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[jesterrace777]

That is true although, insurance on a sports convertible could be kinda spendy for a 16 year-old.  Depends on his insurance company.  Not sure if he can get one in really good condition for 4K or less though.

[ubernewb]

i know some supra mods can be spendy, but you can get some pretty decent gains with a few low-budget mods.

1. better intake/air filter .. turbo engines need good airflow to make power. a better intake will help increase the amount of flow. the apexi filter/adapter unit should net you a few horses.. here's the one i have .. clicky clicky .. make sure you get the adapter as well, not sure if that particular listing includes it (most likely not)

2. better intercooler/piping .. again with teh better airflow, the stock piping is a little restrictive. you can find front mount intercooler sets on ebay for a coupla hundred bucks, and most come with some piping as well. another nice thing about a good front mount is that it will lower the air temp which also picks you up some power. i don't have one yet, but everything i've looked at points to gains of 20-30 hp.. which is not too shabby for a couple bills

3. better downpipe .. again with the airflow (sensing a theme here?) the stock downpipe is restrictive because of the pre-cats. replace that with a 3" straightpipe and you can pick up quite a few more horses. you can either have a local shop whip you up one for cheap (straight pipe with flanges shouldn't cost more than $100-150 or so) or you can order a pre-made one for around $250

4. better exhaust .. with the downpipe, a good 3" mandrel bent exhaust should net you a good 30hp. you can either buy a ready made piece or have it custom bent at a local shop. mine had a 3" system on it when i bought it, but i did have one done for my crx.. complete 3" cat-back (including piping, muffler, resonator, tip,mounts and labor) set me back a whopping $280.



picking up extra horses on a stock turbo'd engine is pretty simple. you can take it even farther with bigger turbos and engine re-enforcing.. but you should definately get used to the car's power and handling before you get into that.

then again, the supras stock form might be well enough for him.. 230hp and 246tq is nothing to scoff at.

[Rylinkus]

Well of course it's near impossible to solve boosting issues in the Fds, the vacuum lines are a nightmare and all it takes is one disconnected or swapped and the car's going to have issues. There's plenty of Mazda dealerships that won't touch them. And there's plenty of others that will say they can and then try to fix it, or just stick it in the back corner of their building for 3 months. (Happened to a friend. )

Truth of the matter is that rotaries aren't reliable. They don't get good gas mileage. And a lot of mechanics wont touch them, and far more will, but probably shouldn't.

Add to that the turbo thing. I love turbos, but only if you have the money to maintain em. A turbo spins @ 100K RPMs. They wear out, (Not just on RX7s, but Supras, 3000GTs, and Grand Nationals alike). And they can cost a pretty penny to replace.

If the criteria involves
-Under 4K
-Decent gas mileage
-Relatively easy to maintain. (IE reliability & parts costs)

I'd be much more apt to think Civics, Integras, Sentras and such. Maybe not the coolest cars in the world, but more realistic.

[Hercules Q Einstein]

QUOTE(Rylinkus @ Feb 22 2006, 12:01 AM)

If the criteria involves
-Under 4K
-Decent gas mileage
-Relatively easy to maintain. (IE reliability & parts costs)

I'd be much more apt to think Civics, Integras, Sentras and such. Maybe not the coolest cars in the world, but more realistic.

Id add 240SXs to that list they are super reliable, and personaly style wise they look great atleast the sencond gen ones based on the S14 (or maybe its was the S15s?).

[Modderxtrordanare]

I've been looking at other cars, and have sources for free to real cheap cars.
I understand that getting something cheap like that wont be a "good idea" but I'm not looking for a perfectly running car, I plan to work on it since I dont have a liscence yet.

Here are some other cars I like

Subaru 2.5 rs
A Civic

EDIT: I'm being offered a working, running civic for $600.  Are those cars any good for the criteria of mine such as gas milage?

[Hercules Q Einstein]

QUOTE(Modderxtrordanare @ Feb 22 2006, 03:48 AM)

I've been looking at other cars, and have sources for free to real cheap cars.
I understand that getting something cheap like that wont be a "good idea" but I'm not looking for a perfectly running car, I plan to work on it since I dont have a liscence yet.

Here are some other cars I like

Subaru 2.5 rs
A Civic

EDIT: I'm being offered a working, running civic for $600.  Are those cars any good for the criteria of mine such as gas milage?

Assuming you like the looks either of those cars is a good pick, reliable, good gas, low insurance, stong aftermarket following, cheap to fix.

[Modderxtrordanare]

Well the civic is all good, except for it smokes.

White smoke he says, so Im guessing that has to do with the fuel to air ratio.
He never said where, but I guess its coming from the tail pipe.

[jesterrace777]

Depends on the color of the smoke.  Different colors suggest different problems.  10:1 it won't pass air emissions though.  Civics are good cars but parts can be spendy depending on the year and model.  A late 80s/early 90s model would be my recommendation in that price range.

[Modderxtrordanare]

QUOTE

Well the civic is all good, except for it smokes.

White smoke he says, so Im guessing that has to do with the fuel to air ratio.
He never said where, but I guess its coming from the tail pipe.

I wonder what color it is? Just kidding
But yea, no word yet on freecycle  

[ubernewb]

white smoke huh? could be bad headgasket. is this car anywhere around you where you could go take a look at it? if so, do this..

1. check oil dipstick for a milky residue.. either a really light tan color or sometimes grey.

2. in case he gave it a good wipe-down before you showed up, also check for the same residue on the bottom of the oil filler cap.. they usually forget to wipe that spot.

3. check if the radiator is full of water or anti-freeze.. if anti-freeze, have him start the car and get a good whiff of the exhuast. if it has a burnt-sugar type smell, that means it's burning coolant (ie. blown hg)

4. if he's willing to let you take it for a quick spin, do a quckie compression check on it.. run the engine up to about 4500rpm in second gear and yank your foot off the gas. if teh car has decent compression it should lurch teh car a bit like hitting the brake. if it coasts smoothly it's more than likely got issues. (before anyone says anything, i know there are better ways of checking compression, like actual testers, but this is a quick and easy one)

5. while parked, rev the engine up to about 5000rpm and listen for any clicking noises coming from under the hood.

[Rylinkus]

The second I heard white smoke my first guess was head gasket as well. Granted that need not be the only possibility, but it's a decent guess.

If it is a head gasket the coolant and oil will bemixing and you an taste the coolant in the oil. Very sweet sugary flavor as opposed to oil which tastes roughly like ti smells, oily. Obviously itd be merely getting a drop on your finger and touching it to your tongue and then spitting it out of your mouth. Antifreeze is poison. A friend of my mom died from drinking some many years ago.

[_GhOsT_]

yep its a head gasket going/gone bad
my friends went bad and he did nothing till it was too late
opened the head and it as a milky color every where
we had to rebuild the engine

[Modderxtrordanare]

I've decided on not getting that car because theres more work involved than this.
I did find a Volkswagen Scirocco for $700 but its being sold by a kid so I can probably get away with less.

He just put a new clutch and timing belt in it too.

[ubernewb]

good choice.. those are some hot little cars. parts might be a little spendy being euro and all, but you can do a lot with them

[Hercules Q Einstein]

The Scirocco is an ok looking car its pretty cool. Dont know much about them though....