First off, thanks to whoever thought up The Ring. Brilliant, it gives hot heads like me a place to vent creativity. :ylsuper

I want a two door to kick around in and I am looking at an Acura Legend coupe 92-95 or a 91-96 300ZX 2+2. I still have the Q and will keep it till the arse falls out but I crave one of these cars. I know there are people here who have owned both and can tell me pros and cons. Both seem to keep there value pretty well on the used market, I haven't found a steal yet and I see a lot of milk mouth kids driving the Z. Any info would be aprreciated.

1993 and up Coupes with the 6 speed have the Type II engine (220 HP) and thicker chassis metal for added stiffness. They are rather quick. It is a large car for a coupe, but well made and bullet proof if maintained well. Probably my pick over an SC even if it is FWD.

The 1994-1995 Sedans with the type II engine, larger brakes and wheels, etc. were called GS and are quite nice. Six speed very rare in these.

A good LS Coupe will cost as much as a good Q, so.....

Well, I got the Q.

The 92-95 Legend with the II motor is probably my second-favorite car (within reason) of all time.

Beautiful styling, bulletproof drivetrain, and the 6-speed option is to die for - I prefer the sedan. Drop a few grand in mods in that car and you have a sleeper that might rival our Q's.

I was looking at one before I bought my Q. GS model with a six speed and 230 hp.

They hold their value very well.

Thanks so far guys, no comments on the 300ZX?? I thought there would be rants and raves about it.

Well, at the risk of a good flaming, here are my thoughts.

There is a good bit of difference between the Legend and the Z. I do love the bodystyle of those 92-95 Legends, but it's not really a good drivers car, if you are looking for performance and handling.

The Z is a great car, I think the body style is still beautiful after all these years. That being said, avoid the 2+2, it's just not the same car as the 2 seater. I've driven both, back to back, and it's just too damn heavy and soft compared with the 2 seater. Really, drive em back to back and you will be amazed at the difference.

I guess I'm most suprised at your choices, if you already have a Q why not spring for something small and light? You've already got the four seat sedan angle covered, so go for pure sport. I've got a supercharged miata which makes a PERFECT companion car to my Q. Cheap, Fun, and Wicked in the corners, all with virtually no maintance and low running costs. Or how about an RX-7, CRX, Etc. . . ?

For some reason the Legend coupe is a rare animal. I think the present owners wont let them go.

The 300ZX NA can be a ball to drive. You will have to hunt to find one that has not had the "juvenile" modifications done. Very few of the 2+2s came with a manual. You will have to hunt to find one of those too. If you go with a Z, look for a 91, 92, or 93. The 94 and later was being decontented to keep the price under control.

Take a look at a 89 or 90 RX7. They are real cheap and run great.

Just a 'half-opinion' - I've never driven the Z.

But I HATE front wheel drive. Under hard acceleration the loss of steering precision/control is unavoidable. I've usually driven rental FWDs as well as dealer loaners on my Q and Acura. Compared to RWD or AWD ... FWD is a distant finisher. My impression also is that FWD suffers even a worse F:R weight distribution disparity compared to Front engine/rear drive. IMHO

The BMW Z3? Drives fun... but, maint cost???

A

I am too much man for those itty bitty cars and don't like to look like I was poured into a car through the sun roof. I like the RX7 though. I like the coupes with back seats just in case I want to haul an offspring. He can fit in the back of the Acura with no problem and in the back of the Z (until he is 3-4 years old). I need a 2+2 as not to seem too selfish what with having a family and all and the wife can't drive a manual. I know...deesolballs are getting soft.

What I am really interested in is the reliability and quirks. I think the Acura is pretty sound but does the Z have any problems to parallel the Qs tranny and guides? I can't get over how much both of these cars are going for on the used car scene!! I have bought all of my cars by taking leisure drives on the weekends through neighborhoods and avoiding the lots. Good deals and well maintained cars can be had straight from the private owner.

Well, if you're gonna hafta have 4 seats, and auto and room, you already have a great car.

But since we are on the subject of a suitable sports car (donning kevlar and nomex suit) how about Camaro? Good deals are out there for even late models, you can find them with killer engine/tranny combo's and the upkeep is cheap.

Yeah, I know it's not an acura, but it is a good, cheap, roomy sports car.

Fit and Finish, well, that's another conversation.

As far as reliability goes, AVOID the '84 through '87 Zcars. They are a disaster!! The '88 and '89 is much better and pretty reasonable in price. Any Z '83 and older is cast iron reliable.

The RX7s are reliable also. The only caution is the long term health of the engine. They tend to wear seals and weaken at 100K miles. A well cared for '88 or '89 could be a candidate. They came in 2 seat, 2+2, and soft tops.

You could consider an early '90s 240SX. Nissan reliable and tons of after market support. Great suspension, real back seats, pretty (I think), but a bit under powered.

If you are willing to take a bit of a risk, consider an early '90s VW Corrado. Its fast, it handles, and most people have no idea what it is. Avoid the G60 supercharger.

There are lots of interesting cars out there. No reason to settle for boring.

reggiegsd wrote:If you are willing to take a bit of a risk, consider an early '90s VW Corrado. Its fast, it handles, and most people have no idea what it is. Avoid the G60 supercharger.

That would be a Corrado SLC (with the VR6). The first VW with this engine in 1992 (it was fitted into the Passat afterward - 1993). Loads of power and very reliable. Some aftermarket mods available too. The G60 was considered a sports car and the SLC was just an improvement on that. Considered the fastest production VW to date.

Sorry about that. I was getting emotional. My last ride was a water-cooled 16V VW. Still holds a special place in my...seat of my pants.

Lon

Reggie, gotta take issue with you statement about 84-86 Z cars, I've got 156k on my 1984 that I bought brand new, never stranded me and I've done basic stuff to it over the years. Most of these years have the same things that go wrong, you just need to see what's been done and what's not been done to them before you buy. That said, the 84-86 came with more goodies for the buck than 87-89 did (Nissan was trying to compete with RX-7 prices so they started cutting standards like CC, etc.)

That all said if I was looking for a cool new 2 seater, find a good Z car, nothing like a properly mounted V-6 with rear wheel drive. The 90-96's had nice horse power and not that big of a hassle for service (the Twin Turbo has stuff you'll need to do that the NA doesn't)

Already had a 92 Acura LS Coupe a couple years ago. It was an awesome car! I bought it from an Acura dealer with warranty. The original sticker was in the glovebox $38,800. This was in 92!! The car was great but not for that kind of $$$$ ten years ago. Only had Type I engine @ 200hp and was slightly heavy. I had put nice 17's on them with a K&N filter. The most common flaws I had happen and that the dealer had mentioned were 1) Bose amp blew , possible short but recall. Dealer replaced under warranty $ 800. 2) rear defrost quit. Had to replace with new OEM rearwindow. The dealer warrantied since I noticed this 3 days after purchase. Never saw the costs but could not be cheap! 3)Parts needed came from dealer not cheap as usual but warranty covered most problems. All in all a solid car over two and a half years although drove crummy in snow with factory 15s/Yokohama Avid V and 17s Toyo Proxes Z. I paid $15,500 with 68K and traded in for $10,300 w/98,000 and factory wheels. I thought it worked well for the time I had it. Any ?? let me know....... Ajsdream(a.k.a. crazy non-seatbelt driver, or so I 've been told...)

Thanks for the help everyone.

AJ, I still see Legend coupes for around $10-12K. Did yours come with the auto start and the self closing doors? Why did you only keep it for 2.5 years or is that typical for you?

Why not consider an 89 or 90 Toyota Supra Turbo. I ran one up to 150k miles and recently got rid of it, got the urge for a Vette.

Just make sure the head gasket has been replaced, they tend to go between 90k and 120k miles.

Reasonably fast, quite comfortable and decent handling, to go along with pretty bullet proof mechanicals.

Good examples can be had for $5-8K.

I did have the self closing doors but no auto start. I was looking for a bibber car at the time. I went with a 98 Toyota 4Runner Limited with 48k for about $23,000. I only kept it for about a year since I discovered it had been wrecked. Front end damage and driver quarter panel. I could never get the headlights to aim correctly, too high or too low. Plus could never get the alignment straight. It was frustrating so I went back to a midsize car if you will (97 J30t). Once again not much room but a whole lotta style! My wife also has a 98 I30t and loves it so we are an Infiniti family. Especially since my brother-in-law just bought a G35. Lucky bas%#*!! Just jealous that's all.

so you wan a speical car huh ?sporty huh ?rare ?

go get you a 1982 citation x-11 , 2.8 liters of fury!!! im sure there isnt many running anymore as good as the 2.8 is ,take GMs very superior front wheel drive car and that 60 degreee v6 (first computer designed engine from GM) and youll take any car you roll up on , theyve been known to take down vettes ...chevettes

http://www.geocities.com/citation_x11/

or how bout the gremlin X ?

not many of those GM inline 6 powered rear drive beastsand neon green , shoot dude can you say chick magnet ?

oh and who could forget this rare gem ..the YUGO GV turbo cabrio, thats right the world biggest peice of crap with a tiny turbo and no roof !!!!

LMAO:D

ok there was supposed to be another part to my post on the real stuff , granted some are 2 seaters but if you do end up with offspring other than Jpalm (supposedly) then god help us all .

got to thinking and here goes some oddball rare stuff

#1 1985.5 SVO mustang , this was the fastest of the 2.3 turbo mustangs had a ton of euro infulence and in my opinion is one of the best stangs ever made , year before had less power and the year after had less power and more weight , if i remeber correctly it made around 235 hp out of that 2.3 litre 4 .

#2 1988 Merkur xr4ti , another turbo 2.3 ford and just about as rare and well sorted out handleing wise 1988-1989 was the last year for it , lost the biplane wing in 1987 i belive so 1988 looks very sleek

#3 in all seriousness , 1988 pontiac fiero Gt , last year of this one too , GM finnaly got it perfect this year , have pics somewhere of the 1990 fiero , still born with a tuned port 4.3

#4 1984 corvette , first of the c4 generation and a bargan , granted it had crossfire injection , they made so many of these this will be the only corvette not to appricate in value , since there was no 1983 vette i guess they doubled up that year , good hotrod platform

#5 1970s RX3 , put a engine and tranny out of a 88 turbo 2 rx7 , thatd we wicked fun .....and it has 4 seats

#6 i will be linched for this one ..1993 dodge daytona IROC , last of the daytonas , had 224hp out of the 2.2 litre 4 , the lotus designed head had a tendacy to go bad and is quite expense for my taste ($1600)

#7 another k car , im gonna get it now ...1990 chrysler shadow CSX , a shadow with a varable nozzle turbo , made 174 lag free horsepower , turbos go bad and cost around 3500 (makes the lotus head look cheap) but very quick and very rare , i found a lebaron that had this engine it turned out to be one of 4 ever made , the VNT turbo was only made for 1990 , reliablity problems caused chrysler to get rid of the idea , aerocharger has picked up on it and is makeing kits for various cars

thatll get some poeple thinking huh ?

Stoney,

1. here is a 1985 Stang for you http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...5312.

2. I've driven the Merkur and its not bad. It looks like an escort Gt with a shag.

3. The Pontiac is the bottom of the line Chevy in my opinion but I did think the Fiero was cool looking.

4. Don't like Corvettes. Especially from the 80's. They remind me of Karate Kid when Daniel and his date were getting picked up from the theme park in the green station wagon. The preps ride up in the vette and say... "Nice car Mrs. Larusso!* mockingly*". Damned yuppies.

5. If I had to buy something 70's it would be a 280Z.

6-7. Dodge Daytona and Chrysler Shadow?? Damn son. How did we get from Acura and Z cars to Iacoca? Terrible styling, no class...I'd rather drive a J(unk)30.

Off the subject...did you know the the J(unk)30's styling was inspired by a urinal? No lie! Next time you go to Ring-a-Ding Burger go take a leak and take a close look at the pisser. Definite J(unk)30 from the arial view.

jethro says "thats one of the purdyst ones ive seen" 85 is also my fav year for the fox GT , looked its best that year .

how bout 1987 Mr2 supercharged , had a A/C compressor clutch on the end of its blower , kinda trick car

ever thought of going brittish ? go drive a 73 Tr6 , they are a hoot , just stay away from MGB and the triumph Spitwad

cant wait to see the dew98 mustang outta be good ...

urnal huh ? looked more like a bar of soap that shot out of my hand , but i still like it ,looks so much diffrent than anything on the road , was a article in autoweek a few years back , a engineer they interviewed took a j30 and put a huge dorsal fin on that went from the top of its rear window to the bottom of the trunklid , that was the first J30 i saw , wasnt untill i saw a normal "t" that i started to like them ....

my appologies for the iacoca cars , i had a lebaron Gts and have been hooked on the turbo powered k car ever since , its kind of like your plump childbearing woman fettish dees , very weird, very sick,completely tasteless but oh well right?:spit