Just asking: any spiritual successor to the 1973 Capri V6 or 280Z

Hello:

If you had either of these (I've had 4 of each) plus an 81-RX7 and a Subaru XT no need to explain you know what I mean

--not a budget killer ~~~ $3000 for a car I won't wash or care about. --rev happy at least 0-60 in < 8.0 secs (yeah...if the V6 Capri, RX7 or XT were falling off a cliff) --great tossability --room inside for a 6-03 driver

1.Mini seems too fragile

2.Miata way too small

3.high miles BMW ? 2003- ish 4 cyl?

4.Subaru WRX -rolling tetanus shot?

5.Any Ford Foci or unloved domestic? Saturn, Grand Am, Cavalier

6.Any Neons left on the road at all?

Thanks!

I'm a secret BMW admirer so with your parameters I say number 3 knowing that you're going to have deferred maintenance hell.

240sx, if you can even find one, is a good successor to what you listed.

It would be easier to find a good Z31, Nissan 300zx, the last of the long noses.

Also, BMW 318ti if you can find one.

If you have not had a MR2, you owe it to yourself to experience one.

I like the idea of a z31 or a late 80s supra. Even the non turbo versions should be a good time.

FRS if you can wait a few years.

For $3k your best bet is probably to modify a Miata to fit you.

This sounds like exactly what you're looking for.

Are the early Hyundai Genesis Coupes getting cheap yet?

Early 350Z?
V6 S550 Mustang
I can't belive I'm about to say this but Lexus SC300?
Nice SN95 new Edge V8
E30

Id have to say miata with a hardtop. Its about the same size as the early Zs and is very chuckable.

Fitzauto wrote: Id have to say miata with a hardtop. Its about the same size as the early Zs and is very chuckable.

Why ruin a perfectly good Miata with a hard top?

In reply to Adrian_Thompson:

Im not really a fan of droptops. Love how the miata drives so it makes it ideal for me.

I owned 3 Capris... all V6 models, 1-72, and 2-74s

I currently drive an E7 Corolla coupe, with a few mods

'73 V6 Capri. Gods, I loved that car. Flooded roads / sudden sub-zero freeze put an end to the running gear, but it was a riot while it lasted.

Consider that older Mazda 3s are coming down in price, lots of headroom, tossability of the RX-7 without the gas mileage issue.

In reply to oldrotarydriver:

I keep searching, hoping to find another Capri locally. My first car was a '74 with the 2800 and four speed. I loved that car, it was my Interceptor.

Must confess before the crew:

1989 I sold my 1973 rust free OK interior V6 4 speed "medium brown" Capri for $75 bucks.

---brakes shot ---rack shot ---would not hot start unless push started ---usual shifter and clutch issues

sold my 1972 240Z/AT for $800 to my brother. --mexican orange originally, repainted ugly MAACO blue by prior owner --sickening exhaust /burnt trans smell through rear hatch -lawn mower bad --not that fast or charming

sold my 1969 Firebird 350V8 -for $600 to brother --house paint white ? over Warwick blue originally --duct work sheet metal screwed in for floor boards --not a panel on it with out 5 lb of filler --interior smelled like a hoarder's burnt sofa

Feeling guilty like a war criminal.

All to buy a 10 yr old townhouse I bought in 1989 $71,900 sold for $72,000 for in 2005. After sinking in $25,000.

Agent98 wrote: 1989 I sold my 1973 rust free OK interior V6 4 speed "medium brown" Capri for $75 bucks. ---brakes shot ---rack shot ---would not hot start unless push started ---usual shifter and clutch issues

This is exactly the car I'm looking for. I want to restomod one so do not care about the running gear. It would be nice to minimize the amount of rust repair. I also don't want to tear apart a clean survivor that is still running with the original drivetrain. So basically, I want to build an actual successor to a 1973 Capri.

Wow I bought a Brand New V-6 capri, and don't remember if that was 72 or 3 but a new 4cyl capri Smoked me, so I went and bought a new VW sports Bug.

My 73 4 cyl wouldn't fall out of a tree. Max speed on level ground = 82 mph with the C4 attached. Flat cam lobes? Who knows. You can visit the car for your self at the local Home Depot :look in the BBQ grill section. It'll squeak at you when you walk by. a-la Christine....

On the other hand, a guy I worked with had a 72 with a later 2300, reground cam, header, 4BBL - according to him, "that thing would eat some Datsun Z's". Maybe we can start a crazy GRM cult where we import old Capris from the UK, then jam TBird - turbo 4's in them.

Agent98 wrote: Hello: If you had either of these (I've had 4 of each) plus an 81-RX7 and a Subaru XT no need to explain you know what I mean --not a budget killer ~~~ $3000 for a car I won't wash or care about. --rev happy at least 0-60 in < 8.0 secs (yeah...if the V6 Capri, RX7 or XT were falling off a cliff) --great tossability --room inside for a 6-03 driver 1.Mini seems too fragile 2.Miata way too small 3.high miles BMW ? 2003- ish 4 cyl? 4.Subaru WRX -rolling tetanus shot? 5.Any Ford Foci or unloved domestic? Saturn, Grand Am, Cavalier 6.Any Neons left on the road at all? Thanks!

Bringing this back from the dead for good cause: https://boise.craigslist.org/cto/6100283918.html

'77 and '78 Capris, one a true German import via USAF veteran coming back Stateside.

Yes, I keep looking at it and trying to justify how to pull it off. :-)

Looks like a decent deal there. You wouldn't get one of those cars in GB for that kind of money now.

As for a spiritual successor, I have been thinking about that for years but fail to come up with a good answer. I stick to the Capris I have but that does not really scratch the itch of a Capri-ish daily driver that I can use all year round.

Somehow I am a little bit interested in the Subayota/Toyobaru 86's, they may actually be close. Perhaps when my daughter needs a trainer car to get her license...

Gustaf

You really do want a Miata with a hardtop. I had a 93 miata for a daily driver and the hardtop made it an excellent driver. Quieter, roomier and much more secure than with the soft top up. And I also own a 75 280z. The miata is about the same length but considerably wider which makes it much more comfortable to use everyday. The 1.6 was a great rev happy engine and only slightly less powerful than the 2.8 in my Z. I can't think of another car in your budget range that can be as good as the Miata.