what is the best tuner for under 30k?

Q: i need top speed, i want good handling. fuel economy dont matter, i dont like american cars, they cant turn worth crap, they have big engines with low power for their size. a honda s2000 with a 2.0 l4 is naturally aspired and gets 240hp, but a 2010 ford crown victorias fat asss 4.6 v8 gets only 190 hp
(2010-10-15 21:10:51)

A: If you want power and lots of grip then the best choice is one of the AWD rally rockets, the Subaru Impreza WRX STi or Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. I'm a Subaru fan myself, but the Evo is also a good choice.

Here's a list of the sort of cars you should be looking at for your price. This is based on both out-of-the-box performance and tune-ability.

- 02-07 Subaru Impreza WRX STi (the hatch model isn't as good and the current sedan is too expensive)
- Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX (More hardcore than the X and similar in performance for a cheaper price)
- Nissan 350Z (Very popular tuning car, and cheap as its successor the 370Z has been out for quite a while)
- Toyota Corolla GT-S (would require the most tuning for a kick in the pants but it's got a great short-wheelbase RWD chassis and one of Toyota's old sports racing engines, the supercharged 4AGZE)
- Toyota Supra JZA80 (also very popular and the 2JZ-GTE is one of the most bulletproof engines in the business)
- Mazda RX-7 (Quicker than the RX-8 and also has a great chassis. Requires the most TLC though; rotaries are the hardest engines to take care of)
- Nissan 300ZX (twin-turbo models get 0-60 times about the same as the 350Z, also has Nissan's HICAS 4-wheel-steering system)
- Honda S2000 (absolute screamer VTEC engine revs to 10,000rpm, also very popular for tuning)
- Pontiac GTO (pretty much the only American car I'll suggest. Based on the Australian-built Holden Monaro, lots of power and can actually take a corner)
- Nissan 370Z (Just slips in under price range. Short-wheelbase, 30 more horsepower than the 350Z and lots of kit for the cash)

Lots of choice. Basically if you're looking for a new car, the 370Z is your only real choice. The S2000 went out of production last year. Used however? Plenty of choice. I'd either go with the Impreza STi or the JZA80 Supra as they've got plenty of power from the factory and have a lot of tuning options. The Impreza is very grippy and AWD will help if you have any problems with low-traction surfaces, while the Supra is built tough, with an incredibly sturdy engine and popularity on its side. Both produce around 300hp.