Beater

[Black Sheep]

I'm trying to figure out what would be the best beater car to buy?

I eventually want to end up with the Datsun 240z.

I also want to be able to do engine work.

I don't know anything about engines.

I figure I'll have to be driving a while before I pick up drifting, but I'm trying to run some stuff by people who would have a sense of this sorta thing.

I'm a college kid.

Being a college kid, I don't have a lot of $$... just enough to do some stuff.

I'm trying to pick up an old throwaround car and am trying to figure out which would be easiest on the gas mileage use (I'm gonna be everywhere).

I also want an older car, because I hear its easier on the insurance (remember, I'm looking to get more bang for my buck).

I'm just trying to get some input, thanks in advance.

[Soldat]

Since money is such a big factor, I would just focus on getting something reliable and cheap. I wouldn't worry about getting something driftable at this point as drifting is kind of hard on suspension and drivetrain parts and you don't want to be fixing your car unnecessarily.

For insurance purposes, you'll want to avoid anything newer than 95 or so (certainly anything newer than 2000) and you'll probably want to stay away from Civic's and Integra's. The theft rates on those things is pretty ridiculous and insurance companies know it.

Early 90's Ford Escorts are pretty bullet proof as well as the normal stuff. Accords, Camry's, Corolla's, VW's . . . . I'd look for one of those.

[pegasus]

fox body mustang/thunderbird

when it does brake (and it will) there cheap to fix

or a awd dsm and take the front drive shafts out

[Neo_Drift]

nissan sentra. i had a 1990. that thing was great. and got great gas mileage too. or a mid to late 80's chevy nova. we had one of those last us to 234k miles beating it to death with a paper route.
(these are just beater cars. not driftable as they are fwd. but you will be able to easily drive these things, and save money. then eventually you'll have enough for what you may really want.)

[eomund240]

Please please please please please don't try to get a 240z as a beater. They're are becoming more and more rare and it would be a shame to destroy one IMO.

You want my opinion, look into an 80's BMW or Volvo. You can find some of them sitting around running or barely broken for like $100. And with a $100 RWD with power, can't really go wrong. And with the BMW, parts galor. They made a ton of them and getting parts at junkyards is pretty easy.

[Black Sheep]

Thanks, everyone, for the input.

Also want to point out that I don't plan on using the 240z as a beater

Anyway, I've heard when you drift it's best to go with 15 inch rims because of how common the tires are. What are some things I should expect getting into drifting? New guy just feints into a turn for the first time and pops the clutch, what should I expect (crashing, $$ for tires, etc.)

[Neo_Drift]

i say that 15 inches are good. i have a set of 14 inch enkeis that i drift with. the tires are cheap, and so that's good. (I also have a full set of 4 16 inch enkei's, but i haven't been able to afford more tires since they wore out. hence the problem with bigger rims. paying more for less wheel)
Rea up on different drifting techniques. practice them in vacant areas, and find what works for you. Not everyone can do heel+toe their first time out. so try it with simple clutch kicks, and braking drifts, and stuff. til you get it down, then move up.

[Drift For Food]

Ditto with something old and cheap. At the very least, if you throw money into the car, you still will have hardly any money into it.

The rwd platform will be the most fun, but realize any platform is driftable. It's just a matter of which techniques work and adapting some of the shared techniques for the particular vehicle. For example, I started with fwd, then to rear, and now awd. They all drift.

Drifting doesn't have to be hard on the car. Country gravel roads with a few good, "safe" corners can be a good spot to practice techniques with very little wear on the car. If you live a little farther north, you always have snow and ice to look forward to.

I would also suggest getting into some local SCCA auto-x, rally-x, etc. events. They're not too expensive and can give you some quality seat time for learning the limits of your car. Although it's not drift specific, understanding and control are powerful tools. It's also a good environment for testing new suspension mods and working out any bugs.

For right now, simply focus on learning the techniques. Learn what each does and how and when to use them. Realize that drifting isn't a cookie-cutter process. It's more fluid, dynamic, and personal. You will drift a little different than another person. You will have your own style. The main thing however is learning car control and being able to manipulate the car as you see fit. This takes understanding and practice.

Because it's useful to have a safe environment to practice techniques and new ideas, I want to point you to video games, mainly Live For Speed (not Need For Speed). You've got a PC and you'll be sitting at a desk enough at college. It's a good time to get some practice in. The game is simple yet vast. It's also one of the more realistic simulators on the market. Simply invest in a good force feedback wheel (Logitech G25, Fanatec 911). Yes, this is around a $300 investment, but it's one time and well worth it over the cheapies. What this provides is a good learning tool. You get get a LOT of seat time without actual seat time. The environment is safe, and you're free try anything you want. The physics are very near real, so everything translates directly to real life driving. In fact, it's a rather good tool in conjunction with real driving. If you're trying to figure out a technique or are having problems, you can go to the simulator and help work out the details and get everything sorted. Once you've got the issues nailed down, try it again in the real car. There are several profession driving teams that actually do this exact thing as well as off-season training and training between events, using LFS.

So what car? Well, that depends. You're still bound to what you want to drive daily, but you also want something you can practice with. Does the car have to be big or can it be small? One nice option is a Mazda Miata. If you don't need something large, it's a good platform to drive, plus it's decently affordable and decently stingy on gas. You also get a solid aftermarket community to mod your car as you see fit. This is of course only one of a large number of options.

[Irishman91]

i would recomend a 91 Corolla, fwd, mine gets like 32 mpg and i have a somewhat lead foot. parts aren't to expensive from what i've priced which isn't alot because nothing has needed replaced. the one we have has like 211, miles on it and runs perfectly. they hold four people very comfortably 5 if want to cram the back seat. my dad and i both love the car. and thats my two cents.

[Black Sheep]

@ DFF: I'm looking forward to getting into a RWD. I'm a city boy, so no safe country roads for me. I'm pretty sure I can find somewhere to make tires squeal during the wee hours of the night, if I can't then I will. I was thinking about looking into the whole local racing scene, it shouldn't be too hard to find in NY. I see what you're saying about the force feedback wheels, I'll look into that as well. Sorry if I seem sporadic. I am.

Anyway, the size of the car doesn't really matter. I'd prefer a smaller car though, because I'm poor and I figure the lighter weight would go easier on the gas.

@ Irishman: You know any RWD vehicles that get 32 MPG?

[Irishman91]

hmmm well not right off the top of my head, i would imagine that a stock 240sx probably gets good mpgs, from what i've read on all the craigslist posts the stock ones get fairly good mpgs, and a 240 is definatly very driftable, so i've been told by alot of people, personally i don't have one but i'm getting one this summer.

[Black Sheep]

Anybody know how much parts go for on the Miata? I'm thinking about settling behind the wheel of that one.

[eomund240]

240sx probably gets good mpgs

Actually not really. It's more like 25-28mpg unfortunately. Even the Single cams son't get that great mileage.

My old SR5 got upwards of 35-42mpg, but you'll have to cope with about 50whp if that's the route you go.

My brother's had 3 miata's and he loves them, but he doesn't drift. They do have a ton of parts (ranging in all prices), but with it's super short wheel base and 50/50 setup they're a bit of a handfull to slide.

[Irishman91]

Actually not really. It's more like 25-28mpg unfortunately. Even the Single cams son't get that great mileage.

yeah i figured as much people were just trying to sell their cars quicker. 25-28 isn't bad by any means but is nothing compared to the 32 i get in my corolla

[Neo_Drift]

Anybody know how much parts go for on the Miata? I'm thinking about settling behind the wheel of that one.

well, I haven't had to buy any parts for my miata. (yet. It's a 2000 LS) but I don't see them as being too expensive. especially for the older ones. There are a lot of them out there, and if you get into the right groups, forums, etc.. they will be able to help you find good cheap parts quick.

As well, the miata is very much driftable.
And they are a ton of fun on the street as well, and get really good gas mileage.

I got my 2000 with 68k miles on it for $8,900. Which shows that you can find them for cheap as well with not too many miles on them.

Search around, but definitely test drive some miatas and you'll find out yourself how fun they are.