What car should i go for next?

[Splitty456]

As per the title really... i'm thinking about getting a new car, but which one should i get?

really i want a nippy RWD daily, thats fast enough that i wont feel the need to increase the power of it, and reliable enough that i can spend time enjoying it rather than working on it! budget of about £1500.

so far i've come up with these:

BMW E30 IS
Pros:
retro enough to be cool, young enough to be reliable
Comfy
Practical

Cons:
Prices going up
My housemate also has an E30
doesn't have pop-up headlights

Toyota MR2 Turbo
Pros:
240hp
RWD
Turbo
should be reliable
240hp
pop-up headlights

Cons:
Slightly gay
not retro enough
More expensive to insure
No rear seats (i don't carry passengers that often, but the option would be nice)

RX-7 S2 or 3 (don't like S1s, and they're expensive)
Pros:
have you seen how good they look?
Rotary engine
pop-up headlights
kinda has rear seats

Cons:
really hard to find
Has a carb, but shoudl be reliable if left alone...
possibly not enough torque? I haven't driven one thought, so i cant really comment
i can see me wanting to put a 13b in it, or put throttle bodies on the 12a, or something equally silly

RX-7 FC
Pros
Cheaper
Nicer seats
Fuel injection
Rotary engine

Cons:
Really not as good looking as the earlier ones
err, thats it... but its an important one i swear!

what would you buy? i'm open to suggestions/criticisms/opinions on my choice in cars etc etc

[randywanger_]

RX-7 S1 or 3. This is the only option, lower it, get some decent fitting wheels and it'll look amazing! 13b if you like but a 12a with a decent carb will make enough power to get you into trouble. If you really want to go sill, get a peripheral port.

[pauly22]

I'd get an e30 touring, get a 320 though atleast so you get a straight 6 engine.

[goldnrust]

As someone who's owned an s2 Rx7 I can add a bit of info for you on them, but I have to admit I can't be overly objective of how they compare to the e30 or mk2 mr2.

Regarding your list, they do have rear seats, but I only found people were willing to use them when the other option was walking home in the rain! They are rather small. The carb used on the 12a isn't overly complex and as long as it's not overly full of silt it wont give you any problems. I ran my s2 daily, did about 10k miles on the carb set-up, I cleaned it out before the car went on the road and after that I don't think I had to touch it again. The torque is a lot less of an issue than most people make out. I felt my rx had similar low down pull to the 1.6 mx5s I've owned, it's not like driving a 1L petrol engine. On the other hand it's smooth torque curve and smooth delivery kinda make it feel less torquey. It doesn't punch you in the back, just kinda revs round the clock smoothly and freely. You should be able to get one for well under your 1500 budget, check out www.rx7fb.com really good guys and they have a thread where pretty much every s1-3 rx7 that comes up for sale in the uk is linked to and commented on. Obviously downsides are that they aren't very fuel efficient..... and the engines require more regular oil changes and will thank you for keeping up with the maintenance. You need to watch out for rust where hte upper rear suspension arms meet the body, sort of behind the rear seats, and on the rear of the sills.

The general consensus is that the s2 cars have a nicer interior and better steering box, but the s3 cars have slightly improved brakes and has a more common wheel PCD (4x110 for s2 and 4x114.3 for s3). They are all nicely balanced to drive and a lot of fun, but they don't have the sharpest steering compared to their rivals as it's steering box not rack. It is also easy to get sucked in to making it faster Self whoring but I did like mine....



As for FC Rx7s, they have many of the same pros and cons as the FB Rx7s. It's considered the softest and least pure sports car of the 3 generations of Rx7, but is still meant to handle well and be great fun to drive. The 13b will give you a little extra torque, off the lights and hill starts they feel about the same as a piston 1.8. You do have to watch out for rust, they hide it well. Floors, sills, chassis rails, wheel arches, etc, there's lots of rust areas to watch out for. The fuel injection is a bonus over the carb but you wont see much more efficiency really. Likewise you'll have a hard job not getting sucked in to making it faster They aren't as pretty generally but can look good with the right treatment....



As a serial Mazda, and 3x mx5, owner I obligated to say have you considered an mx5? Plenty of fun, RWD, cheap to buy, very reliable. Only real downsides are that it's a bit unimaginative choice and only a 2 seater. (more self whoring photos sorry!)



Other options... MK3 supra? Goes well, straight 6 sound, 2+2 shape is ageing well. Downsides, heavy!



Or Porsche 924/944? Handles nicely, can be cheap to run if you work on it yourself, interior feels more 'special' than it's Japanese rivals, the brand/badge. Downsides, the once I've driven I felt the engine let it down a bit just not very inspiring, and I was never quite sold on the looks of the rear end.

[Splitty456]

yeah i think i'm leaning towards an S2 or 3 atm, golnrust's gold one was epic.

Oct 27, 2013 15:34:35 GMT pauly22 said:

I'd get an e30 touring, get a 320 though at least so you get a straight 6 engine.

haha i don't need something that practical!! and the M20 engines are curse word, even the 2.5 only has 20 more HP than an M42! and is heavier, and uses curse word loads of fuel. the only straight 6 i'd go for is an M52

Edit (look at that for timing!)

your S2 was brilliant, my mate followed it through malvern once and agreed. I joined RX7FB.com when i was looking for one this time last year, but in the end I went for an MX-5! so i'd rather something different, which is why its not included in the list.

I kinda always assumed 924/44s would be too expensive? i'll have to have a look. but to be honest, that FC looks really cool, reminds me of the one in initial D... and I think I prefer that to a 924. I've kind of gone off mk3 supras, I love celica supras, but again, hard to find and prices are definitely on the up. And i'm put off by the weight of them, i'd rather a light nimble car with a bit less power. thanks for the suggestions though

another pro for the rx7: I feel it would make a good stable mate to my 84 civic. Important criteria for a new car purchase

[greeny]

SS1 project. Rear drive and they do Turbos! Or you could go mod and fit a cossy engine! Best of all they are cheep! And I know of a good starting point for sale

[Porsche]

Having owned a Porsche 944 and a Scimitar SS1, I'd say these are both excellent every day fun cars....but for your bugget, you'll end up getting one that you'll spend more time fixing than enjoying. You may get a 924 for that kind of money, but that too will end up being unreliable.

So, I voted for your Toyota MR2 option. These are fun, and can't be that unreliable as I see plenty on the roads still.

[Splitty456]

I figured that might be the case with the porsches. They are nice though, and they are porches, which would make it almost worth it for the bragging rights alone! (i jest).
and i'm sorry, but i've never been a fan of ss1s... they just look abit odd :/

the MR2 is probably the logical choice there, but its just not retro enough!! but then again having driven a few before, they are really nice to drive, and plenty fast enough for me...

I think i need to drive an RX7 as comparison...

[goldnrust]

If you've got an mx5 then the rx7 will feel surprisingly familiar to you! It;s very obviously from the same family, in the balanced feel of the chassis and the way you approach corners with it.

The driving position in the rx7 is very similar to an mx5, though you sit slightly lower more like you would sit in a bucket seat in an mx5. The steering box has a lower ratio than the mx5 powered rack and the box isn't assisted, so it doesn't feel quite as 'pointy' as an mx5 does, nor quite as darty, but once you're used to it then the extra stability and confidence it offers mid corner is great. I was much happier steering with the throttle in the rx than I was in the mx. The clutch feels identical (it is), the gearbox is the same as the mx5 box but uses a longer lever in the rx7 which looses some of the 'flick of the wrist' snickety feel of the mx5 box but gains some smoothness. The brakes are about the same, maybe slightly better than mk1 mx5 brakes but have a similar feel. You'll recognise the switch gear....

Generally I'd say if you like the way mx5s feel, then you'll like the way the rx7 feels.

[greeny]

Oct 27, 2013 21:16:13 GMT Splitty456 said:

I figured that might be the case with the porsches. They are nice though, and they are porches, which would make it almost worth it for the bragging rights alone! (i jest).
and i'm sorry, but i've never been a fan of ss1s... they just look abit odd :/

the MR2 is probably the logical choice there, but its just not retro enough!! but then again having driven a few before, they are really nice to drive, and plenty fast enough for me...

I think i need to drive an RX7 as comparison...

Totally agree the SS1 is love or hate but after driving one all thoughts of looks go out of the window they handle like go-karts!!

[Splitty456]

Oct 27, 2013 22:38:40 GMT goldnrust said:

If you've got an mx5 then the rx7 will feel surprisingly familiar to you! It;s very obviously from the same family, in the balanced feel of the chassis and the way you approach corners with it.

The driving position in the rx7 is very similar to an mx5, though you sit slightly lower more like you would sit in a bucket seat in an mx5. The steering box has a lower ratio than the mx5 powered rack and the box isn't assisted, so it doesn't feel quite as 'pointy' as an mx5 does, nor quite as darty, but once you're used to it then the extra stability and confidence it offers mid corner is great. I was much happier steering with the throttle in the rx than I was in the mx. The clutch feels identical (it is), the gearbox is the same as the mx5 box but uses a longer lever in the rx7 which looses some of the 'flick of the wrist' snickety feel of the mx5 box but gains some smoothness. The brakes are about the same, maybe slightly better than mk1 mx5 brakes but have a similar feel. You'll recognise the switch gear....

Generally I'd say if you like the way mx5s feel, then you'll like the way the rx7 feels.

Thats encouraging to hear, unfortunately I had to sell the MX5 earlier this year, so something with a similar feel would be nice seems like its slightly more GT orientated, rather than a twisty back road kind of car?

also, how did you find the gaz coilovers on yours? was it much work to fit them?

[goldnrust]

Yeah maybe slightly. It's just maybe slightly less frivolous fun, slightly more sports car than an mx5. Most fun on the sort of back road where its windy and narrow, but not the type with grass growing up the middle!

GAZ coilovers were exceedingly good considering how firm they were. But don't get me wrong, they were stiffly sprung and damped to match, with not much travel at my ride height, it was no limo. The fronts were a direct bolt in, and lots of guys have since just bolted in the rears, but I cut the damper mounts off the axel and welded on new mounts which lowered the damper mount and moved it slightly rearwards and outwards, which gave me more clearance between the coilover and the rear chassis rail and an extra couple of inches of negative travel.

[burnleye21]

Go for bm all day long they're bomb proof and great cars

[spandelly]

Your list is pretty much the same as my usual what should I go for next list . Trouble I always have is finding a decent one in budget as I don't weld so finding a rust free one is the main concern thats why I keep going back to 924's. I have had a couple of 924's and a 944. The 944 was a great car but rusty and the 924 is underpowered but the 924s has the 944 engine and are a great road car.