What should my next car be?

Hi everyone! I have a question maybe you guys can give me more ideas on. My family is tired of me asking them about what car to buy. I am wanting to buy another car in the future. Right now I don't have the money but I'm trying to narrow down my choices. It will be my daily driver, so it will need a/c, heat, ect. I want it to be a performance car that I can tinker with when I want to. I want it to be newer and have fuel injection. I cannot afford a brand new car so that is out. I have been seaching for the perfect fun daily driver and I am so confused on which way to go. I am usually a american hotrod guy but I am tired of the same old cars(camaros, firebirds, mustangs). While there is nothing wrong with these car and I love them alot, I just want some thing different. I have thought about these so far. The older e30 bmw's, nissan 240sx and 300zx, older mazda rx7's, older mk3 toyota supra's. This is just what I have thought about so far. Give me some more ideas everybody and what you think about these!! I would love to hear any and all suggestions. Thanks

There are alot of good Porsche 944s out there, I am currently putting an LS2 into one.

do not rule out the slightly newer E36 bmws... while not as well built as the e30.. (at least as far the interior is concerned) they do NOT have the rust issues and are still a very good car to drive and are down to silly money

They are also surprisingly easy to work on

^What he said. I LOVE my e30's, but around here they are getting really hard to find in clean and (relatively) rust free condition. The market has dropped tremendously on the E36's, and to my surprise (I wasn't in the market) I found my M3 for "clean e30" money. (under 5k USD). I still have the e30's, but the e36 so far has proven to be better on fuel, more refined (duh), and pretty easy to work on. (OBD-II can be nice for troubleshooting :) ). I've parked it for the rest of the winter (southern car), but look forward to putting it on the road.

The e30 has more character, and I like the seating position better (more upright feeling, more tossable)...but I expect I'll come to love the E36 in time, as I get used to it.

Other thoughts: WRX prices are pretty low these days, as are Legacy GT (2.5 turbo) prices. S2000's can be had under 10k now....

Miata, E30, P71. Done.

p.s. What is your price range?

Older bmw 5 series are nice (like a 535is), and tend to be in better shape than E30s. It depends on how much you want to work on it though. E30s are nice, but pretty old to be a reliable driver without some work. Miatas are good if you can fit in one, and you dont need to cary alot of stuff (I dont mind them but they are too uncomfortable for me to sit in for me to want one). P71 is good for a cheap durable late model car, but they dont get terribly good milage, handle terribly well, or do anything terribly well except be cheap durable late model cars. lol Porsche 944s have a few really expensive parts and need regular maintaince, and also dont work for tall people (I have sat in several, and there is no room for my right knee if i try to get my foot on the gas pedal). Alfa Milanos are alright too, they are like an e30 thats more fun to drive, and need about as much maintaice as a porsche, but most of the parts are cheaper and they are a little easier to work on.

E30.

Are you cheap or do you need a ton of space? P71 Do you like handling and convertibles? Miata Do you like handling and hatchbacks? RX-7 Like RWD sedans or coupes? E30/E36 Need AWD? WRX/WRX Wagon Want handling, 4-doors, and coupe styling? RX-8 Need a 4x4 for real work? Jeep Wagoneer

We need more specifics to have any chance of narrowing this down...

Mk III Supras are nice, but heavy. 5-speed N/A cars are still north of 3400 lbs.

If you're going Supra, you gotta think of 'em as Star Trek movies, and go with the even numbered ones.

I had strongly considered the miata and I still love the car. There is so much going for it the handling, the lightness, and all the mods that can be done to it. I am single and thought that I could live with a 2 seater but while I still live at home me and my family like to go out and do things together (i.e. a weekend at he drag races with a very large cooler in the trunk). I like the bmws e30 and e36. I like the e30 a little better though because of its lighter weight. How well do the e30's handle? I have read mixed reviews some saying the car handles like a dream and others saying the suspension is outdated and kind of sloppy. The car I get will kind of be a jack of all trades, daily driver, drag racer, autox/ road course. As far as bugdet goes I don't have an exact figure worked out yet but inexspensive is good. I would say 5000 and under any higher and I will need to make payments. While making payments isn't out of the picture I don't like going hog wild with the mods until the car is completely mine. Thanks for the advice so far everyone! Keep it coming I love learning new things and hearing different opinions.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot check out this bmw.http://greenville.craigslist.org/cto/1004959677.html

E30. What's not to like?

ponycarman wrote: How well do the e30's handle?

It is the ultimate driving experience. The handling is awesome

ponycarman wrote: I had strongly considered the miata and I still love the car. There is so much going for it the handling, the lightness, and all the mods that can be done to it. I am single and thought that I could live with a 2 seater but while I still live at home me and my family like to go out and do things together (i.e. a weekend at he drag races with a very large cooler in the trunk). I like the bmws e30 and e36. I like the e30 a little better though because of its lighter weight. How well do the e30's handle? I have read mixed reviews some saying the car handles like a dream and others saying the suspension is outdated and kind of sloppy. The car I get will kind of be a jack of all trades, daily driver, drag racer, autox/ road course. As far as bugdet goes I don't have an exact figure worked out yet but inexspensive is good. I would say 5000 and under any higher and I will need to make payments. While making payments isn't out of the picture I don't like going hog wild with the mods until the car is completely mine. Thanks for the advice so far everyone! Keep it coming I love learning new things and hearing different opinions.

Based on this, I say either E30 with a straight-6 if handling is more important, or P71 if power and functionality has the nod.

1991 318iS. It's like any other E30, but is blessed with better weight distribution. Also likely to be closer to E36 money.

Why didn't we get the E30 320iS here?

I have an E36 325iS with S50 cams, chipped with Dinan exhaust on H&R Race springs and Bilstein dampers. Cost me $5k.

It's a good car, but I hate the build quality (worse than my 240) and the M50b25 needs revs with the S50 cams. It's decently torquey down low around town, but the torque isn't enough to overcome the weight of the car when you romp on it.

If you get an E30, you will probably need to change the timing belt as soon as you get it, the average E30 owner doesnt seem to think about replacing them. You could probably find a decent one for $5k though, when I was looking for one they were all $1500 ones that needed $2k worth of maintaince (timing belt, new struts, cooling system service, wheel bearings, brake pads, rotors, tires, the only one i actually drive need a throttle cable or something becasue the gas pedal was really hard to move, etc). They are good cars though, just about 90% of them have been abused beyond the point of being a reasonable daily driver.

+1 on the E30... my wife has been daily commuting in them (3 hours+ daily) for nearly 7 years... reliability has never been an issue (one breakdown in all that time), but I do keep the cars in good shape.

Her previous commuter was a 1st gen SAAB Turbo vert with some Group 6 mods... a lot more powerful than the E30, but not nearly as nice to drive. Not as reliable either (especially as the miles piled up)

She hated my E36 M3 (liked the power, but not the "heavy, large" feeling)

The only other thing that she likes as well as an E30 vert is a Boxster...

I'm in the same dilemma... I got rid of my M3 due to the complexity and potential repair costs, but have missed the power in my replacement summer driver ('67 Mercedes 250SE 4sp) and missed a lot more in my replacement winter driver (Chevy Tracker).

I've found myself looking at early Porsche 928's and Cadillac Caters (would rebadge as an Opel) for a potential LS3 swap... but may look a liitle deeper for something more obscure (TVR wedge, etc). Key is to keep the car itself cheap enough to be a city driver and be able to reuse the LS3 drivetrain later...

Bill

+1 on the 318 as far as the E30 goes. But then I'm biased.

I guess the car I buy will be the best condition car out of these choices that I find first. What do you guys think about the Fiero(handling, looks, potential).

More of what are you prepared to make it handle, stop, go. Stock not very fond of them but they can be made fast.

e36 BMW might be a good bet. Fairly priced, fun to drive, roomy, looks OK. They have their problem areas so do your research. I can't find a decent e30 anywhere. Most are beat to hell and just plain used up.

Or try and find a FC RX7 with a V8 swap :)

It's true that a good clean E30 will now cost more than an equivlent E36... and be much harder to find.

When I had my 88 325is I test drove a 91 318is to see what the fuss was about. I really preffered my 6cyl. Didnt care for the M42 power delivery when I was used to the sweet song of the M20.

That 86 E30 in the CL ad will be an ETA car. Built for mileage not performance.

mikeride wrote: There are alot of good Porsche 944s out there, I am currently putting an LS2 into one.

I have been thinking a High Rev VQ35 would be a lot of fun in a 944.. and those porsches can be had pretty cheap with bad engines. there is one in georga right now in ebay for $500 with a rod knock

VQ35's don't bring much. VQ30's are damn near free around here. I could probably round up two dozen at $300 a pop.