me too - Suggestions on an affordable sporty car

[porsche4786]

why would you put a 13B in a Miata when you can put it in an RX7 for cheaper and have a chassis far more appropriate for being a "sports car"?

(I will add that RX-7 vert = girl car)

well, because the miata is an awesome car, it's lighter, and it's not something everybody else has....when you put a 13B in it.
That is why i do not own a vert, plus they are slower.

[Crucialval]

My little bro has a 89 supra 7mgte custom built and bad. they are one of the two best buildable cars you can get. His is a little over the top 15,000 over the last few years. It is two fast for the street but he is nuts, it has titainium springs and valves 1mm over, ported and polished head, 3mm low comp pistons, custom rods, 30lbs of rotating mas reduced from internals, oversized injectors, custom built intake, over sized turbo, custom exhaust manifold, and a lot more.

The shop that did the engine said it would hold 1200 hp which would make the highest known 7m but current turbo wouldn't do it 750 tops it's still new and for sale. back in the shop and getting completly redune.

the other car I would get is a RX7 GTU they can be built cheaper if you can find some body to build one for you.

[cuda_06]

(I will add that RX-7 vert = girl car)

hmmmmmm... 

[makenzie71]

just because you had a vert doesn't mean it wasn't a girl car.  My GTUs would have kicked its ass.

[nightrider]

http://portland.craigslist.org/clk/car/286106244.html



Niice. 85 Supra, 90k miles supposedly mint, $6500. This would be ideal. just not in a hurry to buy right this second.

[CasiUSA]

Toyota AE86 Maybe?
On eBay

http://youtube.com/watch?v=EFvI8B6nU84]See it shred up a Skyline r34

[porsche4786]

VW corrado SLC (has a VR6, not the G60 model) They are pretty quick stock. only problem is they are FWD.

[brett]

A couple points...

I like the idea of the Focus that someone mentioned, they are fun little cars. If you want to get something cheaper but similar, but check out an older Countour SVT. It's basically what the Focus replaced. You would just have to get over it being plaing and boring looking.

Where in LA are you moving? Do you know what you will be commuting? LA traffic blows, and after doing it on the bike I could never go back to a car. Don't be surprised if you are using the bike the vast majority of the time, if that will factor in to what kinda car you want to get.

[cuda_06]

A couple points...

I like the idea of the Focus that someone mentioned, they are fun little cars. If you want to get something cheaper but similar, but check out an older Countour SVT. It's basically what the Focus replaced. You would just have to get over it being plaing and boring looking.

Where in LA are you moving? Do you know what you will be commuting? LA traffic blows, and after doing it on the bike I could never go back to a car. Don't be surprised if you are using the bike the vast majority of the time, if that will factor in to what kinda car you want to get.

You could have both the focus and the rwd, there are many kits available...it might go over your budget though.

Or... if you can get past the FWD thing that has been brought up, check out an SVT Contour.  They can be had for dirt cheap right now, imho look much better than the focus, are quicker, and have the best online car forum that I have ever seen.  Plus, with what is currently available for them, you could have a 400hp 4 door car that looks great but easily fly's under the radar and easily come in under your budget.  Just another thing to think about.

Also, in regards to the front wheel drive thing, I personally made a what was thought to be a huge compromise when buying my CSVT.  I still have a preference of RWD or sometimes AWD but have come to love the CSVT.  I traded in a convertible RX-7 for the CSVT and the two other cars that I now own (excluding my wife's car) are both RWD.  Even so, I would have a tough time getting rid of the contour. 

Hey, the csvt was mentioned twice in one thread outside of the CEG.  This is great advice. 

[baco99]

you could probably pick up a nice 540i or 535i from that era.

[nightrider]

Where in LA are you moving? Do you know what you will be commuting? LA traffic blows, and after doing it on the bike I could never go back to a car. Don't be surprised if you are using the bike the vast majority of the time, if that will factor in to what kinda car you want to get.

See, I've asked before if LA was do-able moto-only, like I am now in Puddletown, where it's fine, I've gotten mixed responses but you make it  sound like it's pretty okay. If that is the case I might forgo the car altogether and just save up even more in case of emergency. It would definitely cut down on my costs, my only problem would be going job-hunting on a motorcycle, where you're not the most presentable.

I am targeting Santa Monica/WeHo/lower SFV/maybe Echo Park/Silverlake. commuting to some hopefully semi-decent restaurant somewhere, and class most likely in studio city.

[Crucialval]

If you want a Supra the best man to go to on the east coast is "Supraman" he is an older man how loves Supras. last time I was their he had 30 or so 3 of which where ready for sale complete everything new or working perfect.

Charlie sorrell (423) 753-2618
johnson city TN.

[Alphamazing]

While the Miata may be a "girly" car, I bet you'll be more than happy with it.

[baco99]

i have a MazdaSpeed MX5 and it is far from "girly" on the road.  has a more aggressive stance, 180 HP, turbo, 6 speed, tighter suspension, better stereo.

and it doesn't attract attention from Mr. Fuzz.  worth looking at. they only made them in 04 and 05.

more info here: http://www.mazda-speed.com

[brett]

Where in LA are you moving? Do you know what you will be commuting? LA traffic blows, and after doing it on the bike I could never go back to a car. Don't be surprised if you are using the bike the vast majority of the time, if that will factor in to what kinda car you want to get.

See, I've asked before if LA was do-able moto-only, like I am now in Puddletown, where it's fine, I've gotten mixed responses but you make it  sound like it's pretty okay. If that is the case I might forgo the car altogether and just save up even more in case of emergency. It would definitely cut down on my costs, my only problem would be going job-hunting on a motorcycle, where you're not the most presentable.

I am targeting Santa Monica/WeHo/lower SFV/maybe Echo Park/Silverlake. commuting to some hopefully semi-decent restaurant somewhere, and class most likely in studio city.

If anywhere is do-able moto only, LA is. Like the job hunting you mentioned, there are a few times when you really need a car. Unfortunately, those places you mentioned are kinda at the fringe of LA's already horrible public transportation system. My thinking was that if you don't need a car very often, you can go a couple routes. One option is to go for a more impractical car than normal. If you don't use it very often, who cares if it gets bad gas mileage and/or it's only a two seater? On the other hand, if you're not driving much, who cares if the car is a beater? You could get something that's cheap to buy, maintain, and insure. Definitely don't forget about insurance; it's higher in LA than pretty much anywhere else in the country. Another thing to think about is renting a car when you need it. Depending on how often you drive, this could be cheaper and easier than the other options.

The long and short of it is that having a bike in LA gives you a lot of options. If you can pull it off, I would try and wait till you're in LA for a month or two to get a feel for what your wants/needs really are.

[nightrider]

Where in LA are you moving? Do you know what you will be commuting? LA traffic blows, and after doing it on the bike I could never go back to a car. Don't be surprised if you are using the bike the vast majority of the time, if that will factor in to what kinda car you want to get.

See, I've asked before if LA was do-able moto-only, like I am now in Puddletown, where it's fine, I've gotten mixed responses but you make it  sound like it's pretty okay. If that is the case I might forgo the car altogether and just save up even more in case of emergency. It would definitely cut down on my costs, my only problem would be going job-hunting on a motorcycle, where you're not the most presentable.

I am targeting Santa Monica/WeHo/lower SFV/maybe Echo Park/Silverlake. commuting to some hopefully semi-decent restaurant somewhere, and class most likely in studio city.

If anywhere is do-able moto only, LA is. Like the job hunting you mentioned, there are a few times when you really need a car. Unfortunately, those places you mentioned are kinda at the fringe of LA's already horrible public transportation system. My thinking was that if you don't need a car very often, you can go a couple routes. One option is to go for a more impractical car than normal. If you don't use it very often, who cares if it gets bad gas mileage and/or it's only a two seater? On the other hand, if you're not driving much, who cares if the car is a beater? You could get something that's cheap to buy, maintain, and insure. Definitely don't forget about insurance; it's higher in LA than pretty much anywhere else in the country. Another thing to think about is renting a car when you need it. Depending on how often you drive, this could be cheaper and easier than the other options.

The long and short of it is that having a bike in LA gives you a lot of options. If you can pull it off, I would try and wait till you're in LA for a month or two to get a feel for what your wants/needs really are.

That is hella encouraging and makes a lot of sense. Conventional wisdom would be to buy a reliable car in a cheaper market and take it down, but the bike adds a new twist. My plan A now I think is to save for a car, but wait to decide once I'm there. Maybe leasing would work for jobhunting and being presentable.

Course, the coolest would be to ride the GS all the way down the coast on 101... much cooler than rolling in with a Budget rent-a-truck.

[Susuki_Jah]

hahahahahahhahaha dude that picture....... oh man!