I’d like to replace rubber and plastic parts with new ones whenever possible. I’ve got a mechanic friend willing to work on the car for cheap; I’d like to learn how to do some of the repairs myself but I don’t want to invest in the tools.
What would you say I’d be looking at, cost-wise, for the tools needed to do these repairs on this particular car?
An older car won’t need too many specialized tools. Normal things like a metric socket set, crescent wrench, pliers, screwdrivers etc. will be sufficient for most repairs. Anything needing specialized tools is likely something you would leave to the professionals. You can probably find youtube videos for most repairs (e.g. Z31 water pump). Some repairs are more straightforward than others. Before you take it into the shop for a repair, check out a few videos to get an idea of what work is involved and if it seems easy or hard. If this is the first time you’ve done car repair, start with simple tasks like changing your oil or replacing a leaky washer fluid tank. After a while you’ll get more skilled and be able to tackle more complex jobs.
Lady Irruncible drives a 2007 Honda Civic SI. 196HP, 6-speed, tight suspension, bucket seats. It’s a joy to drive, never put a dime into it except scheduled maintenance and new A/C.
Getting it under $5000 might be tight, but I’m sure they are out there.
More pictures of the Z for anyone who’s interested.
The Ford EXP/Mercury LN7
An early 80s 2-seater based upon the Escort/Lynx with Mustang looks.
28 LN7 and 8 EXP convertibles were made.
I have never, to my knowledge, ever seen one of those nor did I even know it existed. There isn’t a single one of them on eBay. There are none for sale on Autotrader or Cargurus. How easy would it actually be to find one of them? I honestly think it’s kind of cool, even though I have already bought the Z.
Here’s an idea…get a Fiero, pull the weak-ass four banger out and install the Cadillac v8