help me to decide! 5g cars to compare

[christophv]

hi,

I read a lot in the last few weeks and came to a closer selection now -

here are my criterias:

- must be about 5000€ or less
- must have some potential (FI preferred)
- 2 doors, targa would be nice

so, most important is:

1. reliability
2. has to be reliable
3. performance/aftermarket
4. looks

I came to the following cars:

Mk3 Supra
2nd gen MR2
n/a 300ZX
2.2l 3rd gen Prelude
SR20-DET 200sx/Silvia S14

Mk3 Supra:
cons:
worst toyota engine ever when it comes to reliability
much much work needed, probably not affordable

pros:
very powerful, much potential, nice targa, very good aftermarket/scene in germany, yet a rare sight.

2nd gen MR2:
cons:
fewest power, fewest potential, expensive, turbo motor almost impossible to get

pros: looks nice, light, targa, aftermarket

n/a 300zx:
cons:
not reliable - even less than the supra I think, hard to get, bad parts/aftermarket availability in germany, pricey

pros: best looks, real sports car, good power (didn't listed the 300ZXTT because it's way too pricey and even less reliable)

2.2l Prelude VTEC:
cons:
expensive, hard to get, FWD (!!!)

pros:
for what I heard, king of reliability among these, good power/potential, nice looks

200sx:
cons: expensive

pros:
pretty reliable, very good potential (S14 w/ SR20-DET is common here), nice looks

Important thing to remember:

I'm pretty much of a beginner (but I read a lot)
I won't depend on this new car, it's just a hobby
I will have to make most of it by myself since I can't afford garages
I live in germany, so no us domestics available :/

I'd be glad if you try to give some objective non-biased tips - you see, I have Toyota, Nissan and Honda here, which is not so important - as long as they fulfill my criterias
But I won't buy a Vauxhall or a Golf

Feel free to post as much pointers or other cars you'd consider for my "needs"!

cu

[91300zxtt]

hey man get the 240sx/s14 you know you can turbo that engine w/o it being swapped right? go to greddy they make kits for it good luck

[christophv]

there's no 240sx in europe, I think the S14 was sold as the 240sx with the KA24-DE in the US and in Europe it had the SR20-DET, named 200sx and 200hp (220 in japan )

cu

[91300zxtt]

ya same car you can still turbo it man hahah

[christophv]

heh boost controller, water injection + exhaust @ 14psi is also ok :P

cu

[91300zxtt]

yep later man

[ghetto7o2azn]

Originally Posted by christophv

2nd gen MR2:
cons:
fewest power, fewest potential, expensive, turbo motor almost impossible to get

pros: looks nice, light, targa, aftermarket

wtf

expensive... you can usually find a turbo for arround 4,500 USD money... in 1994 more turbo mr2s were sold than n/a's.... how is the turbo motor almost impossible to get? you have the choice of importing them from japan, or buy a turbo mr2... i dont kno how much hp they come with in germany but in america they come with 200.. if you have an n/a and u want it turboed you can swap in a 225hp 2nd ge or a 245 hp 3rd gen... if you planning to do a turbo swap then i would just stick with buying a turbo mr2, and then upgradeing it instead of going through the trouble of the swap... my point... they are everywhere, just look on ebay... potential might not be as much as a supra but it can produce over 700hp... how much hp do you need?

just clearing some things up

[youngvr4]

i say the mk3 supra, lots of power potential
6 grand and this kid was at 560whp(i seen his turbo) i like that car and always have, its lots of times looked over as a car to have as far as performance

[christophv]

Originally Posted by ghetto7o2azn

wtf

again, I'm in Germany, good MR2s ('91, 80k miles, not abused) are available for about 5000€ (6000 USD) and have 156hp (which is n/a).
I also saw one for 4000€ but it had 96k miles on it.

edit: the 5g mr2 ooooh I want it

Importing a turbo engine is possible, but it'll cost about 3000€ which is too much when the car's already 5g.
And that's less expensive than buying a turbocharger and new engine/fuel/air management I think.

cu

[ghetto7o2azn]

how much do turbos go for? mr2 engine can last for over 200,000 miles if not abused...

and wut year did they stop selling the mr2 in germany?

[christophv]

I just read how much a 3gen turbo engine is: 3700€
If I would want that turbo, I gotta get one with broken engine for 1000€ and put it in.
But I don't think I'm able to do so, since I'm a complete newbie and never touched an engine (except for refilling the oil or cleaning something)

selling isn't stopped, it's still available (3rd gen)

cu

[ghetto7o2azn]

i kno that they started selling the 3rd gen mr2, but i ment the second gen mr2.. did they stop?

[NISSANSPDR]

Originally Posted by 91300zxtt

ya same car you can still turbo it man hahah

Man...it's already TURBO!!! The 200SX is basically a Silvia...w/slight variations...but it's the same car...SR20DET engine and all...

[clawhammer]

Here's my advice: since you're a beginner, DO NOT GET THE MR2. You really need a lot of experience to drive one of these, because it'd mid-engine RWD. You'll just probably end up crashing it, unless you're extremely careful, which is hard in that car.

[91300zxtt]

HEY LOOK AT THE DATE OF THE THREAD. NISSANPDR, when i originally posted in this thread many months ago I thougt the guy was from America, hence I said he could turbo the existing engine. I'm sure the guy has his car now, so