Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 So "back in the day," I used to love bombing around in li'l "4-syllable" sporty cars... like my Triumph Spitfire, roommates Triumph TR-4A and MGB, I had a couple of Fiat 124 Spiders, there was always an Alfa or two around... But for the last 30 years or so I've been practical - "family" type sedans and pickups. Now I'm thinkin' of a sumpin' fun again. But there's a wide gap between my fun yearning and my budget. However! For around ten grand or so, it seems a body can find a decent used Pontiac Solstice/Saturn Sky, or a Mazda Miata... and the Chrysler Crossfire has some appeal and examples can be found in that price range... Any of y'all have experience with these... or suggestions for similar "Sunday drivers" in that price range? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dusty Balz, SASS#46599 Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Pard check out the toys here Grautogallery.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noah Cash Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Hilda and I play around with a 70 Chevelle, in fact I got to go pick up the trans for it tonight. It's been needin freshening up for a few years due to a front pump seal leak. Finally got the gumption to get it out of the car. Now looking forward to getting it back in and going again. They can be had in fair shape but not in show condition for around that. If you are good with tools and don't mind doing it yourself you can end up with a nice driver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tennessee Trapper Tom Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 I'm also revisiting my past. My early years were spent in two 1969 Camaro. I kick myself when I see what they bring today. So, since I couldn't afford another Camaro, last fall I bought a 1951 Chevy Sedan Delivery frame off restore complete, 400 turbo trans and a built 327 motor. Have to redo paint and a complete interior. Brings me back to my youth. A worthwhile endeavor I say! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forty Rod SASS 3935 Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 I don't fit any of the cars I used to love: MGA, Fiat, Datsun Fairlady, Lotus, etc. Imagine trying to get into a pair of one-size-too-small skin tight wet leather pants... or putting toothpaste back into the tube. I'd love to have another Lotus Eleven or MGA, even a "frog-eyed" AH Sprite, but.................................... well you know! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 Posted March 31, 2015 Author Share Posted March 31, 2015 Dang, Tom... You ain't no fun! Actually... I'm thinking smaller than classic Detroit Iron. Now, the Chrysler Crossfire (sounds kinda cowboy, don't it? ) I think may be Mercedes under the bonnet... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abilene Slim SASS 81783 Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Here are some reviews: Crossfire Solstice Miata I'm kinda partial to this one: Honda S2000 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky Nelson Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 I bought a motorcycle for my midlife crisis. It was easier than trying to shoehorn myself into a two-seater. (Triumph America. The Chrysler LeBaron of the two wheeled world.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calamity Kris Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Unless they've drastically changed the Miata, they aren't for tall people. Both Uno and I love them. Would love to have one for a Sunday/Funday car. Unfortunately, the roofline hits us mid glasses with the seat lowered all the way. If I had the denero and could purchase pretty much any fun car I wished, this one would be on my list. Acura NSX Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rancho Roy Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 For FUN, Reliability, inexpensive, after market parts and the ability to enter it into races and timed events.....You simply can't beat a Miata! There are thousands of them available and a huge following. Buy it cheap and sell it for what you paid a few years later! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frio Kid, SASS #31915 Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Because the Miatas are often "fun" cars as opposed to everyday drivers you can find nice used ones with low mileage at decent prices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 Posted March 31, 2015 Author Share Posted March 31, 2015 Hmmm.... I was a passenger in a Miata once.... and was pleasantly surprised at how nimble the beast was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 Posted March 31, 2015 Author Share Posted March 31, 2015 One other requirement... Air conditioning! Convertible or not, summers here are up to 115 degrees. Unfortunately, I don't think that was a Miata option... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abilene Slim SASS 81783 Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Lots were made with A/C. Maybe not as many in the early years, but the MX-5 (1998-forward) A/C can be had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackwater 53393 Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 I'm building a two seat coupe rat rod. '66 Chevy II engine and a 700R4 transmission. With the proper axle ratio it will cruise the Interstate highways and get aroun thirty MPG. It will also be COMPLETELY unique!! Model T cowl and windshield frame and a Model A roof and quarter panels with a few mods. Fun stuff!! And when I'm done with building it I'll still have less than ten grand in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barkeep Casey Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 There are three generations of Miata's. The first generation was a tough fit for me at 6'1" but when the 2nd generation was released in 1999 the interior was stretched 2.5" which made all the difference in the world for someone my size. There is a base model available that visibly has steel wheels, This is the only model that did not have A/C standard. Although many of the base models did have A/C as an option. The Miata's are super reliable, have a great Power to weight ratio, a true 50/50 weight balance which even includes the battery being mounted in the trunk. And with 4 wheel independent suspension they will plain out terrorize any twisty road. Plus the aftermarket for these cars is awesome allowing you to customize or hot rod it any way you like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 Posted March 31, 2015 Author Share Posted March 31, 2015 So Barkeep... what model year started the 2nd Generation...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abilene Slim SASS 81783 Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 1998 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loophole LaRue, SASS #51438 Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 HP: Sounds like we ran parallel auto paths - I had a Sprite, an MGB and an Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce before we needed a place for a baby seat; once Jr left home, I went back to a convertible - Audi A4 Cabriolet (yeah, I'm not so sure I would comfortably fit the MGB anymore, either. If you're looking for a neat toy/project/Saturday night cruiser, take a look at this: https://www.factoryfive.com/ These guys are near me, and they build a solid, well-engineered product - not the old "kit car" that lacked parts and directions. I've read the build manuals for both the '33 and the Roadster, and they are detailed and complete, and well within the capability of someone with decent mechanical skills. LL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tennessee Trapper Tom Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Blackwater, you are talking my language. Aside from giving up the Harleys after 32 years, Hardpan you'll be happy to know that I visited the small car worlg for a short time. Back in the early 80s a Drill Sergeant friend of mine and I rebuilt and restored a pair of MGB. That little 1800 would scream. Had my fun and then went back to my trucks. I do understand the feeling you get hugging close to the roads out in the country, blasting through the curves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackwater 53393 Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 I had an MGA back in the sixties and a TR4 with a small block Chevy in it in the seventies. Little car, big engine, go fast cheap!! Two V8 Vegas, a V8 Corvair, (mid-engine) and a couple of V8 Monzas. Fun Times!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 Posted March 31, 2015 Author Share Posted March 31, 2015 BW, my dream car was a TR4 with a GM (Buick) aluminum 215 V8. MORE than enough power (11.1/1 compression ratio!) and 40 lbs lighter than the original cast iron four-banger... the thought being that handling wouldn't be degraded by additional weight forward. Going fast is cool, but bein' nimble is what those cars were all about. GM only used that engine for a couple years, then basically sold it to British Leyland where it was somewhat de-tuned and plunked into the Land Rover (3500 V8). And they also put it in a few MGB type roadsters... but we weren't allowed to have 'em. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rancho Roy Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 My father had an Austin Healy Bug Eyed Sprite with an Austin American 1100cc engine.....Went like stink....But his friend had one with the 215 Oldsmobile aluminum engine. Like a mini AC Cobra! Just read a great article in one of the car magazines I get about that aluminum V8 and how it went from GM to British Leyland and how BL got huge HP gains out of it and used it in everything from Rovers to Land Rovers to all out race cars. Amazing engine that GM didn't know what to do with it. I had a 1963 Olds Cutlass with a "Rocket" 215V8 that had a "Rocket Fuel Injection" option. Sprayed pure alcohol into the carburetor with a button on the gear selector. Fantastic car in its day! Now I got a 1987 911 sitting in the garage with 45,000 miles. Totally stock and it looks and smells like a new car! My baby! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abilene Slim SASS 81783 Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 BW, my dream car was a TR4 with a GM (Buick) aluminum 215 V8. MORE than enough power (11.1/1 compression ratio!) and 40 lbs lighter than the original cast iron four-banger... the thought being that handling wouldn't be degraded by additional weight forward. Going fast is cool, but bein' nimble is what those cars were all about. GM only used that engine for a couple years, then basically sold it to British Leyland where it was somewhat de-tuned and plunked into the Land Rover (3500 V8). And they also put it in a few MGB type roadsters... but we weren't allowed to have 'em. They also put that V8 into the Triumph TR8, a marvelous roadster from about 1980. Unfortunately, they didn't sell well because of the well-deserved reputation of its predecessor, the TR7. The TR7 was a real piece of crap (I owned one) and buyers weren't willing to take a chance on the much improved TR8. The TR8 was what the TR7 should have been all along. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abilene Slim SASS 81783 Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 My father had an Austin Healy Bug Eyed Sprite with an Austin American 1100cc engine.....Went like stink....But his friend had one with the 215 Oldsmobile aluminum engine. Like a mini AC Cobra! Amazing engine that GM didn't know what to do with it. GM liked the engine, but the American buying public didn't. They wanted 350 cid in larger cars and much more... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocWard Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Someday, I would just like to replace this: 1985 RX-7, GSL-SE with 13B 1.3L fuel injected rotary engine, 5 speed, and indescribably fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dusty Balz, SASS#46599 Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Someday, I would just like to replace this: 1985 RX-7, GSL-SE with 13B 1.3L fuel injected rotary engine, 5 speed, and indescribably fun. I had a. 79. A fun car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocWard Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 I had a. 79. A fun car Manual choke? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocWard Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 I should mention, I might not be with Mrs. Doc, but for that car. Originally it was her father's and she was driving it when we met. I convinced her to take me for a drive, because I'm a gearhead. We got married, then drove that car through a blizzard to get to San Antonio while I was activated during Desert Shield, just prior to Desert Storm. Her parents had it refurbished and repainted, and gave it to me as a college graduation gift (with my wife's blessing). I was driving home from an all day karate seminar and was exhausted, and got into an accident and totaled it. I cried like a baby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudgeBagodonuts Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Started with a fiat x1/9, then had 5 more, 4 fiat spiders, an Alfa spider, 2 lancia beta zagatos, a lancia beta scorpion, 3 Vw things, 2 Lincoln continental convertibles, bmw z4, and a fiat dino, as my convertible fun cars. I got in my friend's miata and found myself looking over top of the windshield. Drove a 2003 toyoita mr2 spyder. Nice, but 'soul less'. Drove a new Chrysler convertible in 2000. Terrible. Triumph spitfire: fun but scarily small. Ditto tr3 and mga. If I was searching for something fun in your price range, I'd look for a tr8, a z4 (might be beyond $10k), or something old and British. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Widder, SASS #59054 Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Less than 1/2 mile from my house is Smoky Mtn Classic Cars dealership. It is a dealership that ONLY deals in the muscle cars of yesteryear. EVERYDAY, I get to see mid 60's, early 70's...... CUDA, Chevelle SS, 64 Impala, Challenger, 57 Chevy, 69 S10 Chevy Pickup,GGTO, Charger, Camero SS and RS, etc.....and the list goes on. Wish I could afford one. Right now, there is a beatiful, mid-blue/black vinyl top Chevelle 396 SS sitting on the lot. I think its a 68 or 69. Last week, a late 60's GTO. ..........Widder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calamity Kris Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Someday, I would just like to replace this: 1985 RX-7, GSL-SE with 13B 1.3L fuel injected rotary engine, 5 speed, and indescribably fun. Uno had an '81 when I met him. Charcoal grey. We were forced to get rid of it when it would no longer pass the California Particulate emissions test. Best darn car ever. He even let me drive it occasionally. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major E A Sterner #12916 Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Hardpan, something to consider on the Crossfire, you HAVE to use synthetic oil in them and it holds 8&1/2 quarts at $8.99 a quart,it is a Mercedes Benz with Chrysler nameplate.Parts come from Germany and aren't cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dusty Balz, SASS#46599 Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Manual choke? Yep Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 Posted April 1, 2015 Author Share Posted April 1, 2015 Major, that's an interesting quirk... but for the most part I only use synthetic oil in my vehicles - with two exceptions: The 1964 vintage Massey Ferguson tractor and my '83 MB 240D. That darned thing burns/leaks so much oil I never bother to change it. But with 330,000+ miles on it, it just keeps on going! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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