£5k Super-Coupes

[Stealthbomber]

lol. IF you think something's not got any basis in reality, even if it is, it's impossible to get thru to you. Maybe you best be searching yourself, I reckon you know better than anyone what's what in every subject. Good story though, always good for a laugh when poseurs are showed up.

Sour grapes, much?

 

Edit: Hang on! YOU are not on the MR2 forums aren't you? Not after you'd slagged off ignorant petrolheads who are on car forums and then found out I don't even visit car forums?

Yes I am. And I try my hardest to educate morons on there who still think you need to buy expensive tyres too.

 

Funny thing is, the MR2 community is actually pretty smart.

A lot of peoples projects on there are DIY stuff to do with altering the suspension geometry as well as engine mod's.

If people try to talk nonsense they get found out very quickly.

 

Incidentally, unless you've got anything constructive to add to this thread I'm just gonna go ahead and delete anything else you post here.

KTHXBYE!

[Punkypink]

Sour grapes, much?

There there now, I only learn from the best, like good ol B2

 

Seriously speaking now, have you tried Haynes books? If you've got a bookshop near you with a good selection, you could pop in for a browse. They're pretty informative especially when it comes to early to mid 90s cars. There is also another brand of books that are even more informative, but for the life of me I cannot remember their names. I only remember them being sold in Kinokuniya in Singapore. Will have a dig around to see if I can find the name. They were focused around Japanese cars.

 

Edit: Ah yes. The Hyper Rev series. Unfortunately you might consider it to be a magazine and as such, refuse to trust it. Still, I'll let you know anyway that Vol. 11 specifically deals with both the R32 and R33 GTS-t, which are the models you might be considering within your budget? Good luck!

[Stealthbomber]

Thanks for that.

 

I'm not averse to reading anything. I just tend to pick and choose what I actually believe.

 

Particularly with regard to the Skyline, I definitely need to read more about what can easily be done to make the car more impressive.

 

I dunno if this sounds a bit silly but I'm not after a hardcore track-day car or a sofa on wheels but the car will need to be a balance between the two.

As a result, if there's a deficit in one area it'll need to be compensated for in other ways.

 

For example, looking at the exterior, reliability and possibility for squeezing a few more BHP out of it, I like the look of the Supra but the interior is DREADFUL.

Seriously, I just can't see myself sat staring at that big slab of a dashboard for 3 or 4 hours at a time, regardless on how nice the car is.

As a result, any Supra I buy is going to have to be stupidly quick and/or be able to do magic tricks in order to make up for the rank interior.

 

With Skylines, I "appreciate" the way they look because of what they are but I'm not really sold on their looks.

AFAIK, the stock car makes about 250-odd BHP (?) so if it's gonna cost me more than a couple of grand in bolt-on bits to get it to go faster that kinda ruins it for me compared to, for example, the 3000GT which makes 280-odd BHP and (importantly, to me) looks really modern inside and has features such as climate control, remote central locking and a 6 speed gearbox.

 

It really is all swings and roundabouts.

 

*EDIT*

Oh, just to say thanks to the people who've suggested other alternatives.

I've kinda always wanted an RX7 but I worry that any one I can buy for £5k is gonna be knackered and I really know nothing about rotary engines.

I'll have a look and see about those other ones though.

[Punkypink]

Btw I forgot to add, they rather confusingly have many different series for different makes and models, each with their own volumes, while others seem to be from a main hyper rev series, so the one you want is this:

 

 

They also cover other cars too:

 

 

Weirdly enough, I couldn't find any by them on the GTO.

[Azulsky]

If you can get the 3000GT with the twin turbo(VR4 i think its called) , go for it

 

For smaller displacement engine an S15

[Hammerfall]

To add a spanner in here, on the vein of American cars being ######... well the Dodge Stealth is just a 3000GT.

 

Are you at all bothered by fuel consumption? I can't imagine a big heavy car, relatively old, with a 3 litre twin-turbo V6 being very economical. Fair enough when they came out of the factory they were doing virtually 300BHP and 415Nm torque. However, thats not a lot considering the engine, in my books anyway. Take for example Volvo's T5, which was going around at the same time. That was 250BHP, 350 Nm torque out of a 2.3litre, single turbo 5-cylinder... made by Volvo. FWD is fail though.

 

Okay, so i'm a volvo nut, so would naturally big them up. Pitty they didn't make a 2+2 that ticks your boxes

[Stealthbomber]

To add a spanner in here, on the vein of American cars being ######... well the Dodge Stealth is just a 3000GT.

Don't say that to a GTO owner.

The Stealth used a single-cam 12v non-turbo engine making 150bhp.

That's a loooonng way from the 24v twin turbo intercooled 300bhp engine in the GTO.

 

Are you at all bothered by fuel consumption? I can't imagine a big heavy car, relatively old, with a 3 litre twin-turbo V6 being very economical. Fair enough when they came out of the factory they were doing virtually 300BHP and 415Nm torque. However, thats not a lot considering the engine, in my books anyway. Take for example Volvo's T5, which was going around at the same time. That was 250BHP, 350 Nm torque out of a 2.3litre, single turbo 5-cylinder... made by Volvo. FWD is fail though.

 

Okay, so i'm a volvo nut, so would naturally big them up. Pitty they didn't make a 2+2 that ticks your boxes

Fuel consumption is kinda important, sort of.

 

My MR2 can manage 200-odd miles on a tank of juice when driven conservatively and yet will have the fuel light blinking after 50 miles when you're driving "exuberantly" so I'm of the opinion that driving style has a lot to do with fuel consumption.

 

Having said that, I now have a diesel BMW so if I ever need to get anywhere cheaply I'll use that. This is always gonna be a fun thing so fuel consumption is not top of my list of worries.

 

I believe Volvo have done a couple of Coupes which might fit the bill but they're more akin to things like the AUDI A5 rather than 2+2 sportscars.

I don't mean to be dismissive. I've got nothing against Volvos but I reckon they're out for the same reasons that BMWs and Merc's (and AUDIs) are out too.

 

I suspect whatever I buy will end up being Japanese.

They're the only people who build cars that can really look like new when they're 10+ years old IMO.

 

 

Incidentally, I HAVE considered American cars.

At some point in my life I'll buy a Corvette Stingray.

In the mean time, I don't think my budget can stretch to a Corvette that's modern enough to have the sort of comfort and toys that I can get from a Jap car.

The sort of Mustangs and Camaros that I can get for that money will be dreadful old things.

[cazboab]

OOOH I get to be first to say it!

 

Fire up the quatro!(+3k left to get it going and paint it red..)

[essexmerc]

here's another possible for the list, how about looking at something like a Mitsubishi FTO mivec. These cars can be sourced pretty cheap, which will then leave you quite a bit of cash to get the power up.

 

As stock they come with a 2 litre V6 engine that will give you 200bhp as stock, so this might be a nice little idea if you want to have a nice looking car, from which you can use as a base to give you what you want.

 

For some idea of the prices take a look here.

 

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/list.asp?s=230

[TwinTurboCH]

FTOs are front wheel drive and therefore fail, especially when you put in a heavy v6 right over the front wheels.

 

Stealth, bhp isnt everything Stock 250bhp S15s are faster than a stock 276bhp 3000GT, and my 2-door R32 is faster than an F430 in a straight line even when the boost controller is turned off, so circa 400bhp (it's 550 turned on )

 

The S15s have a 6-speed btw

 

For the money you have I could source you a 300bhp S15, a 320bhp+ Soarer or a 350bhp Supra but it would be unlikely to be a manual. If you like the R32s I could find one with 400+ bhp for what you want to spend.

 

Get in touch if you have any more in depth questions

[Punkypink]

^

 

TwinTurbo's da man ^^

 

I have to say that I do not believe that simply having a big heavy car and a big capacity engine means high fuel consumption. I once drove a hyundai so gutless that in order to get it to a decent cruising speed and stuff, I was literally redlining it in every gear. I had to top up the fuel tank twice in the same day. It couldn't have been doing more than a single digit MPG.

 

A torquey engine would actually help a relaxed driving style. Imagine not needing to rev beyond 2 or 3k on a waft of torque.

 

As for FTOs, aren't they 2 seaters and not 2+2s?

[Warning]

mind you Punky, if he's going on a track day, revving the nackers off the car would be something to do

 

Any one else love R32s, hate R33s & love R34s?

 

On the rotary side, the RX7s we're only really designed to take about 60,000 before needing a rebuild, the RX8 on the other hand is designed to take about 150,000 miles before needing a rebuild (got the info from some magazine i read). Both the RX7 & RX8 to tend to consume a lot of engine oil, but the RX8 is meant to since its more of a safety precaution to preserve the apex seals. theres quite a few rotary specialists aswell up and down the country so it might be and idea if you do want to get a RX7/RX8 to speak to them on what to look out for when buying a rotary.

[Punkypink]

I love them all. The 32, 33 and 34.

[wildething]

unless you love them do not get a yank car in the uk. Had an 82 trans am kicked out the slightest provocation. almost spun it on George street in edinburgh in the rain taking a corner at 15mph.

[nodaisho]

I'm surprised so few people are giving the Mistu' 3000 any praise.

I'm rather interested in them myself, but, well, they are DSMs. You know the unofficial slogan: making foul-mouthed mechanics out of everyday people. Apparently they have serious reliability issues. I don't know if you have done it already, but research the hell out of it before getting one, otherwise you are going to have a Japanese/American car that has gotten a French accent from all the time it has spent in the shop.

 

I'm not sure how the distribution was split, we always seem to get the short end of the stick on cool features over here in America, do the UK 3000s get the All-wheel steering?

[Stealthbomber]

I'm not sure how the distribution was split, we always seem to get the short end of the stick on cool features over here in America, do the UK 3000s get the All-wheel steering?

Uhuh.

 

From what I've read, they phased-out the (pointless) variable exhaust early on and the (useful) adjustable suspension later on.

As far as I'm aware the adjustable aero and 4WS were always there, along with a 6-speed gearbox in later cars.

 

I've been reading up on RX7s and Skylines but (and this makes me feel sooo old) it's really the interior of the GTO that's selling me at the moment.

A late one with a leather interior is just as nice to sit in as a recent AUDI or Merc'.

That's something that very few of my other choices can offer.

 

I hadn't read anything about problems with reliability of the GTO.

I've read some stuff about the electric gubbins packing-up. Solenoids for the adjustable suspension sticking and the spoilers jamming.

I'm hoping that a well-maintained 1997 or 1998 car would avoid those faults though.

[TwinTurboCH]

GTO's are not inherantly more or less reliable than any other jap turbo car, but like the 300zx, they cost a fortune when things go wrong because even something as simple as replacing the turbo is a full engine out job because the bay is only just big enough for the engine

 

By all means get any of the cars on your list, just be aware that FairladyZ/300zx, GTO TT (both V6's) and RX7 (rotary needs frequent rebuilds) will cost a LOT more to maintain than a Silvia (200sx), Skyline, Supra or Soarer (which all either have in-line 4 or in-line 6).

[yubbermax]

Thought about the Mitsubishi Eclipse? Sporty little cars. Pretty cheap used too.

 

Edit: Ooh just looked it up, only available as left side drive. Sorry

[Punkypink]

Doesn't seem to be 2+2 either.

[nodaisho]

Considering the size of those seats, I would say the front should count as +2 if you are around 6'.

[Robinio]

Supras are hawt, but id go for an Camaro 79 a red one!

[apmaman]

Skyline or a Supra.

 

Don't know if you've ever considered a Honda NSX although it will probably be a touch out of the price range.

[TwinTurboCH]

Skyline or a Supra.

 

Don't know if you've ever considered a Honda NSX although it will probably be a touch out of the price range.

NSX for £4k? Maybe if it was completely banana shaped LOL The cheapest one on auto trader is £14k and its a banger, most are near £20k.

[Stealthbomber]

NSX for £4k? Maybe if it was completely banana shaped LOL The cheapest one on auto trader is £14k and its a banger, most are near £20k.

You do see NSX's for around £10k these days.

I know somebody who recently bought one as a track-day car.

All smiles until he managed to crack one of the front brake disks which, subsequently, damaged the caliper as well.

I can't recall the price of the OEM parts but, in the end, he decided to fit Wilwood discs and calipers (cos they were cheaper)and the bill was still around £3k!

If it'd been me I might have been tempted to try and hunt around for replacements off a scrap car but, even so, owning an NSX is not a cheap proposition.

 

TBH, I did consider an NSX but one highly-strung, expensive sports-car is plenty.

This is supposed to be at least vaguely practical in some way.

[Warning]

i know its not a 2+2 but what about a S2000? also what about a Integra Type R? its slightly more 2+2 but its FF,

 

now for the lols, how about a old lovely 240z

 

EDIT: just thinking about RWD and 2+2 this strangly came to mind :/

 

...Vauxhall Monaro VXR...

 

now excuse me while i bleach my brain