i need help making a choice
Discussion
I need help making a choice. About 2 years ago i had i nasty motorbike accident whice involved me doing some acrobatics and braking my right femeur. The other driver admited he was in the wrong so i will evenullay get a bit of money. Now that i have prob board you all to death here is my predicament all i have done over the past few years is drive around in shit so i think its about time to treat myself. im looking top spend 5-6k on a car and i want it to be a japanease performance car but i cant make my mind up ive looked at skylines which is what i really want but even tho im 34 and live in a very low crime area i cant seem to get the insurance below £700 and thet for the r33 - r34 gts -t so other cars im interested in are as follows :-
Skyline r33 -r34 gts-t
200sx s14
sivia s15
early scoobys type ra
evo 4/5
mr2
accord type r
rx-7 (bit worried about the horror stories about the r/w engine)
as you can see bit of a list if any one could help me make an informed choice i would be grateful i.e insurance, running cost, reliability, how tuneable they are and of course performance.
many thanks for any help
tim :?
Skyline r33 -r34 gts-t
200sx s14
sivia s15
early scoobys type ra
evo 4/5
mr2
accord type r
rx-7 (bit worried about the horror stories about the r/w engine)
as you can see bit of a list if any one could help me make an informed choice i would be grateful i.e insurance, running cost, reliability, how tuneable they are and of course performance.
many thanks for any help
tim :?
Skyline R33/R34 GTS-T. Everyone i've spoken to claim the GTS-T to be very underrated, but it'll always be under the shadow of the GTR IMO. Insurance will be high i'd imagine.
200SX S14/S15. Hmm, dunno.
Impreza Type RA. The hardcore, light, no-nonsense track orientated version. No creature comforts, just focused performance.
Evo 4/5. Either of these would be my choice. Loads of support in the UK, loads of performance upgrades and they're starting to acheive old school cool status now, negatives would be the insurance and fuel costs.
MR2. 2 seats, not as practical as others in the list but potentially just as quick anf fun as the others.
ATR. Cool, almost a sleeper, good handling and great engine. This would be the least expensive to live with i'd imagine.
RX-7. If you get an engine that's just been rebuilt, it should be good for 60,000 miles. Single turbo upgrades are quite sought after due to the complexities of the twin setup (i've read), very thirsty and not cheap to insure but my far the best looking car in this list to my eyes. Mostly/all aluminium shell helps the already great handling.
I am in no way an expert, the above information is just my opinion based of what i've read, heard and talked to other people about.
200SX S14/S15. Hmm, dunno.
Impreza Type RA. The hardcore, light, no-nonsense track orientated version. No creature comforts, just focused performance.
Evo 4/5. Either of these would be my choice. Loads of support in the UK, loads of performance upgrades and they're starting to acheive old school cool status now, negatives would be the insurance and fuel costs.
MR2. 2 seats, not as practical as others in the list but potentially just as quick anf fun as the others.
ATR. Cool, almost a sleeper, good handling and great engine. This would be the least expensive to live with i'd imagine.
RX-7. If you get an engine that's just been rebuilt, it should be good for 60,000 miles. Single turbo upgrades are quite sought after due to the complexities of the twin setup (i've read), very thirsty and not cheap to insure but my far the best looking car in this list to my eyes. Mostly/all aluminium shell helps the already great handling.
I am in no way an expert, the above information is just my opinion based of what i've read, heard and talked to other people about.
Skyline GTS-T's are very underated.
Check my old one in my profile. That rang 400bhp at the rears and was a right laugh to drive. It was expensive to mod but if done correctly you can rip most things apart.
I thinks 200sx's are great cars too, and again if tuned correctly you will find some great results.
Check my old one in my profile. That rang 400bhp at the rears and was a right laugh to drive. It was expensive to mod but if done correctly you can rip most things apart.
I thinks 200sx's are great cars too, and again if tuned correctly you will find some great results.
Edited by The GMan on Thursday 30th August 17:02
Thanks for your help everyone as i said i would like a skyline but for the insurance but i am leaning towards a pre frog eye scooby but any more help and info would be apprciated does anyone have any specs for the cars i mentioned or do they know where i can get them from?
Thanks again
Tim
Thanks again
Tim
markCSC said:
Just to add about the Scooby RA, it has stupidily low gearing. If do any motorway miles it will be a PITA!! It's something like 4500 RPM at 75mph. You can get the final drive swapped for better crusing or just go and buy an STi non RA. A nice two door STi Type R would be good.
Mark
Fair point, though some of the V-ltd Type-RA's have a longer 5th for better cruising, and some of the Type-R's have the same close-ratio box as the same-year RA. The only real way to tell seems to be driving them.Mark
Out of the EVO's i think the VI hit the nail right on the head but they are lots of money so probably a V is the way to go. If you want a Scooby look through the PH classifieds as there are a few in your price range.
EVO VI: http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/209013.htm
EVO V : http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/168444.htm
Type RA: http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/186494.htm
Type R : http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/230221.htm
These look like really good cars and bar one are all in your price range.
Have fun
EVO VI: http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/209013.htm
EVO V : http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/168444.htm
Type RA: http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/186494.htm
Type R : http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/230221.htm
These look like really good cars and bar one are all in your price range.
Have fun
IMHO Supra's look really nice when left relatively unspoilt bar minor cosmetic details like wheels. Apparently (and i'm no Supra expert) from what i hear you can get obscene amounts of power with few engine mods and these twin turbo seem to be the ones to go for. The only negative i think is that they seem expensive especially when 1993 models are still going for £6,500 but then again they do seem to hold their price and you get a lot of car too so it's all relative i suppose.
Here are a few i saw on PH classifieds.
1991 Manual: http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/212231.htm
1993 Auto: http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/222501.htm
1994 Auto: http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/221607.htm
1995 Manual: http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/232223.htm
1996 Auto: http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/229479.htm
There seem to be quite a few autos about, my preference would be for a manual.
Here are a few i saw on PH classifieds.
1991 Manual: http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/212231.htm
1993 Auto: http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/222501.htm
1994 Auto: http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/221607.htm
1995 Manual: http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/232223.htm
1996 Auto: http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/229479.htm
There seem to be quite a few autos about, my preference would be for a manual.
Chap earlier indicates the RX7 shell is mostly aluminium - it isn't - it's 99% steel. It is still very light though, as are most if the ancilaries attached to the car. There is a very Lotus like 'added lightness' to all the components. The suspension is all alloy double wishbones and very nice. Even the brakes at the front are ligth, alloy 4 pots items as standard.
See past the engine horrors stories (I know it takes a good degree of effort) and you'll be rewared with a very sweet sports car. I'd recomend trying to locate a single turbo car as most problems owners have seem to stem from the complicate vacumn system to run the twins. I'd also ensure the enigne is checked over and the mapping is correct. The one thing that appears to kill the rotary is detonation - they ar emuch more fragile in that area than a piston motor - so fueling and boost has ot be under control at all times. If the mapping is done right, if the tertiary parts (vac hoses, oil lines etc) are in good nick and you don't fiddle with boost, etc then it should be reliable.
See past the engine horrors stories (I know it takes a good degree of effort) and you'll be rewared with a very sweet sports car. I'd recomend trying to locate a single turbo car as most problems owners have seem to stem from the complicate vacumn system to run the twins. I'd also ensure the enigne is checked over and the mapping is correct. The one thing that appears to kill the rotary is detonation - they ar emuch more fragile in that area than a piston motor - so fueling and boost has ot be under control at all times. If the mapping is done right, if the tertiary parts (vac hoses, oil lines etc) are in good nick and you don't fiddle with boost, etc then it should be reliable.
I'll only talk about the ones I've had direct experience of....
Timdavies1973 said:
early scoobys type ra
A mate had one for 6 months, purchased it for 6k about a year and a half ago so this would be on budget. It was an incredibly fast car, it had been tuned to about 320bhp (or it may have been that powerful out of the box, he never did get to the bottom of what tuning it had had done in japan) and with the short ratio gearbox was about the most accelerative car I've ever been in. However, as mentioned the high revs when cruising and the lack of sound deadening make it a very uncomfortable car to covers miles in, and mpg is bad too - around 20mpg. Personally I couldn't live with one because it's just too hard core.Timdavies1973 said:
evo 4/5
Good cars and in budget, I'm toying with the idea of one of these but am put off by very high insurance and 4,500 miles service intervals with lots of expensive bespoke 4WD hardware to go wrong....Timdavies1973 said:
accord type r
The "grown up's" choice of the cars you list, but it's Fwd and I don't think it would feel that special. Having said that my boss had one and loved it, very fast and good handling. YOu'd have to drive one and see if it's for you.Timdavies1973 said:
200sx s14
You wouldn't need to spend all of your 6K to find a good one. I've owned mine for 18 months now. It's been reliable, fun and I can insure mine aged 27 for £500. The chassis can be very RWD happy particularly in the wet, and learning to drive one swiftly does take a bit of skill. The performance isn't mind blowing, they have long gearing and "only" 200bhp. However, they're quicker than 90% of the cars out there. Spend a small amount on sensible modifications and they're quicker than 99% of the cars out there. 280bhp and big torque gains are easy to see. Handling isn't sporty until you start tweeking it, but that's part of the fun of these cars, they can be made into what you want them to be. head over to sxoc.com for more info on the forums then you'll ever want to know.Timdavies1973 said:
sivia s15
You won't get one for 5-6k I'm afraid. A great car, and on my wish list, but you'll need a "Spec R" for the turbo (avoid non-turbos, most BMW's are quicker and they lack the Helical LSD that transforms the S15's handling over the Viscous LSD in S14's). Similar in tuning potential to the S14 as it has the same engine, so your wallets the limit for power output, but they're 50bhp more powerful to start with and better handling too.Edited by WeirdNeville on Monday 3rd September 12:01
ive driven the Evo, the MR2 and the Accord.
I would have described the Evo the way most people here described the STi Type RA - it was hardcore, and unless you get to regularly cane it, probably not that much fun. its mental fast but if you are driving off-boost, or in traffic, its not particularly exciting. You need a really empty road to actually have fun, because it just gets to silly speed so quickly (i drove a 320bhp-or-so Evo4 with upgraded suspension).
The MR2 turbo, imho, is a GREAT compromise. And will be my next car. Its much quicker than you would expect (if you have a later-revision 250bhp model rather than the early 220bhp ones) and you are filter, exhaust, remap away from a fat torque boost and 280bhp or so. More importantly, it FEELS like a sports car even when you arent caning it. Engine fizzes behind your head, blow off valve hissing, great turn in, etc.
Its more fun when not driving like a boy racer, which means, imho, its more fun overall.
Wouldn't half like to try an RX-7 though....
Of course if your regular driving involves empty country roads....get the Evo!!!
I would have described the Evo the way most people here described the STi Type RA - it was hardcore, and unless you get to regularly cane it, probably not that much fun. its mental fast but if you are driving off-boost, or in traffic, its not particularly exciting. You need a really empty road to actually have fun, because it just gets to silly speed so quickly (i drove a 320bhp-or-so Evo4 with upgraded suspension).
The MR2 turbo, imho, is a GREAT compromise. And will be my next car. Its much quicker than you would expect (if you have a later-revision 250bhp model rather than the early 220bhp ones) and you are filter, exhaust, remap away from a fat torque boost and 280bhp or so. More importantly, it FEELS like a sports car even when you arent caning it. Engine fizzes behind your head, blow off valve hissing, great turn in, etc.
Its more fun when not driving like a boy racer, which means, imho, its more fun overall.
Wouldn't half like to try an RX-7 though....
Of course if your regular driving involves empty country roads....get the Evo!!!
Gazboy said:
Supra expensive at £6.5k eh Scoobs- on the forum we are mostly bitching about the arse falling out of the market.
Gaz...I'm just saying that pound for pound a 1993 Supra is a lot more money than a 1993 Scooby. I'm not belittling Supra's as i think they are cracking cars and as i've said...lots of car for the money. However at 14yrs old already £6.5K - £7K is a fair bit. You guys may be bitching about the arse falling out of the market but maybe private sellers have had to drop their prices a bit as maybe they aren't selling as well as they used to and there are plenty about. The dealers seem to be doing OK though
UK 1995 Supra - http://www.comebuycars.co.uk/buying/BuyersSpecific...
JDM 1994 Supra - http://www.japaneseimportspecialists.co.uk/stockli...
For an equivalent year Scooby with similar bhp to the above, from a dealer and you are talking £4K - £5K less. I know you don't get the leather and all the nice touches in the Scooby, and clearly the Supra is a much nicer place to sit but even so performance wise they are both very similar, but just to have a nicer place to sit i'm not paying all the extra. I'm more interested in the performance and how it handles than what it looks like...maybe that's why i settled for the Scooby, but if was so bothered about looks and comfort i probably would have gone for the Supra or Skyline as i think they are both lovely cars, although i think probably the Supra has it on looks.
with regard to the scooby type r/ra's, is the type r a bit more "refined"?
really like the look of them, but what are the running costs like on this model? are they prone to early scooby horror stories or are they one of the better ones to get.
Any buyers guide links out there, when i go onto scoobynet i tend to get soooo lost cos there are so many different models!
ta!
really like the look of them, but what are the running costs like on this model? are they prone to early scooby horror stories or are they one of the better ones to get.
Any buyers guide links out there, when i go onto scoobynet i tend to get soooo lost cos there are so many different models!
ta!
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