New Car Decisions

[SlasherX]

well, the V6 is being traded in this summer for something faster. I have been looking at a Gt or a used Cobra. Here's the thing though, I've always liked the interior and feel of the Celica and RSX, but I also love the feel of torque under the hood and RWD.

The V6 is a hel of a car (now, at least) but unless I either improve my driving by a couple lightyears(that takes lotsa time) or invest heavily into suspension mods, the cars gonna be a pain to autocross.

So yes, the domestic lover is consdering for his daily driver an import. Chances are slim I'll wind up in one, but I was wondering what points you guys can sell the car to me with. No I'm not going to flame you, just keep it open minded and logical, please.

I think I may test drive one later this week, just to see if I could stand driving it day in day out. I just got promoted at work and got full time hours with it, so the money shouldnt be a problem like it was two years ago. Esp. on a used one that can stay in lift.

I'm being open minded here, so try to be yourselves, thank you.

Edit: This is my 1100th post here since I lost all my prev. 1800 or so posts, cool.

[Vroom_Vroom]

coming to the dark side i see :)

[SlasherX]

Originally posted by Vroom_Vroom
coming to the dark side i see :)

dark side is the domestics :)

im just trying to decide if i want a handling car for my next daily driver, or a torquey accelerater.

plus, as an avid lover of cars with sharp edges, the celica is onyl a natural choice

[PaCelicaGTS]

hey, there's a dealership down here that has Roush (probably spelled wrong) mustangs for sale. all the new models though. not sure if your looking for a new or used car

[SlasherX]

im looking for a car in the 20k region or under

[Deftech]

Well I am sure that 100 people will tell you it is up to you. I personally love older domestics and had several High Tourqe RWD cars among them a 69 Camero SS, a 77 Chevelle running a 350 V8 and a 73 Ford running a 351 Clevlend. Those cars had all the tourque imaginable but handle for ****. I realize that the modern Domestics handle 100X better than the Steel monsters I described, But still if you plan on Autocrossing, and that is what you want the car for, Choose one that is capable stock. The benefits could outweigh the cons.

I never thought I would enjoy an import till my GF had a 95 Talon (Eclipse GSX) After that I came to respect what they are capable of.

[GT-S Celica]

get the Celica GT and turbo it...

[BRAK]

Now i have heard that the New NISSAN SENTRA SE-R is very torquey for a inline 4! Its is also .. i cant remember the specs of it a pretty big 4 cylinder.More info at www.nissandriven.com . It has potential!And you get it Brand new at just under if not at 20,000! You should also look at the WRX ... its at about 25,000 BUT When you drive it .. you'l bee like HOLY SHEETO!:wiggle: :thumbup:

[SlasherX]

Originally posted by GT-S Celica
get the Celica GT and turbo it...

too much money to invest into the motor.

plus, i dont buy cars with drum brakes on them.

the WRX sounds cool, but I really cant get used to its looks and 4 doors..i dunno, im more of a sleek, sharp edged, coupe kind of guy i suppose :)

yes, im kinda picky about my car tastes...

im just trying to think if id be more happy in anotehr mustang and run the 1320 much quicker, or if a speedy lil car that ca handle as well as the gt-s can, with its nicer interior is better choice for a daily driver..

maybe i fi went celi i could go old gsx or 5.0 for my straight line thirst?

[FalGra]

The only solution to you SlasherX! the new Nissan 350Z... has the RWD you love, has the torque you want, and the looks close to the celica... better/worse depending on who you talk to... and power to spare... And I think they are supposed to start at $25,000 or so...RETAIL... Hopefully, my next car! But you already know that, don't ya?

[X-EVIL-X]

a turbo or supercharger is going to happen for the gts.
if you have a car that has this handling plus the power to back it up it will kick ass.
add a nice body kit and you got ladies all over you and you'll be lovin it.
or you can go the other route...

[FastDriver]

I think a Cobra will hold it's own with a celi, even on an autocross. However, Cobras are more expensive both to buy and to insure. I can understand the move. However, that said, after having even the mustang V6, I think your thirst to upgrade/modify will not be quenched by a Celica. I would look at other cars that have both engine potential and handling capability.

One example that immediately comes to mind is a 93+ Supra. A guy I knew last year bought a '93 for 13,000. I don't know what the going price is on them, but it's probably a safe bet to say that it is less that 20k. Very tight suspension, great looks, IMHO, and even more potential than the mustangs we love all seem to add to that idea. Don't get me wrong, Supra are more expensive than are mustangs in modification, but the potential is there, nonetheless, and you don't have to modify a Supra to get that V8 feeling; it's already a 13-second car. With some good tires, you'll probably already be leaps and bounds ahead of the majority of domestics on the Autox.

There are several other imports that have enough potential to satisfy you, but for an all-around sports car, it's hard to beat the supra. I don't have the money, now, but I wouldn't mind driving a Supra if I did. Of all imports, it is the one I respect most.

Chris

[HilfigerCelica]

It really depends on what you want out of a car. The Celica/ RSX will be better for a daily driver (in my opinion), better at the autoX, and looks terrific. The Cobra will be better for the drag strip and pissing contest. What ever you decide on, just make sure it's what you really want before you go trading in the 'Stang. And the Supra is an awesome alternative.

[daSchtick]

To be perfectly honest, I don't know if you'd really enjoy a Celica or similar on a daily basis, unless you are looking for a change. Not there is anything wrong with it, but it is REALLY different from what your used to. The big advantage of sport compacts vs cars like the Mustang, is the smaller, lightweight package. Due to this, these cars are generally much more nimble and 'tossable', and extremely economical to drive daily. BUT, your driving style would need to change greatly to make up for....here it comes....the lack of low-end grunt.

As you may know, I previously had an LX 5.0 that I traded for a CRX si prior to my Celica GT-S. When I got the CRX, I had to admit that I really missed the torque - I can't deny it. I loved the great improvement in handling, braking, and especially the mileage, but I missed the torque.

When I was shopping for my latest car, I test drove EVERYTHING! And what sold me on the Celica was the handling and braking were actually better than my CRX, and now I had decent power available if I was willing to work for it. The Celica does not have the torque of a V8, but the throttle response is great, the top end power is 5.0 comparable, and I still manage mileage in upper 20's with regular use of 'lift'. For me, it is nearly a perfect daily driver.

It comes down to basic physics - there is no replacement for dispacement, but displacement adds weight. Yes, you can overcome weight with more power/tires/brakes/suspension, but at a major cost to your wallet, and loss of the nimble feel that makes sport compacts fun to drive.

I suggest that you go test drive EVERYTHING as I did, and focus on what feel you want from a car, then make your decision. Good luck and have fun!

-Nick

[Dealer Xing]

Buy a used 97 + 240SX and put a SR20DET.

LSD, sharp edge, rare, cheap, fast. RWD

[dfess1]

Buy a '95 M3, great handeling out of the box, low end torque, and RWD. Sharp edges, what's not to like. Plus you can probably find one with some milage for 17-23k. 23k for the lesser milage. Enough aftermarket, turbos, s/c's, a gazillion exhaust/chip/intake setups. Like I said, one of the best factory suspensions, so not much needed there for autocrossing, perhaps an Xbrace.

[Da Kine Guy]

hmmmm, $20k. Well, I would say that you would definately not be satisfied in a Celica. The V6 Mustang, even in a/t form, feels much torquier then the current gen Celica, GT or GT-S. The Celica is a good cruiser/looker car as it stands right now, so you will definately get complimented on how great the car looks and handles, but no one is gonna be grabbing their seat when you take off from a stop light or gun it on an on-ramp.

I'd say with that kinda money you should set your sights on a '99 Eclipse GS-X, which is the last year of the DSM's. The crank walk you here about was addressed (so I've heard) and the engine is very potent. A friend of mine has a '93 Talon TSi auto, and that thing threw us back in our seats like nothing. Extremely fun car to drive and the handling is very good. Make sure you get a GS-X and not a GS-T though, AWD is killer and really steps the car up a notch. The GS-X will give you superior performance to a WRX and MUCH MUCH better look and feel.

But don't take my word for it, go out and do some test driving!

[Paeday]

test drive one first. The celica may not have much torque but it is a fun car to drive. I know when i drove my celica i loved taching out all the gears and just plain being able to rev high and shift through six gears. just my 2 cents.

[larryd]

wow Dave.. I didnt think this day would ever come and here it is and I find myself speechless.. I mean I honestly dont know what to say. You need to drive all the cars you like and see what you really like. As you know my x-gf has a v6 5spd mustang and I drove it a few times and wasnt impressed with the powerband at all.. I mean it had low down torque but it just died quickly after that. The Celica GTS on the other hand has no torque at all.. I MEAN NONE (didnt realize this till i had my Eclipse) but once you get here moving like 4000rpms+ it moves good, above 6000 ofcourse is like night and day.. problem here is the car is unreliable IMHO.. Im sure Ill get flamed for saying that but almost everyone of my friends who owns a Celica, well there broke in some way shape or form. Damn shame cuz the car is hella fun. I dont know much about the RSX-S to put up a fight for it either way, its a nice car on the inside/outside IMO, thats for sure but Ive never driven one.

an option you mentioned was a DSM for track purposes but you do realize that an AWD turbo DSM also can woop up pretty good on the autox too right?? I think if you had a 1st gen DSM with basic mods and a 16g turbo youd be happy, itd run 12s and beat up on the autox, then have something else for daily driving reasons..

[AkUmA]

Originally posted by Dealer Xing
Buy a used 97 + 240SX and put a SR20DET.

LSD, sharp edge, rare, cheap, fast. RWD

:werd: just make sure to look for a se model, they have the rear disc brakes, and if lucky the optional lsd install'd. you can find one for under $10,000 easy, and the engine(sr20det) about half that. with the proper setup, it can kill on the twisty's, run great 1/4's and be a good daily driver. also and awesome drifting car...

[xi KiNG ix]

I'm witht he idea of getting a 98-99 GSX

[MSR27]

I agree. Buy a 240SX, SR20DETT or if you have the extra cash RB26DETT. :chuckles: RWD, TT, LSD. Get a bonus from work and work those extra hours for the JDM S15 conversion in the front.

[Deftech]

Yeah go for the DSM. Had a gf with a 95 Talon tsi and that thing was one bad ass car. Well until she got drunk and ran over a fire hydrant. But up until then it was great. Just be sure to follow certain maintenance requirements. Like timing belt before 50,000 miles. Dont remember the other problems but sure larry's got them all on his schedule.

[SlasherX]

Originally posted by dfess1
Buy a '95 M3, great handeling out of the box, low end torque, and RWD. Sharp edges, what's not to like. Plus you can probably find one with some milage for 17-23k. 23k for the lesser milage. Enough aftermarket, turbos, s/c's, a gazillion exhaust/chip/intake setups. Like I said, one of the best factory suspensions, so not much needed there for autocrossing, perhaps an Xbrace.

dude, I REALLY like this idea, I didn't even think about a M3..

Already owned my share of DSM's guys, left a bitter taste in my mouth replacing motors and whatnot.

Also, not looking to build up a car for a daily driver..

Honestly, you guys are helping me out A LOT here, i never woudl have even thought of some of your ideas. Please continue, this helps me out a lot.

Larry-- stock v6's suck..its the potential you buy a Mustang for, not its factory condition.

[Coolwheels00]

Be like me. I have my Celi which I'm working on fixing it up like I want and I also have an older Camaro to play with. The Camaro isn't running yet but the motor is done. Just needs a tranny, brakes, carpet and seats and it'll be ready. If I'm in the mood for a day of torque, I'll drive my camaro. Otherwise, it'll be my Celi. Best of both worlds IMO.

[xi KiNG ix]

I know your not looking at sedans.. but while your on the topic about BMW's.. if you get a mid-late 90s 540i in manual its faster then the U.S. Spec Mid-late 90s M3 (Severily detuned in North America in the 90s). I remember seeing a couple of articles a while back of the 540i doing 14-14.3 in the 1/4 mile stock..

[SlasherX]

well i was poking around for prices on the M3, and it seems the only ones i can get for 20k and below are with 60k and higher mileage..like..way high..80-90k high at times..

the rest are asking about $34k for a 20k M3 and below and thats to be expected considering their cost brand new.

hrmmm.

[celichung]

Sh!t dave, wtf are you thinking man, dude, get a 5.0 LX coupe for like 2 grand, you'll be in the 13's with 500 bucks and the sky is the limit with that car.

[Humza]

what about a used nsx. Its got everything u want. great handling, power, looks.

[SlasherX]

hehe, all my domestic friends, hell even my friend who owns a hybrid honda was like..DUDE DONT DO IT!!!!

i was pointed out something though..my friend Jaime has been trying to sell his red 96 cobra with black leather interior and a **** load of suspension mods for awhile now. im not sure on teh mileage, but i do know that it has been meticulously taken care of and hardly driven. i may just have to inquire about it..i mean, it would be rwd, have torque and power, and handle (damn thing just stays FLAT through turns and the 4 link has been changed to a 3 link ala MM style--for you mustang guys)

never been a big fan of the 94-98 body style..always thought it was too rounded for a muscle car, but i just might bite on this if we can work somethign out..

what do you guys think? it has about 320hp after his x pipe and catback..

[SlasherX]

anyone? anyone? bueller?

[baNanA_ryCe]

hi...nice sig...its really...gangsta'ed out :chuckles:

[FalGra]

My vote is still for the 350Z... WOOP! hehe... seriously whatever you get... u'll love it!

[djm221]

For $20G's, why not buy 2 cars (both used of course). A beater for daily driving (aka. winter and rainy days) and a real sports car for fun (autox, sunny days, etc.) So, I would recommend my planned path. Get a beater 4 door, be it an early 90's Civic, Protege (which I have now), anything Japanese early 90's. And then, choose a FUN car. Right now, the Miata is tops on my list. Aftermarket out the ass!! For obvious reasons, it is a great platform to build fun on. You can go M1 ('97 and before) or M2 ('99 and after). 99's with 40k miles are in the $12-15k range, and they are great handlers out of the box. They do lack power, so from there, turbo if you want or S/C. Both have proven reliable, but do require a little tuning effort. If you want an autocross/fun car, the Miata is hard to beat, convertable too.
If this 2 car thing is even feasible, check out miata.net to find out everything and more you want to know about miatas. They can be easily made to be ridicuous monsters!! 2 cars is the best of both worlds, and can be had for $20G's.
Now if you have to go back to school, this method won't work to well; even still, if it tickles your fancy, wait until you are done with school. BTW, I would think insurance would be cheaper on those 2 chincy cars vs. a Cobra. I am paying at most $300/yr for the Protege and my second car under the Celica (total for both, $1300).

[djm221]

Forgot another reason to have two cars. Say one needs to go to the shop, or you want to work on one; you still have to other one to drive with no hassle!

[simphmerj]

5 letters... I R O C Z
seriously though, 300zx tt or 240

allan

[chrisle7220]

i say go for an import for a change. they have an overall better quality. they last longer, save gas, and you can customize it all you want. i like imports cuz you can do all that ricey stuff to it, like body kits, rims, euros, and etc... they look better then domestics, and you will get a lot more attention especially with the ladies.

[Camry2000]

I never thought I would see this day. Welcome Dave. :)

[skatamatic]

get a 93-98 supra TT. i'm gonna do it, you should try too :). dont care if i have to pay for a long time, i've wanted one long enough and it's gonna happen (i hope).

[SlasherX]

hehe, hey guys, check the original posting date :) who brought this old topic back up?

what ended up happening was i went car hunting, test drove the rsx, and gt-s, and then a cobra 4.6 dohc. fell in love with all of em for their own reasons, so me and my parents started looking into what it owuld take me per month to get me into one of those cars. with me transferring to another school in order to start my gpa over in hopes of law school, and not planning on having a full tiem job anymore while taking courses like i had been doing..it just wasnt feasible, or necessary to switch cars.

it came out to me needing close to 350-400 bucks extra month to finance one of those cars, and while i could do it in theory, it just would have stretched me way too thin. and lets be realistic here..does a 20 year old college student really need/deserve a top of th eline muscle car? No, he doesn't. What I have I'm content with, and with teh 3.73's in out back now, the acceleration is satisfying..for now ;)

[HilfigerCelica]

Good choice Dave. Getting into law school should take priority over cars any day of the week. After you get out of law school, and get into a good law firm, you could get that GT40 you've always wanted.

Oh my cousin goes to Harvard Law, it's a nice school but hella expensive.

[larryd]

wow and here I was gona tell you not to get a Celica or RSX cuz I dont think youd be happy in either to get your cobra cuz thats what youve wanted since i met you :)