well the damm politications here are trying to stop the importation of cars older than 1995 ..... which is bbasically all of the good cheaper sports cars :(
eg
gtx, gtr, gtir.........

BASTARDS!!!

Fight the Power!!!

yeah the price will skyrocket on all of those cars .... because you wont be able to get any more of them

I just remembered there's this one company in california that imports Skyline GTR's to the US. The rules for that are really stict. Not only must they pass emissions for that year, they must pass crash-testing on three cars, quite expensive for a small business. They'll sell a R-32 for $30 to $40K, an R-33 for $50 to $70K, and a R-34 for around $90 to $100K. Hmm, a new NSX, a late model 911 turbo, or a R-34??? One of those left-brain, right-brain things.

But there's hope for us yankees!:) The Rotories are comin' back, so's the Z-car. Mitsubishi is losing money by the minute to Subaru as they are still dilly-dallying with bringing the Evo VII here. I also heard the new R-35 Skyline is on the way, probably as an Infiniti. Turbo Proteges? Not far off either. But nissan probably won't bring the sexiest car I could afford in the near future, the Silvia, to the US. Crap:doh:

hmmmm ... 100k$ us is nz$250k ..... thats what my mother payed for her 1000 acre farm .......

well at the mo we can get a
gtx for nz$10k (us$4000)
gtr for nz$13k (us$5200)
gtir for nz$14k (us$5600)

well if you want a pocket rocket ... the nissan GTiR pulsar (sunny)
2l turbo in a car the size of a 323 hatch

I paid $2,800 last January for my '93 LX. It came with a 1.8 DOHC motor that makes 125 HP stock, a 5-speed manual, seven-spoke 14" alloy wheels, moonroof, tape deck (factory stereo is crap) and four-wheel discs. I love my car very much. It's comfy and fun to drive and is a useful tool for dodging the lumbering SUV's that clog our roads these days!!! But I can't help but think of all those badass little machines you guys are able to get you hands on!!!

you could get heaps for 7 k here (us$2.8k)
probally pick up a gtx or a gsr (small brother to the evo)

I've seen the GTi-R before in a few magazinesand on Gran Turismo 2. Some people can get them to 400+ HP at the wheels! Gotta love that SR20DET! I even saw one that was left-hand drive. Nissan, it would have been so easy! Acuras and Hondas can make some serious power too, there is an Integra that is street-legal in on of my mags that pumps out 491 HP. Then there was a Miata that made 400 HP with just a Garrett T3/T04 hybrid turbo, bigger fuel injectors and pump, custom ECU, and a port-matched head. Oh, and lots of Dyno tuning! I've seen Sentras (Sunny?) and 240SX's (Silvia with a KA24DE) with SR20DET transplants around town, lots of J-spec engine Hondas (the most popular Import 'round these parts) and even a turbocharged Corolla. So, if we can't get it from the dealership with lots of power, we'll just buy the engine from an importer.

For $2,800...
A nice import, that is at least seven years old, and not fast, but still has potential to be fast(my car)
A gutted out newer import, that will never be fast (Civic CX 1.5 8V)
A shitty domestic that is neither fast, nor reliable (my first car, '89 Pontiac Grand Prix, big heavy nightmare)
A really old and beat to hell Camaro, probably with the pathetic 5.0, which could only wheeze out 165-180 HP.
An Old-Skool Rice Rocket, like my friends old 1988 RX-7 Turbo-II, which is fast, rusty (makes the car lighter, therefore faster, so he says) and high-maintanence. Oh, and it had 200K miles on it.
You pick!

Of course, my priorities are that I have a reliable and un-embarrassing ride that can handle winter decently. That meant a front-wheel or all-wheel drive import with a 5-speed manual and a twin cam four of at least 1600cc's. I had finally had enough of my Grand Prix and sold it to my dad for $500, and I went in search of a pocket-rocket. I was working at a VW/Mazda dealership as a lot attendant, where I could see first hand what different cars were like. I pretty much had a narrow list: a VW GTi w/16v, Nissan Sentra SE-R(140 hp SR20DE), Civic CR-X,EX, or Si, Protege LX or it's mechanical twin, the Escort GT (Laser in your parts?), or Honda Prelude. Imports tend to command a premium here, I've seen cars just like mine go fo $4000, at the dealership some poor kid's dad got him this totally gutted out Toyota Tercel for $6K, what a rip!

Hell, I'm buying a bike in spring, and that'll be faster than most street-cars anyway!

How's gas prices in NZ? I pay $1.25 for regular.

well 91 is 0.89 nz/l or us$1.48 / gal
and 96 is 0.94 nz/l or us$1.57 / gal
and 98 is 0.96 nz/l or us$1.60 / gal

Is that in octane?