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RexSeven
RexSeven Dork
4/7/11 8:19 p.m.

P71 specifically stands for a Crown Vic with the Police Interceptor package. There's other P-codes (P72, P73, etc.) for the civvie Panthers (Crown Vic, Grand Marquis, Town Car, Marauder).

steelynorm
steelynorm New Reader
4/8/11 12:29 p.m.

In reply to RexSeven:

Thanks for P answer? so does anyone DD a 944?

ReverendDexter
ReverendDexter SuperDork
4/8/11 12:33 p.m.

In reply to steelynorm:

Not since the '80s...

m4ff3w
m4ff3w GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
4/8/11 1:06 p.m.
steelynorm wrote: Are there other answers besides miata and e30? I was going to buy a boxster but wife exercised her veto power. So i have lowered my budget. Here are the parameters. No Miata, No E30s No ricers, no VWs. Must get mid teens or better gas mileage all for $3000, that can be reliable enough to DD with a backup minivan in the wings.
  • Alfa Milano
  • Fiat X1/9
  • Merkur XR4ti
  • Volvo 700/900
  • Peugeot 505 Turbo
  • Fuel injected Maserati Biturbo
tuna55
tuna55 Dork
4/8/11 1:16 p.m.

My turbo brick! it's for sale! $3k will do it. PM me.

Seriously, not a bad car though. Can be made fast enough. Comfy.

belteshazzar
belteshazzar SuperDork
4/8/11 1:31 p.m.
steelynorm wrote: I have driven a miata for a couple of weekend road trips. They are fun, but the fun factor loses its luster on longer more boring fwy roadtrips and the trunk...is kind of small. What is a P71? yes i could search but since i was replying.......

new around here eh?

Vigo
Vigo Dork
4/8/11 2:00 p.m.
Get a V6 95+ F-body. Cheap, parts are plentiful, "torquey," and just as fast as mid to late 90s Mustang GTs.

It is weird for me to admit this given my semi-strong dislike of f-bodies, but a 3.8/5spd one is a good car overall. Decent handling, good acceleration, decent mpg, good reliability, easy to work on, cheap, huge aftermarket potential..

I drove one about 350 miles a few weeks ago and found myself being slightly in awe of it's overall goodness as a semi-sporty cheap car.

belteshazzar
belteshazzar SuperDork
4/8/11 2:02 p.m.

they also get smaller the longer you drive them. or it feels that way.

SupraWes
SupraWes Dork
4/8/11 5:18 p.m.

E36

318 if you want a fuel sipper

325/328 if you want a little go

SilverFleet
SilverFleet HalfDork
4/8/11 6:13 p.m.
steelynorm wrote: In reply to Matt B: how much storage do they have, can i put a hockey bag in there?

A guy I work with is a goalie (lots of hockey pads!), and he had a 2001 Mustang. He used to haul all of his stuff in that without issues.

Get a 94-95 GT with a stick. They are dirt cheap around here.

TR8owner
TR8owner Reader
4/8/11 11:04 p.m.

Triumph TR7. Can get a decent coupe for about three grand if you look hard enough. Then if you ever upgrade to a TR8 you have a spare parts car.:-)

simplecat
simplecat New Reader
4/9/11 5:58 a.m.

Here's a curve ball answer. 2nd gen rx7 with a blown motor, and a 5.0/t5 combo. Its a well documented swap, and swap specific parts are a phone call away if you're not feeling fab-y. Its not as sexy as an lsx/t56 swap, but should be as fast or faster than pretty much everything else mentioned already, straights or twisties. Tons of aftermarket for both engine and chasis.

mtn
mtn SuperDork
4/9/11 6:11 a.m.
SilverFleet wrote:
steelynorm wrote: In reply to Matt B: how much storage do they have, can i put a hockey bag in there?
A guy I work with is a goalie (lots of hockey pads!), and he had a 2001 Mustang. He used to haul all of his stuff in that without issues. Get a 94-95 GT with a stick. They are dirt cheap around here.

I DD a Miata, and it does take some thought when packing the bag (shin guards go IN the pants; elbow pads IN the helmet, etc), but I can fit a hockey bag in the trunk with no problems. From what I've seen of MR-2's (NOT MR-S's) you can fit the hockey bag in them. You might have to take the helmet and gloves in the passenger cab with you, but so what. Also, almost every time nowadays that I play hockey, I'm by myself. That makes it really easy if I don't have space (read: if there is other E36 M3 in the car): I just put it in the passenger seat.

And for a frame of reference, I am 5'10'' 200lb (although my equipment was bought at 175) and I played defense. My stuff isn't exactly small.

Otherwise, cars that passed the hockey bag test were S2000 (not for your budget), every single hatch back (318ti anyone?), Mustangs, Camaro's...

93EXCivic
93EXCivic SuperDork
4/9/11 9:28 a.m.
TR8owner wrote: Triumph TR7. Can get a decent coupe for about three grand if you look hard enough. Then if you ever upgrade to a TR8 you have a spare parts car.:-)

Oh I was going to say this.

Travis_K
Travis_K Dork
4/9/11 1:23 p.m.

My Mercedes 300SD is a pretty nice car and was well under $3k.

sanman
sanman Reader
4/9/11 9:32 p.m.

SBC swapped Jag XJS?

Vigo
Vigo Dork
4/10/11 12:37 a.m.
they also get smaller the longer you drive them. or it feels that way.

Interesting you should point that out because even though i didnt mention it that's a major hangup for me. I briefly owned a nice 95 firebird that i couldnt say no to (flipped it for 300+%) and i couldnt stand how big it 'felt'. However, the 3.8 camaro(2001) i drove played tricks on me, felt smaller while being absolutely the same size. For reasons i dont entirely understand, my experience of those two cars was very different and i find myself thinking of looking out for 3.8/5spd f-bodies now. Color me confused!

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