Sports and Sporty Cars of the '80s

The second generation became more technologically advanced and a bit faster. The Gen I cars had a crude rear suspension and steering and had a smaller, carbureted engine (excluding the GSL-SE).

Replies to this message:

guss (Mar 11, 2008 12:00 pm)

#103 of 130 Re: RX7 [lemmer] by guss

Mar 11, 2008 (12:00 pm)

Replying to: lemmer (Mar 11, 2008 10:35 am)

They also had a turbo available with a funky hood scoop. Also a convertible version that was pretty slow with the additional weight .

I always liked the simplicity of the '79 to '85 models over the '86 to '91. The last generation was sweet , but nobody over 6 feet could fit in them. The price also had climbed into Corvette territory.

#104 of 130 Re: buy an engine, get a car [lemmer] by nippononly

Apr 09, 2008 (1:11 pm)

Replying to: lemmer (Mar 05, 2008 9:03 am)

"This seems to happen a lot with Supras and MR2s also"

'86-92 Supras and S/C MR2s had head gasket problems acknowledged by Toyota in a silent replacement campaign and extended warranty...unfortunately, those remedies happened too late for many of the cars out there, which is why so many have new engines in them. Me, I try to avoid any car where someone has replaced the engine with a "low-mileage used one from Japan".

Of the 80s sporty cars that I ever owned, and even though I am a big Toy/Hon fan, my favorite ever by a goodly margin was my '88 RX-7 GSL. God, I love the way that rotary spins up, and back then those cars were real light too, with great handling.

But geez, does that rotary ever require a lot of attention and a lot of GAS. Not a practical car to own, that's for sure, but kicked butt over the Supras (MkII and III), Celicas, and CRX/Civic SIs I have owned. I dream all the time about getting myself an RX-8, but the 18 mpg I am sure I would get stops me every time. Not to mention the cockpit is almost no bigger than the 90s RX-7s, ie impossible for anyone who is not jockey-size to be comfortable in.

With the advent of drifting, there is now a market for any leftover RWD coupes that remain from the 80s, before the marketwide rush to FWD ran its course. This has led to some ridiculous listings I have seen recently, like beaten-up, junked-out AE86 Corollas (from around '85) listing at $4000 or more.

More tempting to me (but at half the price) was a pristine '85 Supra I saw listed recently with around 60K miles IIRC, listing at $13K or something? This thing was a multiple show winner and it was plausible that the car was in as good a condition as the ad stated ("right off the showroom floor, blah blah blah"), but as much as I love MkII Supras I would never pay that much, and neither I think would anyone else...

With 161 hp, pretty low weight, 4-wheel independent suspension, and a fairly short wheelbase, the last of the MkII Supras ('82-'85-1/2) were pretty fun to throw around. I had one I kept for many years, it was so fun. I wouldn't mind picking up one of the last series from the mid-90s, but people ask CRAZY money for those.

Replies to this message:

kyfdx (Apr 10, 2008 7:46 am)
- Mr_Shiftright (Apr 10, 2008 9:45 am)
- nippononly (Apr 10, 2008 3:07 pm)

#105 of 130 Re: buy an engine, get a car (nippononly) by hpmctorque

Apr 10, 2008 (5:03 am)

You can buy '84-'89 generation Nissan 300 ZXs for little money these days. While Nissan doesn't enjoy the quality reputation of Toyota and Honda, the 300 ZX has quality components and good build quality. It's in comparably better than the '80s Sentra and Stanza, in terms of quality. My '88 has 176,000 miles, and it's been very low maintenance. I think this generation 300 ZX series is somewhat undervalued.

#106 of 130 Re: buy an engine, get a car [nippononly] by kyfdx HOST

Apr 10, 2008 (7:46 am)

Replying to: nippononly (Apr 09, 2008 1:11 pm)

Didn't the MkII Supras have inline six-cylinders? Gotta like that...

I used to think my friend's '84 was a screamer... But, he got married in the later '80s, and told me his wife's Saab 900 turbo convertible with a slushbox was faster..

That was my all time favorite Supra..

On another note, I spotted an early '90s Supra Turbo with the big wing the other day... Only see about one of those per year..

Replies to this message:

Mr_Shiftright (Apr 10, 2008 9:45 am)
nippononly (Apr 10, 2008 3:07 pm)

#107 of 130 Re: buy an engine, get a car [kyfdx] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Apr 10, 2008 (9:45 am)

Replying to: kyfdx (Apr 10, 2008 7:46 am)

Those Supra Turbos suffer many indignities, that's true.

#108 of 130 Re: buy an engine, get a car [kyfdx] by nippononly

Apr 10, 2008 (3:07 pm)

Replying to: kyfdx (Apr 10, 2008 7:46 am)

Yeah, all the Supras had inline-6s, and in fact the last Supra we saw in America used an evolved version of the engine from the generation before it that also ended up in the first IS300 we got here. It finally got retired when the model turnover occurred for the IS, because it was too smoggy to meet new emissions standards by that time. I think that was the last inline-6 used anywhere in the Toy/Lex line.

I didn't get really turned on to the 300ZX until the new model came out in 1990, but by the time I could afford one they weren't making them any more.

And used ones don't fare well - the seats are always in tatters, and that metal-look center stack always has half the markings faded or rubbed off, along with the silver paint. I have never liked the design of the center stacks in the Z cars, from about 1980 on. Garish, might be the word I would use. Now my '75 Z car had a cool stack, what there was of it, it being 1975 and all (very little in the way of available in-car entertainment, very basic HVAC setup).

#109 of 130 Porsche 944 by hpmctorque

Aug 22, 2008 (10:33 pm)

Interesting comments from a current article in a publication which I probably shouldn't mention on Edmunds...

"Cheaper than the 911, cooler than the 924, less Middle Age Crazy than the 928, Porsche's 944 was the ticket for upwardly mobile enthusiasts in the '80s. When it debuted here in 1983, folks put down $1,000 deposits to get on the waiting list.

Porsche traditionalists criticized the 944's 924 origins, its water-cooled/front-engine configuration and Volkswagen-derived architecture. But the 944 outsold the 911 nearly two to one from 1983 through 1989. The car was well received by the enthusiast press, and it is acknowledged today as a valuable piece of Porsche's history."

Replies to this message:

Mr_Shiftright (Aug 23, 2008 7:53 am)

#110 of 130 Re: Porsche 944 [hpmctorque] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Aug 23, 2008 (7:53 am)

Replying to: hpmctorque (Aug 22, 2008 10:33 pm)

Tell you what...you take a well-sorted 944 Turbo out on the track, with the right tires and right driver, and you'll give a modern 911 fits.

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