you could probably find an s2000 for close to that if you look hard enough

How about an E36 M3/328i? You might be even able to find an E46 3 series for that type of money..

Sorry I apologize I didn't see your bottom paragraph before.

The HICAs is indeed a pain in the ass. Not only does it cause oversteer, but its prone to problems with any car over 80k miles. Most of the guys use the HICAs eliminator (runs less than $200), or delete the system all together.

Weight wise, they're on the heavier side. But don't let it fool you, the car can handle well, and responds to mods excellently. With intake, exhaust, and ECU, your looking at horsepower in the 340-360 wheel range. Not too bad for $1000-$1500.

The interior is also well-designed. The seats are extremely comfortable, the dash controls are user-friendly, and it feels like a cockpit. Not in a bad way, either. A few guys I know are 6'5+ with a Z32, and have no problem whatsoever with the amount of room inside. Forgot about the T-tops, they're awesome in the summer time, or any time your in the mood.

Last but not least, the design is timeless. Add a 99 Spec front bumper, tails, and 18" wheels, and your set. Nothing else has to be done but drive it. I think the decision is easy if your looking for a good-looking, good-performing RWD sports car.

you should be able to find an is300 5spd for around 10k or lower. Paid 10k for mine last year. its a nice DD

It is NOT a FWD Civic, it is a AWD Civic:)

I loved my 300zx TT... The one car i can regret selling. honestly, not the best DD type vehicle. If you keep a beater type ride around, i'd say go for one. They are very fun cars, look amazing, can handle and make power with small mods. The only thing is parts are not as cheap as some of the cars you have mentioned, they are hard to work on (not as bad as some people make it out to be but still sort of a pita), and they are not the most reliable cars ever. If you find the right one that has been maintained correctly and has not been beat on, i'd say that would be a great option.

I love MR2's as well, another great option. I know you said no to mustangs, but you could find a nice cobra for your price range. they make tons of road racing suspension pieces for them and they have awesome n/a power for autocross. I want to build a nice SN95 cobra soon with a full road racing suspension, if i dont do that with my fox.

Some people love HICAS but most hate it lol. Biggest issue with Z's are the injectors wiring harness. They are pulled so tight they tend to get brittle and turn your v six into a v5 or worse a v4 also they tend to build up green corrosion in the harness plugs. So clean all that and replace the injector plugs, if you still have v5 and v4 problems then its the injector itself. All of them except for the back driver side can be taken out without taking the intake manifold off.

Z's are awesome cars but make sure it has records because the timing belt is a PITA to do yourself and 2500 to get done at a garage. If it was taken care of it will be a great car, if it was neglected you will get problem after problem. I know from experience lol

E30 M3 or E36 M3

yes some may have some miles on them, but its a BMW, ie built like a tank and will run forever if maintained.

And as far as what track stuff u said u want to do.... its an BMW M3, God created them for such a purpose as yours.

theyre both relatively smaller motors (especially the !4 in the E30) so theyll be great on gas on the road. and I think the M badge speaks for itself for theyre track potential. and theres many options for mods out there if/when u get tired of stock.

Scratch the E30 for the most part, i didnt realize how high their prices had gotten. lol (unless u can find a deal)



Another to try is the Porsche 944/968. many say these "arent real porsches", most of those people havent driven one. 50/50 weight distribution my friend and they weigh like 2700lbs loaded. Any type is good, but if u reall want the best performance overall get a turbo or an S2.

The turbo obviously is the fastest type, but I think they had some reliability issues with the turbos (i may be wrong). the engine is a 2.5L I4 with like 220-250bhp depending on spec and year.

The S2 is the model I personally recommend, its N/A, but its overall better than the turbo in my opinion because it doesnt have any reliability issues like the turbo has. And it has a 3.0L I4 (yea, it was the biggest 4 banger ever for a while in a production car) that produces 211bhp. My dad had one of these and I learned to drive stick on it, a truely awesome car.

And the porsche 968 has the same 3.0L I4 as the S2, only it makes 236bhp. U should get a 968 if u can find one, they may be a bit pricey and rare. thats why my dad wound up with the 944 S2, we got tired of looking for 968s lol (no regrets tho)

If u do buy a porsche or a bimmer, find a good mechanic who specializes in these cars, I cannot tell u how valuable that is with such cars.

forget autocross, track days are more fun :lol: but i see your point. not a good car for autocross really...

pretty much true. most are morons as well. but you shouldn't discount a car due to the community lol. if i did that i'd probably start walking everywhere

If you're looking for a car that you can have fun racing in why not just get an AP1 S2000? You don't have to do a damn thing to them and they're ready for the track, and you can beat the living hell out of it and it will just keep taking it. Parts are relatively cheap, the car weight distribution is about as close to 50/50 as you're going to get, and they are set up to have some oversteer from the factory. Plus, warm summer day drop the top and cruise. :)

IMO if it's just a trainer track car you're going to want to get into a non-turbo car at first.

Thank you for all the comments. It looks like for my budget, cars such as E36Ms, S2Ks, etc would be in pretty crappy condition. I want a car that is gonna be clean for $10K... Looking at autotrader and other sites, it looks like I'm limited to
MR2T
MR-S (ugh nooo)
300ZXs- a couple reliability/maintenance mods-not bad at all
RX8

I also need the car to be reliable enough to take 4 roundtrips/year to cincy (where my family lives). It looks like I need more research.

Thank you for the info on the HICAS, 944/968.. Any info on the RX-8? It seems perfect for my needs.

Jeremy

Buy my is300? maybe after the summer. Hard to say this, but i kinda want an xB :confused:

don't doubt the MR-S... while its not my taste looks wise, man can they handle and man are they comfortable to ride in.

When you are ready to purchase a car, I will show you my z, And you can throw that into your mix of cars too. I've driven it through half dozen states 7 months with never one problem. touring edition, Fully loaded, Every option, 100% mint condition. Price is still the same at only 10,000$. Pretty much gave up answering peoples emails because I am tired of wasting my time with people who do not actually have the cash for the car and cannot get approved for it even though it's a very very low price in my opinion.

Try to find a 2004 with under 100,000 miles. They have a 10/100,000 mile powertrain warenty, and many people had the motor's replaced for free.

Eric

I say get a bugeye wrx (02-03). Practical and fun. If you look hard enough you can find a stockish one with about 90k miles or so for under $10k.

C4 Vette, 85 Celica Supra, Chrysler Conquest TSi

id be scared to own an rx8. my friend had one and went through hell and back with that car. he never modded it or beat on it, yet had to have the entire engine swapped by the dealer after like 30k-40k miles. they told him that any time he wants to move his car, it has to run for at least 5min before he can turn it off, or else the same problem will return. i believe it was something to do with the seals not setting properly and fuel leaking into the engine. so basically, if you want to move your car to a different parking spot, you have to let it run for at least 5min no matter what.

i don't know much about rotaries, but his horror story was enough for me.

^^ huh, i had a friend who blew a motor in a rx8 too come to think of it. fought for a few months to get it replaced. this was a few years back.

rotary motors have to be revved before they are turned of to at least 1500 or they get damaged.