Open to all suggestions

I'm looking to buy a car for under 10k. It doesn't really bother me whether its domestic or import as long as it is decent on gas. I'm looking for a fast car thats not too old, most likely 1990 or newer. If there aren't really any good, fast cars in my price range then I'm looking to buy a car that is good for upgrading. Also, around 60k miles is okay, nothing thats tooo much over that.

Thanks for any help.

98+ Camaro or TransAm are fast and get in the mid-20's for gas mileage if you have the 6-speed.

What do you consider fast and decent on gas?

I was actually looking at both of those cars.

Are there any good alternative cars I could buy that would be cheaper like around 5000 dollars that would be good for upgrading so I can spend extra money on putting things in the car? I don't actually no too much about cars but I have a friend that knows a good amount so he would help teach me how to install parts and everything.

Thanks

i am looking for a nissan 240sx which run 2k - 15k depending on wether or not theyve ben moded allready, the stock ka24de (dohc) or ka24e (sohc) 4 cyl motor gets 24 - 30mpg, they were made 89 - 98, or u can get a 300zx for 2k - 15k depending on the same thing, they have a v6 and get just over 20mpg

Do you recommend any specific year? Does the year make a big difference in the price? Is there any specific models or years that I should be more inclined to look at?

thanks

i am looking at the s13's, (89 - 93), the ka24de is in the later years of the s13 and has about 20 mor horse or so, plus they are easy to modify, u can drop in a sr20det or rb20det motor for more power, the 5 speed and rear wheel drive is what i like, stock they have about 155 hp http://motors.listings.ebay.com/Nissan_240SX_W0QQfromZR4QQsacatZ6396QQsocmdZListin gItemList
the s14 and s15 are nice but are generally more expensive
http://auto.consumerguide.com/Auto/Used/reviews/full/index.cfm/id/2218/act/usedcarreviewspecs/
for specs

Looks like a pretty good car, I'm going to definitely keep my eyes open for any good deals around her. The only thing though is the majority seem to have very high milage...

high milage shouldnt be to big of a problem whith the ka24de because they will last forever, 200+ - 300+k miles, so i wouldnt let that slow ya down to much

i am looking at the s13's, (89 - 93), the ka24de is in the later years of the s13 and has about 20 mor horse or so, plus they are easy to modify, u can drop in a sr20det or rb20det motor for more power, the 5 speed and rear wheel drive is what i like, stock they have about 155 hp http://motors.listings.ebay.com/Nissan_240SX_W0QQfromZR4QQsacatZ6396QQsocmdZListin gItemList
the s14 and s15 are nice but are generally more expensive
http://auto.consumerguide.com/Auto/Used/reviews/full/index.cfm/id/2218/act/usedcarreviewspecs/
for specs

a) what makes you think the later models of the s13 have 20 more horsepower? because they are dohc?
b) you cant just "drop in" and sr20 unless you have experience in motor swaps, and even then it isnt a "direct" swap. sure it fits right into the mounts with no fitment issues, but the wiring is another story. and you definitly cant "drop" in an rb20. this takes alot of fab, new motor mounts, and a skyline k - frame i believe. a six cyl isnt just going to "drop into" a 4 cyl engine bay, not the s13 at least.
c) the s14's are harder to find depending on location, and the s15 was never brought here, so thats pretty far out of reach. judging by your post, im guessing youve seen an s15 front end conversion and assumed it was an s15.

to the thread starter, these are great cars. im on my third s13 (all 91's) and i get decent power without sacrificing gas mileage. not to mention these cars are fun as hell. pm me if you have more questions.

Mazda miata perhaps?

a) what makes you think the later models of the s13 have 20 more horsepower? because they are dohc?
b) you cant just "drop in" and sr20 unless you have experience in motor swaps, and even then it isnt a "direct" swap. sure it fits right into the mounts with no fitment issues, but the wiring is another story. and you definitly cant "drop" in an rb20. this takes alot of fab, new motor mounts, and a skyline k - frame i believe. a six cyl isnt just going to "drop into" a 4 cyl engine bay, not the s13 at least.
c) the s14's are harder to find depending on location, and the s15 was never brought here, so thats pretty far out of reach. judging by your post, im guessing youve seen an s15 front end conversion and assumed it was an s15.

to the thread starter, these are great cars. im on my third s13 (all 91's) and i get decent power without sacrificing gas mileage. not to mention these cars are fun as hell. pm me if you have more questions.
A)from what i understan and have seen, the dohc motor has 155 hp and the sohc has 140 hp, so its 15 hp more,
B)You have to have the knowledg to do a swap, yes you can not do a straight drop, but it is changable if you want more power, it will take a bit of time and understanding and money,thae wiring is the biggest thing yes, i am researching all that soon when i get done with my 58 gmc pickup
C)I hav found that out because there are few if any around my area, i am looking for an s13 myself and plan on swaping the sr20dett motor in it
I agree they are great cars

S13Driftfiend: this website tells you the horse power and torque specs for the 240, this is why i said that the dohc has more hp than the sohc, i posted this earlier
http://auto.consumerguide.com/Auto/Used/reviews/full/index.cfm/id/2218/act/usedcarreviewspecs/

A)from what i understan and have seen, the dohc motor has 155 hp and the sohc has 140 hp, so its 15 hp more,
B)You have to have the knowledg to do a swap, yes you can not do a straight drop, but it is changable if you want more power, it will take a bit of time and understanding and money,thae wiring is the biggest thing yes, i am researching all that soon when i get done with my 58 gmc pickup
C)I hav found that out because there are few if any around my area, i am looking for an s13 myself and plan on swaping the sr20dett motor in it
I agree they are great cars

keep doing your research if you are really serious about buying a 240. for one thing, youre calling your buick a "drifter/drager". im guessing youre saying that you use your buick to "drift" and "drag race". tell me how you have "drifted" your buick, because id love to know. also, if its a "drager", what does it run in the 1/4 mile?

you obviously have alot of catching up to do on your motor research if you plan on getting a sr20dett motor for your soon to have s13. sr20dett would imply the sr20 motor with a twin turbo setup. the sr20 was never released with a twin turbo setup. sure you can go buy a website on what power the motors put out, but ive sat in alot of 240's and even the sohc's are ballsy given their size. Jordan from ka-t.org is currently putting down 340 rwhp out of his turbo'd sohc: http://www.ka-t.org/jordan.php

if you dont do so already, browse around the 240sx section sometime and dig up some info. feel free to pm me also.

Do any of you know how many miles Trans Am's generally last for?

Do any of you know how many miles Trans Am's generally last for?

On the F-body sites I've seen many with 150,000 miles on the motor and trans still going strong with LOTS of mods. That's for the LS1's (98-02) I'm not sure about the LT1's (93-97) but those car be bought for around $5k pretty easily.

If you bought an LS1 you really wouldn't have to do much to it...stock they run mid to low 13's which is damn quick for a car that price.

I've been looking into Trans Am's, but I have a question. According to my friend, the Trans Am's that have T-Tops were made with a slower engine... Is this true? Or do all the Trans Am's (T-tops or no T-tops) have the same engine?

Sorry for the sorta stupid question.

Also, my favorite models are the WS6's with the Ram Air Hoods, but those seem to be more expensive because they are the models that were made in 2002. So I was looking at getting an LS1 98 or 99, even though they don't come with this. My question is how hard would it be to switch the regular hood with a Ram Air Hood?

Thanks

The engine sizes on the 4th gens were 3.4v6, 3.8v6, and 5.7v8, the 3.8 was in the later versions, ws6 was in more than just the 02 model, check out this site, it should give you a little info, http://www.transamworld.com/fbird-history-php4.php
im not sure about ur engine question wit t-tops though

I found a good deal on a 2000 WS6, it has 63000 miles, and it has never been driven in the winter. The car is from California and is not stock. He is asking $9,500 for it which is a good price.

There are two things that make me skeptical though. One is he got the car from California after it got in an accident and rebuilt it. Does this make the car not worth buying and risk potential future problems?

And second, he said it has no catalytic converter because its faster that way. And because of this he said thats why the check engine light is on.

Does this all make sense? Do you think he is trying to scam me or its just a good deal because its a rebuilt car, and it's worth taking?

Thanks for any suggestions and info

what did he all rebuild when he got it, what happened to it? I don't think it would be a bed deal considering the book price is over 10k. I would want to test drive it if possible, but i might keep looking too

Sadly, I can't afford insurance on that car. But a car I can afford insurance on and that is cheaper than the WS6 is a '92 V8 Camaro RS.

I wanted some opinions on this car considering I don't know too much about them. How are they in speed and how are the cars in the field of quality?

I found a nice one that is a convertible with 60k miles, in black. I think I could probably get it with an offer of $5,000.

What do you guys think of this and the car in general?

Thanks again.

Not bad, I love the camaros, they are my favorite car, if it has a 350 or 305 it should be fairly easy to mod, I would offer about 4k, thats about book price, check out www.kbb.com for a book price

Is the difference between the 305 and the 350 big speedwise? And what are some other advantages/disadvantages between the two?

Which would you recommend?

im not sure about the differences but i would say the 350 is faster but not sure, if i had a choice i would get the 350, it has a decent after market suppply and there are many blocs around if you blow it. i can get an 84 z28 for about 1k and it has a 327 in it

I've been looking into Trans Am's, but I have a question. According to my friend, the Trans Am's that have T-Tops were made with a slower engine... Is this true? Or do all the Trans Am's (T-tops or no T-tops) have the same engine?

Sorry for the sorta stupid question.

Also, my favorite models are the WS6's with the Ram Air Hoods, but those seem to be more expensive because they are the models that were made in 2002. So I was looking at getting an LS1 98 or 99, even though they don't come with this. My question is how hard would it be to switch the regular hood with a Ram Air Hood?

Thanks

lmao, that's the dumbest thing i've ever heard. hardtops, verts, and t-tops all have the same engine. from 98-02 there's a V6 firebird with a 3.8L, and then the firebird formula, trans am, and trans am ws6 all have the LS1 engine, and are all pretty much identical in performance. with the ws6 package you're basically paying more for a prettier car and not much in the way of performance. they've made ws6's for a long time tho, and even before 98. 01-02 ls1's are slightly faster than 98-00 b/c they have an ls6 intake, and the 98's have 28lb fuel injectors whereas the 99-02's have 26lb.

I found a good deal on a 2000 WS6, it has 63000 miles, and it has never been driven in the winter. The car is from California and is not stock. He is asking $9,500 for it which is a good price.

There are two things that make me skeptical though. One is he got the car from California after it got in an accident and rebuilt it. Does this make the car not worth buying and risk potential future problems?

And second, he said it has no catalytic converter because its faster that way. And because of this he said thats why the check engine light is on.

Does this all make sense? Do you think he is trying to scam me or its just a good deal because its a rebuilt car, and it's worth taking?

Thanks for any suggestions and info

removing the cats or doing any major exhaust work generally does turn on the check engine light with these cars, nothing unusual, but the deal sounds too good to be true. but if you're seriously considering buying a trans am/camaro then i'd get one that's completely bone stock. i test drove a handful that were modded when i was shopping and most of them had transmission issues or other problems, as ppl who mod them out or more likely to abuse the car. as tempting as it may be to get an already-built up car, in the long run you won't regret getting a stock one and modding it yourself.

I would rather mod my self, i agree with 98blacktransam, mod yourself, you then know whats there, the tuning meathods and other stuff, i will mod my own when i get my 240 in about 6- 7 months, a 500hp ka will be awesome, you may also like it better if you do it your self too

With my current insurance company I can't afford insurance on a Trans Am.

Does anyone know anything about if I could get a Trans Am insured as a show car or anything? Or can you only have a show car if its a classic (old) car?

If it's possible do you know what companies do show car insurance?

Thanks again

i have no idea about the insurance deal, i would get an older one though, they would be a bit cheaper