Fun and reliable sports car?

Question

Hello,

I'm 21, been daily driving a 2006 Toyota Matrix XR , 2004 Nissan Pathfinder Chinook and a 2012 Toyota Forerunner and I'm about to buy my first real sports car.

I'm looking for something:

-at around 8k
-Japanese or American but I want to avoid Euro cars, usually a lot more expensive
-Reliable
-Lots of aftermarket support (cheap parts)
-Stands out
-I don't how to work on cars (but I'm very interested in cars, know the basics) so maybe an easy car to work on
-Plan on doing minor modifications but will keep it clean
-(Optional) AWD because I live in Montreal and we have harsh winters
-I'm planning on doing some drag racing but mostly to cruise on the highways late night

Some cars I had in mind:

- Camaro SS (2000)
- Nissan Skyline R32
- Mazda RX-7 (I would swap its engine with and LS1)
-Pontiac Trans Am (2000-2002)
-Mazda Miata (LS1 swap)
-Nissan 240SX (they are quite expensive for their age)
- BMW E30 (I heard they are reliable and lots of after market support)

*Any 70s muscle car, especially the Dodge Challenger RT but I think this will greatly exceed my budget*

Any advice would be appreciated

Answer 1

Get a Honda S2000. Lots of parts available, super reliable, and it's engine has the highest hp per litre. Probably one of the most power 4 cylinder engines (stock)

Camaros/Trans Am's don't drive that well because of it's shape and weight, I doubt you'll find an R32 Skyline, and if you do find one it will be expensive. The Miata and 240SX are meh (I personally don't like them but they're good cars)

Answer 2

Mazda RX-8

Answer 3

If you have a daily driver I wouldn't worry about the AWD unless you were absolutely dead set on it. Firebirds and Camaros have a wide range of parts and they're easy to build on a budget. 350z is a good car as well, but it is heavy for its size. R32 is an awesome choice, but most parts you would buy for it would have to come from Japan or a parts car.



Figure out what you want from a car. If you want a good handling car I would not use a muscle car that predates 1978. Not to mention most need tons of work just to be enjoyable. It seems like you really want an LS series engine swap out of most of these cars. I would go with either the 3rd or 4th gen F-bodies. They are already set up around the V8 and parts are readily available.

Answer 4

Nissan 350z is reliable, another solid performer is the Honda s2000. Has one of the most powerful four cylinder engines ever made

Answer 5

Id go with the Camaro, but thats just me.

Answer 6

i dont think an R32 skyline gtr is going to be under 8k. Its an iconic "super car" cause technically its not. Get like a 300zx instead of 240sx. I would take one any day