Hello, I'm new here and also new to the tuner world (sorta). I have a few questions that maybe some veterans or gurus could help me out with. Lets start first by me saying, no I did not look at Import Tuner magazine and say, this looks fun, imma do this. I have however been a bookworm for about 6 years and I've read Import Tuner for about 3 of those, but alas, numbers confuse the feeble minded.

So after the wall of text lets get down to the nitty gritty.

I have a 1994 Nissan Altima GXE Automatic. I love my car, but it doesn't seem worthy enough to dump thousands of dollars into. I'm looking for a starting point, a base if you will. What would you recommend for an affordable, quick, and gas friendly alternative? It must also function as a daily driver. =)  

*note*

The Altima has 140k miles, pretty decent shape. You get what you pay for, and I paid $1400. Also my location might play a factor, Louisiana, not many expert shops around for support. (Auto Zone and O'Rielly's is about all)  

I wouldnt waste your time.

But what you get depends on your budget as well.

First off if you can i would suggest a mtx rather than auto.  I own one so its what i know best. a 3000gt (base model or SL) with decent mileage, and good condition will run you about 4500-5500 dollars.  Kind of a *** to first learn to work on but are decently reliable. Also get about 25mpg highway and 18ish city. Come stock with ~220 bhp and btq, Responds to mods EXTREMELY well (7hp to the wheels from test pipe(50 bucks) alone.) Fairly decent aftermaket, huge community (3si.org)

Not the fastest in the world but with a few mods or a good driver they can bring competition to most of your local races you may be in.  

Thanks a lot for the response! I agree, I don't really want to mod an automatic. A 3000gt looks awesome by the way, went and checked them out after reading this post.

My budget varies. I'm an off-shore worker, so I leave for roughly 28 days and come back for 14, usually with 6-8 grand. After paying my bills I have  approx. 4.5k. Nice little chunk, and this is why I have a savings account.

But apart from the car, I still have 0 mechanical knowledge. Do you think 19 is a little late to start taking a car apart. I mean I bought a Haynes manual for my Altima and it seems pretty helpful (Haven't really used it..)  

Its never too late to start wrenching. There is a site called Stealth316.com  has pics and description for most any job you would need to do. Get like 150 piece craftsman set (prefer them due to the warranty ) and you may need a few odds and ends but for the most part thats all you will need.

On another note where is it that you live? Sure i can find some local owners near you.  Also what offshore rig you work on? Fairly familiar with the oilfield stuff. Currently in pinedale wyoming doing the wellhead instrumentation, installing solar panels onto monitoring buildings etc etc.   You do the completions? Drilling?  

I'll look into the tools, thanks alot for helping.

And no, I don't work the rigs, I'm usually on a crew boat and just deck handing it. Whatever needs to be done, thats why I'm there. I'm pretty much a lackey.I live in Abita Springs, LA, but to get to the boat i need to go to Gallieno LA.

Thanks for the website too, anything with a picture I can learn pretty quick from. I'm seriously considering a 3000GT, due to price, looks, and power. Checked them out on ebay.com last night, even though I probably should,t buy a car off of ebay.