No Idea What To Look For...

[TatII]

there is one reason why i would not recommend the LT1 F bodies becasue they have the worse interior i have ever seen. this guy doesn't seem to be very experienced yet, so i would not recommend any high powered rear wheel drive vehicle yet, esp a Mid engine rear wheel drive like a MR2 turbo.

i would say to start off with something that is relative slow ( low 16 second car ) but can be made to be fast with a few grand ( high 11 second car ) like a 240sx. its easy to drive with good tq, but he won't regret gettin it when he wants to add more power later on because its still a rear wheel drive. it has dones ot aftermarket support. you can add almost any engine to it, you can either turbo the original engine, or you can swap in the japanese engine which is a turbo 4, of you can swap in skyline engines, which are turbo 6 cylinders and it will be relative light ( into a 2800lb chassis ) instead of being in the original cars which weights 3200-33000lbs.

here is a pic of 240sx's.

heres a 1989-1994 S13 240sx coupe ( the japanese version )



heres is a 1989-1994 S13 240sx coupe ( the american version )


notice how it has pop up lights in the front instead

here is a how a 1989-1994 S13 hatch back looks



here is a 1995-1996 S14 240sx like mine



here is a pic of a 97-98 240sx

[SRP | Lucian]

Awesome! Thanks for all of the replies, epspecially TatII and youngvr4. Thanks for all of your help guys, I really appreciate it.

I think TatII nailed it right on the head. Since I'm a novice I would like a car that will suit my needs (Nothing to fast) yet can be upgraded to be a good car later.

TatII - What are the main differences between the 240SX and the 300ZX? I kind of like the 300ZX body more so I'm kind of leaning towards that but some of the 240SX's you showed are very niec. I just like the one's with the body kits.

Anyways, would you also recommend the 300ZX or is the 240SX a better bet for me at the moment?

Thank you so much for all of your help.

-Stephen

[Drifty]

definitly 240sx would be better for you now and its just like tatII said try not to get a high power car for your 1st car the 240sx is rather well rounded candidate being a light car with 155hp on the stock US. spec motor and those cars are easy to make quick and sexy looking

[TatII]

a 240sx will have more power potential then a 300zx non turbo. however the 300ZX non turbo is much faster stock then a 240sx. however 300zx has interchangable parts with a 240sx. you can put the 300zx brakes into the 240sx with no modifcation. you can put the 300zx limited slip rear differential with very little modification.

the 240sx is the cheaper lower end model to the Z. think of the 240sx as a prelude, and the Z as a nsx. but yes the Z definitly has the better interior, and a more expensive looking exterior. but the 240sx can look very good with minor body work like what i showed you, and nothing cna beat that mean rear wheel drive staggered wheel look that you can get with a RWD like a 240 or a Z.

the main thing is that Z's are pretty hard to work on, theres really no room to fit your hand into tight spots to change parts. also the parts for the Z are generally more expensive becsaeu the car is more expensive when new. both have good aftermarket but like i said, a 240sx can be made to go faster for cheaper with only a few thousand invested. the non turbo Z's will need a turbo engine swap to get any real power out of it.

right now with probrably $4000 under my hood, i'm faster then a 287hp 350Z. i know a guy with around $7000 under his hood and hes running high 11's!! thats faster then a dodge viper and in the FORD GT category. his car is not even maxxed out yet. he can spin his drag radial tires that are 235mm wide down the race track in 5th gear goin 110mph.
now that is some serious power to break those tires loose esp at those speeds, his engine is making close to 500hp, and hes planning to hit 600hp by the end of this summer.

[chexmixa]

I have been doen a lil research on a new car also, mainly because i wrecked my srt-4

One car i have been toying with possibly buying is a focus. As of now i am looken at higher model focus's like the Svt and the ZX4 st. but you could get a base model ford focus zx3 with under 50k miles on her for less then 10k. The zetec that they have in there actually makes decent power. In Stock form you will run mid 16s. Wich imo that is a great starter speed. The motor is quite a strong engine and can handle boost very well. You can find S/C Kits and TC kits all over the place for em.

The SVT and the ZX4 St that i am looken at are pretty nice. the Svt is priced around 16k used and the ZX4 ST is priced 18k new. Both of them are high 15 sec cars, decently quick, but they handle very well and have a nice interior for a economy car. The Duratec in the Zx4 ST is a beast. It will take plenty of boost and its quite easy to make power out of that motor. The Zetec in the SVT makes 170 hp andrevs all the way out to 7k. It is a lil harder to make power out of that motor but it responds to boost resonable well.

My personal favorite budget car is the 92-95 civic coop 5 speed. You can easily get one for 1-2k with a quite a few miles on the odo. Then you drop in a diff motor and tranny wich will prolly cost you 4-5k total. With the motor + trans swap your looken at low 15s to 14s depending on what motor you picked and how good of a mechanic you are.

[CivRacer95]

Originally Posted by chexmixa

My personal favorite budget car is the 92-95 civic coop 5 speed. You can easily get one for 1-2k with a quite a few miles on the odo. Then you drop in a diff motor and tranny wich will prolly cost you 4-5k total. With the motor + trans swap your looken at low 15s to 14s depending on what motor you picked and how good of a mechanic you are.

That is all very true Chex. Truthfully though, if you plan on spending 15- 20K on a Focus, don't. There are plenty of cars that you can spend that money on. Your idea of getting the 5th Gen Civic is what I would hope you would do. The Focus really isn't worth the price you are looking to pay.

Lucian, as far as anything goes. Tat knows his shit. If I remember correctly, the stock motor on those 240's can handle a lot of Horsepower (or is that the SR motors?). Honestly, the 240's were one of my top choices of automobiles to purchase when I was looking around for one. I have a few friends that own them. They are extremely dependable cars, like most Nissans are, and everything Tat has said about them really is how they are. Go with the 240. You'll be more satisfied, and the RWD factor is a huge plus if you are getting into the racing scene. Good luck with your find .

[chexmixa]

Originally Posted by CivRacer95

That is all very true Chex. Truthfully though, if you plan on spending 15- 20K on a Focus, don't. There are plenty of cars that you can spend that money on. Your idea of getting the 5th Gen Civic is what I would hope you would do. The Focus really isn't worth the price you are looking to pay.

I totally agree but there are a few things stopping me going the way of the civic.

First: Parents, they don't want me driving a car older then 3 years old. I don't want to build up a newer civic mainly because it would be extremely expensive and not worth it.

Second: Price, the 2003 and up Civic Si's are too high for my price range, i am looken for a car with 10k miles or less and that would run me at least 18.5 for a used car. On top of that the 03 + SI's are not that fantastic. They have a pig of an engine and they aren't as easy to make fast.

Third: Insurance, The insurance on the SI is more then the insurance for my Srt-4. And with my rates goen up from the accident, (rates are goen up in september) i wont be able to afford those insurance payments.

I am looken at The SVT Focs, Zx4 ST Focus, and the VW GTI VR6. All of them have quite low insurance rates and have awsome platforms to build from. I don't want to get stuck with a dead end car. The previous 2 cars i had before the Srt-4 i couldn't build up without spending ALOT of money (Scion TC and Toyota Tacoma SR5). At least with the cars i am looken at they all have very nice suspensions and its pretty easy to make power outa em.

[CivRacer95]

Then go with the VR6, much better than the Focus, and it's very well known to most that it doesn't take very much to pull it into the mid to high 14's. Plus they look so much better than the Focus too.

[drftk1d]

i really wouldnt recommend a turbo rx7 off the bat. unless you really love the car. A NA rx7 is not a bad car though, if you pick up a 89-91 model its decently fast for a beginner, about as fast as a 240sx stock. Plus some models came with a lsd stock (well the 86-88 models had a clutch type, and the 89-91 had a viscous). you can pick up like 20 something hp with just an exhaust (no exaggeration, thats how restrictive the stock one is). plus it has great handling out of the box.

but i would go with tat's suggestion of the 240sx. If i didnt have such an infatuation with the rotary engine i would be driving one now.

[SRP | Lucian]

Thanks guys. Guess I'll be getting a 240SX, just need to find one now and a sweet body kit for it. Quick question, does the 240SX come in TT or is it only the standard model? Also, what year would you recommend? I was poking around the 240SX forum and I know that I'm not going to be getting the most recent one (95?) as that's the one that's a convertible only.

Thanks!

Edit: Also, how's the older RX-7's compare to the 240SX's? I saw DriftKid's RX7 and now I'm starting to get tempted...

[-The Stig-]

No, the 240sx never came in TT (twin turbo)... and no 240sx ever came turbocharged (in the United States).

Japan had all the cool motors in their cars.

[drftk1d]

Originally Posted by SRP | Lucian

Thanks guys. Guess I'll be getting a 240SX, just need to find one now and a sweet body kit for it. Quick question, does the 240SX come in TT or is it only the standard model? Also, what year would you recommend? I was poking around the 240SX forum and I know that I'm not going to be getting the most recent one (95?) as that's the one that's a convertible only.

Thanks!

94 was the year it was convertible only.

95 was a completely different bodystyle.
personally i love the 95-98 240sx, might be hard to find though.

[TatII]

Originally Posted by SRP | Lucian

Thanks guys. Guess I'll be getting a 240SX, just need to find one now and a sweet body kit for it. Quick question, does the 240SX come in TT or is it only the standard model? Also, what year would you recommend? I was poking around the 240SX forum and I know that I'm not going to be getting the most recent one (95?) as that's the one that's a convertible only.

Thanks!

Edit: Also, how's the older RX-7's compare to the 240SX's? I saw DriftKid's RX7 and now I'm starting to get tempted...

there is only one year the 240 came in a convertable and thats in 94 and those are the S13's ( 89-94 body style ). i personally own a S14 ( the 1995-1998 ) if you look at the picture of the white and black cars that i listed as a 95-98 are the later models. here is a pic of my actual car ( old rims that are too skinny )





here is my friends 97





here is a hooked up 95





here is a nice hooked up 97

nope no convertables here



and no they never came turboed from the factory in the united states. they came turboed in japan, but a engine swap is easy. the engines start off with either 205-250hp depending which year. and after the swap they usually give you some goodies with the engine so a swapped 240 will start off with 250-330 hp.

[chexmixa]

Originally Posted by CivRacer95

Then go with the VR6, much better than the Focus, and it's very well known to most that it doesn't take very much to pull it into the mid to high 14's. Plus they look so much better than the Focus too.

Agreed, only thing holding me back is finding one for the right price they are kind of expensive here.

[TheStang00]

im probably gonna get beat for suggesting this in here... since we had a certain person make all of them look like trash with his antics. but you could find a 99-01 v6 mustang for under 10k, and with a stick they run mid 15's. and you can turbo those cars and get tons of power out of them, for when you want the car to go faster. and as far as aftermarket, probably as big or bigger than any car. and if you can find a really good deal you might be able to find a 99 mustang gt for under 10k. but with these cars your looking at much higher insurance. but i know a guy who put a stroker kit and a supercharger on his v6 stang and he has over 400rwhp. and civ... i actually like the way focuses look, and i have driven a stick zx5, its a really nice car. i liked it a lot. oh and lucian, unless its a srt-4, for gods sake dont get a dodge neon. you wont be happy.

this is just an idea...