help me decide on a new car~!

[fluidmotion]

ok, so this is the situation. I've been looking for a good 95+ 240sx around Minnesota that's manual for about... 4-5k. and I've been looking about... 6+ months. I only will buy the 95+ because I would like airbags in my car, heh.

I wanted something stock, so I could just learn to drive better, and learn more mechanical work myself.

Now, I've almost given up on my search and I wanted some other recommendations for newer cars under 20k (preferably even less) that are rwd.

The only one I can think of is a MR-S. I want a newer car because they have dual stage airbags and my brother almost lost his eye recently from his last car accident from the airbags and my parents will help out in getting a newer car if it comes with dual stage airbags.

[nismofly]

well theres the miata and the mr-s, im pretty sure thats pretty much it

where are you in minnesota?

[fluidmotion]

minneapolis.... I was thinking about the miata or mr-s.... but... I kind of wanted bucket seats.... at least something there in case I needed to bring extra people.

[Andrew300zx]

this goes completly against everything I believe in...but that turbo'ed neon- srt4? supposed to be pretty fast- does real well at autocross- in the price range and some speed for the money?...of course- its a dodge...ugh

[nismofly]

he said he wanted rear wheel drive, srt-4 isnt real wheel drive

by the way im in north dakota up here but quite a bit of time spent in the cities, a lot of people here at school come here from the cities

[Altiman94]

camaro, trans am, firebird formula.

[Jesda]

minneapolis.... I was thinking about the miata or mr-s.... but... I kind of wanted bucket seats.... at least something there in case I needed to bring extra people.

I'm confused. Wouldnt bench seats accomodate more people?

Mazda doesnt offer any cars (excluding the MPV and trucks) that dont have bucket seats. The only car from Toyota with bench seats is the Avalon.

[gabossie]

I think he was more refering to rear seats. I don't know what to tell you, there aren't many cars that fit that market besides 240's.

[Rex]

I think he meant back seats

[fluidmotion]

mmm, i meant that i wanted a car with bucket seats, the small back seats.

I was thinking as a last resort, maybe go with a used rsx.

and yes, bucket seats accomodate more people, which is what I want. I'm fairly sure the miata doesn't have bucket seats... and the mr-s for sure doesn't.

and the srt-4 is way out of my price range. especially since my insurance would sky rocket, haha.

[nametakennow]

The only car from Toyota with bench seats is the Avalon.

Which is FWD . At least, the old ones were. Unless they changed the platform to really be an LS430...

[gabossie]

You could get an old turbo rwd Volvo wagon they don't have airbags, but who needs em when you're in the inpenetrable steel box that is a volvo...

[fluidmotion]

haha, oops, yea, I meant more backseats huh? messed up.... brain not working.

[fluidmotion]

does anything know a lot about the miata? I have never done any research on it, but it's possibly I could consider a newer miata. Thanks.

[nismofly]

were you thinkin the 99+ miata or the 90-98?

[Jesda]

The Miata is a hoot to drive. I promise you -will- fall in love with it. If you go before 1999, check out the M-edition with the leather seats, classic British roadster looks, and headrest speakers.

More power was available every year or two since 1989, and the aftermarket is insanely great.

Plus, they're cheap to maintain.

-Jesda

[nismofly]

i recommend the 96-97, thats what i used to have before i got my 240 was a 97, i was going to go through jackson racing and make a nice streetable, yet fun car out of it...then my uncle decided i could buy his 240 when he moved to japan

now he has a japanese z33

[JDMaholic]

It may be kinda pricey but still under 20k for a used 2000-2002 3series BMW that's in good shape and faily low miles.

My brother bought an MR2 spyder with the SMG gearbox. I've never liked roasdters like these (miatas, MR2, MGB, etc.), but secretely when I drove it I was impressed with the handling and it was fun to drive. I think He paid about 29,000 and it had literally every option on it. So you could probably pick up a 2001-2002 without the SMG for 12-16k.

I just saw a used 350Z for 19k around here at a lotAlot of non-Z06 C5's are under 20k now

or you could always go the mustang/camaro/firebird american route...nah too many of em

[prigo]

Go AWD, get a Subaru. Once you do it, you'll never want to go back!

[fluidmotion]

I was thinking the 90+ miata's, because if I'm correct, they didn't make dual stage airbags until... 2002 or so, so it would need to be around there.

Miata's are rather expensive, do any of you own one or have driven one a lot before? And also owned a mr-s or driven a MR-S? I guess I pretty much need to find the time to go test drive both of them and decide which one I like better huh?

Well, I find the MR-S styling... rather... tacky.... or something. There's definitely something wrong with that car, but I can't exactly pin point it. heh.

I've mostly done research on 240's since I really wanted one, but what's a very good price for a miata, any year, that has preferably less than 70k miles. Are miata's reliable cars? and jesda, the aftermarket is comparable to the 240's? Thanks for all the help guys~!

[nismofly]

like i said, i had a 97 miata, theyre fun cars. i got my uncles pristine 89 240 fastback when he was leaving for japan, thats the only reason i dont have it anymore, i sold it stock, before i had time to do anything to it, to a friend who now runs autocross with it.

you have to put quite a bit into it to make it as fast as a 240 could be with relative ease, but for a daily driver its a real fun car

[Bubba1]

Why the obsession with air bags at all? They only protect you in specific types of crashes. I'm sorry about that incident with your brothers eye, but that sounds like an exception to the rule on air bags. very unusual

You want late model inexpensive RWD with dual stage air bags? Hmmm.Lotsa choices:

Mazda Miata - #1 pure sports car fun, and dirt cheap to maintain/repair, reliable, easy to work on and mod. Only hitch is you need to be 6' or under to enjoy it. That would be my recommendation

Furd Mustang. Yep RWD, fast (if you avoid the V-6), and available with a stick. Downside isreliability, build quality, and it guzzles more gas.

Chevy Camaro: Same as above. Fast n fun, but cheap and unreliable

BMW 3 series: Well made, excellent handling,but cost of reprair will shock you. Very expensive to fix.

Almost any pickup truck comes in RWD. The Toyota Tacoma I believe is part time AWD, which means you can play in RWD, and still have AWD in Minn when it snows.

Toyota MR2, Mid engined but RWD. Very tossable, reliable, The downside is very small and no luggage room. And engine is tough to get at to do repairs. But a nice sports car. Newest ones are kinda looks challenged but the previous gen. are nice.

Volvo - think of it like the bmw except less fun to drive. Very practical RWD, if you're concerned about crash survival, well designed.they are expensive to fix though.

In a climate like Minn. I'd think more about AWD, which is fun to drive too. Of course you can have fun in FWD, its just a configuration. For AWD, Subie WRX is a bargain, Fun to drive, reliable, quick, roomy. The downside are its looks and interior materials. It's a smart car to look at especially if you live in Minn,

Audi: A4 and TT are fancier than the Sube, and just as much fun to drive. Drawback is the higher cost of repair, and lower reliability. Great cars for winter climates.

Mazda RX-7: Very fun, fast, but you probably don't wanna own one when it breaks down.Expensive to fix.

Nissan 300ZX. The 350Z may at the upper edge of your price range, which is a great RWD sports car (course I'm biased), but the last 300ZX's are in your price range and are great cars. More expensive than a 240sx to maintain/repair but a solid sports car value

Enjoy

[fluidmotion]

haha, I'm not obsessed with airbags, but if I'm going to be looking at something more expensive than 5k, my parents will help me only if it has dual stage airbags.

I personally think active safety (ie: handling, braking) is more important, but I guess you also have to look at passive safety (ie: airbags, structure/size)

but thanks for the great list~!