[esfir.a]

$55k allotted

-Must be MT
-JDM ok
-No FWD
-Private sale only, no brand-new cars or financing
-Must be fairly reliable for about 4 years, will be living in qualicum area and prefer not to trailer it far for major repairs
-No VW/audi, mustang/camaro/challenger or AMG, friend had a CLS55 off warranty and the upkeep costs terrified me
-~12,000km yearly usage, no autox/track, just spirited dailying and highway
-have a DD car already
-2 or 4 door ok, 2 seater ok
-no verts (targa ok)
-No silvia or subaru (had already)
-resale value after 4 years is a plus, but not a big deal
-Must have decent everyday grunt (no track-only stuff like s2000, nsx)
-Swapped/modded cars OK but must be relatively normal, no pipe dreams, i have friends in the industry who have done many cool swaps here but remember reliability is a concern, i will be on my own once in qualicum and want the car to be fairly headache-free

Stuff i had my eye on
-R34 GTR base (i think it will retain its value well, but cad/jpy is hurt rn, I know they are slow stock but I know it would make me happy)
-C6 grand sport (I like the targa, seems reliable, like how it drives, hate the interior)
-Built lexus 2GS with 2jz, mt - friend has a well known one here in calgary and it is amazing

I've been saving for a while and thought I'd have my mind made up by the time I had the sum. Well here I am still undecided so let's hear your ideas

[Gucci Mane]

C6 grand sport gets my vote. everyone likes to rag on the interior but in all honesty its not that bad. it's very easy to live with.

also, why the hell are the prices for grand sports still so damn high?? you can get a Z06 for under $40k now quite easily.

i hope to buy a grand sport myself sometime in the near future.

[Traum]

As they say, the answer is always Miata~ :lawl:

Now that we've gotten the Miata out of the way, I'd say $55k is really quite a lot of $$$. For $40k+, you can already get a 09+ Porsche Cayman and still have money left over for maintenance and repairs. That would be my #1 choice if I were you.

Of course, technically, Porsche is "just a tarted up VW / Audi", so it may not meet your selection criteria.

And if you pick up something from the Island Motorsports Circuit group, maybe you'd even qualify for some lapping events at their track.

[bcuzracecarz]

Join the e92 m3 trend. V8, fairly reliable for what it is, and resale will be solid in a few years :fuckyea:

[brrrz]

Really cant think of a better car to buy then a C6 Z06 if you are looking at the $55K mark. 7.0L V8 505hp N/A not to mention the cheap maintenance and great reliability.
Take one for a drive and merge onto the highway in second gear and you will fall in love.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fASuRjmIjDU

[Traum]

If the OP were to really consider some sort of C6, make sure you do the homework and only look at the ones from the later model years. The early cars suffer from a number of issues, including some that will kill your engine. GM refused to admit responsibility at first, but as an increasing number of owners who drove their car hard ran into the problem, GM eventually caved and updated the car to address these issues.

IMO, the Grand Sport is a better value than a Z06 (or a ZR1 for that matter) since it is essentially a Z06 without the big engine. For most people, including dedicated HPDE drivers, the "base" LS-whatever has more than enough grunt for all practical as well as impractical purposes. But hey, if the OP is lusting for more, the Z06 cars are definitely very attractive too.

[Suprarz666]

supra?

[jasonturbo]

You should buy my 1997 NSX Turbroooooo

[tegra7]

Buick Grand National. Not MT though..

https://youtu.be/hv6vYDJitow

https://youtu.be/mF9NXK466A0

[nsx042003]

My E92 M3 :fuckyea:

[keifun]

Evo x GSR?

[forcedot]

Evo x GSR?

Seconded, you can pick an Evo up for around 30k, with 10k on top you have an easy and reliable 700hp, AWD beast.

AMS/ COBB or any local shop will tune.

[jtanner_]

^ or an EVO 8/9. I'll be putting mine up for sale pretty soon once... Leaves you with quite a bit to spare while covering off everything you're asking for.

[Nlkko]

Really cant think of a better car to buy then a C6 Z06 if you are looking at the $55K mark. 7.0L V8 505hp N/A not to mention the cheap maintenance and great reliability.
Take one for a drive and merge onto the highway in second gear and you will fall in love.


Buy this. Don't worry about anything else posted here.

You're welcome.

[dark0821]

Seconded, you can pick an Evo up for around 30k, with 10k on top you have an easy and reliable 700hp, AWD beast.

AMS/ COBB or any local shop will tune.

Third? xD One more vote going to the EVO, yes, very biased opinion.

But 30K will get you a mint condition one, I have seen EVO X for 20K even (non rebuilt). Lol I think my own EVO is probably worth like 22K at most...

10K in upgrades (without E85) will get you a healthy 400/400 at the wheels without killing your fuel economy.

The stock evo is already a joke due to the small gas tank. Think E60 M5 city range bad after like stage II tune .....

But yea, as everyone has said, at 55K you have alot of options. From the choice you listed, I will go for the vette!

[esfir.a]

Not into the cayman for my purposes. I'm sure they shine on a track though, and great looking cars

Not into the Z06, i would miss the targa roof, and for everyday driving I don't really need that extra knife edge performance. I figure I can get a C6GS for about 48k as summer winds down then spend the remainder on mods, seats and steering wheel are a must. I am looking only at the 2010+ GS because they have launch control and some other cool stuff. I agree they do seem to hold their value quite well, being similarly priced to the Z06. I guess it's appeal of the targa roof.

The thing about the C6GS is i didn't really fall in love with it and worried i may regret it

I have driven the C6GS and i like how it drives. The interior materials are really bad but the seating position is cool, feels very sporty, and you feel very low to the ground

E92 i will have to drive and see, in calgary they are pretty slow because they lose 10% power up here, never really considered one. I'm worried about failures on bmw, i've mainly owned japanese cars. Sure a great looking car and the prices are reasonable. There are some nice colour combos out there. I will be researching it this afternoon

Do you guys think a 996tt may be attainable , they are known in calgary as a great all-weather car and a lot of exec types use them as a winter car. They seem a bit out of the 55k range though

Evo I have no experience with, had many problems with my STI though. Have heard the 9/x drive amazingly. the unicorn factor on the USDM ones is a plus

As for the supra I feel like my budget is too low for a LHD one - to really build the car and do it justice, anyway. I really want the targa and there seem to be no RHD targa turbos. But paying double the price just to sit 4 feet to the left is a turn off

Appreciate the replies and hope everyone is having a good weekend, some nice rides on this forum keep it up

[westopher]

Join the e92 m3 trend. V8, fairly reliable for what it is, and resale will be solid in a few years :fuckyea:
I LOVE the e92 m3, but as a second car I'd go for something a little less practical. I think the m3 is the ultimate car for an "only car/fun car" sort of ownership.
996 TT, 997 targa/coupe sound like something to consider for you if you like the beetles.
I'd go older like 964, Carrera, e30 m3 at that price for a second fun car, but everybody in the world probably all knows that so I'm not sure why I'm mentioning it.

[richardmozis]

So CLS 55 has scary upkeep costs but 996TT is okay? Would think the opposite lol

[tofu1413]

2011 BMW 1M!!

only 220 sold in Canada. fun to drive. Holds value.

higher altitude? no problem. stock ecu increases boost :lawl:

[esfir.a]

So CLS 55 has scary upkeep costs but 996TT is okay? Would think the opposite lol

Maybe my friend had a lemon, idk

more concerned with the downtime and hassle of trailering it to a shop while i'm in qualicum

Anyway I see way more 996tt running around than i do 55s

[westopher]

A 996tt is probably nowhere near the maintenance costs of a CLS. There are very few electronics on a 996 in comparison and the tt motor doesn't suffer from the RMS/IMS issues. Modern benzes are so complicated.

[tofu1413]

2014 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Edition 507 (http://vancouver.craigslist.ca/rch/cto/5726264356.html)



507??

[esfir.a]

MT only
do not want wife ever taking it
she has crashed/damaged several vehicles

[smoothie.]

^ perhaps what you need to do is first buy the wife driving lessons.

or just not give her the key....?

[flagella]

MT only
do not want wife ever taking it
she has crashed/damaged several vehicles

:lol

[esfir.a]

^ perhaps what you need to do is first buy the wife driving lessons.

or just not give her the key....?

Just trust me on this man, she's a lost cause

There was backing into a fence, being rear-ended at a yield (thankfully ruled not at fault, but she began to go then stopped with no cars coming, guy behind hit her as he shoulder checked), turning left into a parking lot and T-boning a reversing car, driving over a cement parking block (all 4 wheels), and several collisions before i met her

edit forgot sliding into a curb at 20kph on ice with wheel cranked and wrecking a front left suspension/fender/skirt, 2 years ago


The 1m sounds very interesting, looks like it holds value extremely well also

[Timpo]

Toyota Chaser

http://image.carcast.jp/article/original/12489.jpg

[Timpo]

Toyota Origin

http://img1.kakaku.k-img.com/images/productimage/fullscale/K0000287771.jpg
http://d2i6c6y1xqgf7t.cloudfront.net/media/testdrive/TO_ORIGIN03.jpg

[Timpo]

Mitsuoka Galue

http://images.caradisiac.com/logos/1/4/6/9/181469/S7-Photos-du-jour-Mitsuoka-Galue-cabriolet-97301.jpg

[Timpo]

Mitsuoka Orochi

http://blog.bespokeventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/mitsuoka-orochi.jpg

[Timpo]

Mitsubishi Dignity

http://livedoor.blogimg.jp/koyapop2/imgs/7/a/7aac1cb9.jpg
http://cdn.motorshout.com.s3.amazonaws.com/models/734/805/1_r.jpg

[Timpo]

OOOPPPSS!!

I didn't see the "MT" part. :fuuuuu:

[bcuzracecarz]

I have no words

[Suprarz666]

1993 RX-7 FD3S LHD - LS3 Swap Complete Build (http://vancouver.craigslist.ca/van/cto/5718203244.html)
?

[jasonturbo]

Jesus and you're in Calgary??? Why wouldn't you buy my NSX lol

[Z3guy]

^ lol! Cause he wants something somewhat reliable

[tegra7]

This thread is going nowhere., Just buy jasons turbo NSX.

[Gucci Mane]

Jesus and you're in Calgary??? Why wouldn't you buy my NSX lol

because its a bloody queen. OP needs something he can beat on and actually have fun with.

[westopher]

Jason's NSX can probably handle being driven. What exactly makes it a queen? Because its nice?

[R. Mutt]

Id also recommend an Evo 8 or 9. The issues with the STI are not like the Evo. The 4g63 is a much stronger motor out of the box than the ej25 and will make more power per buck. They are easy to tune, reliable when done right and the limits of the car will go beyond most peopl le's driving abailities. Like others have said you could buy a mint low mile lhd 8 or 9 and modify it to make big power and have a fantastic suspension setup on pump gas. Alternatively you could buy a really well built one from a reputable US shop that specializes in them such as English racing, ETS, CBRD, burschur or STM. Only thing I'd say is go with the 5 speed, the 6 speed gearbox is weak and will give you problems down the road.

[punkwax]

Mitsuoka Orochi

http://blog.bespokeventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/mitsuoka-orochi.jpg

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7442/2273/1600/flip-e.0.jpg

[Z3guy]

Id also recommend an Evo 8 or 9. The issues with the STI are not like the Evo. The 4g63 is a much stronger motor out of the box than the ej25 and will make more power per buck. They are easy to tune, reliable when done right and the limits of the car will go beyond most peopl le's driving abailities. Like others have said you could buy a mint low mile lhd 8 or 9 and modify it to make big power and have a fantastic suspension setup on pump gas. Alternatively you could buy a really well built one from a reputable US shop that specializes in them such as English racing, ETS, CBRD, burschur or STM. Only thing I'd say is go with the 5 speed, the 6 speed gearbox is weak and will give you problems down the road.

Let's face it, anything beyond intake, exhaust, and springs, the car is not going to be reliable compared to Oem performance. The op lives in a rural community where he will have travel at least one hour for any decent aftermarket shop to service a heavily modded car

[westopher]

Calgary?

[Z3guy]

^ the op said he will be in qualicum. But Calgary is still pretty rural! Haha!

[Hcoreposer]

BRZ/FR-S or E90/92 M3.

[gramser57]

Cadillac CTS-V

[flagella]

Seriously, buy Jason's nsx.

[esfir.a]

moving from calgary->qualicum
timpo none of those man

got any link on this nsx

[Manic!]

moving from calgary->qualicum
timpo none of those man

got any link on this nsx

Buy a Miata and spend the rest on a membership here: Vancouver Island Motorsport Circuit (http://islandmotorsportcircuit.com/)

[Timpo]

Buy a Miata and spend the rest on a membership here: Vancouver Island Motorsport Circuit (http://islandmotorsportcircuit.com/)
I know this is just each to their own, but...

Why the hell people buy membership for a race track and drive passenger vehicles? With all the luxury features, sound system, leather interior, etc?

I've seen people buying basic/entry level formula cars like F1600 and F2000 and race them on weekends, which made sense to me.
Also those small Racing Karts are cool too.

But if I bought a BMW M3 or Lexus IS-F, I'd just drive on the street(as it meant to be). Especially considering how much it's gonna cost to buy a membership.

[R. Mutt]

Let's face it, anything beyond intake, exhaust, and springs, the car is not going to be reliable compared to Oem performance. The op lives in a rural community where he will have travel at least one hour for any decent aftermarket shop to service a heavily modded car

That's somewhat of a blanket statement and while there is truth to it I think it's because many people modify their cars poorly.

I have a friend up Kamloops who used to beat the crap out of his evo 8 on logging roads, racked up tens of thousands of miles on his heavily modified car and it ran like clockwork. Despite all the brutal winters that car ran like a champ. So, unless you have owned and know how to tune an evo 8 or 9 specifically, you don't know what you're talking about.

Unless he's trying to push more than 800whp on a daily driver he'll be just fine. My evo for example is heavily modified and runs like clockwork every day. On a 10.5:1 compression built motor running E85-E90 I cold start on the first try every morning, idle at 1000rpm steadily and bumble along in traffic for hours. It does this every day on a battery sized for a snowmobile. But when I beat on my car, I do so with confidence because I know it was built to take it. There's a reason the Supra and 2JZ motor still destroy cars today: motors like that were overbuilt and you can throw a retarded amount of power at them without issues. Out of the box Toyota did it right...most people don't approach modifications like that...they take the short and easy route.

Because we live in Canada you don't see examples roaming around as the vehicle was never sold here. On the contrary, STI's roam all over and have given AWD turbos cars a bad rep for proving unreliable when modified because of their oiling, piston, sealing and short skirt ringland issues but that simply isn't the case with the 4G63. It's exactly as you said with the STI: basic bolt ons and they're great, anything beyond that and you have a headache. You drive BMWs, Porsche's etc and to each his own...great cars, but what would you know about an evo to say what is/isn't reliable as far as mods?

Just because a car is loaded with aftermarket parts doesn't make it inferior to oem in terms of reliability. The problem is ignorance and upkeep, people cheap out when it comes to buying parts or don't do their research. Sometimes the most expensive part isn't the best, and unfortunately sometimes the best is really expensive. If you're going to do something, do it once and do it right. Do I need a 1000hp bottom end when I'm building my motor to support 600? No, but why not do it now and save me the expense/headache later. Remember it's CHEAP FAST RELIABLE - you can only pick two. Unless you can fabricate, blueprint, assemble, troubleshoot and tune a motor it gonna cost you one way or the other meng.

People tend to do this over and over whether it's proper fuel+oil supply, appropriately chosen rods+pistons, bore:stroke ratio et al. However the most important thing is the tune. Some people buy all these expensive parts and don't sort out their tune....it's crazy. It's like having all these amazing artisan ingredients and instead of making creme brule you make cow shit. Modifying a car properly to perform reliably for it's intended use is no easy task and 90% of people will get it wrong because they think they know better than someone who's been doing it for 20+ years.

As far as OEM being more reliable yes it's true but there are instances where even OEM have defects out of the box as people push the limits. Happened with the clutches on the GTR...shit even Porsche fucked up the engine in the 991 GT3 just a couple years back when it first arrived. Half the tunes on cars coming from the factory are overly rich and knock because they throw too much ignition timing. Add to that recalls for arbitrary issues and it goes on and on. But unless you datalog and know your car inside out you'd be ignorant of these factory defects and assume OEM is best! My point is every car will have its strengths and weaknesses to say OEM is better is ignorant.

So to the OP don't let people make you think a modified evo will give you problems, as long as the car was well built and properly tuned (Any of the vendors I previously mentioned) the only thing is keeping up with regular and long term services intervals (engine, gearbox and Tcase fluid and later on belts and water pump et al) - things you should be on top of with any high performance car period. No one said it would be cheap but he can surely DD a heavily modified evo, I do so every day and have zero issues.

And lastly unless he drops the ride height like a cunt it'll be right at home on rural roads. It is a group N homologated rally car after all

[esfir.a]

Buy a Miata and spend the rest on a membership here: Vancouver Island Motorsport Circuit (http://islandmotorsportcircuit.com/)

i have no interest in that , i'm not into track or autox or miatas. I have another hobby where i get competitive, just looking for a fun MT street car that's good on highways, maybe holds its value, and won't be breaking down often

good post R.mutt and i feel like i should defend the qualicum roads, they are not gravel lol, they are normal paved roads

[Urrtoast]

i have no interest in that , i'm not into track or autox or miatas. I have another hobby where i get competitive, just looking for a fun MT street car that's good on highways, maybe holds its value, and won't be breaking down often

good post R.mutt and i feel like i should defend the qualicum roads, they are not gravel lol, they are normal paved roads

Lots of choices I think the Z06 is a great idea .
But you can get this also
2015 Ford Mustang for $54,249 in Surrey | autoTRADER.ca (http://www.autotrader.ca/a/Ford/Mustang/Surrey/British+Columbia/5_25043508_20150424145524431/?showcpo=ShowCPO&orup=9_15_267)

or

2016 Chevrolet Camaro 2SS for $53,070 in Vancouver | autoTRADER.ca (http://www.autotrader.ca/a/Chevrolet/Camaro/Vancouver/British+Columbia/5_28045580_BS20069715416/?showcpo=ShowCPO&orup=15_15_267)

or

2007 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Fixed Roof for $51,888 in Langley | autoTRADER.ca (http://www.autotrader.ca/a/Chevrolet/Corvette/Langley/British+Columbia/5_28436788_20160516151759876/?showcpo=ShowCPO&orup=1_15_1)


Cant go wrong with American cars
Good Luck and have fun...

[Hehe]

I'm surprised no one mentioned 2017 Nissan 370Z.

Brand new is just under 33k last time I checked and comes with all the modern bells & whistles. Drop a few grand on mod (LSD, maybe a turbo) and you've got yourself a reliable DD monster and since it's brand new, nothing to worry about maintenance-wise.

I drove my friend's 2016s, and it was fun as hell. Sure it's not a M3, but you get a brand new car that's still very fun to drive or even track.

[belka]

Can't go wrong with this http://www.revscene.net/forums/709561-2008-bmw-m3-sedan-manual.html

[Prostrho]

2007 911 twin turbo manual | used cars & trucks | Calgary | Kijiji (http://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/calgary/2007-911-twin-turbo-manual/1187904631?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true)

Smoking deal if u stretch your budget by a bit. You will get it all back when u sell it though.

[Z3guy]

That's somewhat of a blanket statement and while there is truth to it I think it's because many people modify their cars poorly.

I have a friend up Kamloops who used to beat the crap out of his evo 8 on logging roads, racked up tens of thousands of miles on his heavily modified car and it ran like clockwork. Despite all the brutal winters that car ran like a champ. So, unless you have owned and know how to tune an evo 8 or 9 specifically, you don't know what you're talking about.

Unless he's trying to push more than 800whp on a daily driver he'll be just fine. My evo for example is heavily modified and runs like clockwork every day. On a 10.5:1 compression built motor running E85-E90 I cold start on the first try every morning, idle at 1000rpm steadily and bumble along in traffic for hours. It does this every day on a battery sized for a snowmobile. But when I beat on my car, I do so with confidence because I know it was built to take it. There's a reason the Supra and 2JZ motor still destroy cars today: motors like that were overbuilt and you can throw a retarded amount of power at them without issues. Out of the box Toyota did it right...most people don't approach modifications like that...they take the short and easy route.

Because we live in Canada you don't see examples roaming around as the vehicle was never sold here. On the contrary, STI's roam all over and have given AWD turbos cars a bad rep for proving unreliable when modified because of their oiling, piston, sealing and short skirt ringland issues but that simply isn't the case with the 4G63. It's exactly as you said with the STI: basic bolt ons and they're great, anything beyond that and you have a headache. You drive BMWs, Porsche's etc and to each his own...great cars, but what would you know about an evo to say what is/isn't reliable as far as mods?

Just because a car is loaded with aftermarket parts doesn't make it inferior to oem in terms of reliability. The problem is ignorance and upkeep, people cheap out when it comes to buying parts or don't do their research. Sometimes the most expensive part isn't the best, and unfortunately sometimes the best is really expensive. If you're going to do something, do it once and do it right. Do I need a 1000hp bottom end when I'm building my motor to support 600? No, but why not do it now and save me the expense/headache later. Remember it's CHEAP FAST RELIABLE - you can only pick two. Unless you can fabricate, blueprint, assemble, troubleshoot and tune a motor it gonna cost you one way or the other meng.

People tend to do this over and over whether it's proper fuel+oil supply, appropriately chosen rods+pistons, bore:stroke ratio et al. However the most important thing is the tune. Some people buy all these expensive parts and don't sort out their tune....it's crazy. It's like having all these amazing artisan ingredients and instead of making creme brule you make cow shit. Modifying a car properly to perform reliably for it's intended use is no easy task and 90% of people will get it wrong because they think they know better than someone who's been doing it for 20+ years.

As far as OEM being more reliable yes it's true but there are instances where even OEM have defects out of the box as people push the limits. Happened with the clutches on the GTR...shit even Porsche fucked up the engine in the 991 GT3 just a couple years back when it first arrived. Half the tunes on cars coming from the factory are overly rich and knock because they throw too much ignition timing. Add to that recalls for arbitrary issues and it goes on and on. But unless you datalog and know your car inside out you'd be ignorant of these factory defects and assume OEM is best! My point is every car will have its strengths and weaknesses to say OEM is better is ignorant.

So to the OP don't let people make you think a modified evo will give you problems, as long as the car was well built and properly tuned (Any of the vendors I previously mentioned) the only thing is keeping up with regular and long term services intervals (engine, gearbox and Tcase fluid and later on belts and water pump et al) - things you should be on top of with any high performance car period. No one said it would be cheap but he can surely DD a heavily modified evo, I do so every day and have zero issues.

And lastly unless he drops the ride height like a cunt it'll be right at home on rural roads. It is a group N homologated rally car after all


Sorry I didn't read your whole novel, but I think I got the gist of it. Hey man, I don't doubt you know what you are talking about. I am sure your testimony stories about reliable modded cars are true. My point is I don't care how meticously you mod a car on proven mods, you are not going to come close to oem reliability. What do you think the engineers do when spending upwards of 1 billion developing a car? Sure you can make cars faster, handle better, sound better, but rarely will you be achieve oem level of Balance. Hey man, I have played with turbo, supercharged, stroked cars, so I am not totally speaking out of my ass! Haha!

[Timpo]

I'm surprised no one mentioned 2017 Nissan 370Z.

Brand new is just under 33k last time I checked and comes with all the modern bells & whistles. Drop a few grand on mod (LSD, maybe a turbo) and you've got yourself a reliable DD monster and since it's brand new, nothing to worry about maintenance-wise.

I drove my friend's 2016s, and it was fun as hell. Sure it's not a M3, but you get a brand new car that's still very fun to drive or even track.

He's looking for a used car.

yeah I know, $55k budget and looking for something used

[Marshall Placid]

Read OPs very, very long list of requirements.

The Lotus Elise fits your bill.

2 caveats:
#1 - To be honest, I'm not sure about the reliable requirement you want.
#2- Hard to find a private seller:
New & Used Lotus Elise for sale | autoTRADER.ca (http://wwwb.autotrader.ca/cars/lotus/elise/)

But, reliability excepted, the Lotus Elise is like a road-legal go-kart.

I test drove it before, back in 2012 before I chose another car, and boy was it super fun to drive.

Anyway, good luck on your search, and for courtesy's sake, please do let us know what you settle for.

[Timpo]

Read OPs very, very long list of requirements.

The Lotus Elise fits your bill.

2 caveats:
#1 - To be honest, I'm not sure about the reliable requirement you want.
#2- Hard to find a private seller:
New & Used Lotus Elise for sale | autoTRADER.ca (http://wwwb.autotrader.ca/cars/lotus/elise/)

But, reliability excepted, the Lotus Elise is like a road-legal go-kart.

I test drove it before, back in 2012 before I chose another car, and boy was it super fun to drive.

Anyway, good luck on your search, and for courtesy's sake, please do let us know what you settle for.

That's what people say about Elise, which I don't quite understand.
What part of Elise isn't reliable?

Because as you know, it's powered by:
http://images.forbes.com/media/lists/companies/toyota-motor_416x416.jpg

[european]

370Z Nismo?

[R. Mutt]

Sorry I didn't read your whole novel, but... I don't care how meticously [sic] you mod a car on proven mods, you are not going to come close to oem reliability.

FailFish Maybe you should read more novels.

Look, don't let it bruise your ego man, I'm not trying to make this personal. I'll try to keep it shorter this time for you:

Have you ever


Logged your wideband O2 sensor (shit - do you even have a wideband O2 gauge on any of your vehicles?)
maptraced a log?
Read/Reflashed an OEM ecu and seen the Factory Fuel, Ignition and Boost Tables?
Do you understand the principals of AFR, Load, EGT, Maf vs Speed Density, latency, MBT, dwell time, closed vs open loop? Fuel trims maybe? Yes, No, kind of, maybe?


I'm being serious now. Are you honest enough to admit what you do and don't know Z3guy? Hey man, if you don't - no worries. But that basically puts you in the category of ignorant car enthusiast. You're the kind of guy that love's cars but shy's away from the more technical "novel" stuff that makes the said car what it is. You don't want to know how all the bells and whistles work underneath the skin....and nothing is wrong with that at all. But don't talk out your ass if you don't know what you're talking about. In life you only learn when you admit you're own ignorance.

What do you think the engineers do when spending upwards of 1 billion developing a car? Sure you can make cars faster, handle better, sound better, but rarely will you be achieve oem level of Balance. Hey man, I have played with turbo, supercharged, stroked cars, so I am not totally speaking out of my ass! Haha!

Let's say for a second you're right and OEM is better than aftermarket because they spend lots of money in R&D and this results in a supreme "balance" that can never be touched. By your logic we'd live in a perfect world where most cars comes from the factory at the absolute peak and only in a few rare instances can be improved upon in terms of performance, balance and reliability.

In your fantasy world there'd be:


No Warranty Claims
No Recalls
No Aftermarket Companies


Dude, the REALITY is many cars are designed from factory such that X part will last X km/miles, but there is always room for improvement. If this were the case there'd be zero incentive for innovation. In which case we'd still be driving the Ford model T instead of the Tesla.

Many factors influence a cars R&D and money will play a significant role in dictating the strengths and shortcomings of the production model. Engineers work with budgetary constraints and there will always be compromises. So, unless Christian von Koenigsegg designed the car and called it the One I got bad news for you son...OEM ain't the best.

OP maybe you have some input but I don't think you'll be competing in the 24 hours of Le Mans right? The dude is looking for a fun, fast drivers car he can beat on and enjoy without worry within a certain criteria. My suggestion was to that end.

[Z3guy]

^ ok, I was trying to be respectful discussing this with you but you wanna call my names and try to call me out? Haha! I can almost guarantee you are some dorky engineering geek that thinks he is smarter than he really is. Lol! I must have gotten under your skin for you to spend so much effort in responding to my post. Thank you for giving me a good laugh! Guys like you make me luv revscene

[punkwax]

https://youtu.be/stEmK2QF4Fc

[jasonturbo]

This thread is finally on track.

Most cars built with aftermarket parts have issues because people are cheap cunts and they buy garbage parts with no actual engineering or testing and then engage some random tuner hero who spent an entire week at EFI university becoming a "Certified Tuner".. where they basically just teach you to get your AFR down and then add timing until it knocks and then pull some back - tuning 101.

If you spend money on the right parts and actually engage a tuner with a brain, your aftermarket built car can be just as reliable as OEM.

[westopher]

To have an OEM reliable, heavily modified car is certainly possible, but its not the norm.
You need an owner that knows what he is doing, to get lucky and find a tuner that knows what they are doing, and use expensive, quality aftermarket parts.
Its not cheap.
R.Mutt I know your car is reliable, and fucking insane, but you have put a ton of time and money to get it there. I've seen people put tons of time and money into other builds of the same magnitude, with respectable tuners and be left with paperweights for engines as well. I definitely don't believe the reliability with aftermarket will ever be quite what it was when it left the factory. Wether its worth it is determined by the person.

[Z3guy]

This thread is finally on track.

Most cars built with aftermarket parts have issues because people are cheap cunts and they buy garbage parts with no actual engineering or testing and then engage some random tuner hero who spent an entire week at EFI university becoming a "Certified Tuner".. where they basically just teach you to get your AFR down and then add timing until it knocks and then pull some back - tuning 101.

If you spend money on the right parts and actually engage a tuner with a brain, your aftermarket built car can be just as reliable as OEM.

Jason turbo and westopher explained it much more eloquently than I. How many tuner cars in the lowermainland are built properly? 10%? how many shops/mechanics are knowledgable enough to build cars properly? I bet less than 10. SR definitely can't. The op is going to live in qualicum, how many shops do you think can diagnose issues with a built car?

[R. Mutt]

SR is not a performance shop...they shouldn't even be put in the same classification as a shop that modifies cars. They are a boutique for the wealthy.

RacingGreed and Indy Speed Shop are great shops just to name a couple. But the point of the OP's distance versus these shops is a valid one.

[asr]

$55k for an reliable EVO 9 MR, you can have so much fun and lots potential on the 4G63 engine.

[Qmx323]

https://vancouver.craigslist.ca/van/ctd/5713319210.html

I know you said no Audi's but if I had 55k to spend on a MT car... this would be it.

If you're willing to spend 55k on a used car, there will be some upkeep costs that comes with it.

[jtanner_]

Just spend the 25K for my car, and bank the remaining ~27k after taxes. :)

Also listed in RS buy and sell for a bit less than my CL ad.

FS: 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR SSL EVO (http://vancouver.craigslist.ca/bnc/cto/5738066461.html)

[Marshall Placid]

So, um, OP, we are just dying here, waiting to know what you chose (if you have already done so)...

[bcuzracecarz]

At this point I'm just pumped this was a solid discussion that somewhat stayed on track and had constant posts

[hi-revs]

Try to find a used Lotus.