Need some ideas on buying a particular car

[Synack]

Originally Posted by strat61caster

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 IS300's in my area.

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

[Synack]

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

[n2oinferno]

Originally Posted by Synack

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.

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

[Diode Dynamics]

E36 M3 = Perfect

Nick C.

[dem00n]

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.

[King Tut]

Originally Posted by Synack

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

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

[King Tut]

Originally Posted by strat61caster

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

Horespower, a turbo, and gas mileage.

[King Tut]

Originally Posted by Diode Dynamics

E36 M3 = Perfect

Nick C.

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

[strat61caster]

Originally Posted by King Tut

Horespower, a turbo, and gas mileage.

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.

[husker741]

Originally Posted by King Tut

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

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

[Diode Dynamics]

Originally Posted by husker741

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




Nick C.

[strat61caster]

Originally Posted by husker741

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

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




So manly.

[Shagaliscious]

I vote IS300. Yea it's a 4 door, but it's not massive, and I think it looks good. They also have a bigger aftermarket then most people think.

[Synack]

Originally Posted by Shagaliscious

I vote IS300. Yea it's a 4 door, but it's not massive, and I think it looks good. They also have a bigger aftermarket then most people think.

There was a time when it was voted best drift car in Japan, the Altezza variant. I think it's a pretty good car.

I'm not sure why we're talking about MPG's above lol, none of that matters anymore when you go "racecar" with aftermarket boost or engine swaps. If you care about gas mileage then modding cars might not be your thing.