Cheap fun in the 90's?

"Long Live the Longdoor" (victoryred08)
06/14/2016 at 22:55 • Filed to: Cheap 90s, $500 Car Search

I recently asked for oppo’s advice on !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and I’ve discovered that I don’t know a lot about cheap fun to drive cars from the 90's! So education me oppo, what should I look for in the 90's for some cheap fun?

What was the Mazda MX-3 like?

DISCUSSION (20)

beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard > Long Live the Longdoor
06/14/2016 at 23:03

you can have my one if you can arrange shipping.. from Australia. needs some work (bent radiator, bumper, bonnet and FR quarter.

It was slow as balls, but it handled really really well.

working on the 1.8L V6 is a huge pain and because you have to rev the tits off it to get anywhere it sounds like you’re racing everybody .

The passive rear steering made for some hairy corner exits, but not a problem when you got used to it.

Large rear hatch so it can take some gear, but the huuuge glass window means it gets uncomfortably hot.

Massive doors for the size of the car, but not unexpected in a 2+2 coupe.

I was pretty meh on it most of the time, a friend stacked it and it’s been sitting in my backyard ever since, nobody has made an offer above $50.

Long Live the Longdoor > beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard
06/14/2016 at 23:15

Haha awesome, but I’m not sure shipping from down under to Canada is in my budget (unfortunately). Thanks for the info!

DutchieDC2R > Long Live the Longdoor
06/14/2016 at 23:15

The v6 only produced 130bhp from the 1.8L engine., I honestly haven’t heard superduper exciting things about the car.

Your budget limits you and the fact that I’m totally clueless to the second hand prices of fun, cheap 90's cars force me to just bluntly create a list of fun cars from the 90's:

- BMW E30/E36's (I would go for a 6cyl in both cases, if you can find one for that cheap)

- Honda Civic (I know, I know all the arguments, spare me the ‘that’s an ecobox crapcan’ blabla. The truth is, they can be made quick for very cheap.)

- Mazda Miata NA/NB (This is, according to Jalop, always the answer. Truth be told, I can’t really argue except for the fact that it lacks a bit in the power department. But then again, its all about fun and it really knows how to produce a smile on your face. Also, cheap parts.)

- Toyota Celica (I do not know much about the 90's versions in the US of these, but I’ve seen a couple of guys track them and they seemed to have a lot of fun with them.)

Ive missed out on a whole lot of choices (180sx, 200sx, mk3 Supra etc), but I have no idea how the US market is on these. In Europe, a MK3 Turbo Supra is relatively cheap to buy, but that holds no merit for the US second hand market of course....:)

Invinciblejets > Long Live the Longdoor
06/14/2016 at 23:21

Mx6/probe turbo!

Long Live the Longdoor > Invinciblejets
06/14/2016 at 23:29

I only just learned this car search that the MX-6 is a cousin to the Ford Probe; who knew. I came across an MX-6 that was in decent condition, for $800 AND it was an automatic... dammit.

Invinciblejets > Long Live the Longdoor
06/14/2016 at 23:39

Yeah gotta be manual if you wanna have fun....

Also keep your eye out for an ae92 Corolla gts. Very under appreciated cars. Plus very good looking IMO.

Kinja'd!!!

Long Live the Longdoor > DutchieDC2R
06/14/2016 at 23:41

I’d love to find a decent E30 or MX-5 for under $1000 here, but they just don’t seem to exist. There is tonnes of Civics available but most are riced to oblivion or in serious disrepair. Corollas for the same price seem to be a better buy.

My kingdom for a Celica, though; if I can find one for a good price I’m going to jump on it!

I’d love to find a decent Prelude too, but it’s proving hard to find one running in my price range.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Long Live the Longdoor
06/14/2016 at 23:54

If your thinking cheap Mazdas id look for a V6 MX6 or Ford Probe GT. I had a 4 cylinder MX6 and I liked it, but man was it slow, than again it was also beat to shit, it was the worst car I’ve ever owned. But it still looked cool, handled alright, and had a good driving position.

Then there’s always Civics. If I could take my pick I’d look for a clean 99-2000 the EX’s upgraded engine/trans combo is well worth it. I had a 99 sedan it was a great car. For reference. That’s the D16Y8 a 1.6l Vtec motor. The DX and LX trims have the D16Y7 which is a non Vtec engine with more constrictive intake, and exhaust, also a more economically geared transmission.

One that you can probably find for cheap would be a Mercury Capri XR2 it’s got a 1.6l turbo Mazda engine, was built in Austrailia. Ever xr2 is a manual, and because of the Mercury name not being a hot item at the moment they’re prices are staying low, while all the parts are from the Mazda or Ford bin so they should be cheap. 2450lbs and 135hp doesn’t make it a speed demon but in 91 0-60 under 8 seconds was still passible for anything that want V8 powered.

Kinja'd!!!

Long Live the Longdoor > Invinciblejets
06/15/2016 at 00:02

Ya definitely, part of my motivation of buying this is to teach myself and my wife how to drive stick :)

Wow, I had no idea about the ae92 Corolla GT-S, thanks! It looks like the one to look for was the 1990/91, from what I can tell. Damn that looks awesome!

Sneaky Pete > Long Live the Longdoor
06/15/2016 at 00:13

1992-1996 Honda Prelude (Si or VTEC). Much fun, looking the goods.

Long Live the Longdoor > Sneaky Pete
06/15/2016 at 00:39

Good call, that gen was really good looking!

Long Live the Longdoor > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
06/15/2016 at 00:48

I’m going to look in to the MX-6/Probe a bit more, they seem like god prospects.

Thanks for the note about the Civic EX’s engine, I didn’t know that!

I’ve never even heard of the Mercury Capri XR2 lol, sweet! Man this whole process is so fun!

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > Long Live the Longdoor
06/15/2016 at 01:32

MX-6 advocate here, yes look into them, especially the v6 models, but finding a decent cheap one that hasnt been rotted away (im from the rust belt, so yeah..). you can also find a 323 for cheap (MX-3 less so)

Those use the same block as the miata, except SOHC. economical as hell but also a blast.

Civics are also obviously a blast. I own an EX coupe (darn maple slurpers call it the Si) and its my project, going B series.

If you can find a cheap 4 cyl BMW (e36 318i) those are also fun to tear around in, but not when you have to send your car to the shop to do otherwise trivial work. I’m selling mine for $500. mine is a great project, but not when I gotta drop in a new engine in a non-running Civic.

bhtooefr > Long Live the Longdoor
06/15/2016 at 04:23

For $500, especially Canadian dollars, you’re gonna have to get something boring+cheap, and make it fun, I suspect. (Of course, be careful to pick a platform that has a decent aftermarket for that.)

How mechanically inclined are you?

I’m kinda inclined to say 1991-1996 Ford Escort GT, though, if you can find one - you get the 1994-1997 Miata’s 1.8 liter engine, you get a surprisingly wide suspension aftermarket (shared with the 1990-1994 Protege/323, the MX-3, and the 1997-2003 Escorts including things like the ZX2 SR), and the 1991-1996 Escort has no resale value whatsoever. If you get a non-GT, you get a less interesting engine, but if you want to do an engine swap, you’ve got engine mounts available to make damn near any FWD 4-cylinder Mazda or Ford powertrain up through 2003 or so bolt in, AFAIK.

MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig > Long Live the Longdoor
06/15/2016 at 07:52

Fantasy build for me is that 1.8 V6 from the MX3, turned around and bolted into an NA Miata, with cams and ITB’s. Mmmmmmmmmm

nerd_racing > Long Live the Longdoor
06/15/2016 at 12:42

MX3 is a great handling, low slung, very daily friendly car. Just make sure you get the GS V6 model, the 4 cylinder ones are slow out of the box. I owned a slow one, but I loved it.

nerd_racing > MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
06/15/2016 at 12:44

just do the 2.5L KLZE or KLG4 in the miata. Exactly the same physical dimensions as the K8 1.8L but much more power, more rev happy, and more aftermarket support.

MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig > nerd_racing
06/16/2016 at 12:31

That’s just using way too much logic. 1.8 is worth it just for the novelty in my brain.

nerd_racing > MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
06/16/2016 at 15:28

smallest displacement V6 sold in the US in an automobile!

nerd_racing > MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
06/16/2016 at 15:29

I might just put a KL in my miata when I’m done adding the MX3 roof and hatch... it just seems right.