I don't know what I'm doing (what car?!)

Dear GRM,

I just moved to Seattle and am basking in joy of a nicely stocked craigslist (previously I was in Canada and only had the northern NY options to choose from). My commute should be about 12 miles each way and I'm looking for something enjoyable to drive.

In the spirit of previous What Car thread here are my parameters. Above all I'm looking for a car that sounds amazing. How it sounds is more important than things like handling or drivetrain/transmission - those options all remain open. Second, the car needs to be relatively reliable or cheap to fix and safe to drive (since people here drive horribly). Third, it needs to be competent on rainy roads. And last it needs to be difficult to steal or uninteresting to thieves, since property crime here seems to be pretty high.

Current budget is between $6 to $8k, but I could go for more if it was worth it - less is nice too. I currently have a 97 Miata and a 2007 4runner, so this would just be for driving to work. I would like something that puts a smile on your face every time you drive it and makes really awesome sounds. I really like the noises that the SRT4 makes, but they all seem to be trashed by now.

Current cars for consideration are: SN95 Mustangs, something with turbo and 5 cylinders (reliability??), VR6's (again reliability?), turbo something Subaru's (headgaskets?), and Japanese V8's (SC400 or LS 400). I really like cars that have exhausts that pop and burble (which the Miata just doesn't do), this makes me think that turbo or V8 is the answer here.

Please let me know your thoughts,

Groats

"Exhausts that pop and burble" makes me think of turbo rotary engine.
Also very likely to shoot flames from tailpipe!

You can't beat a V8 for sound.

The VR6...ewww...we have a Corrado at our shop and you can't buy anything for that car anymore (it had a very light front end hit). No bumpers, no radiator supports, no fog lights...not even on car-part.com. Plus "VW" and "reliability" are not terms I'd ever put next to each other.

Head gaskets are more a problem on NA Subarus than turbo ones. The problem with turbo 'barus is finding one that hasn't been modded/beaten within an inch of its life. They do exist, but are harder to find.

SN95s and F-body GM cars are dirt cheap, great bang for the buck and make wonderful noises. Suspensions will be crap and they are all too heavy so you have to gauge your priorities.

Luxo-brand Asian cars are pretty reliable but when you do need to fix something they can be $$$. One of my workers had a Lexus SC-something-or-other and stuff for that was obscene.

Excellent sounds? My friend had a New Edge Mustang GT with true duals, an X-pipe and twin Flowmaster Super 44s. That car sounded great at idle and screamed like a banshee when you went wide-open. The PI 4.6L 2V made decent power for what it was, it was certainly enough for the street and would ignite the tires at will. I honestly liked that car a lot more than I thought I would.

SN95 was my first thought, the Ford modular V8s sound great with the right exhaust to my ear. An LS1 f body will definitely be faster and has a better rear suspension, but the Mustang absolutely sounds better.

I've had two Volvo 5 bangers, one turbo one N/A, both in 850s. Comfortable, well built cars and right quick with the turbo. I probably put 80k miles combined on mine and they were both reliable, although parts cost more than anything else I've owned. They have an interesting sound to them, and added turbo noises are cool, but they're nowhere near as pleasing to the ear as a v8. They tend to drone a lot in the 2-3k rpm range.

I say go for a V8, my Camaro still puts a big E36 M3 eating grin on my face every time I start it up.

hard to steal.. I think a manual shifted late model Saab would fill that bill.. not only can most thieves not shift, but they would never know it gets locked in reverse with the key out

An uncorked P71. It pops, burbles, and roars. Plus, nobody would want to steal a cop car.

JohnRW1621 wrote: "Exhausts that pop and burble" makes me think of turbo rotary engine. Also very likely to shoot flames from tailpipe!

I was giving an RX7 strong consideration too. They seem to be fairly cheap around here and make great noises. I've wanted one since the 80's. How would one be as a daily commuter? I'm worried that having to let it warm up and down will add time when I'm usually in a hurry anyway.

Also, if you haven't seen this it's amazing. Believe it or not this video is a huge selling point for my wife letting me buy a rotary: Rotary Parrot

How about a PT Cruiser Turbo?

Same engine as the SRT-4, lots of cargo space, pretty much unwanted by thieves and based on cheap Neon parts so they are pretty reliable. Open up the exhaust and it will burble quite nicely. Also since it's classified as a truck, emissions isn't as big an issue.

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/5378505953.html

I vote for the SN95. The modulars sound great, but a 5.0 based car has endless aftermarket opportunities and is a much easier car to modify power wise when the time comes.

Lots of great ideas so far! Especially the Saab one. That would probably be one of the last cars anyone would want to steal - at least I'd hope so. Lots of turbo options too. Are parts relatively cheap and available?

On the Mustang GT, would it be worth the price premium to try and get one with a 4 valve motor (Mach 1 or NA Cobra's)? Also how are they holding up over time. Lots of cars for sale here have well over 100k miles. I've heard the F-bodies tend to squeak and rattle a lot, plus the low seating position might not be great for commuting.

I'm a little reluctant to get the P71 (for a lot of reasons), although I knew it would be a good suggestion. Maybe I should try and drive one again. I remember them being boaty and using lots of gas, oh but the noises they made...

Like Furious_E said, a car that makes you grin every time is what I'm trying to find.

In reply to Groats:

03+ fixed the floatiness issue. They do use lots of gas, but they sound furious uncorked, and go surprisingly quickly for a 4000lb, 250 horse car.

Honda Accord coupe V6. Something about the way Honda tuned the intake and exhaust just makes my fun parts tingle. The other factor for me is that I love sleepers. You can enjoy the noises it makes without making it obnoxiously loud.

Stefan (Not Bruce) wrote: How about a PT Cruiser Turbo? Same engine as the SRT-4, lots of cargo space, pretty much unwanted by thieves and based on cheap Neon parts so they are pretty reliable. Open up the exhaust and it will burble quite nicely. Also since it's classified as a truck, emissions isn't as big an issue. http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/5378505953.html

Wow, that's an amazing idea! I would have never considered a PT Cruiser, but that would work in so many ways. Maybe rat-rod it out a bit or throw on some bosozoku exhaust pipes. I'm partial to the fake wood paneling on the sides.

They do make all the right noises: Video1

Video 2

Is it possible to make a NA Mustang engine pop like those do or is that a turbo thing?

In reply to Groats:

I'd look at Nissan VQ35 cars. 350z and just about any Infiniti x35 vehicle from the early aughts. It has a really nice sound to it, kinda high pitched, but melodic. It's one of the few engines I can pick out by sound.

In reply to Mike:

Those sound great too! The first car in this video almost sounds like a rally car in the distance, plus some popping on deceleration: video With the Infiniti options you can get something that's more of a sleeper too.

You guys have given me a lot to think about. Now I need to get out there and do some test drives!

G_Body_Man wrote: An uncorked P71. It pops, burbles, and roars. Plus, nobody would want to steal a cop car.

Delete one pair of the 4 cats and add a decent pair of mufflers and they sound fabulous

Make sure you get the LSD, the handling is already upgraded for cop use.

As for mileage expect mid 20s.

This 09, sans rims, cost me $2400 as is.

Maybe a bit above your budget, but if you want ridiculous exhaust noises, the Abarth 500 is absolutely silly. I love listening to them at autocrosses, thanks to the variety of barks, pops, growls and whistles they make.

I'd go New Edge Mustang GT. Mine has 287k and still makes all the right pops and burbles.

My Lexus GS430 makes awesome noises with the exhaust opened up. Mine's been opened up naturally but an open exhaust (delete the resonators and move to turbo mufflers) makes them sound really amazingly good.

Parts are expensive but they never break. The only problems I've had in several years of daily driving is one door lock actuator going bad (and that was a sub $100 fix thanks to eBay) and a minor a/c leak that was easily repaired with an oring. I bought the thing broken from a previous owner's botched timing belt job, did a top end engine rebuild, and have done nothing other than those two things and regular maintenance since. It's at around 260k miles now.

Anyway, check these out:

https://www.google.com/search?q=gs400+exhaust&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8#q=gs400+exhaust&tbm=vid

people have uploaded videos of trying different exhaust systems on their cars.

My friend, welcome to the PNW. You live in Seattle. You live nearest to the greatest collection rotar-heads in the galaxy. Seattle is the HUB for all things 12a/13b. Seriously. And yes, the PNW has an amazing selection of Mazda, Subaru, Datsun, and old Toyota. If you don't want to daily a rotary (understandable!) then an LS400 with a manual swap is the answer. (Once again, PNW to the rescue for a manual swap- see xcessivemanufacturing)

You're not going to find a better sounding car than a 240/260/280z with triple weber carbs and a header. They should still be in your price range in that area.

NickD wrote: Maybe a bit above your budget, but if you want ridiculous exhaust noises, the Abarth 500 is absolutely silly. I love listening to them at autocrosses, thanks to the variety of barks, pops, growls and whistles they make.

This--- it may be (slightly) above your price range, but these little things sound tremendous! They pop, burble, and are a hoot to drive. They would also be fine in all weather conditions. The V8 Americans would be a good option as well, but with the little Abarth, you can't but help to have a smile on your face.

Different engines and different setups will change the sound of the exhaust, so you have to check a bunch of stuff on youtube to get a ballpark on what muffler(s) you like the best.

I'd be looking at a Lexus V8 with as little exhaust as you can stand. They really do sound amazing uncorked and you can make as many stupid noises as you want and no one will suspect it's you.
The converse is pretty much any American pickup with a V8 and minimal exhaust. Bonus points for putting in a huge nasty lopey cam just because.