[Cash-Money]

I'm looking to buy a "new" car. New to me anyway. I want a small, rear wheel or all wheel drive car, that isnt too ugly. hardtop or convertable. Age doesnt really matter, but cost is a big issue, so nothing super new. I've been looking at audi quattro coupes from the early 80s, and MGBs from the mid 60s. Also been looking at older BMWs. I like the MGB alot. I plan on doing a motor swap and some mods to make it a sleeper. I've talked to a guy that owns one and is putting a small block chevy v8 in it. Anybody done something like this?

 

[Toshi]

please expand on "cost is a big issue"

 

[MMike]

I recommend buying my 2001 Cherokee

 

[RhinofromWA]

please expand on "cost is a big issue"

yeah "cost is an issue" and "motor swap/some mods" are big contradictions when you are limited on resources.

 

[Zark]

Nissan 280Z Cheap, fun to drive and RWD

A big plus is they are simple and you can work on em yourself

 

[Toshi]

yeah "cost is an issue" and "motor swap/some mods" are big contradictions when you are limited on resources.

maybe he has an extra car or three up on blocks in the front yard and he just needs a rolling shell?

 

[nicklin]

older porsche 911's are sick cars as long as you maintain them regularly

 

[blue]

Nissan 280Z is a girl's car...and they're slow.

Get a late 80s Nissan 300ZX, you can find the non turbo ones going for around a grand, my friend offered me his 87 for 500 bucks. If you can find a turbo from the late 80s, jump on it, it'll be cheap I'd bet.

 

[downhillzeypher]

Cost is a big issue huh?

Carrera GT is a good buy.

 

[BurlyShirley]

If you're a man who likes other men, I suggest the Jeep Liberty.

 

[Toshi]

Nissan 280Z is a girl's car...and they're slow.

Get a late 80s Nissan 300ZX, you can find the non turbo ones going for around a grand, my friend offered me his 87 for 500 bucks. If you can find a turbo from the late 80s, jump on it, it'll be cheap I'd bet.

ugh. z31? 300zxs from the 80s are a) ugly, and b) slow since they grew fat in that period. z32 or 240z, nothing else is acceptable

 

[MTB_Rob_NC]

I'm looking to buy a "new" car. New to me anyway. I want a small, rear wheel or all wheel drive car, that isnt too ugly. hardtop or convertable. ........................................ I plan on doing a motor swap and some mods to make it a sleeper. I've talked to a guy that owns one and is putting a small block chevy v8 in it. Anybody done something like this?

How about an all wheel drive DSM? That is an Eclipse, Talon or Laser.

The first generations cars are cheap (90-94). The AWD can be made VERY fast for very little money. When you do them right they are sleepers in every sense of the word.

Just make sure to check the timing belt and the transfer case. Other than that the 1st generations are pretty bomb proof. Late 92,93,94 are the best years.

The second generation cars (95-99) are nicer looking, but take a bit more to make fast and have a few more issues.

 

[blue]

pbsh...they're ugly, but by no means fat...we've got sandbags in my friends car to keep it on the ground.

They're superlight with a 200 something HP engine making them...fast

 

[Toshi]

pbsh...they're ugly, but by no means fat...we've got sandbags in my friends car to keep it on the ground.

They're superlight with a 200 something HP engine making them...fast

maybe your perception is distorted by a childhood spent riding around in suvs . the whole point of the z32 300zx was to get back to the sporting roots of the 240z. the 80s 300zx was the pinnacle of the softness, the feature creep, the devolution of the Z line into a tenderbellied grand touring car. given that the z32 was no lightweight itself at 3300 lbs or so and yet still was lauded by all as a huge improvement...

http://www.zshop.net.au/Z31tech.htm

3000 lbs pushed by 200 turbo hp. hmm. lighter than i thought, but not "superlight" by any sane standard

 

[shifty S]

get a bmw 325xi (awd) and swap in an m3 motor

 

[Cash-Money]

i only have to pay for half of the car, and i'm trying to get it for under 5k. i can get a motor for $300-1000 and i have enough friends/family that are in the know to help me build it with "minimal" labor charges.

 

[blue]

PBSH!

Early 90s Twin turbo 300ZX...Win.

 

[Toshi]

PBSH!

Early 90s Twin turbo 300ZX...Win.

now this i can agree with . except that a twin turbo might not be the best idea actually -- insurance would be killer for a young male driver, turbo cars == more $$$ for maintenance, and the 222 hp of the normally aspirated model is quite enough already to get into trouble with the law.

but if you (original poster) do get a z32 Z, don't swap the engine with a v8 or else i'll hunt you down and smack you upside the head hehe

 

[nicklin]

why not get a chevy camaro and f*ck the japanese imports?

 

[blue]

because a z32 300zx TT is not a rice burner...it'll burn the stock camaro any day I'd bet

 

[Ian F]

get a bmw 325xi (awd) and swap in an m3 motor

LOL!!! Let's crunch some numbers on this one...

Typical E30 325xi goes for around $5000. Sometimes less, but it'll need work... Nice, clean ones with low miles can push $10k.

I'll assume your M3 motor is from an E36, so you go for the S52 (3.2L version) and do an OBD I conversion on it. This will run you about $10k. Minimum. More if you don't do the work yourself.

Bear in mind any S-series BMW engine requires frequent and expensive servicing. I know this from experience. Out of the last two years of my life, much of my time has been spent wrenching on my g/f's '97 M3...

I love BMW's but they can be a bitch to maintain as they age, and everything about them is expensive enough to turn you pale.

Sven, what exactly do you want the car for? Unfortunately, a $6000 budget won't go very far when dealing with any sort of car from Europe.

 

[shifty S]

meh, then just go vw or audi 1.8t, get a boost controller/chip and a big intercooler and youll be good.

 

[SkaredShtles]

A UR Quattro from the early 80's would probably meet your needs. It would be a real sleeper. They'll be pretty hard to find, but the price should be in the ballpark you're talking about. It will likely have fairly high miles. Maintenance will be an "issue" but it sounds like you don't mind getting greasy.

Added bonus is that it'll be a *blast* on dirt...... the beauty of all wheel drive........ *BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP*

 

[manhattanprjkt83]

audi S4 killer :eviltongu

 

[Brian HCM#1]

240,260 & 280z's were Datsuns, and manufactured by Nissan.

 

[Cash-Money]

A UR Quattro from the early 80's would probably meet your needs. It would be a real sleeper. They'll be pretty hard to find, but the price should be in the ballpark you're talking about. It will likely have fairly high miles. Maintenance will be an "issue" but it sounds like you don't mind getting greasy.

Added bonus is that it'll be a *blast* on dirt...... the beauty of all wheel drive........ *BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP*

that was one of the cars i was most interested in. i have a car to drive right now (1985 volvo turbo wagon). whatever i buy doesnt have to be ready untill this time next year, so i'll have time to make mo' money. I want a fun project, and a fun car in the end. Something small, fast, and a blast to drive.

 

[nicklin]

because a z32 300zx TT is not a rice burner...it'll burn the stock camaro any day I'd bet

???? 300 ZX TT not rice burner? we are talking about a nissan here, right?

nissans are nice, but you said it yourself, a "stock" camaro, which would cost you next to nothig to buy used. have you ever driven a real Camaro, say, the late 80's early 90's and newer Camaro SS/Z28 with the 5.7 liter v8? i can bet that i'll choke the nissan driver with my burn-outs.

 

[Big E]

wow no one said any older subarus awd and 5 speeds. or older toyota celica 5speeds rear wheel drive. and the celica gt and a solid rear axel and the gts had irs. very sweet handling cars. not to mention you can make the 22re motors in them very bad ass. we got my friends stock celica gt up to 130 with two of us in it.

 

[SkaredShtles]

that was one of the cars i was most interested in. i have a car to drive right now (1985 volvo turbo wagon). whatever i buy doesnt have to be ready untill this time next year, so i'll have time to make mo' money. I want a fun project, and a fun car in the end. Something small, fast, and a blast to drive.

The UR is ur car, then. Only problem will be finding one. There was one up in the mountains for sale a couple years ago around here for $10k. Wish I'd been able to buy it.

-S.S.-

 

[SkaredShtles]

<snip> have you ever driven a real Camaro, say, the late 80's early 90's and newer Camaro SS/Z28 with the 5.7 liter v8? i can bet that i'll choke the nissan driver with my burn-outs.

Pray that the road is straight and wide, though......

I, myself, like curves. Especially unpaved ones.

-S.S.-

 

[COmtbiker12]

I'd go for the Audi Quattro if I were you. Definitely a sweet car, you can find plenty floating around on ebay for next to nothing. Either that or you can usually find cheap 80s Porsche 944s that are in good condition or even fixed up with some nice stuff for about 5-6k. Hopefully I'll be getting one of either of those soon, lol.

 

[Repack]

get a bmw 325xi (awd) and swap in an m3 motor

LOL!!! Let's crunch some numbers on this one...

Typical E30 325xi goes for around $5000. Sometimes less, but it'll need work... Nice, clean ones with low miles can push $10k.

I'll assume your M3 motor is from an E36, so you go for the S52 (3.2L version) and do an OBD I conversion on it. This will run you about $10k. Minimum. More if you don't do the work yourself.

Bear in mind any S-series BMW engine requires frequent and expensive servicing. I know this from experience. Out of the last two years of my life, much of my time has been spent wrenching on my g/f's '97 M3...

I love BMW's but they can be a bitch to maintain as they age, and everything about them is expensive enough to turn you pale.

Sven, what exactly do you want the car for? Unfortunately, a $6000 budget won't go very far when dealing with any sort of car from Europe.

I am going to have to side more with Shifty on this one. My dad just did it- sort of. He has a 1993 325is (and a 2002 M3!). The 325 has seen 80+ track days. The head gasket finally started to go at 162K. It could have been replaced, but he decided to go with a new motor. A 2.8L set him back just over $4,000 all said and done. It was a factory rebuild with ~20K on it. The only piece that had to be replaced (other than the motor) was the air box cover, but that was cheap. The 2.8l also had some additional vaccuum line mounts/holes that had to be covered over. I've gotta say that the torque output of the 2.8 is substantially higher than the 2.5. With the 2.5L, there was a sort of deadspot between 2nd and 3rd gear. In many track situations, the engine was either reving too high in second or too low in 3rd to get optimum power. The 3rd gear power band is now much wider. 3rd tops out at ~85 mph.
I asked my dad why he didn't do an M3 motor and he said it cam down to all of the other parts that he would have had to replace. Most expensive would have been the radiator. There was a bunch of other work that would also hve needed to be done.
If you do a motor swap, try to find a good shop. They have better connections. The first motor my dad was suppossed to get was coming out of a Euro 528 that GM had shipped over for the sole purpose of stripping down to see how it worked. GM then sold off all the parts. Problem was that when the crate was opened, it was a 2.0L.
I think that Autobahn Automotive did the work. They are somewhere near Newburyport, MA. My dad has been going there for years, and the owner is top-notch. He is active in the BMWCCA as well as club racing.
Back in January I was at a BMW Club meeting at Turner Motor Sports in Aimsbury. Will Turner spent a lot of time talking about building a track car. He correctly pointed out that a 325 is no slouch, and that there are plenty available. Compared to most alternatives, they come in relatively cheap. TMS is a good resource because they do a large mailorder business. They are trusted enough that they service at least 2 MacLarens in the area with BMW-built V-12's I've even seen one of them there!
My dad also has a Jim Conforty racing ship in his, Eibach springs and Bilstien shocks. There is also an aluminum fly wheel, short-throw shifter kit, adjustable fornt and rear sway bars, and a Super Sprint exhaust. For track use, it gets carbon brake pads (but stock rotors and calipers) and Yokahama r-compound tires mounted to 17" BBS/Moda alloys. My dad is "old school" so all of the mods are strictly for performance. No LED tire stem caps, ground effects, or Neuspeed stickers. The exhaust and flywheel/shift kit weren't put in until after the original stuff shat the bed. Other than the fact that the car sits 1.5" lower in front and 1" lower in back, it is a total sleeper. It won't win many straight-line drags, but it corners like its on rails. It is more fun to drive than the M3 because you feel much more connected to it. The 325 (now 328 I guess) also has noticeably less understeer. The M3 doesn't "come alive" until you are REALLY pushing it, but then it lets you know that everything will be alright and that you can keep pushing it. The 325 is just fun to drive all the time, especially with regular street tires and stock rims on it.

Synthetic oil will make your car last longer. My dad and I both swear by it. And don't tell me its expensive. Even as broke as I am, spending an extra $15 every few months is a small price to pay for longer engine life.

 

[blue]

Oh whats this? It seems the Z32 300zx beats most Camaro models, and is pretty much on par with their superfast stock versions. AND a 300zx can actually steer...Camaros are bricks with gigantic engines.

Read the stats:

http://www.projectcamaro.com/performancetimes.htm<Camaro
http://www.twinturbo.net/ttnetfaq/stats/mtjuly95.html<300ZX

Edit: You can find an early 90s 300ZX for under 5 grand. And you get something with an engine that'll last forever.

 

[stevew]

here ya go

I would have suggested a A2 VW GTI/Jetta w/ a VR6 swap but you want RWD/AWD.

How about a Datsun 510?

Or a 240sx?

 

[Cash-Money]

How about a Datsun 510?

that's awesome.

 

[Repack]

that's awesome.

I thought that was a 2002 at first.

 

[blue]

240sx? rice rocckeeet

 

[stevew]

240sx? rice rocckeeet

Whatever you say Sally.

 

[Ian F]

I am going to have to side more with Shifty on this one. My dad just did it- sort of. He has a 1993 325is ....

Sound like a fun car for sure, but has really nothing to do with Shifty's comment: a 325ix and a M3 motor - something I've researched the sh!t out (an E30 325ix 3.2L is one of my "dream cars) and stand by my numbers. And while your father has built a mighty fine track car, it's well beyond Sven's budget request. Looking at your list of upgrades, I can guarantee your father has spent a TON of money on that car. Probably more than he's willing to admit to your mother ("you've spent how much on that thing???"). The cost difference between a M-series 2.8 and a S-series 3.2 is not inconsequential - significantly more than $4000 installed. An aluminum radiator for an E36 costs about $600 and is a common upgrade from the plastic-tanked radiator that comes stock and is prone to breaking. Since my g/f is planning on keeping her M3 now, I'll probably be installing one in a year or two with the next coollant change. I'm surprised your father hasn't replaced it yet. Were I building a track-oriented E36, that would be one of the first things I'd replace.

Incidentally, there was a '81 UR Quattro listed for sale in AutoWeek for $9,000. Strangely, it's in the magazine, but not listed on the website...

There are plenty of choices depending on what you want. I lean towards BMW's and other German cars because I have some experience with them, but the list by no means ends there...

Older Miata? Inexpensive, easy to maintain and modify. Super-fun to drive.

Something British? MGs and Triumphs can be had for reasonable sums. They can be maintenance nightmares, but sometimes that's half the fun.

Off-beat American muscle? While cars like Chargers, Challengers, Camaros are probably out of your price range, there are other models which can be bought for less and take many of the same performance parts.

Later 5.0 Mustang. Cheap to buy and easy to modify. Or be a little off-beat and build up a Mercury Capri 5.0. While these cars are more popular with the straight-line crowd, there are also plenty of suspension upgrades to turn them into fine track-cars. And Ford SVT supports the aftermarket like no other manufacturer out there...

Same goes for late 80's - 90's GM F-bodies.

So many dreams, so little money...

 

[Repack]

Sound like a fun car for sure, but has really nothing to do with Shifty's comment: a 325ix and a M3 motor - something I've researched the sh!t out (an E30 325ix 3.2L is one of my "dream cars) and stand by my numbers. And while your father has built a mighty fine track car, it's well beyond Sven's budget request. Looking at your list of upgrades, I can guarantee your father has spent a TON of money on that car. Probably more than he's willing to admit to your mother ("you've spent how much on that thing???")..........

Bwhahahaha!
My dad: "The green car needs a new motor, but don't tell you mother."
Me: "OK. I'll tell her that the differential seal is leaking. She won't know what that means and won't ask any more questions."
Dad: "Good idea! I'll tell her the same thing if she asks."

I did see the receipts and was surprised that the motor came in at less than what a DH bikes costs.

As for the mods, they were all done as cheaply as possible. The rims were bought used from a friend, the brake pads are only in it for the summer, the track wheels are only used at the track so that the tires don't get killed...

Most of the mods were done as the stock stuff broke. The mods have been done over about an 8 year period. The funny thing is that the rear bumper is missing a big piece of plastic from when the pipe burned through and melted it.

But I do stand by a 328 or 325is (I'm a RWD kinda guy) as a great street car. Dragging is fun, but does not compare to coming into a corner at mach 1 and knowing that you can make it.