I'm going to buy a (CHEAP) second vehicle. I want it to be fun.

I still have an Enduro coming to me, I think. I havent asked my Father in Law about it but it's there if I want it.

By the way, anyone wanna buy an '82 Suzuki RM60? He has it for sale. :embarrassed:
 
Thinking maybe something like this:

http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/cto/2141604409.html

If it breaks down a bit, I dont much care. I sorta want something I can tinker with and work on when needed. I was thinking about getting something really cool like an old Jag V-12 that needs work, but then I thought about parts and realized I'd be in over my head. Something like that Camaro, the parts are everywhere, and it's a pretty simple vehicle.

Aside from the usual suspects (Camaro/Firebird and the Mustang) what would you guys be looking at for little money if you didnt mind putting some work into it?

I will only offer two peices of advice

#1:NEVER EVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE BUY A V12 XJS. A BIGGER PIECE OF SHIT HAS NEVER BEEN CONSTRUCTED. MY FATHER OWNED TWO FROM NEW AND NEITHER ONE EVER WORKED. THEY ARE IMPOSSIBLE TO WORK ON PARTS ARE ASTRONOMICAL. THEY HAVE STUPID SHIT LIKE INBOARD BRAKES, AND TWO PEICE OIL PANS (TRY TO GET ONE OF THOSE TO STOP LEAKING) PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT.

#2: I am of German desent and I love German cars. Buy something simple, easy to work on. I've had Karman Giha's (cheap fun rear engined car) not fast but fun. BMW's fun, more expensive to buy and work on but not crazy. Bullet proof once you get them staighted out. Currently I have two 911's a '74 911T (not a turbo, the T stands for an interior package) and a '96 993. These are FUN cars easy to work on. Parts are expensive but if you properly maintain them they are bullet proof and parts aren't an issue. But I would reccomend a 944. Car is cheap, parts are relitively cheap, and there are alot of them around. Really a fun car. I've had two and I would reccomend them to anyone looking for a inexpensive european sports car.
 
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I'd LOVE a Porsche, but never seriously considered one. I dont realistically have the budget for one. And, yes, re: the Jags, that's why I tossed that idea out. I think XJ12s are over-the-top cool, but I knew parts would be expensive.
 
My Jeep Wrangler is the most fun vehicle I have ever owned. It's not fast. It handles like shit. It leaks. The gas mileage isn't that great.

But, when it's summer and you've got the doors off and the top down, there is no car that is more fun.
 
My Jeep Wrangler is the most fun vehicle I have ever owned. It's not fast. It handles like shit. It leaks. The gas mileage isn't that great.

But, when it's summer and you've got the doors off and the top down, there is no car that is more fun.

I agree, I have owned 2, and nothing beats rolling around in a jeep with the top down and doors off.
 
My Jeep Wrangler is the most fun vehicle I have ever owned. It's not fast. It handles like shit. It leaks. The gas mileage isn't that great.

But, when it's summer and you've got the doors off and the top down, there is no car that is more fun.

Not necessary.

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I know it isnt a Wrangler, but we've got a capable 4x4 as a daily driver. I've driven literally hundreds of Wranglers, they're definitely cool for what they are, but I just dont need one. Or want one all that badly. If I wanna go in the woods, or through the snow, or whatever else, my Cherokee will do it no problem.
 
I'd LOVE a Porsche, but never seriously considered one. I dont realistically have the budget for one. And, yes, re: the Jags, that's why I tossed that idea out. I think XJ12s are over-the-top cool, but I knew parts would be expensive.

The V-12 Jags are one of the prettiest cars ever made but seriously if you replaced every single part the god damn things still won't run. If someone said to me I can either give you a XJS or shoot you in the head I'd say pull the trigger.

That being said I paid $1,500 for my first 944 put $1,000 into it and I drove it every weekend in the summer for 5 years and did nothing but change oil and brake pads. I'm sure I could find you one through the Porsche Club for less than $2,000.
 
The V-12 Jags are one of the prettiest cars ever made but seriously if you replaced every single part the god damn things still won't run. If someone said to me I can either give you a XJS or shoot you in the head I'd say pull the trigger.

That being said I paid $1,500 for my first 944 put $1,000 into it and I drove it every weekend in the summer for 5 years and did nothing but change oil and brake pads. I'm sure I could find you one through the Porsche Club for less than $2,000.

WOW. OK, I'd be up for that. You have my interest. Porsche? Hell yeah. What guy doesnt want a Porsche?
 
You've just got to know where to look. The guys in the Porsche Club are kind of a bounch of dicks because they keep all the good stuff to themselves and trade them amongst themselves for great prices. Everyone else pays through the nose for them and their usally not as well maintaned. And of course you can't be a member untill you own one. I'll check around and see what available. This is a great time to be looking so there should be some deals to be had.
 

Yikes!

Most expensive mistake you can make with one of these cars is taking it to the cheapest mechanic in the book. If they are not a certified factory mechanic I don't let them change a light bulb. These cars are easy to work on once you understand them. German cars are different but once you understand them they make a lot of sense. Spending $500 with your local Porsche shop will save you much more than $1000 with Buba from Midas.
 
I'm still saving up for an old beetle. No, it wont win any races, but i care not. :grin:
 
See, that scares me. I dont understand German cars one bit. And I dont have the money to pay a certified Porsche guy. Anything done to the car would be either by me or, if I get really stuck, with help from my father in law. He's a very good mechanic, but he's a Ford guy. Definitely not a German guy. But that 944 really is beautiful and it doesnt sound like a terribly difficult fix. It's only 40 minutes away from me. If I had the money right now, I might actually buy it, but I wont be ready to purchase for 2-3 weeks.
 
See, that scares me. I dont understand German cars one bit. And I dont have the money to pay a certified Porsche guy. Anything done to the car would be either by me or, if I get really stuck, with help from my father in law. He's a very good mechanic, but he's a Ford guy. Definitely not a German guy. But that 944 really is beautiful and it doesnt sound like a terribly difficult fix. It's only 40 minutes away from me. If I had the money right now, I might actually buy it, but I wont be ready to purchase for 2-3 weeks.


you just have to know who to ask. They are very simple, they just don't go together like american cars that's all. I do all my own work even on the '96. The only thing I do is I've taken them all to my German gcar guy to check them out before I bought them if he give me the thumbs up I know I'm good to go. We have a forum and any time I've gotten stuck they pointed me in the right direction. It's just little things. Like oil. You have to run European spec synthetic oil. it cost $90 for an oil change, but you only have to change it every 9,000 miles so when you compare that to $30 for a regular oil change at 3000 miles it really is no more expensive. However if you put the cheap oil in you will lunch the engine because regular oil can't handle the extra heat and you end up with a big sludge problem. These are the type of things you have to know.
 
I still have an Enduro coming to me, I think. I havent asked my Father in Law about it but it's there if I want it.

By the way, anyone wanna buy an '82 Suzuki RM60? He has it for sale. :embarrassed:

Probably a little short for me too anyway - I don't think that one's street legal, is it?

Something like a Scrambler 300 would be fun

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It might be worthwhile to spend a little time searching out forums for local car groups in your area. Many times on those, like here and HC, deals are posted for their forumite brethren that aren't necessarily the same as the deal they've posted on CL or whatever.

Locally for me there's http://www.mwir.net/forum/. I've seen some truly incredible deals go down on there, and more often than not whoever you bought a car from would also have a truckload of parts handy that you could dig through or even the right parts to finish fixing the car up included in the deal. There a handful more chicagoland forums like that as well, I"m sure there's a bunch around Pitt (I think that's where you are) as well.

They also are incredible fonts of knowledge for when you get stuck when fixing up a car you may not be that familiar with. The 3SI (3000GT/Stealth) forum was indispensible to me when I had my VR-4 as was nopistons.com with my RX-7.
 
Even though I know it would be a giant pain in the ass, I cant help but want something like this.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Jagu...5813038?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item2c59d6d72e


God, please. I just can't explain. Pain in the ass is not even close. Did you see the engine bay photo? You can't sqeeze a paper clip in there. There has never been a bigger peice of shit ever produce any where. When I was in the high end car business I refused to sell thoise to anyone at any price. You can't run far enough or fast enough away from one of those things.
 
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