Total cost of ownership

[Injectedcutty]

im sure its probably a better driving experience than my mazda 6, mainly because ive never driven rwd in my life. also i probably would take it for a few drives before i put it back in storage. im just worried about taking it for a drive and having it break down while im far from my grandparents house.

Honestly, my daily 07 mazda 6 is a pretty nice driving car...i put 70ish miles round trip to work all highway, cruise at 80 and it's comfortable. However, nothing beats getting in my cutlass, firing up a loud *ss motor, and taking off. Burnouts are fun, tires get exensive, but when cruising in traffic and people notice it and give thumbs up, or older guys smile....it changes everything!!!! My mazda is a decent, reliable daily...but it just blends into the pack.

Once you get that car up and running, address the mushy suspension and go driving, you're mind will be forever altered! You are still young man, enjoy tinkering on it while learning in the process. Heck, I bought my cutlass at 17....you were only 1 or 2 years old....that car is an extension of me! You will understand once you get it road worthy.

 

[Matthew Goeke]

Spend money on driveline and suspension first, bodywork last. That way if an idiot finds your quarter panel with his radiator support, you can let his insurance pay for another car and swap in your 'known' drivetrain and suspension. Keep you receipts, no matter what advice you've seen here. They will come in handy arguing the settlement with Idiot's insurance company. These cars have negligible value at this point from a Blue Book standpoint, so just drive and enjoy as long as you can. If you have a rare one or a survivor seriously consider Hagerty and the like. They consider restoration and customization, though their contracts usually limit annual mileage..

Yea I'm thinking about registering it as a classic car, also can anyone recommend some good coil overs? If that's even a thing for these cars, now that I think about it I've never set the struts in the engine bay.

 

[ssn696]

If you are on a budget, you don't need to go there until much later. These cars use coil springs at all four corners. That's why you can put a big block between the fenders!

 

[85442/86buick]

Damn , your thinking coil overs already ?

Not to sound like a know it all......I am not. But learn to walk before you run.

your car , all G-Body's have shocks front and rear......... you could / may see the top bolts of them from looking in the engine bay.

Viking would be a brand to check out.

Be careful the rabbit hole is deep , and when you start thinking coil overs your in too deep

 

[ssn696]

Proceed in this order: new shocks, then tie rods and idler arm. Then ball joints and control arm bushings, and consider new coil springs (if you choose lowering springs, you may need to consider shorter shocks). Then sway bars. Then a 12.7:1 steering box. Then 98-02 2WD S10 knuckles and bigger front brakes and master cylinder. Then body bushings. Then maybe rear disc brakes and a proportioning valve. Then tubular control arms. Way on down the list is coilovers. At that point, you are racing and your budget just goes out the window...

 

[UNGN]

im sure its probably a better driving experience than my mazda 6, mainly because ive never driven rwd in my life.

If you've never driven a RWD car, a 240SX may not be a good first RWD drive car.

One of my engineers was 26 and always had Hondas, but I talked him into buying a 2012 V6 6speed Mustang (305 HP) (he wanted a 370Z, but they were 10K more). I took him out to lunch in my 2wd Diesel Ram in the rain and drifted every intersection. He was freaking out as his passenger window became the windshield on left handers and asked "is this thing RWD!!!???". I calming look over while we are going down the road sideways and says "Yes. So is your Mustang".

"What!! What!!!??" he shrieked.

With modern traction control and active stability control, even a tail happy car like a mustang won't let the back end get out of line. Turn off stability control in the rain and even a good driver will wrap one around a pole in only about 10 miles. And guys like my engineer, who actually owned one, had no idea his 305 HP mustang could drift (or was RWD)

A 240 SX has none of that. Add tires twice as wide as the factory installed and now it can build up G forces 30% higher than the original tires which is great, but when they break loose, it will snap so fast that even someone with years of RWD experience can't catch it fast enough. You hit full opposite lock on the steering but it still spinning and the next thing you know you are entering traffic on the freeway backwards, in front of a semi.

 

[ssn696]

I took him out to lunch in my 2wd Diesel Ram in the rain and drifted every intersection. He was freaking out as his passenger window became the windshield on left handers...

Drifting with a Cummins! You DA MAN!

 

[UNGN]

Drifting with a Cummins! You DA MAN!

600lbft of torque, Dana 70, Rear swaybar and 55lb of air in the rear tires and they are a drift missile. The long wheelbase makes 2500 diesel trucks easy to precisely control the drift. I always wanted to shoot a "roundabout video" drifting laps around our local "traffic calming devices" that are supposed to "promote public safety" but I wouldn't be able to post it online anyway, because I live 4 blocks from the Police station and they all know where I live.

 

[popeye1978]

These cars have negligible value at this point from a Blue Book standpoint, so just drive and enjoy as long as you can. If you have a rare one or a survivor seriously consider Hagerty and the like. They consider restoration and customization, though their contracts usually limit annual mileage..

When I first got my '86 Cutlass, I tried Hagerty as I already have a policy with them on my Mustang. Looking at the "classic car value book price" at the time, they wouldn't issue a policy as the car is worth so (relatively) little & with their "agreed value" coverage, there would be nothing in it for them ... I look at it as they want to maximize the number of monthly premiums it would take for you to reach the "agreed value" in payments, that number for the Cutlass was too small.

Hagerty has no annual mileage limit but they require proof of insurance on a daily driver as their policies only cover the vehicle, while bodily injury & liability & etc are piggy-backed on your daily driver.

 

[ssn696]

Hagerty has no annual mileage limit but they require proof of insurance on a daily driver as their policies only cover the vehicle, while bodily injury & liability & etc are piggy-backed on your daily driver.

Thanks for sharing that detail, not explained in their advertising...