OK, So I know I'm barely 19, but my mom has given me the honor of picking out her self-proclaimed "Mid Life Crisis Car" So since she just moved to North Carolina from Ohio, she kind of wants a convertible. She wants something fun (but then again she'd consider a 6 cyl mustang fun since she's been driving an 88 conversion van for 5 or 6 years). Her main thing is she said she would spend between 5 and 8 thousand. I've already hit her with the 88 GT idea, but she brings my puppy with her everywhere she goes, and is in sales and marketing, therefore travels with a lot of literature and crap. So it needs to be fairly reliable and with at least a good trunk and space for a 50 lb dog.

Any ideas??

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Lisa
86 violet pearl 4 speed GT- 17 in. rims, lowered, cold-air,
AOL IM: FieroLisa

FieroLisa's Website

Tarheels Fieros Website

Late 90's Pontiac Grand Am. *HUGE* trunk, with a backseat for the dog. (And it's a Pontiac...)

Grand Prix?

Hmmm ...

Lower the Convrsion van , drop in a big block , tub it , Chop the top ....4 poit harness for your mom and Joey (haha)

I would say Miata , there reliable cheap and fun , but your dad had one...hmmm. Convertible would be nice. 94+ Mustang convert was my moms mid life crisis car , reliable , pretty quick (as you can attest to fierolisa .

Lots of women like the New Beetle...VW is a good solid reliable safe car.....

I dunno , I think the conversion van with shag carpeting is pretty sexy....

JM

Guy in the next "cube" over is trying to sell me a beautiful Black 1986 Lotus Esprit Turbo with 30K miles.
Since my Fiero is probably faster and more reliable, I think I will pass on it.
Your Mum would enjoy a car like this 'tho, and there's room enough in the (exhaust heated) trunk for a flexible dog that doesn't chew. ;P
PS, a mid-life crisis car by definition MUST be impractical and expensive and FAST.

For about 8 grand you can pick up a Mazda MX6. There great cars, kind of like big Miata's. Grand Am would be a good choice too like someone else recommended if she wanted to buy American.

Lisa, the Grand Am is an excellent choice (in my humble opinion) and LZeitgeist definately hit the nail square on when he mentioned the huge room in the trunk! My wife loves that car!

Cruisin'

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Grand Am.
Phtt!
You guys have no imagination when spending somebody elses money.
Grand Am; truly a Marvin the Milquetoast car.
A ride for apologetic Annie and timid Tim.
Phtt! and double Phtt!
And finally, Phtt!

apparently women and men have diff ideas of midlife crisis car. To men its 2 seats, fast, totally impractical, and very expensive. Lisa $5000 wont even buy wheels for it. This class would include Mercedes SL, Porsche 911, BMW Z7, Jag roadsters, Ferrari, Lamborini,NSX, Corvette. Of course a Fiero done up rite would be doable.

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My wife just bought the 4-banger version of the 1992 Sunbird convertible. Though lacking in the power department, it was inexpensive to purchase ($4700 for a pristine-condition vehicle with 70,000 miles and all the options), has proven to be inexpensive to maintain so far, and isn't a bad sight to see (top up or down). If she's wanting the extra power, the car could be had with a 3.1 and a 5-speed.

There's also the Chevy Cavalier Z24 convertible (same as the Sunbird), the Ford Mustang and the Chrysler Lebaron and Sebring.

My personal recomendation is either the Nissan 240SX convertible or the Toyota Celica convertible. Both are considerably more refined, better built, and more fun to drive than the previously mentioned vehicles. Unfortunately, you will have the same problem we had - try to find one in your price range. The Japanese cars hold their value better allowing them to command a higher pricetag than their American counterparts.

We ended up buying the Sunbird because we could only find a handful of the Nissans or Toyotas within a 500 mile radius and they were either beaten to death or too expensive for our budget.

Good luck ...

[This message has been edited by 87ECO5 (edited 04-10-2001).]

My very first thought for her was the early 90's Grand Ams (I think 92/93) with the 3.1 in them...but I really think she wants something "sportier". So I think she likes the 94 mustang/camaro idea but I don't know the price of those.

Never ever would I let her drive a VW Bug, so more ideas!!

Jonathan- about that van. Oh gawd if she even tries to tell me she repaired one more thing on that...the headliner looks like its been through several murderers.

Mid-life crisis? Forget the car, if mom is single we could fly to Cancun,I could help her blow the 5-8 thousand and have more fun in 2 weeks than driving any car for 2 years.

Hey gix, what's with the phtts!?! Did we have one bowl of chili (with lots'a beans) too many?
I think I see your point though, I did overlook the fact that this was supposed to be a MID-LIFE CRISIS machine and yes, your definition of such would be much more fitting.

Now about that Black Lotus Esprit....perhaps I'm approaching a mid-life crisis of my own.
Cruisin' (Hey.....who cut the cheese)

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5-8 grand? I'd say a first gen talon/eclipse/laser. 6 grand could buy a mint 93 or so Talon AWD turbo.

quote Originally posted by gixxer: Grand Am. Phtt! You guys have no imagination when spending somebody elses money. Grand Am; truly a Marvin the Milquetoast car. A ride for apologetic Annie and timid Tim. Phtt! and double Phtt! And finally, Phtt!

Hehe. I agree here. An older Grand Am is definately not a "mid-life crisis" car. Maybe a newer one (99-01) I think my friend's parents are having a mid-life crisis. His mom just got a 99 Z24 Cavilier convertible couple months back. I think that fits perfectly for this topic.

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sqoach@yahoo.com

84 SE (project car?)
85 Coupe (parts car)
86 SC (daily overheating)

quote Originally posted by rodmcneill: Mid-life crisis? Forget the car, if mom is single we could fly to Cancun,I could help her blow the 5-8 thousand and have more fun in 2 weeks than driving any car for 2 years.

Agree. Especially if the blood lines in FieroLisa's family are any indication of what the mother must look like

Sorry FieroLisa if that sounded offensive to you (not meant to be), visited your site found you to be quite the looker, so please take it as a compliment.

If I wasn't "Married with Children", feeling like Al Bundy and about 15 years younger...

Anyhow...To old for one young lady...and possibly to young for the other...(that is if she was single)

I already envy the guy that becomes her future hubby...<sigh>

Anyways and BTW FieroLisa, beautiful horses! We have 3 mares due anytime now. 2 of them this April (wife thought today was the day for one of her Arabian) and the third May/June. We don't show, just pleasure ride.

HEY! How bout an 88-90/92 Chrysler New Yorker 4 door? Elegant, classy, roomy, reliable, professional looking, smooth riding, powerful-spunky and quick responsive motors and are typically loaded with features. Most time they came fully loaded with Digital Instrumentation (and sometimes that annoying dumb voice box! "A door is a jar").

Ohhhh! Not to mention their resale/trade-in value always seems to be high should your mother decide to sell or trade it in later after a few hundred thousand miles of use which I know she would put on it before letting it go!

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If you know a good mechanic, what about an old Triumph or Fiat? My Dad used to own a Fiat and he said it was the best car he ever owned. These cars ooze character and class.

Triumph Tr6 http://www.cars-on-line.com/74triumph3461.html

Triumph Spitfire http://www.ohms.com/spitfires/joe_curry5.jpg
http://www.ohms.com/spitfires/mymk3n1.jpg

I benefitted from this Mid-life Crisis car deal when I was a teenager. My two best friends and I had a band and we always practiced at their house.

Well, their dad hit that age and had to get a divorce, buy a new sports car and try to find a younger woman.

Well, after about a year of this I was able to buy his red Fiat X 1/9 at a heck of a deal! He bought another station wagon and married a woman older than the one he divorced.

Looks like I was the ONLY one that benefitted from that mid-life crisis!

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Tennessee Fiero Owners

The problem is that a *true* mid-life crisis car would not have to have room for a dog, would not have to have a big trunk, and would cost a heckuva lot more than $8K.

Given those parameters, I feel the 90's Grand Ams are the best choices that fit those parameters - sporty, backseat, big trunk and affordable.

Phffft, indeed. :P

excellent suggestion, Standard! for $5-8 thousand, you could buy a very nice, '94-97 mitsubisihi eclipse!

one thing to remember, with the 1st generation, don't get the turbo one's. go for the GT version, or was it GS... either way.. no turbo.

these cars a fun, fast, and reliable.

hoop

How about an early-to-mid-'90s Cutlass Supreme convertible? Most of them are loaded with leather and power goodies.

Lisa, make sure she gets one with the 3.4 DOHC V6. Then, if your mom wrecks the Cutlass, you can put the motor in your Fiero!

You guys are hilarious... haha my mom is single since my stepdad had a midlife crisis of his own that landed him in florida with a porsche!
Last night I did some research, I suggested to her the Miata, a 93/94 Mustang would fit in her price range, older eclipse, a 94 grand am gt, etc etc and I haven't heard back from her since, well, I haven't checked my email this morning.

JSocha- I have a mare, but unforunately she had rhinopneumonitis when she was younger and has already aborted twice. So she is in training right now and for sale anyway. Good luck with your foals though, they are the cutest things! Have you heard of Dr. Miller's imprint training? Alright this is getting really offtopic I'm shutting up now!

Chadman- good call, my mom never has been the greatest driver (ha!) so maybe I *could* be simultaneously investing in a motor swap...

[This message has been edited by FieroLisa (edited 04-11-2001).]

quote Originally posted by LZeitgeist: The problem is that a *true* mid-life crisis car would not have to have room for a dog, would not have to have a big trunk, and would cost a heckuva lot more than $8K. Given those parameters, I feel the 90's Grand Ams are the best choices that fit those parameters - sporty, backseat, big trunk and affordable. Phffft, indeed. :P

Only problem there is the 98 and earlier Grand Ams have the older body styling (same basic body all the way back to the 80's with subtle changes year to year). The 99 and newer ones have the new body style which, IMHO, is much nicer. They also come with the 175HP 3400V6. Not what *I* would call a mid life crisis car, but definately more sporty than a minivan, and practical. BTW, for those who don't already know, my daily driver is a 99 Grand Am. My Fiero IS my midlife crisis car!

[This message has been edited by Formula88 (edited 04-11-2001).]

[This message has been edited by Formula88 (edited 04-11-2001).]

FieroLisa,

How about a 1997 Chrysler Sebring JX CONVERTIBLE, 76000 Miles, 7,990.00/OBO
http://autoinfo.excite.com/cgi-cls/ad.exe?P1+C14+A0+R928123+Q257078102

Wade

A mid-life crisis for your mother (I'll assume early 40s) who wants a fun, practical car, convertible, I'd go with the Sunbird convertible. These cars should be quite reliable. The 4 banger would be very economical to run, and (did they have the 3.1?) a V6 would be a mover.

The male version of a mid-life car (for me anyway) was my 87 Fiero, the other exotic offerings are guy cars, but those are not cars for someone who needs trunk space.

The Grand Am's are nice cars especially with the 3.1, but not a mid-life crisis car.

Lisa,
I was thinking the Camaro/Firebird thing for a minute, but I'm gonna go waaayyyy out in left field here,
What about a Jeep Wrangler? With the back sat removed (two clips) there's room for tons of stuff. Some were equipped with both a hardtop & soft top. Really nice in winter, and for security. In summer, you lift off the hard top and just use the soft top.
The Sport and the Sahara came with a 4.0 six-banger. Has tons of torque. You can drive it almost anywhere (After all, it is a Jeep), park it anywhere, and hook a U-turn on a two-lane road without backing up. The Sahara is the top of the line, and is loaded with all the creature comforts.
(Many Sport models are nearly as "loaded" as the Sahara. Just dont have the side steps. Not a big deal.)
My wife loves hers. It's as sturdy as an anvil, and easy to work on. You don't even need to jack it up to work under it.
Not to imply that your mom would be inspired to work on her car (unlike her daughter).

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Raydar - aka Steve

88 T-top Formula
88 soon-to-be-V6 coupe

[This message has been edited by Raydar (edited 04-11-2001).]

humm. Mid life crisis car. for a Mom.. 5-9K.. uum i'd have to say 86-91 Supra Turbo.. the top comes off, they are SWEET to drive.. cheap to fix and go like stink.

I agree with Chadman. Get a '92 Olds Cutlass International. 3.4DOHC, and you can get a convertible, usually they run around $4000-5000 CDN. Make sure it's an International, because those are the 'high-end' version of the Cutlass.

Just my $0.2

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-=-=-=[ p4n1c ]=-=-=-
"Each passing day, every passing face seems like such a blur"
- The Offspring(Million Miles Away)

My top 5 CHEAP sports cars

1) Alfa Romeo GTV-6
2) Lancia Scorpion
3) Pontiac Fiero
4) Porsche 914
5) Datsun 240 Z or 260 Z
6) MKI Toyo Mister Two

Considering your stipulations of price, luggage space, reliability and passenger room, all but the Alfa and the Datsun are eliminated. I would definitely go with the Alfa. The second choice by default would be a 240Z or 260Z (they can be found in 2+2 form if you need a backseat). Please note that I am talking about the 240Z-260Z that is the predecessor of the 300 ZX, not the 240z of the late 80's and early 90's.

Other cars that I would consider using your aformentioned stipulations, in no particular order, would be:
7) Maserati Bi-turbo
8) Mitsu Starion/Chrys Conquest
9) Dodge Omni GLH
10)Peoples Car GTI
11)Peoples Car Scirroco
12)Porsche 944 (non turbo)
13)Porsche 928
14)Mid 80's Corolla GTS
15)Mid 90's Ford Contour SE V6 (5-spd)

William T. Thorn, III
-Come on guys... think outside of the box

My choice would be a 1966 Pontiac Lemans or Tempest convertible...probably hard to find, but has always been my favorite since youth (my grandma had one...cool or what ?)

(insert Scottish accent here)

"Ach, laddie, but i' it's no' Pontiac, IT'S CRAP!!!!"

I think I'm a lot closer to midlife than a lot of you, judging from the answers I see. I think rogergarrison is closest to my age

a midlife crisis car for a guy anyways is supposed to be fast and flashy, not particularly practical, a lot like having a trophy wife. Grand Ams and Cutlasses are DEFINITELY out!!!

Something like:

Porche Boxster S
later 300ZX turbo
3000 GT twin-turbo
Dodge Viper
Camaro SS convertible
Corvette Z06

Some of the BMWs like an S3 might fit as well except they were more commonly snapped up by geeks and propellerheads made newly-rich by flicking off their pre-IPO-acquired dotcom stocks.

Unfortunately you wouldn't find one of these cars in the $5-8K range. *sigh*

Lisa,

I could think of a lot of mid-life crisis cars, but your Mom's requirements makes it a lot harder.

Everyone is mentioning Camaros, but what about staying in the Pontiac family with its twin the Firebird? I don't know what the resale values are further south, but here in Pittsburgh there is a ton of fairly new cheap Camaros and Firebirds around. A lot of younger buyers around here buy them new but then can't afford the insurance...so they are traded in quickly. I bet it wouldn't be that hard to find a mid-90's Firebird convertable with the 3.4L in it (when your Mom is done with the car, the engine can go right into your GT) for around 8 grand.

I also like the Olds Cutlass Supreme convertable idea. I've got a Cutlass Supreme International Coupe that is a great car, reliable, quick and handles pretty sporty for a 4-seater....120,000 miles and still runs like new.

Of course, since both Oldsmobile and the Camaro/Firebird twins are eventually being axed by GM, maybe her mid-life crisis car could end up being a future collectable also.

Ken S.
'87 GT and '86 SC
www.westpennfiero.org

[This message has been edited by kslish (edited 04-11-2001).]

LZeitgeist,

I hope you are kidding. You honestly would rather own a Grand Am than an Alfa GTV-6? Shall we compare them.

Body; Grand Am: Typical Detroit design - too flashy with gawdy body cladding.
GTV-6: The body was designed by Giogetto Giugiaro at his small firm by the name of Italdesign. Although the design is subjective, it became the model for many later cars namely the Scirroco which led VW to produce the Rabit-- which is credited with the invention of the hatchback.

Engine; Grand Am: Either 2.5L Iron Duck, 2.5 L DOHC, 2.8L 60 degree 6 or 3.1L 60 degree 6. Although all decent fairly reliable engines but nothing to get excited about. GTV-6: 2.5L twin cam 60 degree 6. This engine has been raved about for years for its outstanding performance and "Ferrari-like" sound. The engine is also known to perform better if consistantly driven HARD. Did I mention that it came stock with Bosche Jetronic ignition (also used on Porsche) and produced 160 bhp at 6000 RPM?

Drivetrain; Grand Am: FWD GTV-6: RWD

Transmission; Grand Am: The GA only came with a 5-speed mated to the 4 cylinder cars. So for performance one has to choose between correct gearing coming out of corners or torque to accelerate. GM is famous for its excellent automatics, however, their worst transmission since the beginning of time could very well be our TH-125 3-spd auto. Regardless of final drive ratio, it has akward gearing that will either leave you with poor performance on the highway or off the line. GTV-6: The drivetrain on the GTV-6 was considered revolutionary at the time. In fact, it was re-considered as revolutionary in 1997. The transaxle is located in the rear of the car. The drawback of this transmission is the fact that one cannot immediately shift into second gear.. a slight pause is required otherwise it will grind.

Suspension; GA: I am not certain but imagine that the GA has 4 wheel McPherson strut suspension. While that does provide 4-wheel independant suspension, McPhersons always remain perpendicular to their attachment on the vehicle. Therefore they do not provide optimal traction when the vehicle is experiencing body roll. GTV-6: Torsion bar front springing employs bars in torsion that support the sprung weight of the vehicle. The advantage of this type of suspension is the ease of lowering the vehicle. One can simply rotate the bars as far as desired... they are a simple splined shaft. A De-dion rear axle with Watts linkage is employed in the GTV-6. It is a live rear axle in which the transaxle is mounted directly to the frame and the wheels are driven via half shafts through universal joints. This allows a live rear axle to be indepently sprung and has been used on many famous sports cars throughout history. Watts linkages are similar to panhard bars in that they locate the rear suspension laterally.

Interior; GA: Again typical GM interior. Nothing exciting. Ergonomics could be better, but seats are comfortable and driving position is not akward. The front seats are comfortable for anyone, but the rears would not be good for a six-footer on any long drive. GTV-6: The large side bolsters and deeply molded seat cushions hold the occupants rather well considering that they are almost always leather clad. The dash is extremely dated, but was laid out quite well for its day and age.

Brakes; GA: The GA has adequate braking. The vented rotors and single-pot fixed calipers work consistantly and are quick and inexpensive to repair. GTV-6: The GTV-6 does have a problem with its calipers' leaking. This is a typical problem with older Alphas, but once working they stop quite well. The rear brakes

When it comes down to it, I will choose a TOHC, RWD car with a 50/50 weight distribution over a parts bin FWD car with a 70/30 weight distribution. But don't take my opinion... look at the facts.

I used to be the biggest fan of GM in the world. They could do no wrong... then I grew up. The world is a diverse place. There are much too many good cars to limit oneself to any one particular brand.

William T. Thorn, III

If you're going to look at a Firebird skip the base model and look at a Formula or Trans-Am. Wouldn't you really rather have the extra 100+ HP from the 5.7 liter engine?

A Cutlass? as a midlife crisis car? **shudder**

[

quote Originally posted by bHooper: excellent suggestion, Standard! for $5-8 thousand, you could buy a very nice, '94-97 mitsubisihi eclipse! one thing to remember, with the 1st generation, don't get the turbo one's. go for the GT version, or was it GS... either way.. no turbo. these cars a fun, fast, and reliable. hoop

No turbo?! A mid-life crisis car is supposed to be fast! The Eclipse GSI and Talon TSI are the turbo all-wheel drive models, Eclipse GS was the standard front-wheel/no turbo model... not sure of any other model designations..

My mom is in the middle of her mid life crisis right now and recently bought.... stand back....... A bright red Hyundai Tiburon FX. It looks like a teenagers car but my mom in her 40s is driving it. Definately the perfect mid life crisis car. Its funny as hell, but I dont tell her that.

Let's picture for a moment, Fierolisa and her mom in the driveway on a hot day. Both dressed in tank or tube tops and cut off jean shorts getting soapy wet as they wash down there sporty cars.

>Whew< Is it warm in here or is it me?

I forgot about my pick for 5-8 grand.. Hmmm, let me think.. Ill say a early to mid 90s Prelude. I think they look pretty nice and sporty. My bro had a Eclipse and that thing was nothing but trouble. He must have gotten a hold of a lemon. Pretty zippy when there running though.