Best Late 80s Early 90s sedans

[Nissanaddict]

I'm wondering what everyone's take on the BEST of the late 80s early 90s sedans is...preferably of the ones sold in Canada. I'm gonna be car shopping for something practical in about a month or 2, and want to narrow down my choices early. Something that costs about $5000 today, is comfortable, practical, manual, and most importantly, fun to drive. All suggestions welcome.

[jdmakkord]

94-97 accord exr 4 door, with a 5spd if you can find one. They are hard to find in manuals, but its the only way to go with these particular cars. Tonnes of aftermarket available, and imo, the best looking generation of accords yet.

[Hakkola]

I was thinking accord as well, for that money it's going to be your best bet. :thumbsup:

[KoukiS14]

Nissan Maxima SE 92+

[Nissanaddict]

I guess I was on the right track. Those were definitely two of my higher choices. Basically that, and the first 90s redesign of the Camry. Is there anything European worth mentioning here too? Or are parts that much more expensive for them? (that would fall under 'practical')

[Hakkola]

No, for a Euro sedan there is nothing worth mentioning, if you find a 190e or 4 door 3 series for that price it's not going to be in good condition.

[thinmyster]

acura legend!!! ftw

[Hakkola]

They sell Legends for 5 grand?

[M_K_3]

90 prelude!!!!!!! 240sx, integra 91, those might be small but fun to drive!

[Hakkola]

I don't think the prelude or 240sx came as a sedan.

[Neil4Speed]

Originally posted by Hakkola
They sell Legends for 5 grand?

I have seen on numourous occasions 2nd Gens Sedans go for 5G's but they are generally quite high milage.

As far as 1st gens go? All of them should be under 5G's.


Maxima SE's are awesome

190E's, Maybe an older BMW 525i (however note Hakkola's condition statement)

[statick]

As for what I've seen, it's not that tough to find a good condition 190e for that price...It'll take some time to find the right one though.

[69cougar]

Ford Thunder Bird SC!!

[jdmakkord]

Originally posted by 69cougar
Ford Thunder Bird SC!!

When they come with 4 doors, come back and recommend it.

[Nissanaddict]

Originally posted by 69cougar
Ford Thunder Bird SC!!


Originally posted by M_K_3
90 prelude!!!!!!! 240sx, integra 91, those might be small but fun to drive!

For the love of zod, read the thread people. I already have a 240sx. Otherwise, that 190e sounds intruiging.

[Dave P]

Legends for the win


or a taurus SHO

[canadiandaytona]

Lancer Shelby
Spirit R/T (if you can find one)
Turbo Spirit

Lancer Shelbys Are Definatly Sweet :thumbsup:

[doublepostwhore]

Audi Quattro / 5000S (if you can find one)

You can import a Bimmer for around 5G's LHD to boot!

My choice would be the legend... how can you go wrong with 6SPD?????

[rahim]

Originally posted by doublepostwhore
how can you go wrong with 6SPD?????

very hard to find, impossible with a budget of $5k

[EK 2.0]

Accords, great cars...

But what about the Mustu Gallant/2000GT cars...some came AWD and Manual and are a blast to boot around in.

[3G]

Accords
Integras
you can probly find an 89-90 525I for that price

[euro_racer]

mk2 jetta gli 16v :D ....not the most reliable but most deffinately fun to drive :bigpimp:

[/////AMG]

190E, ship it from the UK it'll be under $5000 easy! :D

Canada has them too, but euro = better. Or you can look around like crazy to find an ok one for $5000.

[Aleks]

Nissan Maxima 1990-1994
Nissan Altima 1993-1997

Great cars for how much you pay, both quicker than the accord and just as reliable.

[euro_racer]

:werd: ^^ altimas are one of my all-time favs for reliability and confort^^

[FiveFreshFish]

My vote is for the 1990 to 1993 Accord.

[M_K_3]

oppps sorry i didnt read it....

[liquidboi69]

Accord. If your buying such an old car, you'll probably want reliability. Those old accords can really take a beating.

[Nissanaddict]

About importing a 190E, UK sounds good, but I'd prefer LHD...would it run more to import one from Germany? And second of all....I may have come across a way to increase my budget to about $9000....with the extra 4 grand, what would you suggest? Basically, my only rules are 4 door, 5 speed, fun, nice, and fit and finish that isn't rubbish (which is why most domestics piss me off)

[statick]

I'd still say W201 is a good choice...Although now you could throw W124 and W202 into the mix aswell.

[94SSEi]

I can recommend 93-99 (later ones might be too pricey) Bonnevilles, the SSEi if you want some power.

[Neil4Speed]

Originally posted by statick
I'd still say W201 is a good choice...Although now you could throw W124 and W202 into the mix aswell.

I would agree with both of these choices.

Maybe consider importing a low milage 525i from Japan LHD? They are pretty easy to find at less than your budget.

GS300's/ES300 are very nice cars, and you might be able to find even an I30 Infiniti. You could find a nice condition Acura Legend as well.

[freakin]

The 90-93 accords are amazing. If you can find one with a 5-speed go for it. My G/F's is still going strong with just shy of 300,000KM on it. The tranny is starting to slip a little, but it'll last as long as it's treated nicely.....or if we ever get around to changing the fluid, hehe.

The DB Integras are pretty solid and generally well priced. The LS motor is pretty fun to drive in stock form with a 5-speed. Plenty of room to mod as well if that's what you want.

I'm also a big fan of the late 80's, early 90's Jettas....but only with the big bumpers on them. 2.0L 16V with a 5-speed and the factory Recaro seats....not a bad car for the price range.

[Xtrema]

Accord, can't go wrong here

Maxima, very good choice, strong V6.

Taurus SHO, the Yamaha tuned engine is a dream but the rest of the car should be a rust bucket by now.

[Nissanaddict]

They got LHD Bimmer's sitting in Japan? Nice, I wouldn't mind one of those 5ers. Although I'll likely go Japanese due to me being essentially a student next year-ish, and as a result, being poor. But I'll still listen to European suggestions...


Originally posted by 94SSEi
I can recommend 93-99 (later ones might be too pricey) Bonnevilles, the SSEi if you want some power. I'ma stay away from domestics, because I prefer to not hear interior clips rattling every time I hit a bump. (this comes from experience stretching through all the big 3)

[Neil4Speed]

How about something like this:

http://www.j-specimports.ca/index.php?page=list/index.php?PHPSESSID=f4d14650acbed6de3413407996f4e4c6

Or this?

http://www.j-specimports.ca/index.php?page=list/index.php?PHPSESSID=f4d14650acbed6de3413407996f4e4c6

(just samples, I don't think either are 5 speed though!, you can easily find them if you go J spec asking to purchase one through auciton)

[Neil4Speed]

Originally posted by Neil4Speed
How about something like this:

http://www.j-specimports.ca/index.php?page=list/index.php?PHPSESSID=f4d14650acbed6de3413407996f4e4c6

Or this?

http://www.j-specimports.ca/index.php?page=list/index.php?PHPSESSID=f4d14650acbed6de3413407996f4e4c6

(just samples, I don't think either are 5 speed though!, you can easily find them if you go J spec asking to purchase one through auciton)

Well, shit my links didn't work, just go to the site and then click BMW, there is a nice 525i

[toyboy88]

Accord's for sure.

[big mooe]

yea accord

[JadranM]

Passat?
came with a 2.0 litre 135hp engine
or a 2.8L V6 with 172hp..

but damn, you can't go wrong with an accord.

[Accord_tunerx]

90-93 accord ex-r great 4 dr sedans but try finding a 94-97 accord ex-r sedan which they come vtec in those years:thumbsup:

[frozenrice]

Acura Vigor. It's a 5 banger, a little larger than an Accord. IMO, it's not a bad car all around.

[CryoCarnage]

My vote is for an older BMW 325. not 318, cause those are pieces.

[RotaryDrifter]

Originally posted by Accord_tunerx
90-93 accord ex-r great 4 dr sedans but try finding a 94-97 accord ex-r sedan which they come vtec in those years:thumbsup:


:werd: , i had a 91 exr auto an that thing is RELIABLE compared to the other 10-13 cars ive owned, cant go wrong with honda for cheap/reliable/used car.:thumbsup:

[ex1z7]

I have a third gen (86-89) accord, actually 2, and they can take an amazing amount of beating and are cheap as hell nowadays. you can pick up an EX-I or LX-I for cheap, they've got great handling and I think look very cool. Not a comfortable back seat if you're 6 feet tall and your passenger is 6 foot too, then the back seat is cramped..

However, they have very close to NO aftermarket support. you can do exhaust and intake work but thats pretty much it. Rims and stuff, the rest has to be custom.

Plus it's 20 years old.

I'd say a 90-93 4th gen accord ex-R. Or 94+ like above mentioned, vtec =).

You can close your eyes and throw a rock and have a 99% chance of hitting a 4th gen accord. *quoted from 3geez.com*

[Tha VZA]

Originally posted by Hakkola
No, for a Euro sedan there is nothing worth mentioning, if you find a 190e or 4 door 3 series for that price it's not going to be in good condition.

screw that hakk and you knew i was gonna pounce on you...

Volvo 760 Turbo's, they rock and you can find them with a manual tranny

many standard options are leather interior, power door locks, windows, sunroof, auto climate control, heated seats, room for tons of stuff, they can be made to go quick

also they are cheap...i bought a 1984 760 Turbo last year with 170k km's on it...with $1700 of new suspension (koni yellows, sport springs, 25mm sways front and rear, poly bushings all around, adjustable panhard rod) for $4400

just a thought!

ciao

[Mckenzie]

I'd say:

Legend hands down (no bias of course)

My dad has a 92 and it has 360 000 km on it and it still runs like a dream, no leaks, no burning oil..... a car way ahead of its time IMO. Mine has 238 000km now and it rides and drives better than my grampa's 03 BMW 325 XI.


Accord

Maxima

The taurus is nice but other than the engine, the rest of the car is a peice of crap. I owned a non SHO taurus and it was a terrible car all around....

I would not touch a german car from this era as they would be plagued by high maintenance issues....including the 190E which a friend owned and had to sell it because everytime is came back from Mercedez there was something new wrong with it. :thumbsdow

[Nissanaddict]

I wasn't drawn by the cli-taurus myslef either. The interior on the base model is real junk....and I'm very weary of Ford's suspension in the 90s.

[freakin]

If you can find a 5-speed SHO that's in good shape, it would be worth looking at, but most that I have seen are pretty beat down. They're a lot of fun to drive though, but what was way back in 97 when I tried one out. It only had 50,000KM on it. I can remember it not having any trouble breaking the rubber loose on the test drive. Good thing the sales guy didn't come with me. :angel: