So I am [hopefully] about to sell my Vortech Supercharged e36 M3 and have begun thinking about my next car. Since my bank account is sufficiently depleted it may be a little while before I buy my next car. However, I am still thinking about cars that I may possibly want to test drive and have come up blank!
My dad wants me to get a new car using money out of my college fund, this is not something I want to do because: A. I don't like any new cars that would be practical for me. and B. Money left over after college is mine to keep so I don't want to blow it all early on a new, boring car.
I would prefer to find a cheap old car, read OG Miata, Austin Mini, MGB, or something along the lines of small and fun. (This car I would drive and fix up along the way)
On the crazy side of my imagination I have thought about building a $2011 Challenge car instead, I put VERY few miles on my car and am thinking I could get away with using the Challenge car in a pinch as a driver. (I know this is kind of stupid)
So my question you all of you is which of these options should I look into most? Is there a new car out there or coming out that I should look at?
What older cars could be had cheaply that will be reliable, cheap and easy to fix? The Miata comes to mind.
Is the Challenge car idea absurd? I have plenty of friends who would love to help with it but I don't know if it would end up being a huge waste of money.
Sorry for the slightly scatterbrained post...it's 2:45 AM here.
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks
Joshua
Get something fun and reliable. A miata can do that. MGB and a classic mini are cool, but not the most reliable for daily driver duty.
Find a good used car, doesn't have to be miata. Something that can hold your attention for a while. Conserve the school money as best you can. Most folks aren't fortunate enough to have a nest egg once they leave school. Saving it for something down the road like a down payment on a house or some other emergency would be wise indeed(not fun, but wise). Considering you are cash positive leaving college, that means no debt. Keep yourself that way the best you can. You'll be glad you did.
oldtin
Dork
2/27/11 10:48 a.m.
An MG can be pretty reliable. Usually the stuff that breaks isn't the stuff that strands you if you know your way around the car. Thing is, if it does strand you - parts aren't available around the corner - mail order yes. I'd want a back up car if I was using an MG as a daily. Miata kinda fits. Interesting to drive, you can buy them for challenge money (if you don't molest it too much it can still do DD work), cheap to run. I've been avoiding liking them - but they've got a lot going for them. Or MG with miata drivetrain and wiring.
killerkane wrote:
On the crazy side of my imagination I have thought about building a $2011 Challenge car instead, I put VERY few miles on my car and am thinking I could get away with using the Challenge car in a pinch as a driver. (I know this is kind of stupid)
Na your just like everyone else here. I have always driven "challenge cars". My wife gets the new ones. LOL
ive put over 2300 miles on the e30 challenge car and would likely have put more if it were always registered. its a hoot to drive and the nice thing about most challenge cars is that if properly done the whole car's received attention compared to a relatively unknown cheap DD that waits to get attention until it fails.
plus its fun and i feel like a hooligan driving it with the exhaust and stickers
I DD my Challenge car. It's fun.
I'll tell you what, i'll cut you a hell of a deal. I'll trade you my challenge car for your M3.
So out of curiosity, why sell the supercharged bmw, sounds like a hoot.
^ I'm wondering this as well . . .
It is a hoot, but right now I am in college and a 350hp car isn't exactly ideal. I rarely get to drive it (except for when it snows, then I make a point to ) and I don't want to have all that money tied up. I'm hoping to get into road racing this summer and a fast DD is not really necessary. The car is a blast but maintaining it isn't easy on my bank account, the car was stored for 5 years so I had to swallow the cost of bringing it back up to speed.
I love the M3, heck I beat a 95 Viper with it but it's time to move on.
What about a TR7? They are cheaper then the MGB. But depending on where you live salt can kill British cars quick. Some suggestion of cheap old cars that aren't Miatas and can be quick. EF Civic, Mazda MX6 GT, turbo Dodges, RX-7s, MKIII Supras, E30.
93EXCivic wrote:
What about a TR7? They are cheaper then the MGB. But depending on where you live salt can kill British cars quick. Some suggestion of cheap old cars that aren't Miatas and can be quick. EF Civic, Mazda MX6 GT, turbo Dodges, RX-7s, MKIII Supras, E30.
I was thinking a TR7 too but I do live in a salty area... Can you tell me anything about them?
Nothing personal but I can't stand Civics, and don't know much about MX6's or Dodges.
I bought an '80 TR7 Conv. back in '84, so it was still fairly new at the time.
Pros: Great seats, sorta fast, looked good, drove ok
Cons: Went through head gaskets on a regular basis (1st at 15k miles), brakes were bad to warp discs, handling was just ok, build quality was well...quality was not a word you'd associate with it
But I liked it. I ended up trading it for an RX7 that was better in every respect except steering feel and the removable top, and a short time later, and Alfa Spider which was superior to both in my opinion.
However, if I were shopping in that world today, my short list would include not those, but a Miata and MR2.
don't ignore teh nissan. fun, economical cheaper to buy than the equivalent honyota
What Nissan are we talking about?
racerdave: Interesting point, does the TR7 have a Rover engine?
killerkane wrote:
What Nissan are we talking about?
racerdave: Interesting point, does the TR7 have a Rover engine?
The TR8 used the Rover V8. TR7 used a 8V version of Dolomite Sprint engine. GRM or CM (can't remember which) did an article on cars that had a bad reputation (like the Corvair, BiTurbo and TR7) and talked pretty good about the TR7.
Does anybody have a link to the article???
93EXCivic wrote:
The TR8 used the Rover V8. TR7 used a 8V version of Dolomite Sprint engine. GRM or CM (can't remember which) did an article on cars that had a bad reputation (like the Corvair, BiTurbo and TR7) and talked pretty good about the TR7.
Pedantic note: The Dolly Sprint engine is a variant of the 8V Dolomite engine as found in, well the non-Sprint Triumph Dolomite and TR7, not the other way around. The 16V head for the Sprint was a later addition.
BoxheadTim wrote:
93EXCivic wrote:
The TR8 used the Rover V8. TR7 used a 8V version of Dolomite Sprint engine. GRM or CM (can't remember which) did an article on cars that had a bad reputation (like the Corvair, BiTurbo and TR7) and talked pretty good about the TR7.
Pedantic note: The Dolly Sprint engine is a variant of the 8V Dolomite engine as found in, well the non-Sprint Triumph Dolomite and TR7, not the other way around. The 16V head for the Sprint was a later addition.
Oh right. The car was originally intended to have the 16V version but it wouldn't fit under the hood if I remember correctly.
killerkane wrote:
93EXCivic wrote:
What about a TR7? They are cheaper then the MGB. But depending on where you live salt can kill British cars quick. Some suggestion of cheap old cars that aren't Miatas and can be quick. EF Civic, Mazda MX6 GT, turbo Dodges, RX-7s, MKIII Supras, E30.
I was thinking a TR7 too but I do live in a salty area... Can you tell me anything about them?
Nothing personal but I can't stand Civics, and don't know much about MX6's or Dodges.
Here are a couple threads on Dodges from today.
http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/dodge-shelby-glhs/32382/page1/
http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/shelby-daytona/32383/page1/
For the MX6, hopefully 92CelicaHalfTrac will answer about those.
The MKIII Supras are easy to find but a lot of times with blown headgaskets. Toyota gave the wrong torque numbers and with a new headgasket and proper torque on the head bolts they should be fairly reliable.
E30 323/325?
AW11 MR2?
NA Miata?
early RX7 (if you don't mind driving a car powered by a kazoo)?
if you can find a relatively unmolested one, perhaps an old 240/260/280Z or a S13/S14? could be fun
93EXCivic wrote:
BoxheadTim wrote:
93EXCivic wrote:
The TR8 used the Rover V8. TR7 used a 8V version of Dolomite Sprint engine. GRM or CM (can't remember which) did an article on cars that had a bad reputation (like the Corvair, BiTurbo and TR7) and talked pretty good about the TR7.
Pedantic note: The Dolly Sprint engine is a variant of the 8V Dolomite engine as found in, well the non-Sprint Triumph Dolomite and TR7, not the other way around. The 16V head for the Sprint was a later addition.
Oh right. The car was originally intended to have the 16V version but it wouldn't fit under the hood if I remember correctly.
They did rally a bunch of Sprint-headed TR7s; I'd guess it was more the reputation for reliability (rather, the lack thereof - IIRC these engines can have head gasket issues if the head bolts aren't torqued correctly) and the additional cost that stopped them from fitting that engine. Some people have built Sprint-engined cars so the engine fits, but it's not a cheap undertaking as the engines and the Dolomite Sprints they came in have their own cult following. It's usually cheaper just to drop a Rover V8 in them and they're easier to find, too.
You have to keep in mind that the British Car industry in the late seventies and early eighties was basically bankrupt and lacking the money to do proper model development, plus a ton of political infighting and blatant incompetence in the upper echelons and "labour relations" that weren't all contributed to them releasing half-baked vehicles that were more often than not, badly put together.
Early '80s RWD Celica or Mk II Supra.
Relatively cheap right now, and dead-nuts reliable. Enough aftermarket to keep your interest, not so much as to break the bank. Fast enough to be fun, not so fast as to require tithes to the Gods of Law Enforcement. Gobs of room in the back. Bitchin' 80s styling.
Your Dad wants you to dip into the college fund to buy a car? I suspect he didn't build the college fund...
93EXCivic wrote:
killerkane wrote:
93EXCivic wrote:
What about a TR7? They are cheaper then the MGB. But depending on where you live salt can kill British cars quick. Some suggestion of cheap old cars that aren't Miatas and can be quick. EF Civic, Mazda MX6 GT, turbo Dodges, RX-7s, MKIII Supras, E30.
I was thinking a TR7 too but I do live in a salty area... Can you tell me anything about them?
Nothing personal but I can't stand Civics, and don't know much about MX6's or Dodges.
Here are a couple threads on Dodges from today.
http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/dodge-shelby-glhs/32382/page1/
http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/shelby-daytona/32383/page1/
For the MX6, hopefully 92CelicaHalfTrac will answer about those.
The MKIII Supras are easy to find but a lot of times with blown headgaskets. Toyota gave the wrong torque numbers and with a new headgasket and proper torque on the head bolts they should be fairly reliable.
MX6 threads:
http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/89-mx-6-gt-turbo-tell-me-about-them/25515/page1/
http://archive.grassrootsmotorsports.com/board/viewtopic.php?pid=359652
http://classicmotorsports.net/forum/grm/gentlemen-i-request-your-knowledge-on-the-mx6-gt-t/11042/page1/
http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/80s-turbo-goodness/31132/page1/
http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/learn-me-1st-gen-ford-probe-gt/22280/page1/
The long and short of is... they're Japanese Turbo Mopars. They can get SILLY fast for cheap, and they can handle. Not sure if you can have both at the same time, but that's pretty standard when it comes to FWD.
I wouldn't rule out the 2nd gen V6 cars, either.
Buuuutttt... i don't know if those will be "quirky" enough for you.
I base my suggestions on what I've daily driven in the 6 or so years:
BMW E30
Volvo 700/900 Turbo
Fiat X1/9
Merkur XR4ti
Alfa Romeo Milano
Maserati Biturbo - though still too new to me to make a reliability call.
