6G Celicas Forums

90+ 300zx
b5 96-2001 A4
Hopefully an alltrac 165 or 185 I don't really care, but I would rather want a 165.


give your reasoning to why you would choose that vehicle and why you wouldn't chose the other.

i would take an ST185 over a ST165 every day and twice on sunday.

i would never get a 300ZX, they have serious head gasket issues similar to the 7M-GTE

Unless its a low mileage Audi, that's going to be trouble.

Its too much a question of taste.

I would get a 300zx knowing it would be a garage queen. It would be the most fun to drive IMO, or at least the most challenging. The fun thing about anything Nissan though, is if you end up hating the stock engine there's like 40,000 other engines you can swap in. I've also heard of people swapping LS1s into their 300ZX.

the ST165 and ST185 are amazing. Personally I think the ST165 looks a little more bad-ass, and it fits my tastes. However good lucky finding one. The sad fate of Japanese cars that old is that they've suffered the fate of daily drivers. Nobody would tell you in 1986 that the import scene would explode (and that this car would have more of a value than a Camaro or Mustang for example). If you find a 185 you should settle for that.

Never driven an Audi and although the A4s are nice, without Quattro written on the back, the are just overpriced Passats. Though there is a huge community in tuning Audi/VW vehicles, the main focus is of course on Quattro models, Audi S models and the lighter smalelr Golf/Jetta GTi. However if you're looking for something a little bit on the side of luxury the A4 is a good choice.

I agree with you ^

The 165 is way badass looking than the 185.

All good cars. Personally I am looking at a Datsun 280z to fix up and be exempt from emissions here in California if my plans for the MR2 do not follow through.

From your selection, I say 165!

WHY? Why not the 240Z or 260Z.

The 280s have park benches on them. You know, those big massive bumpers the 280Z had to meet US safety requirements when the S30 lineup was refreshed. I can see how you would want the L28 but I think any potential speed you will make up will be lost by the added weight of those chrome monstrosities on the front and back. Still, anything S30 is still a beautiful car. If you get one, you should make your first mod adding a seatbelt to the front bumper, so you can drive an extra couple of friends around on it

This post has been edited by Taskbot: Dec 3, 2008 - 5:32 PM

Wow - I've never seen so many people favor the ST-165 over the ST-185 before. I used to own a ST-16x and trust me when I say the interior is not something I could ever be happy with again. To me the ST-185 also looks a hell of alot better but tat's mearly aesthetics so opinions will vary.

I just like the 165. Nothing about screams I will beat you. Just look at the 185 and 205's. They look scary and can do what ever they want to you. 165 is a total sleeper. Think about it. a 3rd gen swap with the 3rd gen rear diff. You can call it a day.

300zx - no way. too many problems, especially the aforementioned head gasket issue.
A4 - if you can afford the repair bill....
Alltrac - neither. Both are old and breaking. Rust is an issue, and so are replacement parts. I have a few friends with alltracs and they all agree that their cars (some mildly modified, two with 205 swaps) are broken 3/4 of the time.


now a 98-01 2.5rs with a wrx or sti swap....mmmmmmmm

Very true.

when i started my car search i was looking at 300zx's and though they would be a very fun thing to drive, i dont reccomend it if u cant keep up with the maintence on it.
maybe a 2.5RS, sc300, or integra type r?

165+4th gen 3s= pure sex

I would take the 165 even with the first gen motor...would just be badass to build and have fun with....pretty ticked off daftboy didnt bid on the 2 that were on ebay that sold for 1,020!!!!!!...0o well..but yea 165 ftw...unless you can find a clean 300zx tt with low miles thats unmolested(good luck) but thatd be the only other option

165 Is a great looking car, Do it!
I think when people say the 185 looks good, they mean it's hood looks good. The rest of the car is oogly.
I wouldn't buy a 300zx w/ over 100k unless I had my own tow-truck .

unless you really own an alltrac & work on it yourself, i don't feel you can comment on it honestly. i'm not a big fan of hear-say.
if you get one, make sure the body is free of rust & make sure it has had important maintenance taken care of on a regular basis.
you will hear a lot of people say they aren't reliable. if kept pretty much stock with regular maintenance, they are reliable -- the probs come when you add mods & kick up the boost on a motor that is 20+ yrs old then the reliability flies out the window.

as far as parts availability, some OEM parts are & have been discontinued by Toyota. what do you expect though? there were never that many alltracs made (165 or 185) so Toyota has no interest in continuing to make a part they may sell 10-20 units per year.
since the 3sgte was available in MKII MR2's engine parts are no problem, just unique alltrac parts become a bit more challenging - be ready to be persistent.

in conclusion, you better be willing ready & able to work on the car in any & all kinds of weather & you better have plenty of tools & a BGB.

an alltrac can be quick, but you better have some deep pockets to get it there.
as much as i love the car, there are plenty of newer cars that are a lot faster & take a lot less to get there.
if you're willing to make the commitment, good for you, but it's not for the faint of heart ... i can say that honestly.

to the guy above that said ST185's are oogly, i'd be willing to bet money you've never seen a real one in person else you wouldn't say that

St185's are sexy, but its too stout. It looks like a bully just like the 205. But like I said the 165 is just a plain jane. I am up to the challenge and I want to stay in the toyota family. Just look at my car, I've worked on it at 3AM, outside in -10 degree weather, swapping in the rain. I've done all kinds of things with my car.

I might also consider the 2.5rs. Again I could careless how slow they are. I live in MN for petes sake. Snow is my friend.

185 i would choose

to the guy above that said ST185's are oogly, i'd be willing to bet money you've never seen a real one in person else you wouldn't say that

I almost bought one but after further inspection I noticed some mechanical problems that might bite me down the road. Looks are a matter of taste and my taste is that the 185 doesn't compare to the 165 and 205 visually

What??? To the guy above. 185 looking better than 205??? You are crazy sir. You sir probably havent seen a 205 in person or a 205 conversion hahahaha.

You can remove it, can't you? I believe I have seen it done. Ok, maybe 260z, but still want 280z and wouldn't mind doing some body work to it.

Sorry to be off topic.