Another car to consider. 2002-03 Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V. In the $12k-$15k range!
suggestions for family/track rat car
- Thread starter otto_joe
- Start date
polar said:the only downside of the E36 M3 I can think of is, its chasis. I've seen some owners talk about the chasis getting alot weaker (more flex) after just 70k miles. I've also heard simular things from my friends who work on cars.
but prepare some extra cash for the maintence on the BMW, cuz it ain't a Honda
I've never heard of this chassis flex issue on an e36 M3.
And ALL of my car buddies, save for 2, have e36 M3's or versions of the e36 platform. Matter of fact, chassis strength is one of the e36 M3's great strengths. In addition, maintenance on an e36 M3 isn't bad at all and quite a bit better than a e30 M3. Comparably speaking, both of those examples are less than an NSX.
Maybe talking about rear subframe issue?
The subframe issue only applies to the non-M chassis, that are tracked hard.
On the M3's rear suspension, the bushings can wear out and cause problems on the chassis. But it's like $20 for new factory bushings, and they're not that difficult to replace. Of course there are solid race bushings too.
On an M3, the main things you need to check or replace are:
Rear trailing arm bushings - $20
Rear upper shock mounts - $20
Water pump - $40
Radiator - $150
All need to be replaced at about every 40k miles. Of course, if you track the car, there are high performance parts that will last much much longer.
On the M3's rear suspension, the bushings can wear out and cause problems on the chassis. But it's like $20 for new factory bushings, and they're not that difficult to replace. Of course there are solid race bushings too.
On an M3, the main things you need to check or replace are:
Rear trailing arm bushings - $20
Rear upper shock mounts - $20
Water pump - $40
Radiator - $150
All need to be replaced at about every 40k miles. Of course, if you track the car, there are high performance parts that will last much much longer.
The E36 M3 is really cool car. They are very expensive to maintain. Their parts break often. Need quite a bit of upgrade to be track "rat". Occasional track duty maybe fine.
The Evo is a great car. In stock form it will out handle any other car double its price.
The Subaru is a pig. Compared to the EVO it is night and day.
The neon is a pretty nifty car. It is fast and handles quite good. I heard they are making the R vesion this year. Maybe the bargain of the year?
Stay away from Sentra SE-R. There is not one good thing I can say about the car. The fact that PD is flogging the car and can barely wins say much about the car. Especially when it is factory backed.
I heard Ford maybe bringing some serious engine for their focus. This is also a nifty car and should go head to head with the neon.
The Evo is a great car. In stock form it will out handle any other car double its price.
The Subaru is a pig. Compared to the EVO it is night and day.
The neon is a pretty nifty car. It is fast and handles quite good. I heard they are making the R vesion this year. Maybe the bargain of the year?
Stay away from Sentra SE-R. There is not one good thing I can say about the car. The fact that PD is flogging the car and can barely wins say much about the car. Especially when it is factory backed.
I heard Ford maybe bringing some serious engine for their focus. This is also a nifty car and should go head to head with the neon.
The SRT is a fun car and it's easy to get power out of them and it also have factory backed options, and for 20k you can't go wrong. I have a evo and you can get gobs of power out of it as well but it costs as much if not MORE then my NSX to keep, a Good Clutch is 1500 put 700 to install, 60$ oil changes and tires are 212$ each and don't forget 3-400$ for a set of break pads and rotors are about 3-400$ each 
Andrie Hartanto said:
looks like you got stiffed by the dealer..
What's the reason of the expensive install on Clutch and $60 oil change?? What kind of snake oil they used? I thought it's only Mobil1 that is supposingly $5 / qt.??1500 for a good aftermarket one like a Cusco or any good twin, As far as oil changes go that is a good price, some charge $80 or more and I don't want to mess with it. Also have you done a clutch on a AWD car? It's not easy.
NSXDreamer2 said:looks like you got stiffed by the dealer..
otto_joe said:
Why get rid of your NSX? Buy a '92 Honda Accord for $4k. There is nothing wrong with driving a beater around.
kenjiMR said:
According to the wife I'm only allowed one car, period.
Mine said the same before, I said one car Okay, How about 2 women? Well, I still have 1 wife, but 5 cars.otto_joe said:According to the wife I'm only allowed one car, period.
She is very understanding. 
I think you would be very happy with an '02 WRX wagon. Super sleeper. Just make sure you upgrade the tires, the stock rubber stinks. If 227hp gets boring for ya, reflash the ECU with a cobb accessport. Very mild mod, bumps the stock WRX to 260hp. Cost $600.
MF-DIF said:
http://www.vishnutuning.com/
I guess I could aways give Vishnu a buzz if I went WRX since they aren't too far away. I wonder if Shiv still remembers me from the turbo miata days.
Otto
EIFFEL said:Mine said the same before, I said one car Okay, How about 2 women? Well, I still have 1 wife, but 5 cars.
hahahahaha... nice!
After looking into WRXs a little more, they seem a little too econo car(sorry to any WRX owners out there) like to me.
What does the collective think about the E39 540i with the sport package? On paper they seem to have all the straight line performance of the E36 M3s and are in about the same price range. The big plus would be that there are more of them around to choose from and I've always wanted to try out a 6speed.
Thanks.
Otto
What does the collective think about the E39 540i with the sport package? On paper they seem to have all the straight line performance of the E36 M3s and are in about the same price range. The big plus would be that there are more of them around to choose from and I've always wanted to try out a 6speed.
Thanks.
Otto
I own both the NSX and M3 and couldn't agree more with the praise above. Shawn refuted the above negative speculation accurately and also pointed out some of the M3’s weaknesses. When you get an M3 on the track, you will be amazed. With minor mods, the M3 has quicker lap times than a stock NSX. The M3 is also a used car bargain.
If you are going to track the car, buy one that already has added the x-brace, front strut bar, springs, and dampers, and has replaced the rear trailing arm bushings, rear upper shock mounts, front control arm bushings, radiator, and water pump. The engines are very stout as long as they haven’t been over-revved due to a ham-fisted shift, therefore have a compression and leak-down check performed.
Bob
If you are going to track the car, buy one that already has added the x-brace, front strut bar, springs, and dampers, and has replaced the rear trailing arm bushings, rear upper shock mounts, front control arm bushings, radiator, and water pump. The engines are very stout as long as they haven’t been over-revved due to a ham-fisted shift, therefore have a compression and leak-down check performed.
Bob
Game over
Game over. In the past 12 months I've sold my CBR, Duc, and finally the NSX.
I just picked up a low mileage, dinged up 1999 E46 323i as my daily driver. It's definitely no where near as fun to drive as the NSX, but on the bright side I have no issues with parking it anywhere and leaving it outside.
I know the M3 was probably the way to go for fun, but I thought really hard about the M3 and didn't want to get tempted with the go fast crack pipe. Who knows what I would have ended up spending on modding the M3.
Otto
Game over. In the past 12 months I've sold my CBR, Duc, and finally the NSX.
I just picked up a low mileage, dinged up 1999 E46 323i as my daily driver. It's definitely no where near as fun to drive as the NSX, but on the bright side I have no issues with parking it anywhere and leaving it outside.
I know the M3 was probably the way to go for fun, but I thought really hard about the M3 and didn't want to get tempted with the go fast crack pipe. Who knows what I would have ended up spending on modding the M3.
Otto
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