Need ideas for a friend (what car thread)

My friend's gf wants to buy him a present in the future and was thinking of getting him something a ~$3000 car that he can have some fun with.

The problem lies that he's 6' 4" and she wants something that's semi-retro/cool. He definitely wants something stick and fun to drive. At 3000 dollars in NJ we have pretty limited options.

All signs point to an e30 at this point but I was wondering about other options. W124? an old volvo 240? I also don't want the car to be too much of a project. He's willing to learn/likes to learn, but I'd like him to be able to enjoy the car before he has to get a little dirty.

1st Gen RX7, go with GSL-SE.

Fox Mustang

3rd Gen Camaro/Firebird

For a start

C4 Corvette would be cool.

Early Mustang would be kinda cool. Could be found with a rag top but I'd rather have the C4 'Vette.

A 2nd gen RX7 may be of interest also.

Another option, seems like Porsche 944 fits the budget.

Anything more vintage or classic wouldn't fit a 6'4" adult man.

I'll see what she thinks about those. I'm a big fan of fox bodies, but I think she wants something more "cute" she can cruise around in. The 1st gen rx7 seems to check off the boxes though

This is going to be his first stick car. He drives a van right now so fun to drive. If it were up to me I'd put him in an e36 325 or an old honda.

edit: For the 944 what issues/cautions to ownership are there? What would be the most desirable in her budget range?

You can find a decent TR7 for that price. Lots of room for a sports car. I personally know of several 6'4" plus owners that bought a wedge just for that reason. Just don't install an off the shelf roll bar or the seat won't go all the way back.

Classic Fiat 500 drop top. Drops panties faster than the roof its self.

Give him $3k cash and let him pick his own car? I love mrs. poop, but I wouldn't let her pick out a car for me.

MGB? Its to my understanding the design allows you to very easily mod it to fit very tall people. Plenty of room behind/under the seat.

Fox body convertible. Lotta aftermarket support. A convertible may click the 'cute' button for the GF too.

He drives a van right now so fun to drive.

$3000 will buy you a highly entertaining Caravan..

amg_rx7 wrote: clip Another option, seems like Porsche 944 fits the budget. Clip

Ya but he will need another 3K for deferred maintenance.

Zede?

Vigo wrote:

He drives a van right now so fun to drive.

$3000 will buy you a highly entertaining Caravan..

Oops I forgot to finish that sentence. I think I'm leaning towards suggesting the e30. The trouble is at $3000 we're looking at the 318, 325e, or a 325 convertible. I'm leaning towards suggesting the convertible and having him put on an x-brace. There have been a few clean examples around me on cl. Any thoughts?

I'm from around the same area as you (I bounce between north jersey and the city). Finding an E30 convertible that isn't a heap of trash for $3k is tough. Trust me, I looked for months. Just an FYI. Broaden the search outside of the Jersey area. I ended up getting a 944 because the quality of what I got for what I paid was far better than equally priced e30's of the same vintage.

I like the e30 convertible and TR7 ideas myself.

Depending on if she thinks the whole awesome-80's aesthetic is "cute", then they might like one of these too (sans SSR's of course).

$3K should by a pretty nice example.

E21.....

Define "fun". If he/she is looking for retro cool, there are options out there. There was some guy, who I think turned out to be a canoe, who ran this super long thread on this forum recently looking for an old car in the same budget range.

If speed and handling aren't at the top of the list, there are some "fun" options out there. Old Beetle, lots of cars from the late 60's through early 80's. For example, $3k would buy a nice Fiat Spider (not sure if he'd fit, he'd have to check). Or some Nova with a manual trans.

Taking any odds that the relationship ends before the car is bought?

Alfa Milano, preferably Verde.

Easy: classic Saab 900 turbo, 3-door or convertible, take your pick.

Oops I forgot to finish that sentence. I think I'm leaning towards suggesting the e30. The trouble is at $3000 we're looking at the 318, 325e, or a 325 convertible. I'm leaning towards suggesting the convertible and having him put on an x-brace. There have been a few clean examples around me on cl. Any thoughts?

I actually understood you, i was just playing devil's advocate based on my love for turbo/5spd Caravans.

I personally like convertibles and am glad that i own one. For a while in my teen years i had a convertible as my only DD'able car, and i loved it. Now, i still enjoy them, still own one, but probably wouldnt pick one as my only car. But since the guy in question already has a van (the height of practicality!) he should be fine having a sporty convertible to cover the other end of the spectrum, without really being limited by its drawbacks. So i think it's a fine idea.

3k would get a pretty rough early mustang, probably not even running, or an original 6cyl falcon driver, hipster approved. just keep an eye out.

Klayfish wrote: Define "fun". If he/she is looking for retro cool, there are options out there. There was some guy, who I think turned out to be a canoe, who ran this super long thread on this forum recently looking for an old car in the same budget range. If speed and handling aren't at the top of the list, there are some "fun" options out there. Old Beetle, lots of cars from the late 60's through early 80's. For example, $3k would buy a nice Fiat Spider (not sure if he'd fit, he'd have to check). Or some Nova with a manual trans. Taking any odds that the relationship ends before the car is bought?

She's looking for retro-cool, but she also wants him to have rewarding driving experience. I think for his purposes he wants a car that's low-ish to the ground with a good seating position, that handles well, and a broad torque curve that's rewarding to wring out.

Speed and handling are a priority but it's all relative. I think he'd be happy with a 15-16 second car. I don't think their relationship will be going anywhere except towards a more permanent status.

redhookfern wrote: I'm from around the same area as you (I bounce between north jersey and the city). Finding an E30 convertible that isn't a heap of trash for $3k is tough. Trust me, I looked for months. Just an FYI. Broaden the search outside of the Jersey area. I ended up getting a 944 because the quality of what I got for what I paid was far better than equally priced e30's of the same vintage.

I actually found 3 that were in surprisingly good condition for the price in the NY/NJ/PA area. I thought it was just because convertibles were unloved. One is ~3k looks very clean but has 240k miles. Another looks is a suspiciously low price say ~3k. It's clean "low mileage" but no mention if the odometer stopped spinning. It's listed as a 1990 but still has diving boards. The last one the price is a little higher, it seems to be very well maintained but there's clearcoat failure on the trunk/hood which shouldn't be too much of an issue. He should put some work into it.

To be honest they all look viable and if I had a garage/space I'd pick it up myself. Other than rust/timing belt/condition of top are there any other special things I'm looking out for?

edit: the more I look the more I want one too

double edit:

conesare2seconds wrote: Easy: classic Saab 900 turbo, 3-door or convertible, take your pick.

This is right up their alley. Time to do some research

90-93 Honda Accord.