Car to replace Ducati

A touch over $10k will put you in used locost territory.

You can buy my Miata!

I'm in NYC too so we're neighbors. PM me if interested.

4cylndrfury wrote: DUDE?!? 350z/G35 coupe exhaust note is probably the best oem exhaust youre likely to find under $70k - basically you need to go to Europe with a suitcase-full of ransom money to find better

Nope, sorry. Hard as it may be to imagine, some people hate that VQ engine note, myself included. Sounds like My Little Pony sitting on a whoopee cushion.

Go different, go mid engine, go MR2 turbo.

You can track it without a rollbar. You can get 300 WHP with just a turbo and exhaust.

For 10K you can have a well sorted and pretty fast setup.

The only regret I have with mine is that I spent so long as a miata owner and didn't buy one before. :)

Oh and I vote trashy on the VQ exhaust and engine noise as well. It makes me cringe. My SHO sounded so much better. I even though my VE in my 94 maxima sounded better.

CTS-V... then again I am biased.

^^^^ OH YES ^^^^

that is your answer.

two kids means no 2 seaters

I am liking the MR2 Turbo idea.. for 10k you could get one thats actually nice and have a good amount of speed with some minor mods.

CTS-V for 10k? its that much of a POS

MR2 is a thought although parts might be a pain to source

E3 M3 still a thought. Parts are reseanably priced + easy to source ?

S2000 I don't believe i will find one that is clean enough in my price range

Miata is looking like more+more the way to go. cant believe people actually stuff V8s into them.

V8 fits nicely in a Miata, it's like they were supposed to come together all along.

Plus the exhaust note leads to some strange looks.

If it's going to be a weekend toy, and you want cheap, reliable, lightweight speed (you know, like a sport bike), I suggest a Turbo Miata.

Many here on GRM have built these with success for well under $10k. My friend Pseudosport built one for the GRM $20xx Challenge for under $2k, and he drove that car everywhere. It was really fast, easy to build and maintain, and handled like a go-kart. That's probably the best and cheapest way to go if you don't have to cart around the kids. You need some mechanical skill for the build (Megasquirt works great on these) but the result is worth it.

If you do, then I'd suggest one of the following:

-2004 GTO: It's more of a big GT car, but they are fast and fun, and have room in the back for kids. LS motor FTW!

-Early RX8: Great handling car, and revs up high with that rotary. Fun cars!

-E36 M3: You can find them just under $10k in serviceable shape. They also made a 4-door one. They seem pretty easy to work on and maintain, and parts availability is decent.

-2002-03 WRX: Find the cleanest, non-modified one you can. And remember... Subarus are like Legos, so lots of parts from other models bolt on. Parts are cheap, especially on the used market. Very easy to tune, work on, and maintain, but they are picky and can be quirky.

bus pass

DaveEstey wrote: V8 fits nicely in a Miata, it's like they were supposed to come together all along. Plus the exhaust note leads to some strange looks.

V8 miata? Does it handle or just plow through every turn? Tossabiltiy was one of the reasons I liked the Miata

Let me guess its also more cost affective than forced induction Miata?

I believe Keith would have something very positive to say about V8 Miatas.

Not sure what could be more cost effective and tossable than a turbo miata though.

Turbo Miata is good up to a certain power level, then the V8 wins. V8 will generally have a better power band as well. That's not to say that I am not looking at an FM II kit for my car. Seems "good enough", and if I want to go faster, I am still willing to jump on my two wheeled option.

Most track days will require a roll bar, but not a cage or hard top. You'll get a higher speed at the end of the straight and it's nicer if it is raining/snowing, but I know hundreds of people that track topless cars at VIR and Summit Point.

Coming just off bikes at a lower budget. I can say that an NA miata feels the most bike like of any car I have driven

Even compared to the solstice rental I had once upon a time.

Not in the power mind you but in terms of being a part of what is around me and not with that caged feel

smiles per dollar a 10k miata should be able to get you a pretty fun car

v8 will cost more than FI, it doesn't mess up the handling. Turn key v8 is going to cost you upwards of 20k

Turbo Miata is good up to a certain power level, then the V8 wins.

Sure, somewhere in the 11 second 1/4 mile range where you might ACTUALLY have to upgrade the miata shortblock..

I think power delivery is a better reason to swap to v8 than power level. You can make silly power with a turbo 1.8 miata. Its just that most of the people with turbo miatas are pretty much doing it wrong.

I'm not saying that you can't get stupid power levels from a turbo Miata, but by the time you've spent that money, you could have a well sorted, easier to drive V8 Miata. Oh, and not much is stopping someone from going FI on a V8

I still think the cheapest v8 route is the old mustang 5.0 which I hear because its a thin cast iron block actually does not weigh more than a dressed LSx. Even so you get 300/300 out of a 5.0 easy but you can get better mpg and much more power easier from a LSx which still costs more.

Monster miata says the car goes to 53/47 weight split and gains 200lbs over stock, flyin miata says the car gains less than 50lbs over a turbo setup with intercooler etc by going to the v8

Contrary to what you might think I have never heard anyone with experience say it ruins the handling at all

Oh you can also quite cheaply put a 5.0 into an e36

4cylndrfury wrote: DUDE?!? 350z/G35 coupe exhaust note is probably the best oem exhaust youre likely to find under $70k - basically you need to go to Europe with a suitcase-full of ransom money to find better

The 350Z is an awful sounding car, and every aftermarket exhaust I've heard only makes them worse. It's like someone is trying to strain a cat (meow type) through the cat (exhaust type).

In reply to Osterkraut:

Wow, I guess that it takes all kinds. Put me squarely in the 350z sounds great camp.

More to the point, I'm surprised that nobody's mentioned a Locost. That's the closest experience that I've had to a fast motorcycle - in both the good and bad ways. If you don't want to build one, patience would find you a lovely used one for that budget. Heck, Jack Mccormack has a BEC Locost for sale right now.....

Your sig looks like a stalker?

Yep, #24 or 25. Damn sorry I sold it.

Wow, I got better response then Romney at the NAACP...but seriously the V8 miata is amazing but past my budget and I dont have the time to do that myself ( 2 kids)

I did like Flying miata's blower kit for the NC miata is the only quick turn around for ample reliable power but I now need to find one for under 10k ( fingers crossed)

Found an NA that is in clean condition close by but did the math and even with a blower on it the power to weight is same as stock NC.

Maybe i am juist looking at the numbers too much.

So to recap V8 Miata is too costly and time consuming.

Now which miata? Anybody see a NC for cheap?

In reply to kreb:

WHY did you have to remind me that Jack had that for sale. It has dropped 1K in price since the last time I looked!