Car suggestions for my little bro?

[hardline_42]

Hey guys. My little brother get's his license at the end of this month and my wife and I wanna get him a car. I wanna know what suggestions you might have as far as a 3rd gen f-body. I'm a 2nd gen guy, and once you start talking tbi and tpi you lose me (that's how little I know about 'em). It has to be somewhat reliable (as much as can be expected from a 20 year old car) and preferably not something he can get himself killed in, but still muscley enough to get him around in style and be a good foundation for mods when he gains a little more experience. That being said, if no f-bodies come to mind, any mid '80's to early '90's RWD cars will work. Thanks for your suggestions.

Brian

[foff667]

93-95 fbodies can go for as little as 2 or 3 grand even with an lt1 in decent shape...if not just look for the engine code l98 in the center console in 3rd gens...thats the 350 motor...depending on what year you can be talking 500-4000 for an l98 car. Keep in mind if your talking fbodies your talking about cars that are 10-15 years old in his price range more then likely so they are all going to have minor problems to fix once he buys the car...thats just normal.

[NJSPEEDER]

a thirdgen would be a nice starter. plentiful and cheap, parts are everywhere.
the V8's are all jsut small blocks, so which induction sits on top really isn't that important.
the fuel injected cars get better mileage, which woudl prolly be better for a HS aged kid.
most thirdgen V8's will put out a puff of oil smoke at start up, not a big deal, GM just used kinda crappy valve seals on them.
a solid body is what is really important. all the bolt on/bolt in stuff can be found at any shop or slavage yard around.

[BonzoHansen]

A 350 is not a requirement for a 1st time driver. :lol:

[enRo]

Im with Tim... if you dont want to get him a 350, but would like to keep him V8-Throttle-Happy, an LB9 or LO3 might work. LB9 is a 305 version of the L98 foff was talking about, with a Tuned Port Injection. Its pretty decent on gas, which perfectly fits a high-schooler. The LO3 is a 305 with a fuel injected Throttle Body, and from experience of owning one, it is the best on gas mileage. I drove from the middle of Morris County to the Poconos on Rt 80 and didnt even use a 1/4 tank of gas :shock: If you wanna stick to getting him a third gen, get him a camaro, so he doesnt have to deal with headlight motor failures like I did :lol: Again like what foff said, a 93-97 F-body with a 350 LT1 motor can go from $2500 (high mileage) to $7000 (low mileage) and has the looks a high schooler wants :-D Good luck [/2 cents]

[MilehighBird]

I agree that a 305 might be more appropriate for a first time driver. Some of the newer(89-92) cars would probably have better options on them and would be either tuned port FI or TBI. Since you are a 2nd gen guy mayby getting an older(82-87) model with a 4bbl carb would be better. You'd be more familiar with the engine and it would give you guys an opportunity to work on the car together. Properly tuned, the carb cars can get better than 20 MPG on the highway and be cheaper to work on. Good luck.

[qwikz28]

i know you guys dont like fords but the old mercury cougars had the 5.0 motor in them and with a posi and some other mods can make a pretty powerful cruiser

[90FormulaWS6]

my cars for sale :)

[Savage_Messiah]

How about a 4th gen 3.8??? :shrug:

[ALLMACK]

How about a 4th gen 3.8??? :shrug:
Hey Man Im with ya !!!!

[Pampered-Z]

I would suggest staying away from the early 3rd gens. Look for a 86 or newer TPI car, and not a TBI or carb car. The cars with carb's are more of a PITA to work on, and also more money to fix because there aren't many good used parts around, where TPI parts are everywhere.

305 or 350 shouldn't be an issue, they are only about 25HP difference, so neither engine should overpower a new driver. 350CI cars are all autos, 305s can have an auto or 5 speed.

My .02

JB

[WayFast84]

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=193240532&dealer_id=57250173&car_year=1989&model=CAM&bkms=1136739184323&make2=sel_one&lang=en&isp=y&start_year=1981&engine=&certified=&fuel=&search_type=both&distance=100&make=CHEV&color=&min_price=1&drive=&max_mileage=&address=08820&advanced=y&end_year=1992&doors=&transmission=&max_price=5000&cardist=100#vdptop

[chevyt454]

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=194555202&dealer_id=53131923&car_year=1986&model=CAM&bkms=1136739184323&make2=sel_one&lang=en&isp=y&start_year=1981&engine=&certified=&fuel=&search_type=both&distance=100&make=CHEV&color=&min_price=1&drive=&max_mileage=&address=08820&advanced=y&end_year=1992&doors=&car_year=1989&transmission=&max_price=5000&cardist=53#vdptopThis guy claims this camaro is 100% & needs nothing. Maybe worth a look.

[WayFast84]

^^notice how it says 4speed auto but yet the enterior pic its a manual?

[NJSPEEDER]

it also says it is a V8, but the vin number listed in teh add would indicate it is a 2.8 V6.

[90FormulaWS6]

and not a TBI or carb car.

why not a TBI or Carb? Whats the advantages of TPI over TBI or carb? Just wondering...

[NJSPEEDER]

the computer controlled carbs can be a PITA since there doesn't seem to be a lot of tech around to work with or repair them properly.
TBI i never had any problem with, it is about as simple a fuel injection system as you can get. great mileage and partws are tons cheaper than TPI stuff.

[Ian]

buy him a ford festiva!

[WayFast84]

it also says it is a V8, but the vin number listed in teh add would indicate it is a 2.8 V6.
HAHAH! unless it was swapped with a 305 I doubt it is