got a few questions

[shaun_bayarea]

ok here goes.. i am about to get my first car and i've narrowed it down to 3 cars.

1- nissan 300zx
2-honda prelude
3-chevy camaro v6 3.8

the camaro has pretty high insurance and the nissan too...i think the prelude is my best bet as it doesnt put out too much horsepower for my firstcar buti can mod it to make it faster if i want. so a few questions to ask guys first.

1- what should a stock prelude get in the 1/4 mile?
2-how hard is it to get it fast?
3-how much headroom does it have? (i'm 6'2" and i'de like to be able to move)
4-are there any known problems with 92 on up models?
5-how reliable are they and when i buy one how high is too high with mileage?

thanks in advance for the help

[shaun_bayarea]

also i'll have about $2000.00 to spend on mods by the time i get it..what would you suggest i do to it if i get one?....i would want to make it perform better and be faster but not ricey at all...no coffee can mufflers or bodykits for me, the only thing i want to do for appearance it lowing springs but thats only because i think that preludes ride a little high...i was thinking like h/i/e then port n polish, short shifter, clutch, throttlebody,new plugs and wires....i cant really think of anymore right now..any help is apreciated

[Prelewd]

Read the forum.. You will learn.

One thing you will learn is to be more specific. It's apparent that you are talking about a 4th generation lude (92-96), but after that, are you talking an S model, SI model, or VTEC?

I'm assuming you are talking about the 91 and up 300zx, but are you talking TT, or n/a?

For the camaro, don't even buy it if you aren't getting the V8 model... The 6 cylindar is just a travesty of what a camaro should be.

For some of the questions asked: It has adaquate headroom for you, though getting in and out might be a problem. The only mechanical problem I can really think of is that in the '92s, the distributor would malfunction and need to be replaced. I'm not sure about the other years. As for reliability and mileage? Superb. I bought mine with about 155,000 and haven't had a problem with it since... Except for the clutch went out. I have 165,000 on the odometer right now.

If you are more specific, and don't ask questions that have been asked a million times over, the smart people are more likely to respond..

Regarding the above sentence, me responding to this definetly nulls my classification as smart.

[mnd643]

First of all, shame on you for even putting a camaro onto a list with two awesome imports.....even more shame for it not being a V8. Either way, I would go withthe lude, not because I am in love with them or anythign, but honda engines themselves are made to last. Ive never heard of a honda car that id not make it over 150,000 miles and further. Nissan 300zx is a good car, but consider the insurance on a TT, and also for that matter a camaro. The prelude is not considered to be in the sports car classification like the other two are. If you are worried about performance, make sure the honda is v-tec and 5-spd(doesnt have to be but it makes it a HELL OF A LOT FUNNER!!) There are so many parts to choose from performance wise, you can get things very cheap nowadays. Well I hope this helps your decision a bit.

[shaun_bayarea]

thanks for the resposes guys and sorry if those questions are aked alot but i did search them first and didnt come up with many answers....in response to your questions....i wouldnt really know what model the lude would be because i havent bought it yet and i dont know what will be available to me when i buy one...and the 300zx wouldnt be a turbo because it's too much for insurance and maintenance....so how high should i go with mileage?...is over 150k too much?...my step dadhas a accord and it has 250k and runs strong so i'm not sure how high i should go

[mnd643]

Dude, how much do you have to spend on the car itself? If your lookin for somethin that is fast as well as stylish, go for a 5th gen lude. If you want somethin thats slow, doesnt last or perform as well as the honda, go for the camaro and if you want somethin that looks tight, go for the 300. the 5th gen will run you from 10000-20000 if you wanna stay under 100K, if not, then im sure theres a whole other price range for it. The good thing about ludes around here (grand rapids MI) is that NO ONE else has one. At least not that ive seen. Either way, if your plannin on saving money, go with an earlier modle lude with vtec. They normaly last well over 150k if you purchase the car from somone who hasnt beaten on the damn thing! Oh, my advice on the car insurance thing is put it all under your mom's name, if you get pulled over, say that you were just out ridin around in mommies car or somthing....

[shaun_bayarea]

i know you guys are into imports but damn you bag on camaros alot...i know the v8 is fast but a 3.8 liter weighs about 3400 lbs has 200hp 224lbs of torque and is rwd so it's not a f***ing pinto bro, it has SOME balls...i am gonna agree with you on the relability issue though but that comes with owning a chevy.....the v6 camaro's arent supposed to be a supercar they are a affordable way to own a camaro without the gas mileage and insurance that comes with a z28....i dont own a chevy or any car for that matter but you guys bag on them waaay to much and dont give them any credit.

[Prelewd]

when I think of camaro, i only see one engine in the car, and that is the engine that the camaro was built for. how many cylindars does it have? you guessed it... 8.

[hybridsol]

Originally posted by shaun_bayarea
i know you guys are into imports but damn you bag on camaros alot...

I like the 300ZX for power, reliability and overall tunability the lude, and go to the racing forums we get bagged on way more than the camero's. I'm a mustang fan actually but camero's have power.

[Crackerballer]

I have had both, camaro and mustang. I had a V6 camaro, and for a six banger, it has balls> Nothing like my second car, a 2000 SS vert, and i admit, that is a TRUE camaro. I now have a Mustang GT 5 speed, and love it, but I am selling it to get a lude. Why? Insurance, I am 17, no tickets on record, and cost me 200 a month,a nd it has went down. Take it from me, unless you are at a job that u make a shit load of money, and are like me and have to make ure own insurance and gas money, stay 4 or 6 cylinder. 8 is fun, but way too expensive. Get the lude, I am sure u will love it