ProjectH

Hey guys I am on a search for my next car, and I want to hear your opinions. I am currently researching a number of cars and want to know which car has the best all around charactersitics( performance, aftermarket support). One of the most important factors is cost well at least at the beginning, I don;t mind throwing in some money later but I would need a few more months to recoup after the inital purchase of the car so here are the candidates. Let's set the budget at 9000-10000. I live in a major city so I drive auto, I will probably get a torque converter to improve performance. Don't rag on the auto, and say just get a manual if I wanted to drive a manual I would have gotten the 911 that is for sale in my area. Please provide a constructive opinion, this post is not to incite flames but to help me decide on the best project car that I can find.

1. Ek hatch - Since this car cost around 4-6k in my area there is some room in the budget for modification. I would hold out a lil and save up if I wanted to swap in a B18c5, but would it suck to get a B18C1 with a turbo kit?

2. Eclipse GSX 95+ - I see two in my area between the 9-10k range, not bad since it produces 210 hp and is awd, but the weight of this beast sucks.

3. Nissan 240sx 95+ - Nice RWD vehicle, but the problem is the base engine sucks and the car is ugly unless I get a Silvia conversion kit(~2000). I see a few cars in my area between 6-7 k. This car has a weak base engine but an upgrade of a SR20DET could change that.

viet

subaru 2.5 RS: swap sti engine, or 22b?

correct me if im wrong, i do not have much knowledge with Subarus.

t0p_sh0tta

You are aware of the fact that you are on a honda board and will recieve biased opinions correct?

I'd go with the Civic. It's cheaper and the insurance will probably be cheaper than the other. There is also an abundance of aftermarket parts.

ProjectH

Of course there will be some bias, but I believe there are a few people on the board who probably had experience with a few of those cars and can offer a valuable opinion.

jdM eK4 b16B

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by t0p_sh0tta &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You are aware of the fact that you are on a honda board and will recieve biased opinions correct?

I'd go with the Civic. It's cheaper and the insurance will probably be cheaper than the other. There is also an abundance of aftermarket parts.</TD></TR></TABLE>

hndacvcjosh

If you want to go with a possible rwd car, (and I know I will get flamed for this) why not go buy a chevy, like a 69 camaro or like a chevelle. For a budget, a 350 can be made quite fast, and has all the aftermarket support ever.

Another thing, if you are on a tight budget, consider a salvaged title vehicle if you dont plan on getting rid of it for a while, and save yourself money from the beginning, just make sure you do not have any frame damage.

You could also go buy a crx, older body style rx-7, or make a miata go extremely fast for less than 10,000 if you get a good deal. Just keep in mind that if it is turbo stock it will cost you an arm and a leg to insure.

innate

have you considered an eg (92-95) hatch?

if not, they sell for a bit less which would leave you with more money to spend on performance parts. if you are interested, you may find this link about eg vs. ek hatches useful: https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=350335

Malachi

better yet an old 240z with a 424.

ProjectH

hndacvcjosh - You make a really good point about the cost of insurance for a stock turbo car, I didn't really put that into consideration.
I prefer the look of the Ek over the Eg a little, but there will probably be less chance of rust and wear/tear from a slightly newer model.
To the other poster who said why not a chevy? My reasoning is because my cousin has a chevy corvette stingray , and if I really wanted to drive it my cousin would let me, lol and my other older cousin has a porsche 911 turbo and I could drive that if I ask real nice
Since one cousin has a badass american car, the other one has a badass european car, it is almost my job to get a badass japanese car.

My initial budget for the car is 9-10k and I am willing to throw a few more G's into the car after I recoup some money after buying the car.

After thinking about it a lil more I am kinda turned off by the idea of the heavy *** eclipse. I don't want to buy a straight up 2 seater either, because I need to occasionally drive around my parents (wholesome asian values).

Let me try to do some monetary breakdown.
Initial cost 9-10k and let's say after the first 6 months I will have another 5 G's to thro win it. Please remember all of the following cars will be auto, and I will get a torque converter to improve performance.

1. Ek hatch 4-7k, So that means I have anywhere between 3-6k for mods. Would I be able to get a decent swap in there (preferably b series) and get some decent performance? Too bad Ek's have such a variance in pricing otherwise I would know how to better appropriate my modification budget.
a. If I can get the Ek on th elower end of the spectrum there will be a nice budget for mods. i.e 3800 for a civic type R engine or a B18c1 for 3200, the B18c5 is quite expensive on the other hand and kinda falls outside of the given budget(but within the budget during the recoup phase).
b. H22, but this would involve quite a bit of work but is quite nice for an all motor car.

2. 95+ nissan 240 - ~6k for the price of the car. Pretty much right off the bat I would do either one of the following:
a. Get the xs engineering 240sx turbo kit, putting over 220 hp to the rear wheels cost around 4000
b. Get a damn Silvia conversion coz the car would look sweet *** hell(Sorry for being a little JDM/Ricey cost around 2000 - 3000 including install and paint I guess
c. Throw in a SR20DET 3000-5000 with installation

3. Another Japanese car that I am not thinking about that could have potential.

all stock

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ProjectH &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">hndacvcjosh - You make a really good point about the cost of insurance for a stock turbo car, I didn't really put that into consideration.
I prefer the look of the Ek over the Eg a little, but there will probably be less chance of rust and wear/tear from a slightly newer model.
To the other poster who said why not a chevy? My reasoning is because my cousin has a chevy corvette stingray , and if I really wanted to drive it my cousin would let me, lol and my other older cousin has a porsche 911 turbo and I could drive that if I ask real nice
Since one cousin has a badass american car, the other one has a badass european car, it is almost my job to get a badass japanese car.

My initial budget for the car is 9-10k and I am willing to throw a few more G's into the car after I recoup some money after buying the car.

After thinking about it a lil more I am kinda turned off by the idea of the heavy *** eclipse. I don't want to buy a straight up 2 seater either, because I need to occasionally drive around my parents (wholesome asian values).

Let me try to do some monetary breakdown.
Initial cost 9-10k and let's say after the first 6 months I will have another 5 G's to thro win it. Please remember all of the following cars will be auto, and I will get a torque converter to improve performance.

1. Ek hatch 4-7k, So that means I have anywhere between 3-6k for mods. Would I be able to get a decent swap in there (preferably b series) and get some decent performance? Too bad Ek's have such a variance in pricing otherwise I would know how to better appropriate my modification budget.
a. If I can get the Ek on th elower end of the spectrum there will be a nice budget for mods. i.e 3800 for a civic type R engine or a B18c1 for 3200, the B18c5 is quite expensive on the other hand and kinda falls outside of the given budget(but within the budget during the recoup phase).
b. H22, but this would involve quite a bit of work but is quite nice for an all motor car.

2. 95+ nissan 240 - ~6k for the price of the car. Pretty much right off the bat I would do either one of the following:
a. Get the xs engineering 240sx turbo kit, putting over 220 hp to the rear wheels cost around 4000
b. Get a damn Silvia conversion coz the car would look sweet *** hell(Sorry for being a little JDM/Ricey cost around 2000 - 3000 including install and paint I guess
c. Throw in a SR20DET 3000-5000 with installation

3. Another Japanese car that I am not thinking about that could have potential.

</TD></TR></TABLE>

I dunno where u pay to get ur sr20 swap, but i pay about 2500-3k for mine. INSTALLED. If you like drifting, i'd get the 240. if i had another car, i'd probably get a 240 for mixing it up.

juicedricer

AWD monster- 94 DSM turbo 8 bolt crank and 4 bolt rear and just a blast to drive.
a freind of mine has a 18G turbo,evo manifold, O2 housing and some other goodies running a 12.7 on street tires. great project and easily into 11's with a good driver and a cople thousand invested

GetawayInMoscow

Definitely go DSM if you want an auto. You will still be able to hit 12s all day long with another $1500-$3000 into it.

Teal95Coupe

If you want an auto I would say definately dont get a na 4 cylinder. There power is to high in the power band for the auto transmission to be effective. Keeping it under 10k I would say your best bet is a V8. Of course if you want a fast automatic insurance will be high.

civicmon

dude, if you got money and time for a project, why not go for the gusto and fly to Japan and pick up a early-mid 90s Skyline? Find one that didn't get the shaken done (A brutally expensive annual inspection, that means if it wasn't done, it'll be dirt cheap), shouldn't cost more then $4000 US, get it on a boat for another $1k and another 5k to make it street legal. There's stuff on the net on how to do it.

Sounds strange, I know, but if you don't just want a project, but a challenge, it may be worth it.

They ARE legal, Nissan's had them crash tested stateside, and there are a few for sale from time to time. Buying one shipped here already and already at US Emissions levels are 25k +/-.