Starter Car

[Speed Racer]

What is the best toyota for a newbie racer to start out with? Details PLS/THX.

[GearGrinderGTS]

if in good condition, I say an old Celica.... if your a newbie DONT get a newer Supra, even if you have the money.... Suicide is not the answer...... I personally like Celicas, even tho, they are a bit heavy for their size, they're fun cars... Just my opinion..... the Corollas are cool too, older ones of course

[killasoundz]

yep old celicas, coronas, corollas, supras. anything pre-86. they are cheap to work on and cheap to maintain. my last tune-up cost me $13.27 have strong motors. my friends stock 82 corolla with a 2TC in it ran a 13.6 second quarter mile time with a 125hp shot of nitrous. completely stock internals. we love driving that thing around and you pull up next to some rich kid in an S2000 and rev your engine and he giggles and laughs then you launch with no nitrous and he guns it then oh no your flying past him and he doesnt know what hit him. the 4WD corollas are cool too. sweet burnouts

[Tercel GTS]

What kind of racing? Makes a big difference seeing as how different cars are setup for different types of racing.

[GearGrinderGTS]

the only problem with Celicas, take mine, for example, its an 85 GTS... and some stock parts are a bit pricy, such as Tie Rod ends, at 50 biscuits a pop.... but the cool part is, if you know what your doing, a lot of performace can be cheap. My intake is just a regular Open Element Filter with an adapter, costing only about 40 bucks total, as to where a normal CA Intake is in the hundreds for other rice rockets.... Hope me and the other guys are of help. ..Lataz

[Speed Racer]

Thanks to you for your answers.I need a car that I can mod the H*** out of and still have a smooth looking/feeling ride.I will probably be street/dragstrip racing.(mostly dragstrip)Remember a newbie so money IS an issue.

[ghetto7o2azn]

you might want to look into a 91 - 98 turbo mr2 3sgte... it is better to drag compared to a new celica gt-s because of its mid engine, rwd design... you can also get 700hp out of that engine but if moneys and issue i woulding count on reaching that goal... there are also many aftermarket parts for it (performance, exterior, interior, etc.) but some people have gotten 10's with 500hp... but its all what your looking for

oh yeah, not to mention it looks awsome in my opinion

[Speed Racer]

My lil' bro wants to know what a 3sgte is and won't listen to me.Says he wants to read it so can some one please put up a post.I'm not quite sure I'm saying the right thing

[paulie91celicsgt]

hey man get a 5th gen celica "90-93" there hard to find stuff for but alot can be done if you look i have a 91 gt automatic im going to covert it to a manual this is my project car though

[Midnight Racer]

The 3SGTE motor cam in the 91+ MR2's and the 91-93 AWD Turbo Celica's(friend had one of these and they are fast).For cars like ghetto7o2azn said a 91+ MR2 Turbo or get the earlier generation and drop in the 3SGTE motor or look for the AWD Celica.Just my 2 cents.

[ghetto7o2azn]

what do u mean he wants to kno wut it is? do u mean he doesnt know that its an engine, or he doesnt know who makes it or.... uh u gotta be more specific

[Speed Racer]

He doesn't know either one. Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Got grounded for bad grades. I hate school. You sit there for eight hours a day and you are forced to learn useless facts.

[ghetto7o2azn]

so have u decided what u want to buy yet or are u going arround testdriving?

[illGT4]

An MR2 is a not always a good car for a newbie.

Especially a 3S-GTE powered, MR2. I'm not sure of the thread starters driving skills, but it can be deadly, if not driven correctly.

Get an old Celica or something.. easy to drive, good aftermarket support, yada yada yada...

Why do you want to get into drag racing?

IMHO, FWD cars don't make great drag cars. But then again, it's your choice.

What's up with youngin's and drag racing? Or racing in general on the street?

Here's a great piece of advice; go buy a magazine called "Grass Roots Motorsports". It's a great read, and you'll learn a bit about saving $$$ and still accomplishing your goals..

What are you goals for your car?? just fast in a straight line? Cause that won't do you much good if it's going to be your daily driver. Which I assume it would be if it's your first car??? But then again, you didn't ask what's a good first car.. you asked what's a good car for a new racer??

I hope you don't mean, ricer...

[illGT4]

Originally Posted by Midnight Racer

The 3SGTE motor cam in the 91+ MR2's and the 91-93 AWD Turbo Celica's(friend had one of these and they are fast).For cars like ghetto7o2azn said a 91+ MR2 Turbo or get the earlier generation and drop in the 3SGTE motor or look for the AWD Celica.Just my 2 cents.

The 3S-GTE first appeared in the 87(88) Celica Alltrac, or GT-Four, or 4wd Turbo, depending on the country.

in 1990, the 2nd gen. 3S-GTE found it's way into the redesigned Celica.
in 1991, the mr2, adopted the 2nd gen, 3S.

in 94, the Overseas Celica, received the 3rd gen 3S-GTE.
the 94 and 95, MR2, still had the 2nd gen.

I turbocharged car can be a very BAD idea for a first car.

While most dream of swapping a 3S-GTE into their ______ , it's best to start with it, if performance is your goal. But, be forewarned... it is not wise for it to be your "only" car.

If I were you, I would either buy an older Celica, like GearGrinder suggested.. or MAYBE, look into an All-Trac. But these are highly technical cars, not easy for a beginer to work on. They can be expensive.

But all performance comes with a price... check out Grass Roots Motorsports.. you'll get ideas on being thrifty and still fast.

Then maybe, when you're ready for a real car. :P then you can step up to something else... This isn't Gran Turismo. Credits don't come easy. Especially if you are a highschool student.

Educate yourself. See what is out there, and don't just take 1 man's word for it. What do you want??