Mostly putting these here A) so I can refer back to them, and B) so you can peruse what's in my brain and tell me to run... either away or toward.
Miatae:
2000 Meh with 110k
95 R package with 154k
01 low miles, too good to be true?
I think I threw up in my mouth a little
Needs a top, but possible
Another TGTBT?
Possibly worth a look
Pretty nice, but salvage. Looks like front end damage
More marques later
Keep in mind, the 94-96 SS cars are becoming VERY hard to come by. If your car is clean, you will never be able to replace it for the price you’ll sell it for. I vote to keep the SS and still get something that makes your heart skip a beat.
My SS is pretty cosmetically rough. Dents, rust, peeling paint, 150k, wasted seats. If I were certain that it would bring a pretty penny some day as a resto, I'd put real money into it. It was one of my dream cars, but I own my dream car now, and it needs a resto.
I could put a little money into it and have something vaguely reliable, but it's one of those things where, if I don't do the whole shebang, it's going to nickel and dime me to death.
Here is my train of thought: Sell the SS for $X. Pick up a reliable [miata/mr2/something] for $X to have as a second car, and sink any money I have into restoring the 67 LeMans. Then I'm starting from a net wash instead of restoring an SS AND a LeMans.
You're not wrong by any stretch. That SS was the only car I've owned since new, and it was my college graduation present from Mom and Dad. It will be remarkably hard to let her go, but she is getting to be kind of a needy girlfriend. You still love her, but sometimes it's better to let go.
Something like a Ford Focus is a hard sell.
... but what if we put a turbo in front of it...?
Seriously, tons of fun and honestly as quick as or faster than the typical old sbc. Own'd and driven both.
Decent coils and a turbo would make for a great, fun DD. Itll bang gears to 130mphwithout much of a struggle and if I had to guess, maybe 14s in the quarter?
Curtis said:I'm loving all the suggestions because it is showing me that maybe the flash is a bit more important than the fast, but I think my GRM-ness is a bit different than many of you folks' GRM-ness.
What many of you are suggesting is an econobox that they upgraded with springs, a turbo, and/or VVT and made it a fun shooting brake or hot hatch. What I'm looking for is more like something that is a performance car that happens to score high in the reliability part.
So instead of an econobox like a Fusion or Golf that has been warmed over, I'm thinking more like a (wild example) Lotus Elise that happens to have a Toyota driveline, or an MR2, or a Miata, Z-car, or something similar. Instead of something that started boring and they made it fun, I'm thinking something that started as a purpose-built fun sportsy thing and happens to have a known bulletproof driveline.
Oops, my comment is useless. Glossed over this.
$300 e36 is my new answer. Done this a couple times because I'm acoustic and they're too fun to not abuse. Watch for coolant leaks and bad valve cover gaskets
I like e36. I miss my E30, but finding one of those that isn't a pile of useless parts is next to impossible.
In reply to Curtis :
Today, you'd probably want an e46 and just gun for all aftermarket cooling from China. Cant be worse than OEM, that's a promise.
German engineering is big butthole and generally sucks, its probably the best excuse for TUV. If you disagree, come live here for a few years and then we'll talk.
I've enjoyed the end-user experience of my German cars. I don't enjoy the complexity or cost when something breaks.
Fun to drive, a pain to maintain.
Maybe this was suggested already, but...Caprice? All the big RWD boaty fun of the SS, but without the guilt of potentially messing up a collector car.
So... wait. Fiat rebadged a Miata as a 124 Spider in 2016? How did I not know about this?
In case you don't want to read the whole thread, I'm looking for a super fun commuter. I don't want a souped up econobox like a Focus or Golf, I want a good-looking sports/GT car that happens to be reliable. Think like the Lotus Elise with a 1ZZ-FE but not that expensive. Miata, MR2, etc. Something I feel good about pulling up to pick up a first date.
Tell me more about the Fiat. Looks like it's mostly Miata but with a 1.4L turbo? Who makes that engine? It uses Multi-air which is (from wiki) "a proprietary electro-hydraulic system to precisely control air intake without a throttle valve." That sounds like a time bomb waiting to fail.
Curtis said:So... wait. Fiat rebadged a Miata as a 124 Spider in 2016? How did I not know about this?
In case you don't want to read the whole thread, I'm looking for a super fun commuter. I don't want a souped up econobox like a Focus or Golf, I want a good-looking sports/GT car that happens to be reliable. Think like the Lotus Elise with a 1ZZ-FE but not that expensive. Miata, MR2, etc. Something I feel good about pulling up to pick up a first date.
Tell me more about the Fiat. Looks like it's mostly Miata but with a 1.4L turbo? Who makes that engine? It uses Multi-air which is (from wiki) "a proprietary electro-hydraulic system to precisely control air intake without a throttle valve." That sounds like a time bomb waiting to fail.
its a nd miata with the engine from a 500 abarth and the manual trans from an NC miata. iirc multiair failures arnt that common but they are not that hard to replace iirc. It gets hit with the fiat depriciation stick. IIRC you want the abarth because that is the only one that gets the LSD, I think an ND sport miata will still be cheaper if you dont care about the thicker top that the GT/all Fiats have.
NC Miatae are getting really cheap. Not $3500 cheap, but I came across a well cared for example on Craigslist for $5500 recently. Sporty, reliable, and great aftermarket support. If you get bored and want to go really fast apparently the Mazda 2.5 bolts up as easily as any engine swap you’ll come across for any platform.
Even with the Fiat depreciation stick, I'm not seeing any that fall within my budget simply because they're so new (which, by the way, I wouldn't mind upping the budget to get into NC territory.)
I need to make a CL ad for the SS today. Fall Carlisle is this weekend and I think that's my best chance of getting decent money for it.
Oh no... going down the rabbit hole and I found THIS
Probably the LEAST practical and bulletproof route I could possibly take, but SO COOL
Would a $1500 MR2 Spyder be of any interest? NMNA
Looks like the ad was deleted.
Have an offer to trade a 2009 GTI. It does interest me a bit.
What should I look for?
Maintenance records. VAG turbo engines do NOT tolerate appliance-car treatment nor owners not willing to fork over for VAG-rated oil.
My boss's wife just traded in a 2009 GTI. At 100k it had a bad oil leak from somewhere, the AC compressor was shot, and it was leaking coolant too.
That might explain why he wants to trade straight up for a 96 Impala.
His car is an 09 GTI 6sp manual with 147k. I'll at least check it out (and check him out) and see if he's trying to dump his problem car on someone else, or if he's really passionate about SSs.
I'm in no way "excited" about a GTI, but I'm not dismissing anything. Kinda like when a lady asks you out on a date. Your first impression might not be great, but you never know what you might be missing unless you at least take a look and put your butt in her seat.
.... wait, what?
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