Boomsly

I'm looking for a cheap car that you can easily upgrade to get good if not great 1/4 mile times. I've already thought of a 5.0 mustang but my bro already has one, so thats clearly out of the question. Right now I have 97 cavalier in rough shape but i'm fixing it up and hopefully getting around $4000-$5000 CDN for it. That should give me enough money to buy a $2000-$3000 car that can be upgraded with some lightweight performance parts and parts that will make it quick in the 1/4 mile. IF anyone knows of cheap, quick cars then please tell me so I can look into. theres too many cars on the market today and with school and everything else I don't have much time to go out and test drive peoples cars that I found in the local auto trader that sounds decent. Thanks a bunch in advance.

Stare At The Sun

90-94 Eagle Talon/Mitsu Eclipse/Plymouth Laser.

You have to get the turbocharged version to have any real speed. The 4G63 is the engine, they are turbocharged. They also fit in your price range, and you can mod them very easily and its cheap to boot.

This is the car you should get. Unless you can find an old El Camino in good shape, i'd go with a DSM.

HunterDevourer

RX7s can often be made fairly quickly fairly easily, though I'm not too sure what kind of figures you'd be looking for the upgrades in Canada. However, it is quite simple to make good power cheaply out of a rotary, either turbo or N/A, so give them rotors a look as well. If you can get RX2s or RX3s for cheap there as well, can also throw in a 13b turbo from a gen2 or gen3 and it'll be a very fast car very easily. Though you might have some traction problems!

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herostar

I'll second the DSM idea.

You can pick up a 92 awd turbo laser for about a grand, and with an intake, full exhaust, and turned up boost you can run mid-low 13's with good driving

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Lockjaw

Don't knock the 5.0 Stang even though your brother has one. I mean you can do something entirely different from him and still get good power for realitvely cheaply. I mean he might have a N/A 347 you could go for a 331 stroker running on nitrious the Foxbody Mustang is very versitle and it's inexpensive. It's pretty hard to beat for cheap go fast but if you really don't want to do the cheap Stang route ever consider an old F-body with a nice stroked chevy small block? The Chevy 350 is about as cheap and plentiful as the Ford 302.

BadNick

If a Mustang crossed your mind but you have the brother issue, look at the Camaro. Dollar for dollar, the two would be in the same ballpark for moding.

The Eclipse turbo variations are a good idea. I had a '90 Turbo Eclipse GS-T that I purchased new and I liked it, never had trouble with it and like they say, a ton of upgrade parts available and not too expensive. I remember reading some quite negative comments about the Mitsu here a while back, but my experience was positive.

I always really liked the RX7's especially the last version, what an awesome sports car. But if you push the stock turbo setup just a little too much, and that's not hard to do, the engine will detonate and the apex seals are extremely sensitive to that so they blow. But if you want to rebuild the engine with hipo parts, it's a great platform. I just don't see this being in your budget.

merkerguitars

Same generation thunderbird as the 5.0 mustang...takes damn near all the same parts....yeah alot of people don't soup them up.

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podcreature

If you are looking for strictly ease of upgrade, anything Honda is impossible NOT to find parts for, and you can get decent/great 1/4 times out of em, especially Civic's. That is, if you don't mind being more or less mainstream about it.

animal909

DSM turbo gets another vote. Seriously, when you can go to an exhaust shop and get a custom 3 inch exhaust which will add at least 10 whp, then you know it responds well to mods.

Boomsly

I'm not knocking the mustang at all mustangs are great cars especially the older ones for the price and speed. I was only saying I won't get one because my brother alerady has one. I want something different that will blow his doors off.

I hate civics, Sorry but I see way too many of them, especially riced out ones with nothing more then a cold air intake for performance. I don' mind hondas or acuras but I just hate civics. I'll look into the DSM, eclipse and RX's thanks for the help guys greatly appreciated. (keep it coming if you can).

pan6467

Find a nice Fiero. With the F/G body you can kit it out. The 6 cyl. is by far better than the 4, much quicker. Find a decent powered cheap engine to put in and that sucker will fucking fly, you'll just have to add a little front weight possibly. And make sure you watch the temp.

I had a 4 cyl. and the 6 cyl and I would fly in them. The 6 cyl. has good pick up and speed, I could hit I-10 in Phoenix and fly to Tuscon. I had it flying once no problem but dropped it down fast because I get scared too fast, especially with poitronic steering (the faster you go the looser the steering is). I'd do 80-85 as a rule and I never had any problems at all.

The 4 cyl. lacks the pickup and it tops out at about 80-85 it just won't go faster.

For the price (can find a good one for probably $1500) you can't beat it. And it can take a head on at 50 and crumple in maybe 3-4"..... learned that from experience.

My biggest problem I ever had with it was the lighting engines would short out.

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I just love people who use the excuse "I use/do this because I LOVE the feeling/joy/happiness it brings me" and expect you to be ok with that as you watch them destroy their life blindly following. My response is, "I like to put forks in an eletrical socket, just LOVE that feeling, can't ever get enough of it, so will you let me put this copper fork in that electric socket?"

TexanAvenger

Man, I just know I'm going to get my virtual ass kicked for saying this in here when y'all're bringing up the cars you are, but a early 90's Saturn SL2 can accelerate like hell since its gear ratios are tuned way down. (Assuming you're looking for acceleration and not outright speed... Mine tops out at around 90.) The Civic could do well too, but I hafta agree that they're way too over done now. And I wouldn't at all kick the 'Stang just 'cause your brother has one. My other car is a 64 Mustang and, while not really customizable, it can be made to truly haul some ass.

bluehare

you want to drag race?
rear wheel drive-no question about it.
get a mustang and make it faster than your brother.
otherwise-get a civic-LOTS of aftermarket.

Lockjaw

There are much better options for performance than the Civic. I know there are some fast hatches out there but considering how much cash you have to dump into them just to run 12s and 13s...eh don't see the point.

Boomsly...what kind of budget are you working with that would kind of help narrow down things a bit. And if you want something fast to beat up on your brothers Stang nothing will drive him crazy more than being beaten down by a Camaro.

Another I thought of...the MazdaSpeed protege. Come factory with a turbo and the aftermarket is decent sized.

animal909

oh yeah, mr-2 turbo.

pan6467

Yeah, you guys are naming nice cars but look at the money he has to spend. He isn't going to find Mustangs, decent RX7's (that aren't rusted out) for $2000.

Animal, the MR2 Turbo good car. Toyota took the Fiero and made it better.

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I just love people who use the excuse "I use/do this because I LOVE the feeling/joy/happiness it brings me" and expect you to be ok with that as you watch them destroy their life blindly following. My response is, "I like to put forks in an eletrical socket, just LOVE that feeling, can't ever get enough of it, so will you let me put this copper fork in that electric socket?"

Lockjaw

Ummmm yeah he can find a foxbody Stang pretty cheaply. 2-3k isn't out of the question for a mid 80s Stang. And the aftermarket is full of options. He could get a decently running 5.0 slap a new intake,gears,a set of slicks and a stout shot of nitrous on it and he'd be running 13s all day. That would give him enough stuff to play with until he could afford to really get serious with a stroker kit and a blower.

merkerguitars

Like I said...get an old thunderbird...takes the 5.0 parts..they are easy to find...you can roll cage it..strip it bare bones and rule the drag strip...

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Boomsly

Like I said before I'm not kicking the stang I like stangs alot if my bro didn't have one I would get one myself. I just want something different to kick his ass in, considering camaro or T-bird. Heard alot of nice stuff about factory turbo t-birds.

Nimisys

for 1/4miles stay away formt he rx-7.. or just about anyhting else with IRS. besides the lack of lowend punch in the rx-7, irs just doesn't setup well for a solid launch.

best bet is going to be the 5.0, or a 350 camaro. can't think of anything else relativly light, solid rear axel and a v8. besides go fast bits are cheap and plentiful for both platrforms.

merkerguitars

I owned a 1988 ford thunderbird turbo coupe...damn that sucker was fast...I would of kept it if it wasn't really rusty, one of the gear ground, and the gas tank leaked...if you intercool them..they are even faster.

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piesen

How about the Toyota Supra 86-87 model that engine is strong and you can pump that one up big time.
I forget the 1/4 mile but it would top out at about 142-145

mighty mouse

Some cheap oddballs.
mid-80's LTD's - find an old copper, already has a 5.0HO in it, just like a 'stang
mid-70's Nova - ugly as shit but dirt cheap and a big block bolts right in for pennies
early to mid 80's Malibus - still pretty cheap and hold a small block or big block
mid-80's Fairmount - its a fox-body chassis, any performance part that fits fox body stang fits it- your brother won't see that coming

Really for performance on the cheap a small block Ford or Chevy is pretty hard to beat. The DSM's as already mentioned are probably the only thing close. Having never owned one I couldn't speak to problems associated with trying to drive one all the time, but a low 12 second Nova is daily driveable with a small block. A $2000 budget is hard to hit when you want to go fast safely and reliably. My big block Nova cost me about $1800 to build, but only runs in the high 13's. I don't know what your brother's Mustang has done but I have seen some damned unassuming ones. Was a guy in my area running an '84 automatic that he twin turboed himself(all done in his garage), still ran a stock 302 hydraulic roller bottom end even. He had some money in turbos, tires, cam, and intake but that was it really for high 10's. He was even using the stock heads. The good recommendation is to get a light car with a V8 thats rear wheel drive. Don't buy a '69 Impala 327 and hope for one second it is going to outrun even a box stock 5-O even though you can get them cheap. A first gen Nova with a warmed over 350 will move well, hopelessly out of your pricerange though if you want floors and fenders included. Imports can be built quite well now and are only getting better, but I still feel that right now there is just more bang for the buck(in a straight line) in a good ol' rear wheel drive V8 car.

ncgti

You will be hard pressed to find a faster car than a 5.0 Mustang without spending a lot of $$. If you want an American car, go with a Camaro, Firebird or a Thunderbird. If you go foreign, a Honda Civic - all kinds of go fast parts available or a DSM. For something different try a 1.8T VW GTI or Jetta.

Boo

I suggest finding a nice safe ride and leaving it stock. You will find it to be more reliable, get better fuel economy and resale will not be affected. You may also find that you have money left over at the end of the month.

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Boomsly

I currently live with my parents I have 3 jobs on the go probably soon to be 2 but still thats about $200-300 (CDN) a week I currently have a 97 cavalier bought it for $1100 (CDN) I work in a body shop and after I get it painted and fixed up I would have spent only $2000(CDN) I'm going to sell it before winter hits hard, hopfully. and make approx $2000(CDN)-$3000(CDN) and with that extra cash and money just being raked in I'll have a whole wad left at the end of each month (so long my work schedules don't interefere). I need something quick, a cavalier just isn't cutting it.

Willravel

Grab and mid 90s BMW 325i. 2.5 L inline 6 with 189 bhp and 181 ft-lbs. of torque. Stock. They usually run around $4k to $5k. You can do the standard intake/cam/headers/exhaust mods and easily bring it up to speed. BMW chips are plentyful.

irseg

I have an '88 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe. It has a lot of balls for a 4-banger, the engine can stand up to a ton of abuse (factory boost is 15 psi, it can handle 23+), and it's fun to drive. Not as quick as a Mustang GT but it's easy to supe up the stock engine, or a 5.0 will drop right in. It's on the same platform as the Mustang meaning most parts are interchangeable.

It got the best chassis parts that Ford had to offer at the time, too. 87-88s had 4-wheel ABS disc brakes, a 3.27 (3.73 in automatics) limited slip quad shock axle, electronically adjustable shocks, 1-5/16" front swaybar, Mustang GT steering rack, front control arms that were later used in either the '93 Cobra or SN95 (I forget which), and some other goodies. If I'm not mistaken it handles better than Mustangs from the same era. I know it easily outhandles my '93 Lincoln Mark VII despite having a better ride, although it still has that annoying Fox-chassis characteristic of sticking like glue in corners until the rear end suddenly goes flying without any warning whatsoever. Still it's a really cool car, and makes a good sleeper.

The best part is how cheap you can get 'em. I bought mine back in 2001 with 74k miles for $1200. Had a check engine light ($60 O2 sensor) and was burning oil ($3 PCV valve).. Because of that the previous owner thought the engine and turbo were shot. 35k miles later it's still running perfectly and hasn't burned a drop of oil, so it's safe to say she was wrong.

Boo

If you are trying to justify a car based on your whole wad of cash at the end of the month, that is (IMO) bad math. $300 CDN is only $245.12 USD per week. Thats $12,746.24 USD or $15,600 CDN per year. I don't know what the poverty level is in Canada, but in Alaska, you would be below poverty level.

I suggest that you prepare yourself for a higher paying job through school. Save what you can for the future while enjoying yourself while you can. You probably cannot support yourself on your income, let alone a family. BTW, be thankful to your parents for the benefits they are providing to you. Free rent, food etc.... well it isn't free.

As for a nice quick reliable vehicle, look for a Toyota Tacoma with a 3.4 V6. Mine runs like a banshee, is reliable, and holds its value.

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stingc

I agree with Boo. You sound like you barely have enough money to afford a halfway decent car, let alone to mod something up.

In actually answering your question, I'd agree with most of the responses above (minus the civic). However, I wouldn't want to buy any of those cars at only $2k because they'd have to have serious problems to be that cheap. You're going to end up spending much more fixing up an old clunker than you would by just buying something in decent shape. Also plan on spending much more than $2k in mods once you've bought the car. So I'd suggest you wait to save up more money or buy something less prestigious.

Boomsly

Will you people please try to lay off my back about my income (boo). Theres no reason for saying what you are, I'm still a student (in school) you can't expect me to have a full-time job let alone a part-time job that pays well and offers alot of hours It can't be done with school in the way. I just want something fairly cheap but quick to have fun with on weekends at the track. As far as I'm concerned there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. For those of you who are not discussing my income, thankyou for your input.

Scorps

Go for a old Camaro..80's or even late 70's!

fw90pgl

a dsm, or honda. both are easy to make fast and can retain reliability. the rx7's arent known for being reliable, and can get expensive fast.