i want to get a beater, but i still want it to be fun and possibly track able. here are the conditions if possible.

-must be older then 15 years(at least, but if u know any newer cars that are cheap and handle well, feel free to throw em at me)
-awd, if not then rwd, if not then fwd
-cheap, no more then 2k, 2.5k at most
-aftermarket parts readily available, (well i don't care about engine or hp, just suspension)
-have some kind of racing heritage(picky, i know, scratch that if not possible)
-can beat the **** out of it and still reliable.(possibly amateur rally)
-better gas mileage then 20mpg(like i said, i don't care if its slow, but needs to handle well)


cars i have in mind.

eg civic
rx3 <--don't wanna give up more gas to the rotary gods
rx7 fb <--don't wanna give up more gas to the rotary gods
510 <---money pit
corolla <-- i really don't want this, too many drift posers, but its a really good platform, still wanna avoid.

thats about it so far, i guess i'm pretty stuck. i wish i knew more about awd cars, but i don't. i really wanna try one though. any help in that area would be much appreciated.

 

Celica FTW! My first car was a MT '88 Celica GT Convertable. Able to beat the crap out of it, relatively reliable (let's face it: it's old; gonna needs repairs, but cheap parts and easy labor), fun to drive and has rally heritage. Dunno if the 4WD turbo version made it to the US, but for sure u can find a regular turbo one.
My old Wing5 car.

 

Another note on the Celica regarding track time: I've been in a buddy's '92 Celica that ran like a bat out of hell. Suspension, weight reduction, and a few engine bolt-ons and it was scary riding in the car with him. Again: Celica FTW!

Last thought: expand your budget a little and go find an MR2. Nuff said.

 

What type EG model are you considering? Eg-6 or the fugly hatchback. EG6, lots of aftermarket, easy setup and I mean EASY. Plus not very many on the road. You wont look to ricing, or just make it a sleeper

 

hmmm, cant believe i left out celica. thanks wing, i'll consider it. mr2 i heard was a money pit, so i'll stay away from that. my buddy has a all trac celica, the older model like the one in ur pic, but no convertable. parts for that car are hard as hell to find. dunno if the fwd version has same problems. i heard only about 2000 or so all trac celicas where released here. if i had more money to spend i would love to get one. its turbo too. so sexy...

if i do get mr2, i'll prolly consider the old boxy ones.

i EG i was considering was the fugly hatch. its not so fugly too me actually, i like hatchbacks. i diffinatly wont rice, no appearence mods, no wheels, not even engine mods. just suspension. unless the wheels have some sort of function, but most likely i'll just get blackies and space them out a bit for wider stance.

keep em coming guys, i need more input and opinions.

 

1st or 2nd gen MR-2. Get the NA one. Reliable and hella fun. The SC'd (1st gen) or Turbo'd (2nd gen) are great cars but its hard to find a good one for the price you're looking to spend. The NAs are a lot cheaper to buy and maintain.

 

dude, i have a 88 crx that gives me 40 mpg...ac colder than the rx8 and handles dam well for what it is, if you can live without power sterring, power locks, windows, then this is a gem!

 

Get an older BMW 325i or 325is. You can easily get them for 2-2.5k and they have a HUGE following for such an older cars, and quite a few aftermarket parts available.

There's also a lot of racing history with those cars. There is actually still a BMW racing series which I believe is sponsored by BMWCCA called spec e30. http://www.spece30.com/

IMO, there's no better 'beater' if you're looking to maybe race it and mod it.

 

If I was a partial guy, I'd say get an Mitsubishi Starion or Chrysler Conquest. However, as hot as those cars are, and they are fast and handle very well, they are totally unreliable. I spent thousands on mine, and it kept breaking down on me. Still though, it's a very unique car, and to this day will still turn heads. Thy are very affordable to buy, but only affordable to own if you do all the work yourself. It also takes a ton of patience. With that said, don't get that car. LOL

How about an 80s Supra? Perhaps a 80s 300Z? Maybe they are too heavy for your tastes. With that price range ther are limits here. Hmmm. How about a Fiero? lol

 

Plymouth Laser Turbo! I mean, who has a Plymouth???

 

i was actually very interested in that too. seen allot handle very well on tracks, i didn't bother putting it on my list cuz i figured, BMW, money pit. but if its as cheap as u say it is i'm gonna be looking more into that.

deedub: yeah, kinda want something i can stuff my snow board in and head up the mountains to go boarding, otherwise CRX is definitely high up there on list. 2 seaters are a possiblity, but i'm waiting to see what good 4 seater choices show up first.

maxxdamigz: looks interesting, but its still going for over 4k. http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...eadExists=true
if i where to get that, i think i'd go with the mitsubishi awd turbo eclipse instead. seems like a better following with that model. thanks for the awd input though, appreciate that.

keep em coming, i'm considering all cars no matter what brand so long as it meets my criteria.

 

Meh, I looked on auto-trader and there were a few Lasers under $2500. I don't really follow it, but my first car was a plymouth so anything plymouth is A-OK in my book.

 

looking up some 90 - 93 eagle talons right now. its looking pretty sexy. 100k miles, awd turbo broken a/c $1400. hatch back. i just need to find out its mpg. i already have a car that eats gas like a ****. ifs its bad i wouldn't mind a awd without turbo.

 

Golf. I had a late 80's model with 250K mi. No leaks and easy to work on. Ended up selling it for $100 to a poor co-worker. Fun to drive and laughed at gas.

 

+1 to the golf. I had a 1990 VW Jetta as a first car. ****** up a mk2 (85-92) VW GTI and have at it. Sure, its FWD, but you've got a very strict list.

 

If you can find one.............

Chyrsler Conquest or Mitsubishi Starion.

 

See my user name.

 

yeah, miata is one of my all time favs, but i don't know how i would ever get a snow board on that or have sex in it. just playin, 2 of my buddies already own a miata, i don't wanna seem like gay crew when we all roll out. i really do like it though. miata is gonna be on the list. just compiling a large list to choose from.

 

Thought I'd chime in again Best options I've heard so far: Golf, Miata, Civic, ....hmmmm
^^^If you're considering this option, go one tiny step further and you have an amazing & gorgeous '90s Japanese supercar: Mitsu 3000GT VR4!!!
That was my car senior yr in high school. ('05)
-3.0l V6 TT
-AWD
-AW Steering
-Active Aero
-Electronic controlled suspension.
-Yeah it's sexy

More food for thought about track use: at autocross and track events, the VR4 is classed with the 911's and such.

Loved the car to death, would love to have another, gets better mileage than the 8, and I got mine for $5k. ....OK damn, what's stopping me from buying another one? X.x

 

in highschool? you brat. i hate u. i ked ked, yeah, seems expensive to maintain though. but i'll check prices on recycler and penny saver.

 

88 crx - $1500
B16 + Turbo = $4500-5000 - 240 reliable whp = easy high 12 second low 13 second street car

 

B16 crx is for girls!
H22 hatch is the way to go!!! It wont turn so great, but it can do 12's 100% stock. That also means you can put 150k+ miles on the motor with no problems.


I was running mid 13's with a sohc and greddy kit.


If you know how to fix things a AWD eclipse is not a bad option. Those motors are built to hold up to about 400hp stock.

 

i really don't care if its a 20 sec car powered by magic, as long as it can bank corners, i'm good. i'll drive it daily, save gas, and on wekends hit up streets of willow for some track time twisties. thats what i had in mind anyway. everything held up by zip ties masking tape and glue.

 

Amen.Look into the hottest looking sports car of the 80s, and the most rare and unknown.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/88-CH...QQcmdZViewItem

 

ford ranger