so im sick of getting other peoples projects problems and im sick of buying old civics and stuff breaking so im looking to get a new car and cant decide or know alot of ups and downs i have been researching and talking to people that i know that have these cars for usual problems. now im the cars im looking at are evo 8s,04 and up wrx and lincoln ls. or if you guys have any other cars you guys like out there. now i want somthing that can still be modded if i want and still have ac power everything sunroof stuff like that. awd is a plus since winters are somtimes bad here in great pa. so if anyone knows good or bad things about these car or useful info. looking to spend up to 18000. and close to stock so any ups and downs. thanks guys
used F body w/ snow tires 
I hear a lot of bad things about Lincoln LSs in terms of reliability, and it will be no fun at all. They got so cheap so quick they also quickly became the hood-rich car, as such I don’t think think they portray high status in any way.
An Evo or WRX would be a very good choice for an all around car out there where you have to deal w/ snow. Of course, it’s always going to be a challenge to find either that hasn’t been beaten to hell.
Of course, my bias would be towards a LS1 Fbody. I’d de-mod your hatch for a high MPG DD/winter car and find a very clean LS1 SS for ~15k. I’d put the other $3k you have into suspension. Maybe w/ the extra $ from de-modding the hatch you could do some good brakes on the car too. Then I’d be at BeaveRun and the strip as much as possible. Gotta love a car that you can drag race and take to the road course.
EDIT:
Actually… I take the LS1 Fbody stuff back. I was just talking to a friend who’s looking for a fun DD (out here in CA though, where you don’t have to worry about snow), AutoX, and HPDE car. He wants to run nationals etc in AutoX next year, so he wants a car that will be on top of the field (given the right driver) in AX. It sounds like the C5 Fixed Roof Coupe is going to A Stock, where it looks to be a ringer (the current car to have is the S2000 from what I hear, the FRC is barely heavier, but has more power and a lot more tire, it is wider though so for small courses maybe a toss-up?).
I had no idea FRCs had gotten so cheap (if you can find one) but they fall well under your $18k limit when you can find them. If you’re less concerned with fitting into a class, being nationally competitive etc a C5 Targa might be a great choice. You will see them under your price limit ALL OVER. I prefer the FRC/Z06 roofline, but some actually prefer the fastback/hatch style of the Targa, and open-air motoring is a plus. Zero doubt in my mind with $18k to spend I’d buy a C5, for me it’d be the FRC and I’d campaign AStock.
Any C5 is ready to tear up a road course too. Autos you might have trans heat issues, and the spring rates are pretty soft on the mag suspension/base cars but they still do very well. All FRCs were six speeds w/ the Z51 suspension so they are great on a Road Course. Obviously a Z06 is better but I only see very high-mileage, a bit ragged, '01s (385hp vs. 405hp for '02-04, and some known issues like oil consumption and shift forks, though by now pretty much any '01 will have either been fixed or proven to not be one of the cars w/ the issue) at your price point.
-TJ
i actually no longer have a civic or that would have been the plan… i have a bagged s10 now which needs to sell after the v8 goes in. that is the onther plan i would love to have somthign i could still drag and road course. i have never been a american type car person but am leaning towards them alittle after driving my buddys vette and mustang which both put alot of power out and sound amazing with the v8s. but the other thing is i want somthing with maybe around 70k miles at the most. so the nicer american cars seem to be pricey with low miles. any opions on any car that you guys think will meet what i want im up for that too.
what the hell is a f-body??
FBody = Camaro/Firebird
YBody = Corvette
You can get a < 70k mi C5 Targa or FRC for less than $18k easily (a Targa VERY easily). It’s ready for the strip, AutoX, or Road Course. There are some minor mods I’d make for serious tracking (brake ducts, good pads/fluid, SS lines for starters) but for casual tracking on street tires they are basically good to go out of the box. Well, I would do an alignment but I don’t consider that a mod. W/ the stock alignment they are prone to lift-throttle over-steer. It just takes about 1/8" rear toe-in to fix it, and make the car very stable under braking (I trail-brake the shit out of my '02 Z06 with confidence).
-TJ
thats the other thing i forgot to mention no vettes because its a 2 seater. or i would be buying my buddys vette. i actually just found a couple z28s. any years to watch out for? i wont be buying till i sell my truck but im gonna start looking.
00 to 02 is prefered but really 98 + works too
they area easy to fix go well in the snow w/ snow tires and haul ass w/ decent gas millage. With a 3200 stall + cam + 3:23 gears i still ran 26mpg highway.
Really, '01-02 are the “preferred” years that tend to dyno the highest, and have the LS6 style intake manifold (no EGR). '98 is the year generally to avoid because of the different PCM and thinner sleeves. That being said it really isn’t anything to worry about, or enough to avoid '98s just expect a better price. My buddy has a '98 Z28 with about 180k miles now, over 100 AutoXs, a few dozen track days, and a few trips to the strip. It was his DD for a long time too (as the miles show).
-TJ
forget about the LS. it’s a nice car but it’s got a lot of weird shit that’s harder than average to work on. not to mention the cost of parts
ya im kinda backing outta the ls. i wanted it more for luxurywas also considering going the suv route but idk i like to have some speed also.
tbss get everything you want…
true ! especially with the pricess of used cars right now you can get alot for 18000
I guess the first thing to do is figure out your priorities…
- This has to be a DD right, you’re not in a place to get a different DD/winter car?- You need 4 seats, but why? Family/kids or just general practicality?- Is luxury or performance more important?- The car has to be capable of Pittsburgh winters, correct?- It sounds like you’re more interested in a car that would be a good all-around performer (drag/AutoX/Road Course) than any one in particular, right?
A 1IS (IS300) might be an interesting mix of luxury, practical DD, and performance. It’s certainly not a “fast” drag car, but would be plenty of fun in AutoX and Road Course (get a stick). I had a '06 IS250 (second gen car aka 2IS, IS300 is first gen) but it was a Lemon and had issues, so I’d shy away from the early 2IS and the later (mid '07+ seemed to work out all the problems) 2IS is going to be more than $18k, hence the 1IS (IS300). The 250 was slow, but I did AutoX it a few times and it was actually rather fun.
Pending some of your answers to my questions, you might have been on the best track with Evo/WRX.
-TJ
G8
yes def a dd…4 seats mainly for the fact i hate 2 seaters…i would like a car that has performance backup but still luxury but to me luxury is only power everything sunroof nice interior ac…pittsburgh winters for now hoping to move to warm places in a few years…so yes all around performance but somthing that wont keep breaking…this is alot of the reason i watn a evo or wrx…awd turbo alot of back up for mod but still a nice car in stock form. and i can get 03 and up for my price range.
looks like you made up your mind already then
I hate these threads. If anyone needs help choosing a car. then they should not drive
Mac seen you on east carson last night in the truck
not me… havent had the truck out in a month.
its not really needing help its other people opinion. seeing if there is anything good bad that people know. thats why i gave my option what i want and others gave useful info.
anyone know any dealerships with some evos or wrx? but wrx wise only years i want are 02-05.
Yeah, it sounds like you’ve made a pretty good educated decision with an Evo or WRX. Hold out and look at many cars, and try your hardest to find a one owner car without signs of previous mods. It’s rare in Evos and WRXs, but they do exist. There are experts on both of those cars on this board that can probably tell you what the common issues to look out for are, as well as what to look for in terms of signs of previous mods that were put back to stock. I believe both can be pretty reliable if left close to stock… it’s heavy modding that tends to reduce reliability (pretty much fair to say about any car).
If you’re still looking to kick around some other ideas…
- Earlier S4 (the TTV6 years) - certainly some experts on this board that can tell you what to look out for. You can expect some maintenance expenses with them, but if well cared are not as scary as people make them out to be.- E39 M5 (the previous generation V8 six speed stick cars) - you won’t see one under $18k and under 70k miles I don’t think, but if you are willing to flex on one standard or the other you might be able to get into a LOT of car. Hands-down the most amazing mix of luxury and performance anywhere around your target price. I’ve driven E39 and E60 (current) M5s and actually greatly prefer the E39. A lot of people feel they look pretty dated though. I have friends with them, and they do run into issues so know you’ll be spending some $ on it.- E36 M3 ('95-99) - amazing platform that still holds up to current standards if you ask me. I much prefer them to either of the newer generations (E46 and E90). Superb balance, silky I6 (though not particularly fast straight-line), strong brakes, giant aftermarket, and actually rather reliable. The issues w/ E36s are well know/documented and are all prevented with cheap preventative-maintenance. The entire cooling system should be considered a wear-item, but radiators, tstat housings, and water pumps are actually cheap. Rear trailing arm bushings, guibos, rear lower shock mounts, and trans mounts are the common stuff… but again cheap. Guibos and the trailing arm bushings can be a PITA to intall though. The trip computer displays tend to stop working, but who cares it’s all stupid crap anyway and I don’t believe are too difficult to replace.- E46 M3 - falling into your price range now as well, more luxury than the E36, but also way more known issues and I actually prefer the E36 platform (E46 is faster straight-line w/ the 333hp vs 240hp for the E36), but E46s are nice as well. Every single one I know of has had several spendy issues, so buyer beware.- TBSS - if these are now in your price range it makes an amazing mix of extreme practicality and performance, though mostly just straight-line performance. The interior is pretty horrendous so I wouldn’t rank it high on the luxury scale.- G8 GT - are these really down in the high teens now? If so it might be the winner unless RWD + winter isn’t going to work for you.- G35 - Coupe or Sedan both now under $18k (man, it’s really a great time to be buying a car). Decent power, decent chassis, decent brakes, and a rather nice interior.
There’s probably a ton of other options, but that’s what came to mind…
-TJ