Best sports car for the money?

tunis5000 · Post by **tunis5000** » Wed Nov 20, 2002 3:24 pm

Next spring I'm finally going to have a 2 car garage, so I'm planning on getting a sports car (right now I have to keep one of my 2 cars in the driveway and the wife and I are always switching cars, with a 2 car garage I can finally just have a car a want to myself (which means manual trans!

) and that I can keep inside during bad weather if need be.

Anyway, I've been doing research and I'm not 100% sure what I want yet. New or used doesn't matter as long as it's not too old or have too high mileage, and I'm not looking at spending more than $25,000 (US). At first I was thinking I wanted a compact sports coupe, but there really aren't too many really fast ones unless you spend the cash and time to add all the mods needed to get a 13/14 second street car. Dodge is coming out with a car called the SRT-4 (http://www.caranddriver.com/xp/Caranddr ... t_srt4.xml) that I'm looking into, but it's not out yet and may be hard to get in Canada. There's the Subaru WRX which is pretty popular right now, but there's no dealership in my city (which is strange) so getting one and getting mtce. done on it might be difficult. Other than that, there's really only the old DSM cars like the Eagle Talon, but those are already about 5 years old for the last model year. Then you have the big V8's: Mustangs and Firebirds, which are very fast, but hard on gas and not the greatest handling cars. Anyone here big into sports cars? I'm still going to research and test drive and all that come spring, but I just would like some opinions... thanks!

Hipnotic_Tranz · Post by **Hipnotic_Tranz** » Wed Nov 20, 2002 5:54 pm

SupraTT

They stopped production in '96 though, so I don't know if thats too "old." Also don't know if you can get a TwinTurbo for that price, but I know you can get the N/A one....

And no, I've never driven one--they just look pretty sweet and I have an MK2 so I'm partial to supras

Racer X 50 · Post by **Racer X 50** » Wed Nov 20, 2002 7:04 pm

New or used?

As far as experience I have raced and worked for teams plus I grew up at road courses.

update: This time I carefully read his post and just saw the new or used part. Doh!

PreDatoR · Post by **PreDatoR** » Wed Nov 20, 2002 8:30 pm

Teh Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX is a decent car last year they made those was 95 or 96 i think AWD and turbo'd. Don't get a 3000GT... My uncle has a 94 SL and they are seriously uncomfortable. At least to me i'm 6'5" and there is no leg room at all. I have more room in an Eclipse than i do in the 3000GT's. The STR-4 is gonna be a sweet car. Its a Neon and a Dodge but for under 25000 and new its gonna haul some ass and make these Ricers look bad

Toyota Supra TT's 95-96 are sweet but are more expensive. The RX7 FD's are also nice cars but pricey. Me personally i wouldn't buy an american sports car. They just don't have the handling that the japanese cars have. The Stangs are nice and fast but corner like a dog. The new Nissan 350Z is a sweet car and fast. aroudn 30k new though. Personally i'd just go start test driving and see what you like. Could probably pick up a 90's 300Z TT in the price range your trying to hit.

Racer X 50 · Post by **Racer X 50** » Wed Nov 20, 2002 8:39 pm

Of course if he wants used he could always get something like a 93-95 Mustang for about 3k and take it to a reputable shop and dump 10-15k into it and have a 1g carver that runs high tens in the 1/4.

Since he is in Ontario he is somewhat close to many shops that can do good work. Plus he will ahve money left over for paying speeding tickets.....

tunis5000 · Post by **tunis5000** » Wed Nov 20, 2002 8:55 pm

SupraTT: heh, that would be my first choice, but they are VERY rare, manual trans even rarer (only 4000 ever made I believe), highly doubt I'd be able to find one for sale in Ontario.

Eclipse GSX: nice car as well, last model year for the turbo-4 awd was '99, which is not too old. It's pretty much the same car as the Eagle Talon TSI AWD (which I used to own a '93 of, wish I still had it). Thinking about getting either one if I can find a nice one, decently modded they can run 1/4 miles around 12 seconds quite easily (if you don't mind fixing the trans every year...

)

3000GT's (same as the Dodge Stealth), again, nice car, but they going on 8 yrs old now, nah. I hear they are a bitch and expensive to get repaired anyway.

90's 300Z TT: yeah, I'm looking at those too, but they are rare as well, especially here.

The SRT-4 is actually probably my first choice ATM, there is a lot of hype going on about it right now, but time will tell if it's warrented. If I was to go with a V8 I'd probably go with a 2001+ Mustang GT (or an SVT if possible), sure it may not be the best handler but who races around corners?

In the straightaway, a modded Mustang is very fast and even looks pretty darn good...

Racer X 50, you know of some good custom speed shops around here?

PreDatoR · Post by **PreDatoR** » Wed Nov 20, 2002 9:32 pm

If you go with a Mustang get a 2003 Mach1 instead of the SVT... It has the 98 SVT motor in it 305HP runs the 1/4 in 14.1 according to C&D. Nice looking car and costs less than a SVT. I want the 2003 SVT Cobra-R

Could also a get a Focus SVT... I think they look cool but too small for me. in 98 Ford had a SVT Contour. I thought they looked pretty tight. Had a nice packaged and a hopped up V6 in them. Those are pretty rare though only made them for a year or 2 i think.

Racer X 50 · Post by **Racer X 50** » Mon Dec 02, 2002 5:12 pm

Originally posted by tunis5000
If I was to go with a V8 I'd probably go with a 2001+ Mustang GT (or an SVT if possible), sure it may not be the best handler but who races around corners? In the straightaway, a modded Mustang is very fast and even looks pretty darn good...

Actually you can easily get a Mustang to the 1g level of handling. Check out Griggs "Grip in a box" setup or go to Steeda for some idea of cost. For about 25k I hope to have a 10 second Mustang that corners at just over 1g. Not to shabby.

Originally posted by tunis5000

Racer X 50, you know of some good custom speed shops around here?

I could find you some. Depends on how far you want to drive. I am going to trailer my car about 7 hours this spring in order to tune for a supercharger I am adding. So its all relative.

Here is a pic of my toy.

SsZERO · Post by **SsZERO** » Sun Dec 08, 2002 2:28 am

Pontiac seems to have a lot of nice cars planned for the near future. A GrandPrix with a 300HP V8, the Solstice and possibly the GTO. All RWD, the way it's meant to be.

As far as cornering abilities go...that's pretty much sticky tires and stiff shocks. Lowering the car a bit helps too, if it is done properly.

CSDMagRed01 · Post by **CSDMagRed01** » Fri Jan 31, 2003 6:01 pm

I've owned and raced Sports Cars for the last 20 years and even in the 25K range you can pick up a 911 or C5 (97- 03) Corvette. Mustangs and Firebirds aren't what I would consider sports cars. My 911 and C5 both get 18 to 24 MPG, which isn't bad for performance cars. And maintenance on either is very low if you buy a well cared for example. The problem with many of the other cars mentioned (except the the Supra TT) are they usually are beaten by their PO. Take a look at Grassroots Motorsports magazine's search for a "good" used Mustang in December issue for example. I'm not saying you can't find one, but if I'm spending that kind of time, I'd rather drive a fast great handling car. Corners are where the fun really starts. Straights are where you step on the gas and check your gauges.

Lmandrake · Post by **Lmandrake** » Fri Jan 31, 2003 6:24 pm

Mazda RX-8... should be reasonably priced and kick some butt...

http://www2.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/rx8/rx8_main_flash.jsp

If you can afford a C5 or a Porsche as a toy, more power to you. The GTO will be based on the GM of OZ Holden Monaro and will be fast but not necessarily a "sports car." It should be priced around 35K and probably IMHO not really worth that kind of money even with the lovely engine it is going to have.....

All Mustangs, modded by Saleen or otherwise, are still Fords....

SsZERO · Post by **SsZERO** » Fri Jan 31, 2003 7:20 pm

I would call a car that is fast and handles well a sports car, and the Trans AM and Stang fit the bill. The dictionary definition is "A car with a high power to weight ratio", which is reasonable, but not what I'd call the final say. My Trans AM can pull about .94G and has great handling characteristics due to its low CG and balance. The C5 and 911 are nice and more refined, but not exactly coming in high on the bang4buck-o-meter. Of course, I do plan to get a Z06 sometime in the near future, but I would never sacrifice my Trans AM to do it. If it has a V8, it's GRRRREAT.

-= SsZERO =-

Originally posted by CSDMagRed01
I've owned and raced Sports Cars for the last 20 years and even in the 25K range you can pick up a 911 or C5 (97- 03) Corvette. Mustangs and Firebirds aren't what I would consider sports cars. My 911 and C5 both get 18 to 24 MPG, which isn't bad for performance cars. And maintenance on either is very low if you buy a well cared for example. The problem with many of the other cars mentioned (except the the Supra TT) are they usually are beaten by their PO. Take a look at Grassroots Motorsports magazine's search for a "good" used Mustang in December issue for example. I'm not saying you can't find one, but if I'm spending that kind of time, I'd rather drive a fast great handling car. Corners are where the fun really starts. Straights are where you step on the gas and check your gauges.

SsZERO · Post by **SsZERO** » Fri Jan 31, 2003 7:31 pm

The RX-8 would be nice if it had some balls (low-end torque). Mazda mentioned if the RX-8 does well, they may bring back a turbo RX-7...as a rule of thumb, if it is > 14s in the 1/4 mile it is slow.

The new GTO will have the LS1 V8 engine, which will pump out around 350+ HP or possibly the LS6, which is good for 400+ HP. Add a nice 6-speed and you got a pretty sweet ride, which is competent in both acceleration as well as handling. Plus you got room to carry passengers. At $35K, even with a $5-6K dealer markup (which I think is inevitable; remember the how people were dropping $40K on the new Tbird?) the GTO will be a pretty good deal. How many other cars in the pricerange can offer all that?

Originally posted by Lmandrake
Mazda RX-8... should be reasonably priced and kick some butt...

http://www2.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/rx8/rx8_main_flash.jsp

If you can afford a C5 or a Porsche as a toy, more power to you. The GTO will be based on the GM of OZ Holden Monaro and will be fast but not necessarily a "sports car." It should be priced around 35K and probably IMHO not really worth that kind of money even with the lovely engine it is going to have.....

All Mustangs, modded by Saleen or otherwise, are still Fords....

SlowSS · Post by **SlowSS** » Fri Jan 31, 2003 7:44 pm

Originally posted by SsZERO
The RX-8 would be nice if it had some balls (low-end torque). Mazda mentioned if the RX-8 does well, they may bring back a turbo RX-7...as a rule of thumb, if it is > 14s in the 1/4 mile it is slow.

The new GTO will have the LS1 V8 engine, which will pump out around 350+ HP or possibly the LS6, which is good for 400+ HP. Add a nice 6-speed and you got a pretty sweet ride, which is competent in both acceleration as well as handling. Plus you got room to carry passengers. At $35K, even with a $5-6K dealer markup (which I think is inevitable; remember the how people were dropping $40K on the new Tbird?) the GTO will be a pretty good deal. How many other cars in the pricerange can offer all that?

All I could say is I love my LS1 SS.

PreDatoR · Post by **PreDatoR** » Fri Jan 31, 2003 8:51 pm

Trans Am's and Camaro's are nice but there's just one problem their a product of GM....