Need some ideas on buying a particular car
 

Alright I've got a friend who recently decided he loves RWD and wants to get into the game. He's got a good bit of money to play around with too for boost/motor swaps. Let me post some of the criteria he is looking for.

First of all, my buddy is ridiculously picky, but here's the criteria of what is being examined:

The car has to look good, no RX-8's lol
RWD obviously
Newer than a 240SX
Isn't as new as our cars
Less than 20k used
Isn't super rare that parts are expensive
Not a big fat muscle car that weighs a lot (Weight preference 3200lbs or less)
Handles well, doesn't have to be quite as good as the twins, just better than a muscle car
Not a 2-seater, has rear seats but isn't a sedan, similar to our cars and 240's (says sedan might be OK if last resort, but absolutely no 2-seaters)
Motor swaps have been done before

Great suggestions so far:
Mazda RX-7 FD (nevermind it's a 2 seater not 2+2)
Lexus IS300 (winner so far)
BMW M3 E46

RX-7?

Or wait awhile and FRZ?

That's a pretty narrow list. The newish model but less than $20k and has to be a coupe with rear seats makes it hard. If he either accepts no rear seats or accepts a 4-door then the options are much more diverse

Fantastic suggestion. RX7 is a good call. Any others?

A miata? MR-2's are pretty nice as well.

G8GT? (Fat)

IS300

350Z

Another good suggestion, thanks. It's a 4 door but it's not a massive ill-handling beast.

1990's 3 series add a E46 m3 motor (330hp) for a few grand and coils and wheels insta race car.

RX-8

He said 4 door might be fine. Just no 2 seaters. He wants a bit of practicality, which cars like the 350Z just simply do not offer.

Not sure how an M3 skipped my mind. I used to want one so bad.

His best bet would be, IMO the IS300. Small enough and light enough that it handles well, 4 doors for more whores, great looking, can easily have an engine swap. Someone back in Nebraska had an turbo-nitrous LS IS300. He called it the IS570. It was a BADASS car.

FD RX7 is a two-seater.

edit: How much is a "good bit" of money, too? My vote goes with a 1 series M. If not, a 135i.

Supra Mark IV?

Back seat is as bad if not worse than the twins though.

I actually think his best bet is an RX8, it'll be more reliable than an RX7 and more practical and cheaper if he goes hunting properly. Nearly 400 and 600 lbs lighter than the Lexus and BMW respectively mentioned in the OP (By the way, BMW weighs too much for your criteria). More power than the Lexus and better chance of finding a manual (which apparently wasn't even offered in the car for awhile wtf). I'd put it on par with the BMW, more enthusiast interest means more manuals, more heavily abused examples but also more examples worth having than the trophy wife's Lexus.

In case OP hasn't seen it:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jImHTWfj8aM"]FRS (GT86, BRZ) vs RX8 vs S2000 Review - Everyday Driver - YouTube[/ame]

The RX8 kind of looks like the loser in this video but it comes out on top in terms of practicality and comfort, it could be car he loves to drive and will introduce him into performance vehicles.

Also, he'll be faster than any stock 86 in a straight line (presuming he gets the good engine) and around the bends if he works at it and puts on sticky tires.

Edit: But of course he could be a total asshat, blow the motor in 10k miles, get disinterested and move on. Or even worse do a motor swap. If he's kind of a tool I'd say go for the Lexus, if he's a poser go for the BMW, if he's actually interested in having a good time and he's rather cool than the RX8.

Edit 2: If he likes the FRS/BRZ but doesn't want to spend the money the RX8 is the closest car until you go back to the 240.

lol your list is what i was looking for a couple years ago and lead me to the twins. Now I have one so...........

GL

Ah I never knew that, thought it was 2+2.

He doesn't want an expensive new car. He wants the above criteria for a car he can beat on that won't be horrifically expensive to fix.

135i is way too new and BMW is way too expensive on repairs.

Good Supra's are like 30k plus lol.

Myself, him, and many other people agree that the RX-8 is god awful compared to the RX-7 and many other cars of today. It looks terrible most importantly.

Also he isn't new to fast cars. We've been driving quick cars together for awhile. He went the FWD then AWD route with 500awhp STi. The goal is a RWD car with the above criteria, including motor swap, that can be beat on. He's been tossing around LS2 motor, 2JZ TT, etc.

Sounds like he's a BMW man (ironic for someone who cares about looks), best of luck.

:happy0180:

Surprised though as the RX-8 checks LITERALLY every box on your list, and the BMW is a pig in the weight department.

I edited the post above a bit. He considers 3400+ a pig, which is why muscle cars were mentioned. It doesn't have to be AS lightweight as our cars. The IS300 seems to be fitting this bill nicely. Or E36/E46. I agree though a bit about the E46, it's a tad pigly.

After reading this thread, I don't think there is a single car that meets his qualifications.

That's why the thread was started, just in case we missed something. Too bad Supras are too expensive.

To each their own, I just find it absurd to toss out a car based on looks alone, if you haven't checked out the video I posted you really should.

The Lexus and BMW do seem to be good cars to cross shop though if that's what's hitting the right buttons for him at the moment then go for it. Good luck finding a manual Lexus.

What criteria is the RX8 missing? Looks are subjective and not specified in the OP.

Your point is entirely valid. However, most car people will agree that if the car doesn't look good, then it's not worth buying. That's like getting a girl because she's awesome at sex and BJ's but she lacks in the looks department. Not GF or wife material lol. Some people can live with a fast ugly car. Some can't. I personally never liked the RX-8's, but he completely despises them.

So far IS300 is the winner. A clean low mileage manual IS300 goes for $10-15k. Already has a fantastic motor too.

Hah, more examples of excellent cars for me, I think they look better than the 86. Like I said, good luck finding a manual, there are more posts LOOKING for a manual IS300 than people selling manual IS300's in my area.

That'll be the tough part. There's also manual tranny swap.

Thanks for the help guys. IS300 looks like a winner but if anything else pops up let me know.

Ah, I didn't consider a six year old car new. They came out in 08. Can completely understand the maintenance cost though.

Supras are also a two seater.

How about a G35? He likes the 350Z but wants a back seat, right? GTM has turbo and supercharger kits that are reasonable and will do a good amount of power. And if that's enough, there are LS swap kits as well. A little heavier than he wants, probably, but you can always shed some of that weight.

edit: Other suggestion is a Lotus Elise. They're about the size of a bicycle, so just put this on the back if you have kids :D
http://www.bikeshophub.com/wp-conten...ailer-2009.jpg

E36 M3 = Perfect

Nick C.

1st gen Ford Focus.

Conversion to RWD (cheap)

Tons of engine choices that fit in the car.

You can pick one up for cheap, hell theres tons of clunkers for it.

IS300 is a girl's car (my sister's dream car) and nobody wants 4 doors.

Horespower, a turbo, and gas mileage.

Just as old as a 240 and the E46 M3 maintenance is too expensive to meet the qualifications.

238 hp, ~2,900 lbs, better power to weight than an 86, close to an S2000, better than the Lexus.
Turbo's are cool, why is this a problem especially when regarding the OP?
Mileage, again, not mentioned in the OP but not significantly far off from the cars it's getting compared to:

http://www.fuelly.com/car/lexus/is300
http://www.fuelly.com/car/bmw/m3
http://www.fuelly.com/car/mazda/rx-8

RX8 average ~18 mpg
M3 average ~20 mpg
IS300 average ~21 mpg

Unless you're speaking of the whole package that for the HP output with a turbo the engine does not get good enough gas mileage? I'm not sure what your argument is.

I don't see many girl cars hitting 9's in the 1/4 mile.

I can think of one, bit faster than 9's though :thumbsup:

http://www.racintoday.com/wp-content...ce-and-car.jpg


Nick C.

When you start talking about mawded cars then you gotta wipe the table clean.

http://db.carbuzz.com/images2/280000...500/283587.jpg
http://www.dragtimes.com/images/6439...gen-Beetle.jpg

So manly.