cheap sleeper

I'm getting a car within the next couple months and I want a sleeper, with out too much mods. It doesn't have to be a complete sleeper just one to the parents and average people. I like european cars a lot but am open to any suggestions. I've got around 5000 to spend. And i'd like something easy on the insurance.
here's what i've thinking of

Volvo 850 turbo
mid 90's maixma
late 90's Buick regal GS
Taurus SHO
Contuor SVT
late 80's Bmw 325
90's mercury cougar xr7
Or maybe a volvo 240 and turbo it over the summer

The 2.2L turbo charged Dodge Daytona is a real sleeper. No idea what kind of reliability it has, though.

just get a VW GTI, mod it a lil and the family will never know. They will think you have some nice VW.

I wanted a GTi....:frown:

do you think the fact that volvo is turbo and regal is supercharged be a big difference from thier n/a models, insurance wise. Which do you think would be cheaper insurance the volvo or buick.

i doubt they will charge you more. its still just a grandpa car.

i would stay away from the buick, the 3800 series engines can be pretty strong, but the rest of the car will be problematic. I used to have a 3800 series and it was a never ending list of issues to fix. With a S/C the wear and tear is increased. That and there arent too many parts available.


on your list, the best thing i can say is a mid 90's maxima. I would recommend a 3rd gen SE (92-94) It has the ve30de engine pushing 190hp, you can do a lot to it to increase the power and there is a good following for them and a fairly decent aftermarket.

with a max, your rents would think you were being sensible, but those cars are a blast to drive.

As a former owner of a 92 Maxima SE, there are two things that come to mind when people mention them:

Torque steer
Understeer

They make a very competent highway cruise and have good wet weather traction, but the fact that it is a FWD car kills its attempt at being an alleged "4 door sports car". IMO the maxima was a car that so much was right about it, but it had one crucial thing wrong.

perhaps a galant

And, BTW, I ran a quote on the Regal with the SC and NA engine. The SC was $43 more for 6 months. So a bit more, but not much at all.

I like the Regal GS, it's probably the most "sleeper' of the cars listed, that the Volvos or Cougar, the others have call outs and everyone knows about Maximas, there really isn't much to distinguish an S/C car from a normal 3800 Regal. There are aftermarket parts for them, you just need to know where to look, Intense Racing has lots of things for them, in fact they're putting 3800 cars in the 10s, there is also 3800performance, and some others. I'd say a V6 SHO or Maxima are also very good choices.

thanks for the quote, $43 I can afford that

Thats is with me being a 23 year old single male living in washington with 4 points on his record. Your rates are bound to be different, but the increase I am guessing isn't too huge from the NA to the SC engine.

I would recommend a ford taurus SHO, the V6 one, not the V8. They're good for about 220 HP, and the engine is very reliable (the ford parts may need some repair from time to time, but thats expected). And cheap too, I've seen them anywhere from $1200 to $3800 depending on mileage/condition.

Or...if you really want the ultimate sleeper, 1986-1990 2.5L Dodge Caravan Turbo. But they're EXTREMELY hard to find.

1995-1999 Maxima GXE 5-speed. 0-60mph in under 7 seconds, and the cops won't look twice. Beige exterior with 15 inch wheel covers. You'll run bumper to bumper with any sedan from the same era but insurance is cheap and fuel mileage is great. The car is also very reliable, and the VQ30DE engine has been on Wards 10 Best Engines List since it's inception.