chaparral wrote: Yeah, I think keeping the 'Vette and just farming out the gearbox rebuild / clutch job is the best plan. They lasted 165,000 miles, so the next time they should need work is at 330kmi. Every other repair I've done on this car is easy.
This. While I technically HAVE done just about every major repair on a car, I've learned that just because I can, doesn't mean I should. Sometimes, writing a cheque is the best way.
chaparral wrote: The only problem I had working on my Miata was because the driveline/rear suspension parts were accessed from below, absolutely every bolt was rusted solid every time and it took a breaker bar and careful positioning of my body to do anything. I guess the consensus is "get a Miata that hasn't lived in New England for 15 years".
Yeah, that's not the fault of a Miata, that's any car from the NE.
Even though mine wasn't particularly rusty, I put it up on jackstands, then hit every bolt with PB Blaster every day for a week before I attempted tear down.....even with this there were still some bolts/nuts that didn't come loose without an impact.
In reply to Nathan JansenvanDoorn:
Yeah, I was just thinking: geez, how many clutches can you go through in your ownership period? I've done a couple, but they were on well used cars. I think if you bought new, it would be pretty unlikely you'd have to do more than one in your ownership lifetime. We are talking dd here right? I've sort of lost track...
Get a 3rd gen prelude 4ws (the only mechanical 4ws in a passenger car), 88-91. 88-89 have a "better" motor (no FRM sleeves), the 90-91 look better (clear corners instead of amber).
I had a 91 w/ a 89 front bumper (it's a direct swap). b21a1 motor will burn oil, the b20a5 motor will have less torque. Both will go to 250k+ miles easy.
The interior is nice, it was top of the line in it's day. You get a sun roof, super adjustable seats, and cruise. A great driving position, and amazing road manners. They look fantastic too.
H22 from the new preludes is a direct swap now with mounts, that's 200hp/160ft/lb of torque in quite a light chassis. You don't have to pay the ricer tax because it's not a civic or teggy and it probably won't be stolen.
88-89 (the front bumper has a lip, that's not stock)
90-91
Bonus points for the japanese front end INX Prelude, I think they look pretty cool.
4th gens, if you can stand to look at them (the "spaceship") are great cars too. Get the 2.2 si, it comes with the h22 motor and makes great power.
They can be made to look pretty good:
Dont get a cruze or sonic. They are junk. Worked for chevy when they came out. just because it has a turbo doesnt mean its fast! Your car, you decide.
chaparral wrote: I've owned a '99 Corvette for a few years. It's been great aside from when it needs repair. Everything seems to need to come out the bottom, and since I'll probably be renting for the rest of my life I'm not going to have a lift. The Miata I had before that was the same way. When I worked on FWD cars all I needed was a cherry picker and a carport for heavy repairs. What's the best enthusiast-oriented FWD car out there now? Hyundai Veloster Turbo? Mini Cooper S? Fiat 500 Abarth? Ford Focus ST? I'd want to either keep it ten years or lease it.
You want an easy to maintain car and the MINI Cooper and Fiat 500 are on your list?
I know they are probably junk, but there's a Grand Prix GTP in the wholesale lot at work. I'm not an American car guy, but for some sick reason I like these. I figure just boost it to the moon and have fun until it blows up, right?
Anybody here like these? (I know, a completely different class of FWD than any of the cars originally posted--just throwing it out there)
Forte5 SX. Should be out in the next month or so.
sethmeister4 wrote: I know they are probably junk, but there's a Grand Prix GTP in the wholesale lot at work. I'm not an American car guy, but for some sick reason I like these. I figure just boost it to the moon and have fun until it blows up, right?
Garbage. EVERYTHING fell apart on my mom's, my dad got it new for her in '97.
In reply to Jaxmadine:
I've seen some fairly impressive numbers out of those cars with bolt ons/tuned.
sethmeister4 wrote: I know they are probably junk, but there's a Grand Prix GTP in the wholesale lot at work. I'm not an American car guy, but for some sick reason I like these. I figure just boost it to the moon and have fun until it blows up, right?
No, i dont like them. But i can tolerate the same drivetrain in things other than a Grand Prix.
One thing you have to keep in mind about pretty much all the supercharged 3.8s is that the ONLY reason enthusiasts talk about them is because of the supercharged motor. If you want a car to have a little fun going in a straight line and dont mind 90s-early00s GM FWD cars in general, they can be a giggle once modded. But they're not that quick stock (ESPECIALLY from highway speeds where they feel downright mundane), and you're stuck with an automatic that is irritating in some ways, like not letting you get into boost in 4th gear without downshifting to 3rd. That's not to mention everything that is pretty much endemic to GM cars of that period (pretty much all bad news).
If i were to get one, id be looking for the latest Bonneville SSEI i could find. It still wouldnt have anything on the fun factor of the other cars discussed.
Vigo wrote:sethmeister4 wrote: I know they are probably junk, but there's a Grand Prix GTP in the wholesale lot at work. I'm not an American car guy, but for some sick reason I like these. I figure just boost it to the moon and have fun until it blows up, right?No, i dont like them. But i can tolerate the same drivetrain in things other than a Grand Prix.
What are your thoughts on the last GTP (or is that GXP?)? The FWD, off set wheel/larger in the front V8 monstrosity? Something about them is fascinating.
mattmacklind wrote:Vigo wrote:What are your thoughts on the last GTP (or is that GXP?)? The FWD, off set wheel/larger in the front V8 monstrosity? Something about them is UGLY AS SIN!!.sethmeister4 wrote: I know they are probably junk, but there's a Grand Prix GTP in the wholesale lot at work. I'm not an American car guy, but for some sick reason I like these. I figure just boost it to the moon and have fun until it blows up, right?No, i dont like them. But i can tolerate the same drivetrain in things other than a Grand Prix.
FIFY
In reply to JtspellS:
I think they look pretty sweet! Well, when you consider that it's still just a Grand Prix... I bet that thing has some crazy torque steer and the worst weight distribution ever!
Sry this is the ugly turd im looking for.
The v8 things have a silly flashing light that comes on everytime you hit the gas pedal. Iblooked it up once, think it was called traction control? Lol. They are wicked fun for a fwd heavy car. The gxp g6 isnt bad either. 300hp caddy v6. Its decent, but still heavy. At least the hubs are easy to replace when they go out every 20k. Lol
What are your thoughts on the last GTP (or is that GXP?)? The FWD, off set wheel/larger in the front V8 monstrosity? Something about them is fascinating.
The first thing i thought when driving them was that it felt like a slightly faster NorthStar FWD Cadillac. Part throttle acceleration is really great. Full throttle is.. good. They're way faster than a stock 3800sc, not a WHOLE lot faster than a northstar. So if you've driven a northstar cadillac just imagine that, with significantly better part-throttle acceleration. I think the pontiac version is MASSIVELY better than the Impala version, but i just hate that Impala. It is the definition of mediocrity and the engine cant fix it. At least the pontiac is relatively interesting looking. I also really like the LS engine in general as far as reliability/ease of keeping it going.
Id rather have the LS car than the 3800sc car but the prices definitely reflect that....
Go test drive a Mazdaspeed3. Mine was still stock when a friend drove it, he went and bought one.
I have an 07 Gt model, HID lights, rain sensing wipers, 6 cd Bose, leather/cloth seats, LED taillights, 6 speed with LSD.
The best thing about it is 280lbft of torque at 3000rpm. Compare the torque of other engines and it's hard to find more for the money.
Put an intake, 3" downpipe, a high output fuel pump, a tune and you have 300hp.
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