWARDS!!!! ive done it myself... easy swap... imagine a 1900 lb 5.0 with good suspension and 393 gear... EASY 11s!!!....


i forgot SVO mustangs.... i can show documentation of the 2.3T holding 30 psi on stock enternals with pump gas... 2.3 ford = one of the best 4 cylinders ever made... not to mention the SVO suspension was excellent for the 80s... SVO was probably the 2nd fastest car on the road in the 80s.. next to the GNX...

one more to credit... chevelle LS6.... 500 hp stocker... got to love it

I think I would pick the Merkur XR4ti over the Mustang SVO because it has the same powertrain, just minus the SVO's intercooler. The XR4ti sits on an European platform and its interior is much more comfortable and luxurious than the Mustang's interior.

My vote is for the Porsche 944, I owned 2 at one point, and still own one.

#1... 88 buick grand national... 3.8 turbo...

Hey wait, they stopped making the GN in '87. Noob.

one more to credit... chevelle LS6.... 500 hp stocker... got to love it

Try 450 hp stock (and 500 ft-lb of torque). Noob.


Get the fuck out of here and come back when you're at least old enough to drive.

Hey wait, they stopped making the GN in '87. Noob.



Try 450 hp stock (and 500 ft-lb of torque). Noob.


Get the fuck out of here and come back when you're at least old enough to drive.


come on now man, whats up with that? he may not be old enough to drive, but he does make a decent point. not with facts, haha we will leave that to the more experienced such as u and me kman haha. but he is making a valid point in saying that pretty much everyone is saying supra and rx-7 due to thier younger siblings. just because the newer generation supras and rx-7s are awesome does not mean the older ones were, in fact they crumble in comparison to cars such as the foxbody stangs.

Read some of his other posts, he's a complete and total moron.

ok, i will, but the fact that his point was valid on this thread does not justify you jumping down his throat here.

edit: this guy is a real jerk, but i think its funny. i can see however that he is not needed here due to the fact that all he does is start with ppl.

still makes this thread look like poo with such slander.
(although, I will admit his last thread here was not only extremely opinionated and rude, but a tad bit ignorant in some cases, but thats OT)

Omni GLH cuz it Goes Like Hell! :P

Haha, if only it wasn't FWD. :D

hmm... rx-7 or the datsun z

As belated as my repsonse is- the Lancia Detla Integrale and Peugeot 205 GTi are still the affordable kings of the 80's..........

As belated as my repsonse is- the Lancia Detla Integrale and Peugeot 205 GTi are still the affordable kings of the 80's..........


although the integrale is in a league of its own compared to the GTI - if u ask me

datsun 280zx, light great handling, rwd, and the turbo model does 0-60 in 7.3 seconds, and also the early to mid 80's supra, the performance wasnt great but they were light and the i luv the looks.

still stand by the rx-7 turbo, and i hate how the z31 looks.

agreed....I love nissan, but the z31 is definitely not much to look at...occasionally i see one moded that i like...but they aren't that great...pretty plain looking

rx7 though...i love them

supra is alright

corolla gts looks really good if its in good condition IMO

starions can look fucking awesome too

datsun 280zx, light great handling, rwd, and the turbo model does 0-60 in 7.3 seconds, and also the early to mid 80's supra, the performance wasnt great but they were light and the i luv the looks.

light? any generation of the supra that I've seen specs for isn't light...the mkIII is heavier than the mkIV...

I guess I'm one of the few people who likes the Z31. I think it's a pretty cool-looking car. I'd rather have an FC Turbo II though.