Looking for a 1G Miata or MR2, mostly.

would consider an FB or FC chassis RX-7, maybe a 240/260/280Z, maybe a Porsche 914 or 944 (don't know much about 924s, and doubt I'll find a 951 in my price range). Might would do a 240SX for the right price, but they don't excite me that much. I'd prefer to stay $5000 or less, and I'd really prefer to get something for about half that price (unless maybe if it's already really modded out). I mean, you can get a pretty decent 1G Miata for $2k or a hair more if you're patient--that's kinda my benchmark (I really don't think anything else will offer more bang for the buck). Let me know if there's anythign I forgot.



basically, i'm tired of paying for my Evo IX (wouldn't be a big deal, except my pay effectively took a 25% cut due to child support. I can no longer comfortably afford to track it or mod it, so fuck it--i'm selling it. I wanna have plenty of money to ski like a mad dog this winter, too).

I need something with a backseat for my daughter, and I need AWD/4WD for skiing, and I want something that handles really well for all of these TWISTY roads around my house here, and I don't want to spend much (if I'm gonna cut back so I have more money, I'm gonna really cut back--and I also want another sportbike in the worst kind of way). basically, i think the best thing to do is get a bigass redneck 4x4 with a backseat and a small sports car with built-to-hell suspension/chassis. i like small, lightweight cars, and while horsepower is one of my favorite things next to blowjobs, what I'm really looking for on this ride is agility and eyeball-flattening cornering (but fast is certainly perfectly fine by me).


There was a nice little 1G Miata for $2200 obo on craigslist up here recently, but someone else got it before I could...I found this, too, but I don't know much about FC RX7s. I know they're faster than a Miata, but will it handle as good or better?

Found an '87 RX7 (FC chassis) with 1500 miles on engine rebuild...shocks, springs, and exhaust already done. looks like it's in clean shape. He wants $3900/offers considered...I might offer him $3000.

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/car/364610886.html

7/5/2007 10:54:46 PM

1g/2g awd dsm. use it for skiing too.

stock for stock, an fc is not going to handle as well as a miata. also, unless it's a t2 it's not going to be much if any faster. plan on working on it about as much as you drive it too.

[Edited on July 5, 2007 at 11:02 PM. Reason : .]

7/5/2007 11:00:01 PM

Pinto FTW

7/5/2007 11:01:24 PM

All the cars you mentioned are great for what you are looking for, although personally I wouldn't want to mess with a wankel for a daily driver. I also wouldn't get a 240/280/260 just because they are old and probably have some issues. I love my 240, but have always wanted a miata or mr2 if I could fit in them.

7/5/2007 11:05:28 PM

do you post one of these threads with a different genre of car every week (wasnt it broncos a week ago)? go buy an accord and start being a dad. you had to have bought that evo after your child was born.

PS: If you pay close to 4 grand for an NA RX7 you have lost your mind

[Edited on July 5, 2007 at 11:12 PM. Reason : .]

7/5/2007 11:07:59 PM

How about fucking moderating TSB for a change.

7/5/2007 11:11:32 PM

^ good point



[Edited on July 8, 2007 at 1:38 PM. Reason : psi]

7/5/2007 11:11:50 PM

Duke, do you have ADD?

7/5/2007 11:45:36 PM

bad idea.

just stick with a nice 4 door.

nothing is gonna make you happy. and its stupid to keep going through cars like this

7/6/2007 12:01:09 AM

^ nah. i turn a profit on every one of them.

and i had to ditch the S2000 because I needed a backseat...the 330ci was great, but I wanted something more focused as a sporting machine...the Evo is killer and pretty much ideal for my purposes, but it costs a lot and baby's mama isn't giving back the extra child support like she always said she would (which is an extra $300-400/month that I was expecting to get back).

Quote :

"do you post one of these threads with a different genre of car every week (wasnt it broncos a week ago)? go buy an accord and start being a dad. you had to have bought that evo after your child was born. PS: If you pay close to 4 grand for an NA RX7 you have lost your mind "

broncos were a month or two ago, and I'm still looking for a 4x4 (as stated in my first post in this thread). I'm not gonna buy an Accord or anything else along those lines--there's no reason to. Besides that, I'm 3000 miles away from my daughter, and only get to have her every other month. I do need something with a backseat, but that's where the 4x4 SUV comes in. I did buy the Evo after my daughter was born, but before I got hammered by child support and legal expenses to the tune of $14,000 and counting now at $1007/month.

and I'm not going to pay $4k for an NA RX7...I might offer him 3k and see if he bites, and that's only because it has a fresh motor and most of the suspension is already done...as stated in the first post in this thread.

Quote :

"1g/2g awd dsm. use it for skiing too. stock for stock, an fc is not going to handle as well as a miata. also, unless it's a t2 it's not going to be much if any faster. plan on working on it about as much as you drive it too. "

thought about that...not totally opposed to the idea if I really found a steal on one, but they're heavy (and tend to break expensive parts, although prob not too much since i don't do much drag racing/launching). the non-ragged out examples without ridiculous mileage tend to command a pretty steep price for what they are, too.

Why won't the FC handle as well as a Miata? Weight issue? I figured that at least it would have a stiffer chassis. You think that an NA car with a fresh motor will still give problems (any more than any other 15-20+ year old car)? Don't get me wrong, Miata is prob my #1 pick...just wondering why you say that about the RX7.

Quote :

"Duke, do you have ADD? "

my automotive ADD is part of it, i'll admit...part of it, though, is that my circumstances keep changing...becoming a father, getting my ass sued off, moving from FL to WA...all pretty big deals. Also, I keep flipping cars and making money, and that makes it a lot more feasible to keep doing it. I'm not in the money-losing business.

[Edited on July 6, 2007 at 12:19 AM. Reason : afsasfd]

7/6/2007 12:16:28 AM

Quote :

"Why won't the FC handle as well as a Miata? Weight issue?"

basically. that and balance. remember, i'm talking stock for stock. you could probably even go so far as mod for mod, but i can't say that i've driven two equally modified versions of each. i have driven both in relatively stock trim, and hard.

even with a fresh motor, a wankel rotary is always going to be a liability. keep in mind that's if (a BIG if) the motor was rebuilt right. not many people can do a rotary well. the biggest thing that's always gotten me about them is they are absolute nightmares in the vacuum line department. then you've got the typical nickel and dimeing any car of that age is going to do. add all that up, and there are much better choices from a mechnical reliability standpoint.

definitely fun cars and even worth the trouble in some cases, i'm just saying be prepared for it if that's what you end up going for.

Quote :

"thought about that...not totally opposed to the idea if I really found a steal on one, but they're heavy (and tend to break expensive parts, although prob not too much since i don't do much drag racing/launching)."

true. as long as you're not beating the hell out of it from a dig and the power levels are sane, driveline failure isn't a big concern.

Quote :

"the non-ragged out examples without ridiculous mileage tend to command a pretty steep price for what they are, too."

yeah, but you also tend to get ALOT of car for the money. 4-5k will get you something in decent shape, acceptable mileage, and faster than your evo performance. you also wouldn't have to buy a seperate 4wd unless you just wanted one or really have the desire to drive in anything worse than snow.

7/6/2007 12:34:32 AM

^ i want a wheeler, too, but i don't know if i'd buy a truck just for that if i didn't need the backseat and snow capability. the DSM would be a compromise on both my car and 4wd needs/desires.

Quote :

" i have driven both in relatively stock trim, and hard. "

i've driven the everloving bejeezus out of a highly modified miata.

i've driven a stock miata, too, but it was a LONG time ago, and I didn't get to wring its neck. I've driven a mildly modded Turbo II (that red one that some dude in the Garage was trying to sell a few years ago), but I didn't get to test the handling prowess. I pretty much just drove it around between Hillsborough St and Cameron Village. It had decent power, but there were a lot of things wrong with it as I remember...can't remember what, but enough that I didn't buy it.

7/6/2007 1:01:42 AM

http://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/car/367180151.html


http://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/car/367177956.html

(i'd register it in FL...no emissions. for that matter, no inspections at all! only prob is live axle rear, but they are really light and still pretty fun to drive...and if I popped the motor, it's already set up for a 13b--although that's not really a huge swap, as it bolts to the 12a's trans--it would get a 13b from a Turbo II and really haul ass.)

[Edited on July 6, 2007 at 1:13 AM. Reason : also slightly concerned there's could be something wrong besides the cat causing the emissions prob]



http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=008&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=180136519377&rd=1

in MD...i'm sure price will go up. if i can get it cheap enough and find someone to ship it for cheap, it's an option. long shot, though.


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=015&sspagename=STRK%3AMEBI%3AIT&viewitem=&item=250139412565&rd=1

this one's not too far away...more miles than i want (at least without rebuilt engine...not worried about trans or diff, b/c they're both dirt cheap used), but for the right price, i'm on it. figure i can sell the hardtop for at least $800 or so, too.

[Edited on July 6, 2007 at 1:17 AM. Reason : sadfasd]

7/6/2007 1:11:00 AM

i love the fb's. my sister had one for about 10 years. it had to be the most reliable rotory ever made, it went ~350k before it finally blew an apex seal. no other major repairs.

7/6/2007 2:08:46 AM

yeah, my dad had one when i was a little kid. i actually found it a couple of years ago and thought about buying it back, but the dude wanted an outrageous price for it...like a few thousand bucks when the interior was fucked and it didn't even quite run right (think it just needed a tune up, but who knows). he'd had a new engine put in it, and had this crazy idea that he could include that in the selling price. I think I offered him like $500 for it, but he wouldn't come down from $3000 or whatever crazy price he was asking.

and on that note:



[Edited on July 6, 2007 at 2:18 AM. Reason : afdasfd]



anyway, you must have some good seat time in an FB...mine is limited to about 15 minutes, and at an only moderately brisk pace. how are they, particularly compared to a Miata? prob about the same in terms of straight-line capability, for whatever that's worth in either car...i think they're about the same weight, too--how's the handling on the FB? I know they have a solid axle in the rear, and while that's not preferable, it can do OK on smooth pavement...for the money, i figure it would be a fun ride with a set of rock hard springs, shocks, and sways...and a set of gumball tires.

[Edited on July 6, 2007 at 2:29 AM. Reason : adsdafsd]

7/6/2007 2:16:45 AM

i'd say a miata probably has an edge. especially a 1.8. it's hard to compare, while they might be similar in some performance aspects they're really different cars.

they are light, but it felt heavier than it was. part of that might have been the manual steering. feedback was excellent though, i remember it being a car that you were really "at one" with. they're very true/pure sports cars imo.

my brother had one also, but it was for a very short time. he traded/sold it in favor of a c3 vette.

7/6/2007 2:44:16 AM

Quote :

"feedback was excellent though, i remember it being a car that you were really "at one" with"

yeah, that struck me, too. in some ways, it's even more glorified go-kart than a miata. i have a hard time comparing the two, though, b/c my time in the FB was very limited, and 99.9% of my time in a Miata was in my Frankenstein miata, which is all but useless as a basis for comparison (other than I know I can build a 1G to handle as good or better pretty easily...just with about 35% of the horsepower--haha).

i doubt i'll get a 1.8L miata...i don't give a shit about the few extra hp, because it's still totally anemic under the hood...and the car is heavier, so it isn't much faster anyway (just more expensive, and slightly stiffer). i mean, i'll get one for the right price, but a 1.6 is just as good for my purposes. some guy near here had a 1.8 swapped into a 1.6 car, which would be cool, but he wanted too much for it.

7/6/2007 2:56:53 AM

get a truimph, be unique





[Edited on July 8, 2007 at 1:48 PM. Reason : psi]

7/6/2007 9:14:05 AM

Quote :

"and i had to ditch the S2000 because I needed a backseat...the 330ci was great, but I wanted something more focused as a sporting machine...the Evo is killer and pretty much ideal for my purposes"

so this is gonna be the 4th vehicle in how long? man used car dealerships must LOVE you

7/6/2007 10:43:59 AM

I'd sell you my 951 for cheap, but I don't think it's going to suit you well. The back seat is tiny and I'm not sure how a baby seat would fit back there. Plus, it's not AWD/4WD.

Steer clear of the 924's.

7/6/2007 10:48:03 AM

7/6/2007 11:13:57 AM

as slick as that car can be i think he needs something he can put a baby seat in the back of....

7/6/2007 11:21:39 AM

pm sent

7/6/2007 11:31:50 AM

don't forget about the ol fiats





[Edited on July 8, 2007 at 1:39 PM. Reason : psi]

7/6/2007 11:34:19 AM

no, i don't need a car that will carry a baby seat...this is all about light weight, agility, and handling.


goalielax, where is your 951 located, and how much money are we talking?

[Edited on July 6, 2007 at 12:13 PM. Reason : i'm gonna get a 4x4 for putting the baby seat in]

7/6/2007 12:12:14 PM

ahhh ok so replacing 1 car with 2?

7/6/2007 12:22:50 PM

I'm almost bought a pristine '86 FC back in '99. It was spotless and obviously well cared for, but I was worried about the mileage. 120k on the original motor. Instead I ended up with the GS-R.

7/6/2007 1:33:35 PM

I'm in a similar situation.

For me I ended up with a 91 miata for $2.5k and a 00 xterra for $7k. Happy with both so far.

^^ For me two cars make more sense. I always have a backup and not as much $$ in either of them. I had a 03 maxima which cost more to buy initially, more to insure vs both, and now I have a car that is more fun to drive and a decent suv to do everything else with.

[Edited on July 6, 2007 at 3:59 PM. Reason : 1 vs 2]

7/6/2007 3:57:53 PM

yep, having multiple vehicles makes a lot of sense for some people. one vehicle won't nearly cover everything i like/need to do.

7/6/2007 4:05:29 PM

^ And some of us need to have multiple vehicles so we can have something to drive while whatever we broke on the other ones is being fixed.

7/6/2007 4:18:02 PM

I've had both cars down with something before (expired registration on one, and minor mechanical issue on the other, but not something I wanted to drive with) and been damn glad I had a motorcycle to ride to work!

7/6/2007 4:23:53 PM

Two 4 wheeled vehicles and one 2 wheeled one seems to be a good combination for me as well. Though I'm pretty much terrified to ride a bike here in south Florida. Hands down, the WORST drivers I have EVER encountered.

[Edited on July 6, 2007 at 4:39 PM. Reason : .]

7/6/2007 4:38:53 PM

don't buy an rx-7 sight unseen. That looks like an 87 GXL btw--luxury package, one of the heavier ones. It has LSD though.

don't trust a rebuilt motor unless you've seen a compression test because people screw them up. You could also have a car with serious hesistations/grounding problems which are unrelated to the rebuilding of the motor. And don't worry about vac lines on an N/A because you should be removing/blocking off EGR, ACV, Split Air, and the solenoid rack.

Miata probably has less electrical problems, but you will have no motor problems on the rx-7 if all the supporting electronics/injectors/etc are working right. I had no problem at Deal's Gap or VIR turning 6000 rpm continuously for 25 minutes at a time

And ask zxappeal about MR2's.

[Edited on July 7, 2007 at 3:12 AM. Reason : .]

7/7/2007 3:09:38 AM

nothing listed will out handle a miata..

there's a reason its the clear king of autocross and has been for ten years.

simple, cheap, fun. i don't see why youre looking at anythign else.

7/7/2007 5:55:10 PM

yeah, the Miata is a known quantity, too. I've owned one before, and know more or less what the car is like. i figured a 1st gen MR2 would be at least as good, though, although less forgiving in the handling department.

goalielax's 951 would be a neat ride, but i'm guessing it's more than i want to spend (although if he makes me an offer i can't refuse, i prob won't refuse it!). it's bigger and heavier, too, but it would still be a really slick ride.

7/7/2007 6:14:54 PM

Wont you get pissed at an na miata because the turbo'd miata was tons faster? You will instantly want to switch cars again....

Maybe you should just find the car you really want instead of what you can find for cheap. Easier said then done sometimes.

7/7/2007 6:32:23 PM

This guy won't be happy till he get's his own private space shuttle.

7/7/2007 6:34:43 PM

when i post 1024 pixels wide pics--which is really a standard size--people bitch and moan.

but others can post 2848 pixels wide pics, and no one says a thing?

7/7/2007 6:35:20 PM

^^^ i have pretty much what i want right now--the Evo IX (i'd really like to have an Elise, but I really like the Evo, and it offers some things as a DD that the Elise never could--and it can pretty easily be made to stomp on the Lotus in a straight line. Mainly, though, I'm just not gonna spend 35-40k on a car at what I make now).

yeah, a NA Miata is SLOW, but they're still fun...and cheap. I'm selling the Evo strictly because $1007/month of child support is hurting me badly financially, so I want to free up some money. If I can't comfortably have exactly what I want anymore, I'm just gonna drive something dirt cheap and not have to pay much of anything for a car that isn't really my ideal. That being said, if I can commute down curvy roads in either a Miata or a Camry for the same price, I'll bet you can guess which one I'm gonna pick.


I know i've been switching cars a lot, but there will have really only been one superfluous car in the mix--the E46 BMW. The S2000 was awesome, but I had to sell it for something with a backseat. I'd driven it for 2 years, and would've kept it longer, but I didn't have much choice there.

The BMW was a great car, but I made the mistake of thinking I'd be happy driving a car that wasn't a real sports car.

The Evo is pretty much the perfect car for my purposes, but since I got raked over the coals with child support, I can't afford it (not without living pretty close to paycheck-to-paycheck or compromising my saving/investing, neither of which is an option I'd consider). Basically, my needs keep changing, so I keep getting different cars that are better suited.

7/7/2007 6:49:10 PM

^^that's because you used to do it constantly. besides, he's suspended anyway so quit whining.

also, why do any of you care how many cars duke goes through?

7/7/2007 7:48:06 PM

Quote :

"also, why do any of you care how many cars duke goes through?"

Shit, I've probably had upwards of 40 different vehicles myself. I just think it's funny.

7/7/2007 8:50:49 PM

hell, the only things i have that aren't for sale are my daughter and my anal virginity (well, i'm not doing any other gay shit, either, for those of you who were scheming).

7/7/2007 8:54:19 PM

ill admit, i was scheming. *sigh*

7/7/2007 9:39:17 PM

i didnt even see u post before that

7/7/2007 10:02:45 PM

9 times out of 10, I have no idea what you are even talking about. This is one of those 9.

7/7/2007 10:22:31 PM

shit half the time i dont even know what the fuck i'm talking about

7/7/2007 11:02:22 PM

get the miata and don't ever look back - you'll love the twisties.

7/8/2007 12:16:43 AM

^ you're preaching to the choir!

7/8/2007 12:21:36 AM

Why not consider the WRX? Seems like a good compromise if you like the Evo that much. It won't handle like it is on rails, but a stock Miata isn't going to handle like the first one you owned either. Plenty of room for car seats, good for ski trips, you shouldn't have to work on it all the time, and you should be able to find one for $10-14k.

[Edited on July 8, 2007 at 11:02 PM. Reason : pl]

7/8/2007 10:54:23 PM

that's way, way more than i'm looking to spend.

7/9/2007 12:10:16 AM