I'm hunting for a fun fast toy around the price of 5k-6k.. I want a manual of course, I might mod it some; maybe exhaust and intake but not really any engine work so good cheap aftermarket parts would be nice. I'm mostly looking at cars with 100k+ miles so a good reliable motor would be nice. A couple cars I've looked at on craigslist in my price range are the Late/mid nineties 5.7 L Trans am Late nineties early Mustang 5.0 Really I don't know much about foreign makes so I haven't looked too much into em but I'd like yall's suggestions.. If you had 6k to spend on a fast toy what would you go with?
First off, don't even consider a foreign car unless it's RWD. You'll have little fun otherwise. Second, the late '90s mustangs were 4.6s, not 5.0s (not that it really matters at this point). If I were you, even though I'm a Mustang fan, I'd probably go with the Trans Am. I love that generation of 'em and they're beasts. Lotsa aftermarket support for that engine too, like you want. In fact, for what you want, I think the Trans Am would be perfect
I'm really leaning torwards it, there's so many 98ish mustangs with 5.0 overhauls I just assumed it came stock like that haha. But yeah I only want a RWD car for sure. The trans am just seems so nice, 325 HP stock is great
Ahhh that makes sense. Haven't seen many 5.0 swapped Mustangs here, but I understand now. I really think the Trans Am is your best bet as long as it's been taken care of fairly well. Then you can post some badass burnout videos
Something fun and fast for around 5-6k I'd choose neither of those cars. A. Because Mustangs are lame in my opinion... B. Because that first car looks way too flashy for my liking. I'm assuming you want a manual, since those are the most fun! I'd suggest something like a Dodge Stealth. Only problem is fwd, but I'd rather have a fwd stealth than a rwd mustang.
To me, it sounds like you're looking for a Grand Marquis. It has moderate power, nice cushioned seats that are suitable only for fat, old people and the vehicle just has a general white trash POS feel to it. One of my top 10 favorite vehicles.
with that budget id get 240 rolling shell for like $600-1000 and do an rb25 swap with a large single turbo would be hella beast and quicker than a mustang/trans am due to the power to weight ratio. or at the very least getting a running 240 and some coilovers and drive it till you can afford the swap. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujA-cPoEsvk[/ame] ntm it will handle a hell of a lot better than either of those 2 cars.
Sport bike EDIT: Not trying to troll but I think you'll have an easier time finding a fast, reliable bike for $6k than a fast, reliable car.
no storage, no ac (in a helmet and gear), no shelter from rain... a bike is really only worth it if you have a car already.
Get the trans am. You literally will not fun a better bang for the buck unless you build the car. Ls1 (the engines) are monsters. THat generation stang is slow. My friend has one. The 2v 4.6 is just not impressive for a performance car. A 98-02 trans am is an awesome car with huge aftermarket support. Longtime headers can be had new for $300. They sound MEAN with a full exhaust. The ram air hood alone looks like an lion in your rear view. The new 5.0 mustangs are competing with near stock trans ams that are 10+ yrs old. What does that tell you? Check out YouTube if you don't believe me.
The stealth and the 3000gt are both all wheel drive. But you can't do shit to them. Absolutely no room in the bay. Packed tight. Stock suspension's sluggish as well. Get any Volkswagen, but make sure it has the VR6 engine.. Or any 3 series bmw... Maybe a AWD Audi A4(or 6), I think those had a 4.2 available... I'd go for any of those cars. Built to last. Incredibly fast.
I've already got a bike, a cruiser, I don't like sport bikes really; they're fun but uncomfortable. When I ride I ride long distances. I'm actually seeing a lot of trans ams with a ws6 or lt1 for 4.5k-6.5k they look like they're in my price range. I might just save a little more and get a ls1 though So far it seems like the trans am is gonna be what I'm goin with; I can't find any stealths or audis/foreign cars in my area to even gauge a price and I'm not really looking to build a car, it would sit in my garage for a long time just because I work too much.
Alright so I found one, 1996 Trans am v8 the body looks to be in good shape. Rebuilt trans 3k miles ago but original engine with 160k miles. Its got some nice mods CAI and a throttle body mod; he sent me several videos and it cranks in a snap and idles good. I'll be looking at it tomorrow, Im worried if it may have been wrecked because of a custom hood and the lines look like they may be off. He's wanting 4,000 for it; it seems too good to be true. Anyways guys what should I be checking? I'll be checkin the following: Undercarriage for leaks Tailpipe for oil Hoses for cracked/stiffness/leaks Radiator cap for filth How well it shifts into drive (if it drops hard or not) Pushing the frame down to see if it bounces (struts) The suspension by seeing if i\I can push it while it's in park. The lines of the body to see if its misaligned due to a wreck or something Then of course how well it shifts while driving. What do you guys think? Anything else I should look out for?
For 160k miles the price is right. I got my v6 with 39k, no not 139, only 39k, miles in January for $2800. Check the intake manifold for coolant leaks, they're notorius for that, if it is it's a gasket thats a pain in the ass to put a new one in. Struts arent a giant deal, almost all cars will rock if you push. Check if it is a fenderwell intake or just a CAI. Fenderwells are terrible, I had one and locked the engine up from driving in the rain. If you like it, buy it, you'll have 2 grand left for what you want to do. Edit: I'm not 100% sure, but I'm guessing it's been painted, because I've only seen black door handles, never a white one.
i dont like how he mentions how fast it is in multiple spots. between that and the mods makes it seem like it probably got beat on.