Best Car for $7,000???

I'm looking in the $7,000 range. What would you recommend?

I'd like a balance of speed/handling/reliability

I'm thinking maybe an old Impreza. Any recommendations appriciated.

Thanks in advance,
-nate

you could get a Pontiac Fiero GT for less than $5,000.

They're small, quick, handle good... and they're midengined V6 rear wheel drive!


Check out these Custom Fiero's (http://clubs.hemmings.com/clubsites/fieroswest/photos.htm)

Eclipse GSR AWD and turbo = fun. I think you can find one for 7K

nissan 200SX or eclipse ...........

A 94 stang, with some into suspension and some into the engine and youll be fast, look good, and handle well

*beat you to it 94svt5.0 :p *

A b16a civic, 200sx, 240sx, or buy a crx chassis and a b18c1 and get someone to drop the motor in and youd still be under 7g's, I think there are lots of cars, a 94 mustang would be good as well, how about a 2.5 RS impreza you said you were looking at those?

hell, you could get a corvette, a newer 300ZX TT, any number of muscle cars and just beef up the suspension, just about anything for that much, just gotta look for it

You could even get a delorian...sell the panels and get destroyed ones for free and just fix them up, sell the seats and buy sparco seats, sell the rims and get aftermarket ones, and youll have made money off of it too :p

At seven grand, I can think of any number of classic sportscars to invest in. MG's of all shapes and sizes (save for well restored Twin-Cam 1600 MGA's), smaller Triumphs, Alfa Romeos, Datsun Z cars and 510's, Fiat 124's and X19's, Porsche 914's, 924's, some 944's, and even older NA 911's.

Sheesh, at 7K I don't think it would be too much trouble to track down an early 2nd gen Camaro (71' through 73' are the years to look for). Maybe you might find a mildly beat '69 for that.

Originally posted by Octagon
At seven grand, I can think of any number of classic sportscars to invest in. MG's of all shapes and sizes (save for well restored Twin-Cam 1600 MGA's), smaller Triumphs, Alfa Romeos, Datsun Z cars and 510's, Fiat 124's and X19's, Porsche 914's, 924's, some 944's, and even older NA 911's.

Sheesh, at 7K I don't think it would be too much trouble to track down an early 2nd gen Camaro (71' through 73' are the years to look for). Maybe you might find a mildly beat '69 for that.

2nd Gen Camaro's started in 70, so you'd want to look for 70-73 for Pre Smog (depending where you live).

And you can pick up tons of Classic Muscle cars for less than 7K that are in great shape. You can find cars with 350-400hp motors and in great shape for like 5k if you look around enough. They're there, trust me... I keep an eye on what sorta cars i'd like to get... but i have 2 Novas as it is... so i can only drool for now.

Originally posted by TerminalVelocity
A 94 stang, with some into suspension and some into the engine and youll be fast, look good, and handle well

*beat you to it 94svt5.0 :p *



Arg! Life suddently seems dark and pointless, runs out into the yard screaming while firing repeated shots from a 20 guage pump. neighbors lock doors and run for basement. Never the less here is my recomendation: A 94 stang, with some into suspension and some into the engine and youll be fast, look good, and handle well.

That all depends where you want to go with this car... import or domestic, AWD/RWD/FWD, turbo, naturally aspirated, sports car, drag racer... Whether you want to build it or just buy it...

I think the 88 GT Fiero with a 3.4 DOHC is a great pick, looks, handling, power...

An original Maverick with a performance 400M, thats a rocket and it still weighs less than 3000 lbs.

A 240SX with a turbo build on a KA24, or even an SR20DET swap...

A S10 with a 383 LT1...

A 1971 240Z with an SR20DET, or a 5.0 liter Ford...

A 84-89 300ZX with a built engine, 300-500 hp...

A late 80s Supra...

rav4 ;)


mine was 8 thousand....my parents should have done their homework, but hell that car kicks ass now

Two points.

1)You don't have to look far to find a better vehicle than a Rav4, especially for $7K

2)A rav4 is not a CAR!

Fiero's are known to flip. Definatley dont want that.

A 240sx with an SR20 would be very very nice but the only 240's i like are the newest body style and i very much doubt i could afford one for 7k, let alone cover the cost of an engine swap.

Not a big muscle car guy, i don't wanna start a big fight but lets face it, they just dont handle as well as imports in stock form.

An old 240 with an LS1 would be very nice if i could afford the engine.

As far as getting an Eclipse GSX or a 300ZX TT, I've looked all over and havent found either of those cars for under 10k in semi decent condition. Although if i could find one, id hop on it.

Fiero's known to flip??? Really?


Never heard of that... wouldnt think it would be a big problem them being small, low to the ground... doesnt like theres much to go wrong with them just randomly toppling over. Hmmm.

*thinks*

I still like them.

Originally posted by shrubchild
Fiero's are known to flip. Definatley dont want that.

Not a big muscle car guy, i don't wanna start a big fight but lets face it, they just dont handle as well as imports in stock form.

An old 240 with an LS1 would be very nice if i could afford the engine.

As far as getting an Eclipse GSX or a 300ZX TT, I've looked all over and havent found either of those cars for under 10k in semi decent condition. Although if i could find one, id hop on it.

I don't know where you get your automotive advice, but... :huh:

Fieros are nearly impossible to flip, especially the GTs... There are plenty of "big muscle cars" that can run circles around most imports. Imports is really a big field, and most are FWD, ick.

I'd say go with a nice sports car, and put a good old fashioned smallblock V8 in it... You get the best of all worlds, fast, great handling, reliable, cheap parts... if you rebuild the engine when you put it in, you'll never have a problem from it.

Have you looked into the FB RX7/5.0 T5 swap? Right out of the box, it runs 13s, 11s are not hard with a few thousand.

$500 for car
$1500 for donor drivetrain
$2000 for brake and suspension upgrades
$2000 for widebody kit/paint

$1000 left over for whatever grabs your fancy... you can also sell all your old parts on ebay, including body panels, old engine/transmission, brakes, wheels...

http://www.erebunicorp.com/images/autos1/RX7361f.jpg
http://www.erebunicorp.com/images/autos1/RX7361r.jpg
http://members.tripod.com/~grannys/bbergholdt1.jpg

You like, eh? Yeah, you like :D

I like, I like!

:D

Heheh, guess where my 400M is going... :rolleyes:

Yeah, that's right, you know that. :D

Well I just had my LeBaron appraised by a specialist in New York and he said it is worth $7,000 grand! :D

I am so happy, that insurance company is going to have to pay up. So you could buy a GTC if you could find one, and if you do TELL ME!!!

Hey look, the RX7 has a "custom air intake"!! :D

$7000? Were those BBS wheels? I didn't know Lebarons fetched that kind of dough...

What about a turbo NewYorker? I looked at one of those for $1500 CDN, and it was running strong. Crazy fat ride, quite comfy.

Normally they don't, the thing with mine is that there is limited collectors interest being there were only 63 of my car made. The New Yorker wouldn't be as quick since it has the Turbo I set-up, still wicked fast for a grandma car.

I'd go for an earlier model mustang not the 94 probably a 91 0r 92 cheaper and just as fast you can pick up one in good condition for about $2000 with the rest of the money you could either make it fast or make it look better or possibly both they run high 14's, well that's what my friend's runs and his is basically stock.

get a 300zx na, do flow thrus, ud pulley, 1piece DS, swaybars, and a 50shot. You'll have a great looking, great handling car with 200rwhp and 20mpg off the bottle, and more rwhp than a stock TT when you're on it. You can do this for around $7000, especially if you get one with a rough body (body kits are the easiest thing to come by) or if you bide your time and watch.

what about a BMW E36 316/318 i with some km

or an 87-91 fc-3 turbo II ?? mid 14's stock 50/50 find one with low miles and good compression then slightly mod it full exhaust and intake and a fuel cut defencer and you will push 210+ rwhp and be pretty damn quick

FC's around here are all for sale with a new engine and a chasis with 60K or 120K. I have seen 3 in the last week. For some reason they are blowing up at 60K intervals. I have been told they require a lot of upkeep to prevent this. They are hella fast though with some mods.

Maintaining a rotary is just like maintaining a turbo car, even without the turbo. Oil CANNOT WAIT TO BE CHANGED! Those apex seals are high wear pieces, and not every shop can work on them effectively. But good synthetic oil, changed very frequently, will keep a rotary around forever. Just ask the legions of SCCA showroom stock racers who run GTU model FC's.

yeah, I just looked at those newspaper ads again, the 120K w/ new motor was a NA.

I was bored so here goes:


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It says NoCal is where you're from so I searched Autotrader.com using the 95828 area code where I used to live in Sacramento and searched in a 300 mile radius.

These are the ones JUST from the Mitsu side of it:
(words in bold are my comments)

1995 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE, GST, 4 cyl, 2.0L turbo, 5 spd, ps, pw, pdl, pwr seats, pm, ABS brakes, ac, tilt, lthr, Premium sound, alloy whls, dual airbags, must drive, $6,995, 818-998-3315

1993 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE, GS-T, turbo, red/charcoal int, lowered, Enkei whls, cust sound sys, exh sys, intake, garage kept, all records, exc cond, must see, $6500 obo, 530-269-1448

1991 MITSUBISHI GALANT, VR4 TURBO, AWD, white with blk leather int, loaded 5 speed trans, ATX suspension, wide line screen, $5,500, obo, 213-446-1155excellent sleeper

1991 Premier Edition Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4 - 5-speed, Twin Turbo, all-wheel drive, after market Fittipaldi 17x10in. racing wheels, Electronicly Controlled Shocks, fully loaded - cd and cassette player, exhaust that can be silenced or made louder with a switch, rear spoiler rises at 45mph Reason For Low Price - needs a new transmision. This is a PROJECT CAR. A Mitsubishi Dearlership (Valley Mazda Mitsubishi) is very close and AAMCO is to. I will tow the car to the local dealership or to AAMCO for free upon purchase and your request. EVERYthing eles is solid and works fine. Well kept and still runs - kept in garage - once transminsion is put in the car can be driven. Price $5000 negotialbe I can fax a picture if interested located in San Luis Obispo, CA. Call - (805) 783 1022 cell-phone (650) 483-3296 ask for WILLtalk him down and get a project going with a genuine supercar

1991 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE, Eagle Talon, AWD, turbo, TSI, 108k mi, pwr everything, 5 spd, ac, Sony CD w/graphic equalizer, exc cond, very fast, $4200 obo, 916-797-0417

1991 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX Turbo, 16 valve DOHC AWD 4 cyc 5spd. Power 4 Wheel Disc ABS Brakes, 16 Inch Alloy Wheels, Runs Great, In Excellent Condition, AC, PDL, PW, Leather Interior, Moonroof, Alpine 3 disc changer CD player, Turbo boost meter*, non-smoker. $3,750. I can be reached at (408)718-2741 or email: [email protected]

1991 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE, AWD, GSX, turbo, 1 owner, exc cond, low mi, many extras, $3500 obo, 818-994-4010

1988 MITSUBISHI MIRAGE, turbo, 5 spd, new tires, ac, runs great, $1400, 805-497-0359excellent sleeper, plus you can use the rest of your cash to upgrade it into a V8 killer

I excluded the automatics...dunno if you want those...but there were a few auto GSX's as well.
_______________________________

Toyota:

1991 TOYOTA MR2, red, turbo, 4 cyl, 5 spd, ac, t-tops, lthr, am/fm stereo, cass, CD player, cust whls, exc cond, orig owner, all maint records, must see to apprec, 120,950 mi, $6950, [email protected], 707-258-2611lotsa miles, but will hold up if maintained properly, plus it's a gorgeous car that is still not outdated

1991 TOYOTA SUPRA, turbo, premium whls & sound, glossy black, grey cloth, clean, everything pwr, new gasket, GASKET 232hp, 136k mi, $6,500 obo, 650-892-4218, 650-997-0566you should see the pic of this car, GLOSSY is right...nice

Street Racers Dream - 1989 Turbo Supra - 7M GTE, Targa Top, Strait 6, 5 Speed, Blue Leather Interior, Pearl White Exterior, CD, All Power, $5,500 obo. Contact Mike at (916) 849-2374

I'm gonna stop here with the MKIII Turbo Supras...because there are tons of them even cheaper than the one above...autos and manuals.

______________________________

Of course I had to put a Honda somewhere...although there's not a lot in your price range with performance already, and you won't have enough for swap...I can't help it that they have excellent re-sell value...

1991 HONDA CIVIC, HB, B18A, 1.8ltr, DOHC, intake, cust exh, 15" alloys, tint, CD, will trade for 91-94 Legacy AWD wagon, $3500 obo, 909-931-9554, 909-264-4042most likely runs 14's in it's current form...put up another grand for a VTEC head on the b18a and maybe another grand for Type-R pistons...you'll have an LS/VTEC that'll run 13's all-day and give you 30 miles to the gallon...don't forget a turbo kit...I've seen used ones go for as low as 800 dollars...just gotta refurbish the turbo

______________________________

BMW's:

1992 BMW 750IL, ac, full pwr, CD, fully loaded, lthr int, looks & runs great, must see, Vin #009269, $6995, Wheels 4 Deals, dlr, 818-760-4570

Here's an excellent car, and an excellent value. These cars are wonderful, they are smooth, fast, and economical, all while being safe. And very affordable, too! What a great combo. Check it out, you'll buy it. Warranty included for your peace of mind. We have other cars in this price range, too. Buy with confidence, Dana Motors has been in business for 24 years. We accept credit cards, and can assist in financing. Call us for further info at 818-906-2372, or afterhours at 818-981-2277.this is for a 1992 325i...quick, classy and RWD

1998 BMW 325I 5-speed, sunroof, alloys, very clean #814219, BANK AUTO SALES, $6880, 408-615-9900not sure if this is for real...could be a typo

I just listed the E36s, but there are TONS of E30s for even WAY cheaper

_____________________________

These are but a FEW examples. There are also the fast domestics that I'll let those most familiar with it mention. My strongest vote goes towards the DSMs, though, especially the Galant VR-4...a 4-door family-econo-sedan capable of running tens fully-street legal AND on street-tires...it's been done.

Somebody please talk about the Starions and Conquests...I've taken up enough server space:p.

P.S.
Fieros were never heard of as far as flipping...overheating yes, but flipping no. I know, I used to own one...

thinkin bout 300zx's i remembered the 80's ones i believe those are less than 7k put some work in it. my friends dad had one stock with problems and was going 70 up a pretty good incline. ther was still space between the pedal and the floor. that sounds like some fun to me. and for some reason those old 300's are starting to grow on me along with my lvoe for old 240 and 280's. ask grendel what he thinks hes an old datsun guy

-GTi-VR6_A3

For $7k you can get an early mitsu VR4.

Cbass: what year rx7 is that?? and can you direct me to where I can obtain more knowledge of the 5.0 rx7 swap.. and all that for 6g's? hrm.. i think i'm interested...

Originally posted by fatninja19
Cbass: what year rx7 is that?? and can you direct me to where I can obtain more knowledge of the 5.0 rx7 swap.. and all that for 6g's? hrm.. i think i'm interested...
to my knowledge there is a kit for lower engine mounting position. this way you don't have to modify the top of your transmission. I am very intrigued by this swap, its an ingenious design wich in most cases would have been overlooked.

The 5.0 swap is for the 79-85 RX7, with the 12A engine. The 83-85 GSL-SE will not work as well for this, unless you get a 12A crossmember for it.

There are two custom pieces needed for this swap, the bolt in tranny crossmember, and a shortened driveshaft. Both are available from the good people at Granny's Speed Shop.

This is a swap that can be done for as little as $2000, if you know where to get parts. I mean $2000 including the car :D

members.tripod.com/~grannys/

http://members.tripod.com/~grannys/1stgenrx7fordv8.html

so all this for 6g's huh.. sounds like a freaking deal... who makes that wide body kit? i'm not usually into body kits so much.. butt i do think that wide body kits on 80's japenese cars look awesome(eg: widebody AE86). and do you have more pics?

Well, the engine in the car for $2K, the body kit for $1500, paint will vary depending on who does it and how well. You can upgrade the suspension/brakes from a FC TII I suppose, and get a set of wheels you like...

The engine is good for around 230hp stock, the car will weigh about 2350, 50/50 weight distribution, and lot's of potential for more power.
If you rebuild the engine with a 347 stroker, TF intake and heads, a good cam and 11:1 compression, you would have a 450hp engine, in a 2350 lb car, good for 10s on slicks I would bet. It would probably cost $3K to build an engine like that.

what car didi you buy now?

try to find a 92' mitsubishi Galant VR4. i don't know how much it will be, but my friend Dan has one and it's Kick Ass! He's pushing 360hp AWD in that small car. That bitch rides!

wow... this sounds more and more promising!!! what year are teh FC TII's?? 50/50 is another huge plus, because i'm into corners too.... shoudl i look for a car with no drive train? or will i need parts from it?? damn.. i think this is getting more serious..

i have a 5.0 1st gen rx7 did all the work myself ide say i have less then 2k into it and i run 12.93@123mph and thats on stock rims looks silly since i have mariah body kit but rims will be soon v8 rx7 is deff the way to go 425hp in a 2470lb car rocks

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=503/2130690small.JPG

i have a 5.0 1st gen rx7 did all the work myself ide say i have less then 2k into it and i run 12.93@123mph and thats on stock rims looks silly since i have mariah body kit but rims will be soon v8 rx7 is deff the way to go 425hp in a 2470lb car rocks

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=503/2130690small.JPG



Nice, but for future references. Please don't dig up a thread that's nearly two(2) years old.

The rule around here is not to post in a dead thread that's older than three(3) months old.


Thanks. I'll be closing the thread... nothing against you. So don't get your panties in a twist. It's just policy.