whats the best project car under $8k?

[allmotoronly]

Ok guys, I have decided to start a new project, however I can't decide what to start with. Whats the best car under $8000 to start with (and give a reason too please)? I want something that is pretty reliable since I drive a minumum of 50 miles per day and some days I drive as much as 150 miles. Also, I want something decent on gas. When I say decent, I mean nothing under 17 or 18 mpg. Im not going to sit here and say I want something with 1000whp and gets 50mpg.... I'm realistic. I am a little partial to honda but I want to get back to a RWD or AWD car if possible. Let me know whats out there.

[2.0civic]

240's, GSX's, maybe a camaro or mustang...


my buddy has a 94 gt with a t56 with a vortech t trim and gets about 19-20 highway and if he doesnt keep his foot in it does decent city

[allmotoronly]

I would kinda like to stay away from V8's, since I already have old skool Trans Am (smokey and the bandit style). I cant afford gas for it so it sits in my garage.

[wantboost]

1st gen mr2, s13, e30 (i think thats what they are called, 89 3 series) crx, miata, mustang, b13 sentra.

[allmotoronly]

no crx, miata, mustangs, or sentras, but I will consider the others. thanks

[NewGen33]

Something different like a 1986-88 (NA) mazda rx-7. :2cents:

[2.0civic]

yeah i was going to say FC's or FD's

[allmotoronly]

yea I like those too... I found a old turbo II one time that I could have got for $300... It was piece of shit and everything needed rebuilding or replacing. I didnt have the garage space at the time. I wonder if the guy still has it...

[NewGen33]

I know theres someone selling an 86-88 rx7 in peachtree city. I'll be close to it sometime this week if you would like me to get a picture of it for you. Its a darker gray color looks nice for its age.

[allmotoronly]

NA or turbo II? whats the price?

[NewGen33]

Not sure, haven't had a chance to stop and take a look but I will sometime this week. LMK if you want some pics or etc.

[TheGodfather]

My 300ZX has been a project car, and has turned out amazing, but I don't know if you can find one for under $8,000 with anything left over. It's possible, but not likely. I have always wanted to make an EG hatch a project car and early 300ZX, first gen, can be awesome project cars and can flyyyy. Good luck.

[allmotoronly]

cool thanks I'll add that to my list of considerations. do those have any major problems that are common to the model? I do not know much of the VQ30 engine...

[R_Rated]

Datsun 510 WOOOOOOOOOOT!
1988 Bimmer 3 series.
old skool VW

[allmotoronly]

bimmer is a posibility. this car is going to be my dd, so it needs to be reliable...

[R_Rated]

RWD volvo 240 and do an Ls V8 swap.

[allmotoronly]

haha thats out of the $8k range...

[R_Rated]

haha thats out of the $8k range...

500-2500 for car
4000 for NEW Ls motor from chevy
1500 for NEW tranny


you can find a PERFECT body with bad motor for cheap (like 200 bucks) and those are the prices for NEW engine and tranny.

[admedlin]

buy my car, 1997 honda prelude!! It has a good start on it.....$6500

24/28 mpg

[bigdare23]

I would say a crx but you already ex'ed that off the list

[allmotoronly]

500-2500 for car
4000 for NEW Ls motor from chevy
1500 for NEW tranny


you can find a PERFECT body with bad motor for cheap (like 200 bucks) and those are the prices for NEW engine and tranny.

I would just rather not own a volvo... nothing against them, I jost dont want one.

[allmotoronly]

buy my car, 1997 honda prelude!! It has a good start on it.....$6500

24/28 mpg

I just sold my 00 prelude (mugen aero kit, jdm SiR S-Spec swap) a few months ago... I have considered another prelude, but mine had too many problems. If I could find a 99 or 2000 with low miles I would consider it.

[allmotoronly]

I would say a crx but you already ex'ed that off the list

yea I dont want a civic/crx/delsol older than a 96 or so. nothing against them, but I have to drive the next car i get for the next two years, so I want something a little newer with under 100k miles... I would like it to have four seats.

[PSINXS]

240sx, 1g eclipse awd, honda civic or integra shell, foxbody mustang

[PSINXS]

yea I dont want a civic/crx/delsol older than a 96 or so. nothing against them, but I have to drive the next car i get for the next two years, so I want something a little newer with under 100k miles... I would like it to have four seats.
that kills your project car right there.

[R_Rated]

I would just rather not own a volvo... nothing against them, I jost dont want one.

lol, nobody does. Mine has been fun though.

[Cliff]

E30 BMW and swap the m3 fenders onto it

http://www.bmworg.ru/img/cars/e30_006.jpg

[allmotoronly]

I think I'll pass on that.

[HalfBaked]

no crx, miata, mustangs, or sentras, but I will consider the others. thanks
hater.


b13 se-rs are the best project cars you can get involved in.

[allmotoronly]

haha i'm not a hater... I just dont want a sentra.

[HalfBaked]

haha i'm not a hater... I just dont want a sentra.
Then you're a hater!!!

Everyone who doesn't want a sentra is a hater!

[AlliRae]

mine

95 acura integra gsr. started as my project car but with school, and no money, i haven't had time to do anything with it.

[AlliRae]

PM if you are interested at all

[RISKYB]

an integra or 240sx

[Killswitch Performance]

I would suggest a 3000GT VR4. But right after I post this someone will chime in about the weight.. LoL..

Anywho, once you drive one, you will fall in love. You could get a shell for cheap, and do a 6G74 swap (3.5 Liter) and it would be a fun project car that would haul once you turbo'ed it.

But at least it wouldn't look like every other car on the road..

Tyler

[Cliff]

Datsun 510 WOOOOOOOOOOT!
1988 Bimmer 3 series.
old skool VW



bimmer is a posibility. this car is going to be my dd, so it needs to be reliable...


you do realize the car i posted is the same car that he said and you said was a possibility? now i am just confused

[BlkCD5]

You can get an old school corolla or a Mk3. I saw an ad for a 91 gsx for 2000 obo. The motor and body is in good shape.

[GTScoob]

Bah, 3000GTs weigh too much, plus its a Mitsu so you cant count on it cranking everyday.

Buy that kids Impreza wagon with the WRX swap for $6500 in the FS section. Total sleeper and it leaves you 1500 for mods (accessport, bigger turbo, and intercooler, should be able to get all 3 for that much if you shop around). http://forums.importatlanta.com/showthread.php?t=83844

[allmotoronly]

too bad its a wagon...

[allmotoronly]

you do realize the car i posted is the same car that he said and you said was a possibility? now i am just confused

thats because after you said something about it, i researched it some more and decided I did not want one...

[R_Rated]

fawk you all....

go into mad debt and get an RS4!

[GTScoob]

too bad its a wagon...

And? You said you wanted a 4 seater.

[wantboost]

this thread is a joke lol

[allmotoronly]

this thread is a joke lol

then why even post in here....

[AlliRae]

this thread is a joke lol

the guy knows what he wants leave him alone.

[allmotoronly]

And? You said you wanted a 4 seater.

I just dont want a wagon... I dont need something that big.

[R_Rated]

teh scooby is not big.... think of it more as a hatch.

[allmotoronly]

I dont want a hatch either...

[wantboost]

^^ why dont you edit your first post so we can help you better. the reason i said this thread was a waste is we suggest something then you say you dont want a (insert feature here). tell us what you dont want so we dont waste eachothers time :goodjob:

[allmotoronly]

well its not like i can name every fucking car I dont want... the whole point of this was to name things I already have not thought of... If I knew every car I did not want, I would not have posted in the first place. Thats the point of giving your opinion and I will say what I think about it. So I said no station wagons or hatch backs... If i need to put something big in the car I will use me Z71. I want a 4 seat car. Station wagons have more than 4 seats dont they? then why list it.

[Bruce Leroy]

you want a RWD, non V-8, somewhat small 4 seater? For under 8 grand??? ONly thing that will fit you categories are older euro's. BMW / Volvo / Mercedes.

I say, go test drive an e30.

[Fr33way]

IMO B13 Sentra with VQ30DE-K (from 5th gen Maxima) swapped in.

Can be in the 200whp/200wtq area with bolt on's and it is fairly light for a V6 engine. You can also lower the mounting points on it to regain any handling lost by the "nose-heavy" tendancies of the swap.

With only 8K I would probably work on making a car handle incredible rther than making it as fast as possible. If you have a good chassis for 2-4K that leaves more than enough money for some of the best coilovers availible for the chassis and body reinforcement (seem welding, strut bars, subframe connectors).

Probably not on target but you have said that with all the replies.

[wantboost]

you want a RWD, non V-8, somewhat small 4 seater? For under 8 grand??? ONly thing that will fit you categories are older euro's. BMW / Volvo / Mercedes.

I say, go test drive an e30.
he ruled that one out, guess he has to get an 86 or s13 to drift off a cliff lol. honestly those are the only ones that i can think of.

[wantboost]

here ya go hope it helps :D

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/index.jsp?make=&address=30307&lang=en&MIS=HMNDBDMGSR814

[{X}Echo419]

you can get a 240 like everyone else... no wait, that's a hatch too...

[Gilgamesh]

ok you need to get that guys 91 FC GXL shell....then go here http://www.hinsonsupercars.com/

get it towed up to their shop, and pay 6500-7000 to get a low milages LS1 with a 6speed tranny TURN KEY SWAP with everything working like it was made that way......and dont complain about the gas because at 70mph your doing 1500rpm idlin down the highway and you have TORQUE

haha so add it up 300hp....2600lbs.....cameros are fast with the ls1, but you just cut the weight in half.


OR you can get a E30 bmw and find a 95 M3 motor (s52) and swap that bad mother in there.

[EP3sAreFun]

bimmer is a posibility. this car is going to be my dd, so it needs to be reliable...


yea I dont want a civic/crx/delsol older than a 96 or so. nothing against them, but I have to drive the next car i get for the next two years, so I want something a little newer with under 100k miles... I would like it to have four seats.

your project car is going to be your daily driver? probably not much of a project then. Having your DD and PJ as the same car is a terrible idea. your limited on what you can do and since when does someone spend 5-6 grand on a project car? what happened to buying something that limps home then throwing in a new motor and anything else you need to do.

I'd say get a starion, 2.6ltr turbo factory intercooled, independent rear end, factory midebody w/LSD, great community and damn could i go on. but it takes devotion. i dont think youve got it. Sorry if this offends you, but it sound like you dont have a clue what you want. You dont want a project car, sounds like you want a DD you can dick around with, and i dont mean to sound like theres anything wrong with that.

[allmotoronly]

the thing is... It is going to be my DD, but I have 3 other cars as well, so if needed I can drive something else if I have to work on one of the cars. I would rather not put any miles on my other much nicer cars. I drive them on the weekend and sometimes to work. I dont HAVE to have a RWD, but it would be nice. $8000 is my limit because thats what I want to spend. sometimes whether you want to or not, you have to spend more. I dont have a real spending limit, But I dont want to waste $20k on a car that will only be worth $5k in the end... when I said I dont want a hatchback, I meant no true HB's... ex golf, civic HB, etc... I dont consider 240's and integra's and shit like that to be a "hatch". I know they have a hatchback rear door, but when you hear "hatchback" you think golf or civic HB. Anyways thanks for the suggestions!

[HiPSI]

why not just get whatever you like instead of asking people what THEY think is cool?

[EP3sAreFun]

why not just get whatever you like instead of asking people what THEY think is cool?
agreed

[allmotoronly]

because I ran out of ideas... Im not asking what everything else thinks is cool, I was wondering what all is out there and why people like it... read original post.

[StupidBikerBoy]

500-2500 for car
4000 for NEW Ls motor from chevy
1500 for NEW tranny


you can find a PERFECT body with bad motor for cheap (like 200 bucks) and those are the prices for NEW engine and tranny.

Not gonna happen anywhere near $8k

$4k is NOT for a complete motor with all acc.
$1500 maybe for an auto, nowhere close for a 6 speed.

Used LS1 complete swaps are going for $5k PLUS.

You may could pull it off with a used swap left basically stock, but it'd be close after all the other money needed to be spent on the swap AND cutting a lot of corners. Then the car will probably look like crap since no money was spent on exterior.

I considered this swap before I started on the RB26 swap. Sometimes I still wish I had stuck with it.

[StupidBikerBoy]

Get you an early 90's SC300 and do the 2JZ swap.

Plenty of room, power, and styling.

[2.0civic]

Not gonna happen anywhere near $8k

$4k is NOT for a complete motor with all acc.
$1500 maybe for an auto, nowhere close for a 6 speed.

Used LS1 complete swaps are going for $5k PLUS.

You may could pull it off with a used swap left basically stock, but it'd be close after all the other money needed to be spent on the swap AND cutting a lot of corners. Then the car will probably look like crap since no money was spent on exterior.

I considered this swap before I started on the RB26 swap. Sometimes I still wish I had stuck with it.


Im assuming with your name and the motor you are referring to that you guys are talking about a ls1 240...your pricing is a little off on the LS1 swap....You can get a t56 6 speed ALL DAY for under 2k and ive found ls1's (complete from oil pan to manifold) for 3k. the motor would be used YES, but still for 5k you would have a low mileage motor and a 6 speed tranny

[allmotoronly]

if you found a LS1 for $3k, then it probably had 180k miles on it... and as for the T56, They are getting easier to find, but, finding one with low miles will set you over $2k. I was in to muscle cars way before imports. I have had my share of different GM vehicles with V8's.

[Bruce Leroy]

Get a GS300.

[Ludester]

you can go with a geo tracker and drop a 13b rotory in it. that should be fun.

Ever thought of a 97 acura CL 2.2L? I test drove one for shits and giggles and that thing is a fun little car to drive daily. I would get one.

95-97 civic coupe. That has some pontial and the only year civics a sort of like.

91-93 accord and drop a h22 in it. That will give a crossfire a run for it's money. (Saw a race between the two on the south side a few months back).

2001 celica gs-t. Fun little daily driver.
2003 VW Jetta 1.8T. This was a fun car when I test drove it too.

93 civic hatch with a gsr swap and simple bolt ons like intake manifold/TB/fuel rail & fpr with Crome ecu will make the car move a little.

Oh! Fifth gen prelude with a little over 100,000miles.

95-99 240sx with bad motor and do a sr swap.
95-2000 Maxima SE 5 speed. These cars a fun to drive daily.
84 Nissan pulsar if you can find one/ do the 2.0L turbo swap and that should be fun.
91-01 3000gt non vr4. Nice looking cars but a little under powered.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head man. All these cars either I've test drove them or owned a few of them at some point in time.

[allmotoronly]

Oh! Fifth gen prelude with a little over 100,000miles.

I just sold my 2000 Prelude a few months ago... I kinda miss it... To make things worse, the kid who bought it put underglows and like 19's and some more ricer shit on it.... :(

[CivicHB93JDM]

I'm selling my 93 Hatch w/JDM B18C. Motor only 30,000 miles. Super clean. get's approx. 30 miles/gallon. Price: $8,000.

[Ludester]

I just sold my 2000 Prelude a few months ago... I kinda miss it... To make things worse, the kid who bought it put underglows and like 19's and some more ricer shit on it.... :(

19s? lol. Underglows? :lmfao: . Mine has been down for 8 months now so I know how you feel. Going through withdrawals and what not. with 8k you really have a lot of options.

[StupidBikerBoy]

Im assuming with your name and the motor you are referring to that you guys are talking about a ls1 240...your pricing is a little off on the LS1 swap....You can get a t56 6 speed ALL DAY for under 2k and ive found ls1's (complete from oil pan to manifold) for 3k. the motor would be used YES, but still for 5k you would have a low mileage motor and a 6 speed tranny

He quoted prices for NEW LS1 from GM, which is really what I was debating.

You are right though, you can find them for less but every example I have found (looking for one to put in my S10) was not a complete swap, an auto, and/or extremely high mileage. Either way means more money spent on aditional parts needed. The auto wiring harness would also have to be replaced.

I have seen T56's for around $1500.

Of course, LS1's are still relatively new and GM is constantly adding more LS style engines to choose from which means they are getting cheaper fast.

If you run into a good LS swap for $3k, please point me in that direction, my S10 needs some love.:goodjob:

[allmotoronly]

...

[allmotoronly]

OK i will probobably be getting whatever car I can get this weekend. I'm looking at a turbo 93 MR2, but I dont know if that is going to work out. and it only has 2 seats. I think I have it down between the MR2, a 99 Impreza RS ($4000, which leaves me $4000 for a STI swap), and a 98 Accord (black 4 door, $6000, which leaves me $2000 for a F20B swap or maybe i can throw in a little extra and get the $3200 Euro R swap if I can still get one for that price like I got the last one).

[allmotoronly]

I found another car I am much more interested in, especially for the price. I will let everyone know if I get it this weekend.

[2turbo4u]

What about a 93-94 Maxima, it got the same motor as the 95up maxi's and you can do bunch of stuff to them including turbo charging.

[USDM CTR]

Datsun 510 WOOOOOOOOOOT!
1988 Bimmer 3 series.
old skool VW
datsun is a good car to go with

[wantboost]

good luck finding one around here.

[ranj]

Integra and turn it into midengine, would be freaking sweat, done a few times before so its possible and it would be reliable w/ good mpg's and hella fun. I like the MR2 idea as well.

[BlkCD5]

a mid engine integra is unique, but a waste imo. Mr2's are nice, but can be a bitch to work on. If you ever need to pull the motor, it has to come out the bottom. Here is a FAQ if you haven't checked it out already. Mr2 FAQ (http://www.btinternet.com/~netsurf/mr2t/mr2tfaq.html)