Platform Finalists

[nbw]

c5 corvette can be had. Hell I have even seen z06's in the low 30's.

[Knightmare]

Truth be told, I ruled out the 3000GT and the RX7 for a seemingly silly reason. I don't want a closed-top car. The Supra has a targa top option, the 300ZX/Firehawk/SLP have t-tops, and the Cobra has a convertible option. I know the second generation RX7s came in convertibles, but I don't even like the styling of those compared to the third generation. I want something that I can put the top down/take the top(s) off of and cruise in comfort, but still stomp most anything else on the road. That is also part of the reason I ruled out the EVO. The problem with a vette, is that by the time I'm done paying for the car, I have (almost) no money left to modify with.

[kman10587]

Well, a Supra TT is already extremely difficult to find to begin with...finding one with a targa is gonna be even tougher. I have to recommend the 300ZX now, since I believe T-Tops come standard. It's pretty easy to find Camaro convertibles as well.

[k3smostwanted]

yeah all the 300zxTT comes with t-tops standard. but they did make a slicktop n/a that would be a perfect car for the TT swap because it is about 200-300lbs lighter. lighter because of the lack of support for the t-tops. that would be a great start for someone that wants to build in all out performance Z. plus the slicktops are really rare.

[Knightmare]

Come to think of it, If I look one generation earlier, I've found quite a few Supra Turbos with targa tops for sale. What do you guys think of the Supra Turbos prior to 1993? (I'm mainly interested in how they stack up to the 300ZX)

[kman10587]

I believe the older Supra Turbos were extremely problematic, and the maintenance costs on them were stupidly high.

[Knightmare]

Alright. Scratch the Supra then...

Out of curiousity, though, what is the approximate weight difference between a Supra with and without the targa top? I assume that there is weight added, since you would have to reinforce the stability lost by a removable top, right?

[kman10587]

Yeah, although the Supra is probably the fastest car out of all of these, they just require too much money. After doing a lot of thinking, my real world pick would be a Chevrolet Camaro Z28 or Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. Very powerful motor, rock solid six-speed transmission, tenacious grip, fairly reliable, huge aftermarket, and easy to find, even as a convertible.

[camaroincal]

Well....you could get a '98 Camaro SS or Firebird WS-6 that has pretty muchthe exact same engine as a 2000-02' (MAYBE a tiny bit less hp)...except they will be more in the $15-20 range. Get one for 15k.....add 10k in mods (twin turbo, full intake exhaust, ignition etc.....and you have the best bang for your buck right there.

[k3smostwanted]

Originally Posted by Knightmare

Alright. Scratch the Supra then...

Out of curiousity, though, what is the approximate weight difference between a Supra with and without the targa top? I assume that there is weight added, since you would have to reinforce the stability lost by a removable top, right?

i would say probably 200-300lbs total to reinforce the roof.

Originally Posted by camaroincal

Well....you could get a '98 Camaro SS or Firebird WS-6 that has pretty muchthe exact same engine as a 2000-02' (MAYBE a tiny bit less hp)...except they will be more in the $15-20 range. Get one for 15k.....add 10k in mods (twin turbo, full intake exhaust, ignition etc.....and you have the best bang for your buck right there.

this guy has a good point...you can make it really fast as you can the 300zx. whatever you want man....its your choice.

[syr74]

Well, which car to pick has a lot to do with what you want out of the car.

The 300ZX offers, IMO great looks and an engine that offers a good amount of potential if not the most in this group. The car also offers a very nice chassis, second best in the group IMO. A Nice, well-rounded choice.

The Supra also offers a good engine in what is almost certainly the best chassis of the bunch. The looks are love it or hate it (I hate it) and that chassis falls down quite a bit without the top in place.

To be fair the others lose composure without their top as well. And, the Supra's hard targa can be put into place adding rigidity the verts cannot offer ever. But, if open air motoring is what you want the targa feels more like t-tops than a vert to me which might be a downside for you.

The Camaro and Firebird offer great engines as well, although almost certainly on the worst chassis of the bunch. These are also the bottom of the heap for "cheap" bolt ons as it is n/a. No simple tricks to get 100hp here.

Also, the basic design is old, and feels it. The chassis is the worst of the bunch here. Although, by far this is the cheapest of the bunch in the real world too. I saw a 2000 Trans Am WS6 coupe for 8 large the other day. Buy a Cobra for that!!!

The Cobra is the "Lord of the mills" in this debate. (I am assuming you are talking about the 03/04 in this money range) Yes, there are 800hp Supra's and Z cars running around. But, everyone I have seen is running fuel suitable for an SR71 blackbird and is built to the hilt.

Cobra's can run 800 hp and sound and drive like a stocker...no joke. 600hp Cobra's are all over the place and require nothing more than a few simple bolt-ons. Some of the 800hp jobs are more driveable than the stock car because they use the more efficient twin-screw blower in place of the stock rootes design

Cobra's can run over 1500hp on the stock short block as well as a demo of durability. (I do not advise this..lol)

The down side is that if you take the vert you get the "old style" IRS not the updated for 03 stuff. Room constraints due to the top cause this. And the snake, like the GM cars, has a very cheap looking dash if decent seats.

IMO I would take the Cobra first, and the 300ZX second. But that is because they suit my tastes. What suits yours?

[Knightmare]

Well, judging by the current polls (and helpful last post), It's down to top 3. Here's my dilemma with the final 3 though:

300ZX: Cheapest car to buy of the three. I love the idea of 4 wheel steering and front/rear independent multi-link suspension. They look great and have good potential. And the TT comes stardard with t-tops (I think). The problems are that the Z hasn't been in production since 1996. So, it'll be hard to find one with low mileage, and in good shape.

Supra: I'm having trouble passing up the potential of the 2JZ under my hood. I love the look of the Supra. But, again, it's been out of production since 1998. So, it'll be hard to find one with lower mileage. Even harder is finding one with a targa top, and for less than 30k. The last TT targa i saw for sale went for $35k. It's not that I wouldn't love a Supra, it's that I'm not sure I would love it $15k more than the Z. And spending that much on the car itself, leaves less money for modification.

SVT Cobra: While seeming like the "easy way" to a performance car, I'm liking the idea of a cobra. It has the most stock HP (not that I'm keeping it stock of course...), has a back seat so the wife won't make me sell it when we have kids, and isn't hard to get the times I want out of it. Like syr74 said, 600hp Cobra's are all over the place and require nothing more than a few simple bolt-ons. If a "few simple bolt-ons" can get me 600 hp, imagine where I can go from there. It's the only convertible of the 3, and while it'll killl the structural stability, I like open-air motoring. And I'm not trying to make a 9-second-lift-the-front-end-off-the-ground drag car, I just want a road car with some seriuos get-up-and-go. If possible, I'd be more than happy in the low 12's. It's about comparable price-wise to the Supra (assuming I'm hell-bent on the targa), and it's newer engineering and will be infinitely easier to find in great shape with low mileage.