Looking for a "project" car

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: thedarkwolf

Originally posted by: CRXican

Originally posted by: thedarkwolf
or a miata if you are more into the small cars. I've had an 89 5.0l mustang coupe and much prefer my current 94 miata.

missed Black88gta's last line .

Toyota MR2s are nice too if you don't want to go convertible.

what makes you you prefer the Miata?

I have a 1996 Miata and had considered ditiching it for a foxbody.

A fox body mustang is a lot like driving a 1960s car with power options and a/c. They sound great and I love the torque but they don't feel(steering, brakes, shifting, sitting position, refinement) as nice to drive as the miata. The 94+ mustangs don't feel as crude but they feel bigger and gain weight. Plus I just really like the convertible aspect a lot more then I thought I would and it doesn't hurt that my miata is turbocharged.

As someone who has owned a couple fox bodied Mustangs, including an early convertible GT that I considered trading in for a then brand new Miata I'd like to chime in on this. I thought the Miata was gutless and just couldn't get past that. Yeah, the car was a nice little (tiny actually) car but it had zero balls. Of course this was a mid-90s car. I didn't even think twice about trading in my '86 Mustang GT convertible for it...I kept the Mustang.

When I finally did trade in my '86 it was for a '94 Mustang GT Coupe. The '94 was a much better car, better chassis, better brakes, I loved that car. I never modded my old '86 convertible but I did mod the '94. I still miss things about both those cars...nothing a Lotus Elise wouldn't cure though.

 

[Black88GTA]

One thing about the Mustangs...I had a '92 Fox body (4 cyl) for a while. That car had - hands down - THE cheapest, most garbage interior I've ever seen. And I am NOT one to "ooh" and "aah" over an interior - normally, the interior is last on the priority list when I buy a car. But even I had to step back and say "damn, what a piece of shit".

The seats were horrid - unsupportive, and uncomfortable, although I hear 94+ seats (which are MUCH nicer) are a direct swap. The plastic surrounding the HVAC controls was trash and never did sit in place right - it kept falling off. Everything was made of super hard, really cheap feeling plastic.

I guess for $135 I couldn't complain much, and it was very reliable (although completely gutless). The '94 we had later (and still own) is much more solid, like JM said. Although we're currently having problems with ours.

 

[thedarkwolf]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: thedarkwolf

Originally posted by: CRXican

Originally posted by: thedarkwolf
or a miata if you are more into the small cars. I've had an 89 5.0l mustang coupe and much prefer my current 94 miata.

missed Black88gta's last line .

Toyota MR2s are nice too if you don't want to go convertible.

what makes you you prefer the Miata?

I have a 1996 Miata and had considered ditiching it for a foxbody.

A fox body mustang is a lot like driving a 1960s car with power options and a/c. They sound great and I love the torque but they don't feel(steering, brakes, shifting, sitting position, refinement) as nice to drive as the miata. The 94+ mustangs don't feel as crude but they feel bigger and gain weight. Plus I just really like the convertible aspect a lot more then I thought I would and it doesn't hurt that my miata is turbocharged.

As someone who has owned a couple fox bodied Mustangs, including an early convertible GT that I considered trading in for a then brand new Miata I'd like to chime in on this. I thought the Miata was gutless and just couldn't get past that. Yeah, the car was a nice little (tiny actually) car but it had zero balls. Of course this was a mid-90s car. I didn't even think twice about trading in my '86 Mustang GT convertible for it...I kept the Mustang.

And thats where my turbo comes in handy. Turbo kits a dirt cheap for miatas. Mine is a pretty basic kit pushing only 5.5psi but thats plenty too give it decent straight line speed. My mustang was probably a high 13 second 1/4 car while my miata is maybe a mid 14 but really thats plenty to be fun for a daily IMO. I could easily and cheaply turn that into a mid 13 second 1/4 mile but haven't felt the need.