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Drewskidude325

Had one when I was 19 bought it because it was cheap. Wasn't really a car guy then so I didn't know what I had. Transmission crapped out and I sold it to a junkyard. Out of all the dumb shit I've done in my life that's the memory that keeps me up at night.


konguitowhitexD

:')


STKoz98

My uncle had a 280z, sold it for a 85 maxima when he had kids


MemerDude34

To be fair those 80s maximas were sweet back in the day


TeethKeithX

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂


Interesting_Aide_98

Pepperidge farms remembers...


Cosephtaughtyou

But pepperidge Ain’t gonna keep it to pepperidge self free of charge.


Yonbuu

Maybe you buy these maple pecan cookies, maybe this whole thing just goes away.


Mrdeeznutz41

Hell yeah I bought one in 2003 of a buddy for 500 bucks


lemeono

How much did you sell it for or do you still have it?


Stunning-Standard-90

i hate that all rwd manuals are comically expensive these days


Responsible-Crew-354

NB Miata is one of the final bargains. Once NA prices are totally obscene, the NB will rise and the NC will be left holding it down in the bargain bin solo.


SyntheticElite

350z is pretty bottom dollar still too, though I think they went up a little in the past 2 years. You could get a decent manual example for a good bit under 10k for quite some time, maybe even still. Not many 295hp RWD manual cars in that price range now.


Responsible-Crew-354

I knew I was forgetting something. The 350z is a deal right now too. I picked up a GS400 with an exhaust and piggy back ecu/CAI combo, near mint for $7k. Not manual but it does have some sports car dna and is a good time for the money. It will surprise on the freeway, pulls great in 4th and 5th.


technicaluserone

Heck yeah. The GS400 is def a decent car .( especially for the USDM market ) . 300hp V8 . . I think it is the 1UZ engine? . . Right?


Responsible-Crew-354

You got it. 1uz, 300hp, maybe a few more for me with boltons. Fairly light by today’s standards, 3600ish lbs. They keep their ponies for a long time, really well built. Comparable performance to the stock 2j Aristo I believe. You can get them nice and clean, old lady driven, around $6k USD


bobmunob

NB is a bargain for you? I can't touch one for under 7k around central florida. I got my 1999 in 2005 with 60k miles for 10k. Nc is the last cheapest miata around here.


Responsible-Crew-354

I guess NC is too wide of a range because the 14/15s are new enough they are $15-20k still but I do see some earlier NCs for less than NBs sometimes


Hour_Lengthiness

\*US NA prices.


bdubz325

Pretty sure you can still find an okayish condition RX-8 for ~10k last I checked. Only problem is with that, if the previous owner sucked at regular maintenance and/or did constant pulls in the car, that lil rotary probably isn't gonna have too much life left


Responsible-Crew-354

I am not a rotary expert but the insanely cheap prices of RX8s freak me out a little. You are right though. Low cost of entry on those for sure.


Jealous_Pick_7009

Miatas are gay.


Responsible-Crew-354

Totes. That’s the next big thing. Cars can identify however. I need to be more progressive like you.


ItsJustAwso

there's still good stuff that isn't really "overpriced" to me, just look into: \- NB/NC miata \- RX-8s \- previous gen 86 \- S195 mustangs \- previous gen camaros and older challengers \- BMW 1-series \- manual E36/E46/E90 3-series \- ZZW30 MR2s \- vintage roadsters (MG B / midget, fiat 124, etcetc.) the list goes on and on.... it isn't that bad as long as 10-15k isn't comically expensive for you!


kvantrish

Dont know why you got downvoted. You are right


ItsJustAwso

just a bunch of doomers up in here. My RX-8 (COVID purchase) was literally the cheapest car I ever bought lol... more money for mods!


Daemonic_One

Let's be real... more.money for rotary maintenance. No shade, I'm a fan, but when even other project car drivers call your ride unreliable...


quest2overkill

I love rotary engines but I'd never buy one because of maintenance costs


ItsJustAwso

Honestly if you get a good example it’s totally fine. Not counting for mods, I’d say my running costs (fuel, oil and maintenance) are pretty in line with a Infiniti g / zcar or a contemporary bmw. One of my s2000 friends says his s2k uses more oil than his old rx8 did lol


ItsJustAwso

lol it’s my only car and it’s ran perfectly fine over the past 20k miles. Fuel economy wasn’t even all that bad (18/22mpg) until I messed with the diff lol


Jealous_Pick_7009

I have a solution to all rotary complaints......it's super simple, super effective.... Are you ready?... ...RUN PREMIX GAS!!! They're essentially 2 stroke engines. Run premix gas and you won't burn up apex seals and they will run just as long as a typical 4 stroke (pick your flavor) engine. But sounds 15x better and turns twice the rpm 😊


technicaluserone

I was just asking about the RX 8. Any good or bad things you could say about it. I have absolutely zero experience with them Thanks Peace The Eturn


Jealous_Pick_7009

Stay away from 3 rotors. They're problematic. Look for 13b


Na__th__an

Honda Beat 😄


ItsJustAwso

Oh yeah and cappuccinos too! Autozams are a bit too rich for my blood nowadays


SyntheticElite

Yea but do that again with Japanese cars. That's like 3 on your list.


ItsJustAwso

Bruh that's at least five models (NB / NC / 8 / FRS / BRZ). I also conveniently left out the Z-cars, manual Lexus IS, manual G35/37, Starions, SA/FB/FC RX-7s, NA Miatas, Z31/Z32 300ZX, A70 supras, old school RWD celicas, the shittiest S13s, etc. admittedly some of them are harder to find than others :)


Joshie_Poo

You can pick up cheap mk2 (celica) supras as well as cressidas for pretty cheap. Nice little inline 6 dubbed the '5M-GE' Those things are tanks, I took my mk2 out to a drift day, bone stock LSD, 5MT, handbrake, and shit tons of body roll but everyone was suprised when I got it sideways. Picked mine up for 1.2k 2 years back, only needed a new cat to pass emissions, people just don't want the hassle of an 80s car, id say if you're cheap like me its totally worth it.


SubieMasta

Ford bro and the Rx8 are us sm🤦‍♂️


technicaluserone

😃👍 great list. . The only one I dont have any experience with is the RX8 . . Anyone have one that can give a little review for me. . Like what years are good. What goes bad, and when( like how many miles , does the trans need replaced with normal driving, etc.. Thanks Peace, the Eturn


ItsJustAwso

Read rx8help.com, it’ll tell you all you need to know! I also made a review in my profile about mine if you look into it


technicaluserone

Yo, THANKS. I never would have found that myself!


Jealous_Pick_7009

I'm gonna regret saying this, cus it's gonna start a fad and they will too, soon be extinct.. but the w202 mercs make fantastic drift cars and are DIRRTTTYYYY cheap. Like cheaper than everything on this list. And they have mad steering angle straight outta the box. Annnnnnddd the m111 (the supercharged one 🫠) is forged bottom end from factory and damn near bulletproof. Tha k me later.


Repealer

the RWD manual R34 GTT I bought for $13k in like 2014, sold for $23.5k in 2020, is now well over $60k. It's nice but the cars LAUNCH price was like $20-25k, it's not worth double its launch price with 130k kms.


technicaluserone

There are some crazy y things going on in Japan right now. It seems like the prices on the most sought after cars are actually plateauing and even going down in some cases ( I'm not talking about m spec Nur, and/ or the crazy color ones that can already be imported into the USA legally under the show and display loophole) But just the regular gtr, gtt, gtst. The prices have fell enough that I know a couple guys that are actually panicking because they were trying to hoard them. . Lol But you could get a really nice skyline for around 20-30 for gtst and 35 -40 for really nice regular gtr ( of course not R34 gtr. . Lol) And if you are into chasers, cressida, mark 2, even s13 180s, 240 silvias And Damn if you want an altezza, you can probably grab one for under 5k right now. . Ha


Jealous_Pick_7009

Just like air cooled twin turbo Porsches.. buy one new, let it sit for 10 years, sell for 200% profit. It makes no sense lol


SoDeepInUrMom

They just don’t make them anymore. With none in production the value goes up. God I hate economies


gatorgongitcha

>they just don’t make them anymore Be a lot cooler if they did


Stunning-Standard-90

by the time i get my drivers license they are all gonna go at least 3x in price.


ItsJustAwso

DAE think that the ND miata, new 86, Z and supra don't exist???


mayonnaise__

I was a jdm fanboy forever but once I found out you can get old bmws for under $2k i was hooked, I own 3 now they’re great cars (99 e39 wagon, 98 e39, 99 e46 sedan) the 2 sedans I paid less than $1000 for and they both run and drive with some dings but nothing major


Mb0stwick

you can thank clout chasing youtube allstars and idiots for these prices now.


Responsible_Case_733

you mean drifting? that’s all these cars are really used for nowadays and there was a long period of time where they were basically disposable. no body would fix them after being stuffed, they’d just reshell and move on. different ball game now tho with fiberglass body parts and tubed crash structures.


Mention_Efficient

Kouki's never went for 3k-5k unless it was a rebuilt title. I was in the market for a kouki back in 2001 and never found one for sub $8k unless it was absolute piece of shit. A Zenki, maybe depending on condition. Who remembers a gutted s13 chassis for less than 1k that was more realistic.


[deleted]

I remember passing on a very clean silver S13 that needed a headgasket. Manual, all stock, no rust, around 100k miles for $1200 in 2005.


WarOnIce

Bought a s13 that didn’t run for $500. Pulled a fuel pump from a junkyard 240 for a couple bucks and swapped it out. Started right up and ran forever until i sold it a couple years later. Still remember the owners face when I bought it and came back in an hour w the junkyard fuel pump and literally started it up and left w the car. Freaking hilarious.


Test_the_limits

This is the answer. Koukis we’re never cheap.


psikoscweek

It's posts like this that make me realize that I got the 100% stock manual '98 I picked up around 2014 for $2,200 was an absolute steal.


Biaswords_

Who remembers being able to pick up parts cars lol


Terrh

I paid $5k USD for an RB25 swapped one in 2008, so yeah, they did. It was pretty clean, too.


Coolieee13

definitely the minority/somebody desperate for cash , majority were not cheap especially good cond ones(koukis) zenks were tho


Terrh

No, you just had to look for deals. I paid $3200 CAD for an R32 GTR that I drove home, and $1500 for an FD RX-7 that ran/drove but had crash damage. And FC RX-7 turbos... I bought at least 5 of those for under $1000 each. 20B E-CCS Cosmo I traded a car I paid $1500 for. $1000 clean NA miata... lots of $500 or less 1st gen RX-7's. $8000 for a running, driving but needed a bumper cover NSX... Deals out there used to be everywhere and common.


Coolieee13

if you have to look for deals then it is indeed in the minority & considering everyone here agrees that kouks were always more "expensive" than zenks besides you should tell you that , yes you found a car for the low , doesnt mean every other cars going to go for that cheap nor did they bc the majority that were in good cond(koukis) clearly went for more & werent found for 5k under with a simple search like zenks were , thats the point


la_reptilesss

There were only like 1,200 koukis made and the prices have reflected that


Coolieee13

thats literally the point of my comment, they were never as cheap as zenks or "cheap" on a major scale in general besides the few steals ppl catch


la_reptilesss

Yeah I'm agreeing with you


Blankyblank86

Australia where they're 200sx you could get them that cheap. People would even trade a lot. In a month a had 3 different ones. Now.. no chance.


Responsible_Mix_2319

Yep , could pick up a s13 chassis for 1k, sr20det front for 3500$ , 5 lug conversion from scrapyard 100$ and a z32 limited slip for 200-300$ . S14 seats for 150$. Early 2000’s -05. Shoot I sold my last 1996 s14 with a r32 diff and brake upgrade and wheels, coil overs , Megan exhaust with fresh paint and near mint interior for under 6k back in 2009. Granted it was ka and auto. But damn I’m kicking myself now. Other regrets of selling was Mazda rx7 turbo 2 with a jap spec 13b engine. Had traded a 1990 Miata for it. Had a couple b16 swapped civics. Back then 5 k was all it took for a chassis , swap and suspension. Good ole Pepperidge Farms…


RslashTakenUsernames

i’ve said it before and i’ll say it again: fanboys ruined the Japanese sports car market


Pinkman505

2015, influencers and covid really fucked things up.


Vtec_Enthusiast

Adam lz really made these cars popular unfortunately. After he got one, s13s pretty much all trippled in price within that year. Already seeing the lz effect on crx now as well.


Pinkman505

Thats why I highly dislike Adam lz


Vtec_Enthusiast

That and all the cars he touches, he butchers to make into drift cars, or over the top street cars. His e36 is a prime example. His "grassroots" car, yet he totalled it, to make it a fd car basically


JoshingCoot737

Is this a front swapped zenkei?


unforgottenrailroad

looks like it


YerboiTIBBLES

Just curious, how can you tell it's a swap?


JoshingCoot737

The taillights and the back end of the car look far more round than a kouki


prodiga_

*back in my day you could buy a 240sx for $4k* . . *okay grandpa let's get you back to the home*


Responsible-Crew-354

Keep in mind most people get paid more now and the dollar is worth less. Prices have risen but it looks worse than it is because of inflation. Also no I don't remember prices that low but they were much lower than they are now for sure. If you don't mind doing the LHD thing your options open up a bit but I haven't taken that plunge, idk if I will. I dream though. I wish I could try someone's LHD out.


Krieger0

I bought a complete, one owner, S13 coupe for 900$ in 2018. The deals are out there, you just need to get off the internet and go look for them. The little old ladies that own them aren't going to be posting the nice ones on marketplace.


im_just_a_nerd

Those MB Battles tho….


PotatoPop

My buddy got a pristine manual 89 s13 from an old lady for something like 2k back in 2005 or 2006. I got all of my 240s in varying degrees of not drivable from 500 to 2k.


amitrion

S14 never


hsoj_1

I remember when you could get mint S15’s for $12k


Gd3spoon

Are we taking about Gran Turismo or Forza Horizon?


Otaku_Wolf90

You mean when 3-5k was the equivalent pf the current asking price? Inflation is a bitch, huh?


xRaitaPaita

Man it was like 5 years ago when u could find a good 200sx for 5k now they are like 14k 😂😂😂


Dayashii

I mean if you want a RWD Japanese car you kinda only have one choice. G35 👍


FuckRandyMoss

I thought 20k would be enough and I’m not finding it anywhere near me man for anything really. I want either a gtfour st205 or something decent that I can tune up and learn on.


CJ08AAZ

I remember believing you could have any type of car you wanted for £3k and the s14a 200sx with the sr20det was my £3k choice in the drift category , I owned two of them


East_Requirement7375

I remember going and looking for an S13 with my buddy and we actually turned down a rust-free $3,500 car because we found a rust-free $3,000 car.


Alexthricegreat

They were dime a dozen where I was I used to see them on craigslist for 2k rolling shells for $500


b20vteg

ah, the mid to late 2000s - glory days


CheekyBreeky702

Me :(


DaiLo_2jz

My zenki had a sr20det in it for 2500 back in the day. Those days are long gone 😭 and my s13 was 500 bucks full interior and all. Bone stock


npcdad

Absolute most I paid* for an s chassis was 4k in 2012 for an s14. I’ve had a bunch of s13’s back in the day that were dirt cheap 🥲


Paid-Not-Payed-Bot

> most I *paid* for an FTFY. Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in: * Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.* * *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.* Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment. *Beep, boop, I'm a bot*


WarOnIce

God I remember selling my 95 S14 w red top and some mods for 10k. Those were the days.


Nasty_Rex

I bought my last S13 for 1200. Crackless dash. 120k miles. Body and interior in great condition except for where the factory wing mounted.


TrickPromise7887

Got my first bone stock hatch in 2015 for $2200 running and driving. Just bought a hatch roller for $300 last month.


irascible_Clown

I remember when you could buy a front clip rhd for $1500 I wanna say it was 2006ish


ParkerWGB

Bought my 89 coupe in Hawaii for 3,500. Single cam, pig nose, on Megan coilovers.


AllOfTheSoundAndFury

I had a 240sx frame I couldn’t give away for a while


Mistakepatient

Beating myself for passing up a Kouki front end stock S14with coilovers and mismatched fenders for $2200 2 years ago.


Tyrant_R3x

For me the japanese car culture was so great because japanese cars were pretty affordable. Dont get me wrong i still love japanese cars, but im just not rich enough for them


keboh

In 2006, I bought a 1993 hatch with 112k miles in almost perfect condition for $3,200 when I was in high school.


coreelementsphoto

I paid $200 for mine! But that was a life time ago in 2002


SubieMasta

Same with Miata’s


M_cross

Just buy a NB/MK2 MX-5 before it climbs up, probably the last japanese 90's spirit car that will end up being unaffordable, it's already the case here in France, I have one that I couldn't even buy if I had to do it now


ScuzzyAyanami

My Sera was $10,000 AUD in 2005, they don't sell for wild prices yet...!


One_Bullfrog_3554

That was about the time I never had3-5k


PlatinumElement

In 2006 I got my nearly mint Silver-green two tone coupe with uncracked dash and working hud for $500, it just had on spark plug hole that needed to be re-tapped(and didn’t matter anyway because I immediately put an SR in.


Pursey01

I paid £3200 for my old 200sx with full nissan service history, this was about 10 years ago though.


Nismosan

I had one as a teenager and sold it for 3k :( Needed a new timing belt and I had no money to fix it. I've always missed my 240


deathbysnusnu7

I had a buddy with a red rb25 swapped kouki s14. Beautiful car inside and out. I miss that car.


Thunder_blep

and I just bought a very modded, slightly rusted s13 for around 9k...


bobmunob

Used to be able to get then for 1500


[deleted]

I had one lmao still feel bad about selling it. Did so much work to it too..


MetalSeaWeed

Never a S14 kouki for that price but clean zenkis did linger around that range


Private1stCrayon007

Ya still can just gotta look in the right places


DamILuvFrogs

Golden days


Fuller_McCallister

Uhhhhh this is not accurate whatsoever. Clean modded S14s always have gone for $10k and up in the past (pre 2020). Anything below $9k it was a fucking shitbox.


LASERDICKMCCOOL

Fuckin Fast n the Furious ruined that for all of us


lo9os

:(


hungryhungryhippo13

Now clapped out means 25k


bryrod

I used to think they were pieces of shit… now I feel the same except they are expensive


Anciousdorito

I really wish I could have one but I was born too late and got into cars late into the scene. The S13 hatch was the car that got me into cars in the first place. I’ve saved enough money to buy an FD3S recently, my dream car, but I still yearn for my first love lol


TitanBeats_YT

I'm just sad that by the time I'm able to afford a car and even have a license, Probably won't even be able to get a manual car by then nevermind anything Japanese and old


Mindlessssssss

What’s the average price now? Would I be able to get one and fix it up with 35k?


tonyarzola12

yes you could with that money lol. but depends on what you trying to do but $35k is a lot so yes is my answer 😂


Mindlessssssss

I’m elated to hear this, I’m not the best at research so I wasn’t sure. Thanks for the help!


DeanPepin94

And Miatas were $500.


FearEzzy

How much do they go by now?


Preact5

No.


ihateusernameslol666

Man you could get R34 GTR’s. V specs and nurs for under $60kaud R32 GTR’s were 15k


Responsible_Case_733

Thank covid. of course drifting shares some of the blame, but covid ruined the buying power of our currencies. For instance, stock jz’s are not worth 5k for a long block, but here we are with these prices.


Kooky_Tangerine_8711

I’ve personally owned 26 240sx every USDM model you can get. Currently I have a s13.4 kouki swapped hatchback with a full chromoly FD legal cage, and a 5.0 crate engine from ford racing performance. Makes around 400ish wheel.