Those are some of the best things for me, Matt, is the raw feeling of the engine howling, etc. Same reason so many guys like the 80s 911s over the 928 and 944, which have a much more refined ride/handling/interior. They like that raw sports car feel.....I can definitely agree that it's great, although I do love the 951. It's quirky enough and has great looks and feel to keep it up high on my list. The Supra TT and 300ZX TT are great cars, but they are like playing a video game. You just steer and go, no real part of the car feeling there that I really love....steering is too numb in them.

 

Andrew - that is why we were looking to the 348TS. Hopefully changing it to Challenge car specs and racing it over time, of course, not the day we got it. I agree with the Supra TT (that and they are still ungodly overpriced). The 300ZX TT I never liked. I have tuned a number of them but never really liked them.
__________________
Best Car Insurance | Auto Protection Today | FREE Trade-In Quote

 

Excellent....gonna let me drive it when you get it done??

It's odd....I have an SCI mag from the early 90s where a journalist goes to Italy to drive the 328/348 back to back and loved it and the Ferrari test driver who went with her (I think it was a her) was out doing donuts in mid corner and all kinds of stunts that were talked about in the article. Left the 328 sitting going down a curvy road. In C/D about the end of 1990, they did a 5-supercar roundup with the 964 C4 cab, NSX, Lotus Esprit, ZR-1, and the 348 and he hated the 348 for top speed...said it was awful. I guess in part it's what you expect from the car and how the car delivers its performance as well. 930 guys will defend to the end their right to drive a car known to fly off the road backwards if handled improperly. They know what to expect.

The 300ZX TT is kind of plain looking....and one that I thought about buying I saw a couple of months ago with me and my brother in my 951 and he chased me down and was staring at my car. Didn't want to race, but wanted to gawk. I think that's how I would have felt....no matter how fast, it's still not a Porsche and that's where my heart was with the money I had was on the 951.

And yes, the Fast and the Furious has driven the Supra prices out the roof. They were down to about $18k for a 93/94 when I was looking at them before that movie was out and then they just took off.

 

If we ever do it, everyone will be able to drive it, track cars can be shared! They are still good cars. Who cares about top speed? Really, how often are you going top speed? For most people, NEVER. I wouldnt be buying it for that. My problem with the 930 is the 4-speed.

The 300ZX can be a real money pit as well, often they leak massive amounts of oil, they are a mother to work on, and i dont care for the seating position.

The Supras have always held their value well compared to the RX-7 and 300ZX TT. They can be blindingly fast and I would love to have one to mess with.
__________________
Best Car Insurance | Auto Protection Today | FREE Trade-In Quote

 

Now you've done it.....I'll be following you around to all kinds of racetracks to get track time in it.....

I would never argue that they weren't good cars.....and still are. I guess in our discussions of Ferraris that's simply how people percieve things. The author in that aforementioned C/D article was obviously looking for something that nearly drove itself and that was quiet and unassuming on the way where he was going. On the other hand, the Ferrari test driver and the author of the other article had nothing but praise for the car....they loved every second of it. My cousin drove a 308 and thought the sounds and looks from others were great, but that it was slower than his 82 Mustang GT, so he wasn't at all impressed with the performance.

LOL....well, I can't argue that almost every car has one niggle about it that is kind of annoying, whether it's a maintenance issue, a handling issue or whatnot. I would still take a 930 any day though!

I didn't mind the 300ZX, but for the fact that it was very plain after a few years time. Never maintained one or worked on one, so I can't say much beyond that.

I think the Supra did better as there were much fewer of them and they came out the door with much better power, looks, and Toyota reliability on top of that. A guy with a stock 97 one tried it out on a dyno and got about 310 RWHP.....which is nearly the flywheel claim for the car...without touching anything under the hood. I was on the MKIV board for a while when I wanted one a few years ago for quite some time. There were some issues, but mostly it was "more power" that people were trying to get. I certainly would enjoy having one though....soooo easy to get a very reliable 600-700 horsepower out of and with a few tweaks to the suspension, they handle incredibly well and brake well too (something the 3000GT and at least the early 300ZX had against them).

 

Now you've done it.....I'll be following you around to all kinds of racetracks to get track time in it.....

I would never argue that they weren't good cars.....and still are. I guess in our discussions of Ferraris that's simply how people percieve things. The author in that aforementioned C/D article was obviously looking for something that nearly drove itself and that was quiet and unassuming on the way where he was going. On the other hand, the Ferrari test driver and the author of the other article had nothing but praise for the car....they loved every second of it. My cousin drove a 308 and thought the sounds and looks from others were great, but that it was slower than his 82 Mustang GT, so he wasn't at all impressed with the performance.

LOL....well, I can't argue that almost every car has one niggle about it that is kind of annoying, whether it's a maintenance issue, a handling issue or whatnot. I would still take a 930 any day though!

I didn't mind the 300ZX, but for the fact that it was very plain after a few years time. Never maintained one or worked on one, so I can't say much beyond that.

I think the Supra did better as there were much fewer of them and they came out the door with much better power, looks, and Toyota reliability on top of that. A guy with a stock 97 one tried it out on a dyno and got about 310 RWHP.....which is nearly the flywheel claim for the car...without touching anything under the hood. I was on the MKIV board for a while when I wanted one a few years ago for quite some time. There were some issues, but mostly it was "more power" that people were trying to get. I certainly would enjoy having one though....soooo easy to get a very reliable 600-700 horsepower out of and with a few tweaks to the suspension, they handle incredibly well and brake well too (something the 3000GT and at least the early 300ZX had against them).

 

What about the Lotus Esprit S4? Ive seen mid 90s S4s/V8s for $35,000 or so, about the same or just a tad more than a 308/328. Any mid 90s+ Esprit will run pretty much around anything on the road and unlike the earlier Esprits are actually very very fast in a straight line too. The handling obviously goes without saying. Probably a bitch to work on, but if you have to ask how much, you cant afford a Lotus or Ferrari in my opinion anyway -- used or not.

 

The V8 twin turbo I think would be nice....the others though I've heard are much worse on lag than a 944 Turbo and dog slow if you aren't in the boost. They are beautiful cars and it might be awesome to have one, as long as you can deal with the: "What kind of Ferrari is that?" from the unknowing public....there are a couple around here....one drove right by my house one day....beautiful red 91SE.

I would think the big problem with them is that parts for them would be even more scarce than they would be for a Ferrari....I don't know how they source out small items like stalks and buttons and such, but I've heard for a Ferrari that many of those little items are sourced from Fiat and elsewhere and so at times you can save a lot of money buying other parts to use on the cars.

 

The Lotus group tends to be pretty close knit and a lot of engineers and Brits. This is good! Parts are not that bad and labor is not too awful. Unfortunately, it just doesnt have the same OMG factor as a Ferrari. Nor does it have the same wonderful noises.
__________________
Best Car Insurance | Auto Protection Today | FREE Trade-In Quote

 

What the heck am I doing wrong? You graduated not too long ago, have student loans, and can find time to own a 951, are in the market for a 996 and want a Ferrari in a couple of years... sheesh. Whats your secret? lol

Regards,