I've been looking into buying a cheap, early 90's boosted import car and narrowed it down to these options and was looking for some input and advice.
3000GT VR4 >highest stock power output of these options >absurd curb weight
300ZX >good all rounder >seems like the most difficult to do repairs on
Eclipse/Talon DSM >probably the cheapest and most common in my area >underpowered compared to other options
MR2 >light and quick >snap oversteer/mid engine problems, especially before '93
Supra >fastest car out of all of these >also the most expensive and difficult to find
Jordan Evans
>I've been looking into buying a cheap, early 90's boosted import car This was a bad decision 10 years ago. Now it is volenteering for financial ruin.
Blake Gutierrez
>Mfw all the good DSMs have disappeared up in Canada
Buy a DSM and build it. They can be made very fast for relatively little money.
Wyatt Garcia
MR2's snap oversteer can be fixed with suspension upgrade and installing sway/strut bars.
Don't even try with the Supras. Anything pre-Mk4 is dogshit.
Cooper Thomas
If you have the supra on the list you may as well add the r32 gtr since they are legal and can be found cheaper than the supra.
Michael Perry
depends on how mechanically inclined you are and if you have previous experience with auto repair
Kayden Sanchez
Pretty much. Old trashed boosted Japo shitboxes sound like fun until you realize that it costs more than your house payment to keep running. Especially if it's modified. Also you can't get certain parts for VR4s anymore and they are stupid unreliable. Do not buy one.
Easton Sullivan
I'm willing to put down up to $4000-$5000 for one in good shape and another $1000-$2000 to get it in optimal condition. I'm aware of the problems common in these types of cars. Any recommended DSM builds? Yeah I was talking about 86-93 supras which are still overpriced Not a whole lot of experience but I've always been able to fix what comes at me What in particular is a common problem area on VR4's?
Aiden Cox
Get a late 80s 300ZX, much more reliable than the Z32, can be made just as powerful for cheap, and is hella easier to fuck with
Jaxon Morris
>I'm willing to put down up to $4000-$5000 for one in good shape and another $1000-$2000 to get it in optimal condition. I'm aware of the problems common in these types of cars. hahahahahahahahahahahahahAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
Holy fuck are you out of touch with reality.
Double what you are willing to spend on getting a car in good shape and add $8000 to how much you are going to have to spend gettting in optimal condition. Costs add up real quick when you have to refresh the entire car, and that is assuming you are doing nearly all the work yourself.
Anthony Jones
these are very hard to find in manuel if you're a burger
Benjamin Morales
$5000-$6000 is the high end on craigslist for me to get one that runs and drives with no significant issues. I'm not looking to rebuild the motor or anything, just fix the most important problems. $2000 isn't unreasonable.
Josiah Turner
I bet you also think it'd cost 15k to put an LS into too, huh user?
Gavin Watson
Nothing that a t56 swap cant fix
Jeremiah Turner
At that price range, the DSM seems like the only one that you'd be able to keep running, and even then, they will financially ruin you if you own it for any extended period of time. It's not whether it will break down, it's when. Consider an NA build? Maybe a NA/NB1 Miata with ITBs? That would be a good bit more unique than a GTS-T or something. FB/FC RX7s can also be had in that price range, and honestly, if they're in decent condition, they'll be a lot cheaper to maintain than an, early boosted car. 280zx are pretty cheap and not too hard to keep running, but try to get a carbureted one (the mechanical fuel injection on the later models is hell). Also, obviously Hondas, but yeah.
David Parker
VR4 is mechanically reliable, but the electronics are absolute garbage and will make it hell to DD
Austin Richardson
Why does it have to be boosted? Unironically, just get a civic. They're cheap and you'll be able to work on it yourself easily. Drop in a b16 or something and they're very fun.
Jacob Mitchell
$2000 is completely unreasonable unless you are Tavarish and are happy with a car that has been duct taped and spray painted.
Any car you find for your budget is going to have near 200k miles and EVERYTHING will be worn out on it. Sure it will run and drive, probably with nothing significantly wrong but it will feel like an old, fragile car.
There is a huge difference between runing and driving and caught up on maintenance. There is a reason a well maintained Z32TT can command well north of double what you want to spend.
Daniel Butler
>snap oversteer/mid engine problems also known as not knowing how to fucking drive that shit isn't a car problem at all, it's a driver problem. ask any MR2 owner (myself included), they'll tell you it's 100% their fault for poor driving. now ask someone who has either never driven an MR car or owned one, they'll complain about "snap oversteer"
VR4 >expensive and difficult repair due to cramped engine bay and exclusive/rare parts
300ZX >Grand tourer, do NOT expect Miata/mr2 agility >same repair and maintenance cost as VR4 as well as cramped engine bay
DSM >unreliable? apparently super easy to make power on
Supra >do I really have to, this is a completely different price range and league
Aiden Lopez
Ask any MR2 owner. Any real MR2 owner. It don't matter if you spin because of yourself or the car. THRE IS NEVER A PROBLEM WITH THE CAR.
Oliver Ward
Where is the best place to find an 1994+ MR2? Been looking everywhere but they are nowhere to be found.
Dylan Scott
well, I guess that's a stronger way to put it but I still agree. are you a 2 owner as well? I've got a black SW20 you can find in Veeky Forums usually
Ryder Baker
i already have a civic lol i'm not a bad driver by any means but i get the impression that a lot of regular people have problems controlling an mr2
Jace Adams
and a lot of regular people have 0 experience driving any MR car and treat it like a FF civic, are you starting to see where I'm going yet?
it's a different car, learn it, respect it. an MR2 will have a lot more rewards with the right hands on the steering wheel than any of those cars will ever give. As far as I know, the other cars are only super popular from looks or it's engine, the 3SGTE is very capable if engine is all you care about
Jonathan Parker
Yeah I had an AW11 and the post you are replying to was written in jest.
They are shitty little cars for idiots. The MR layout is all marketing and ends up being a detriment to the overall performance because of Toyota's lackluster execution. Mine was so bad I ended up swearing off Toyta forever. I knew it was hard to drive, but when I hopped into a Miata it became instantly clear how completely awful the MR2 was.
Now I know you want to defend your car but lets just pause for a second and consider how few shits Toyota gave about doing a good job. They used the same brake proportioning valve and same brake proportioning as the AE86. They litterally put brake force distribution designed for a car with the engine in the front, on a car with an engine in the back, with a front end so light you can almost lift it by yourself and called it good. The brakes were so bad you had to take 1-2 seconds to dip the nose before you could really apply any braking pressure, otherwise instant lock.
A hard to drive, unforgiving car is not a good thing, it is an engineering failure. You spend all of your effort fighting to keep the car balanced rather than working to keep it consistently on edge. Combine that with archaic safety, traffic you are not in control of, and you have a death trap daily driver.
You want a good cheap MR, get a boxster. Or if you can spend a little more, get a Cayman. And budget for putting in an LSD right away.
John Garcia
Mk III Supra with headgasket done, can make silly power for little investment
Nathaniel Thomas
I'm sorry for your poor experience man. mine has been great and that was the trend I noticed with every previous and current owner. I won't defend it and say you're wrong but I at least wanna say that my experience was the exact opposite. Went from a Miata to an MR2 (sw20) and fell in love.
Benjamin Allen
you probably had shitty ass fucking tires man, upgrade the suspension a bit and put some rubber on and they're sweet as hell.
Ryder Campbell
just don't be an idiot. they really aren't that bad unless you're pushing it. i've pushed mine and you really have to start throwing it around for it to bite you. it just has different characteristics.
Jaxson Green
yeah those actually have great engines and are piss cheap.
Camden Gonzalez
t. retard
I bought a clapped out r32 gtst for $4300 about a year ago, bought all quality parts and did all the work myself PROPERLY and it is basically back to stock condition now. It only cost me $3.
Zachary Evans
Transmissions have shitty synchros which you cannot get new anymore. They are literally a when fail not if. Turbos don't do well after 80-100k. Crank pulley bolt on the engine can break off and fall into the timing belt fucking your shit all up. Happened to me and I talked to several others on forums it happened too though I wouldn't say it is common. ECUs fail fairly often. Every single thing on them is below average or worse reliability. I was part of the community around them for years. Gorgeous cars and fun to drive but they are fucking money pits. For the cost to maintain an old VR4 you could be driving something far better.
Carter Gutierrez
That's exactly my issue with the W20 Fortunately, the W30 has better balance but it's got a floppy as shit chassis so some aftermarket bracing is needed to really set it straight.
Evan Reyes
Z32 looks best. Iconic early 90s automobile.
Landon Hernandez
Not enough Z32 hate in this thread. Way below average Veeky Forums threads.
