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Car decision .. Fastest car for the money!!!

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notfred basically summed up what I was about to say. In all honesty, you're not going to hit 12's with a comfy daily driver with only $5k and be reliable as well. That's a fantasy. A reality is maybe a 13-14 second car but not a 12 second car.



<< Ornery, I still see an old Yugo on the road, occasionally. Just because they're still running doesn't mean that they are good cars as a whole.

Fix Or Repair Daily
Found On Road Dead

It's a Fooooord! >>



And just because you see a Honda or a GM on the road makes them good cars as a whole too, right? I see two Hondas parked in front of my house but neither are running that great.

 


<<
1st gen Eagle Talon Tsi Awd Turbo - Also can be had cheap . Has turbo 🙂. Gets good gas mileage but not very reliable. Expensive to repair.
>>


Look for either an Eclipse GSX or a Plymouth Laser RS-T AWD as well. I have the Laser RS-T AWD. Pretty fun car overall. A true drag racing monster with the proper mods and tuning. Just remember that a turbo'd, AWD car demands more attention than your average V8. Tune it right combined with good maintenance and you'll have a reliable ride going into the low 13s, high 12s at least. Tune the suspension and you'll have a good road racer with the advantage of AWD traction.

My only problems were a busted tranny after some friggin road hazard clipped it (couldn't avoid it at the time) and oil leaks in the camshaft seals. Pretty typical problems that would be found in all aging cars (or freak accidents for my tranny).

-Rich
 
"If you want to get a 5.0 for $3k, expect crappy paint and high miles, at least."

Maybe they are just cheaper where I live but I have seen several in the $3500 area that were really nice. One was a perfect looking 89 black on black coupe 5.0l 5speed for $3800 with 79k miles on it. I would have bought that one myself but was about $800 short at the time. I see more automatics in that range but I don't pay much attention to those since I want to do autocross but they are probably better for dragging. That still doesn't leave a lot of money left over to get into the 12s though.

btw most where in Kentucky. That place just seem full of the bastards.
 


<< definitely the 5.0....its the ultimate cheapo drag car....you shouldnt have much trouble seeing high 12s for that price range....maybe even lower if you shop carefully...make sure it has a 5 speed though, and is the EFI version....good luck and ahve fun!!1

Dave >>



If you don't have to worry about smog inspections where you live, I'd go the carbureted route if you're looking for horsepower on a budget. The reason is that an aftermarket 5.0 fuel-injection intake can run you over $500, along with an oversize throttle body for another $200+... whereas you can get more power out of the right Holley carb with the appropriate intake manifold for your desired power/rpm range. You also don't have to worry about cam specs being compatible with the computer, and if you're nuts, you can run a crazy oversized roller cam (I ran a .544"lift 234/242 degree@0.050 duration in my '83 mustang, with Dart Windsor 2.02 heads..)

Also, with the 5-speed, don't worry about running 4.11's on the street unless you do a lot of long-distance freeway driving. For around town, you won't notice it for the most part.

Just my $0.02
 


<<

<< I know RWD is good for dragging because of weight transfer, but isn't RWD really bad for a daily driver? Oversteer, plus the fact even a little bad weather and you have a lot more to deal with than a FWD vehicle?
Same with the twisties 🙂 Wouldn't AWD, FWD be better for that? Driving in a straight line does get boring after a while... >>


Actually in the hands of a skilled driver, RWD tends to be a better setup around the track and through the curves. You want a little bit of oversteer to get the car pointed in the right direction for the exit of the turn, so you can get on the gas earlier. Even tho RWD's basic trait is oversteer, they can be made to drive quite well in inclement weather. How often have you seen a BMW wrecked by the side of the road during the rain? >>



yeah, on the track, but how often do people go there? I'm talking about driving on two-lane roads and the like. Having your rear slide into the shoulder or into the other lane isn't too good 😉. As for BMW's, I don't know but they have traction control, no? Anyway, I wouldn't be surprised if a lot got wrecked because BMW drivers like to weave in/out traffic 😉
 
Where I live, RWD is good for 4 months out of the year where its not raining a lot or snowing. The rest of the year, you have to be very good (and perhaps blessed with traction control/stability control) or a moron to drive with one of those on the road 🙂

As for fords, they may not be as bad as they used to be but they're not great either. My parents' Taurus has been needing at least $600 US in repairs every year since we got it, and they think that's "normal". WTF!! That's not normal by any stretch!! Well, maybe with domestics.




<< Facts suck, eh sport? 😀

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You want to see scans of my titles and length of ownership? Receipts for repairs? Tires, exhaust, batteries, brakes... whoopy sh!t! Something tells me you and yours owned POS, FWD garbage or Pintos. Serves ya right! Our local cops beat the piss out of their cars and they just keep coming back for more. Guess what brand those puppies are? Yep, facts SUCK don't they? >>

 
So, what do your local cops drive "where you live"? We live in Ohio and our cops use RWD almost exclusively. Strange, eh? $50.00 repair per month for a Taurus is probably lucky, depending how old it is. NOT my first choice by a LONG shot!
 
You know RWD used to be all there was. Jezz people if you can't drive a RWD car in the rain then your really shouldn't be driving period. In the snow it is a bit more difficult but rain isn't a problem. About the only time I have ever had any problems with any of my rwd cars in the rain is pulling out of gas stations where they used concrete, I am setting on a incline, and I need to pull out quikly to merge with traffic. You just have to not be stupid and be smooth on the gas pedal. Having good tires helps to but then that goes for all cars.
 


<< You know RWD used to be all there was. Jezz people if you can't drive a RWD car in the rain then your really shouldn't be driving period. In the snow it is a bit more difficult but rain isn't a problem. About the only time I have ever had any problems with any of my rwd cars in the rain is pulling out of gas stations where they used concrete, I am setting on a incline, and I need to pull out quikly to merge with traffic. You just have to not be stupid and be smooth on the gas pedal. Having good tires helps to but then that goes for all cars. >>


LOL, yeah, well there is another one to go with that that's kinda funny, These new brighter headlights... WTF is with those. we made it fine back in the old days with our old headlights... Here is the real funny part... WE HAD LESS STREET LIGHTS BACK THEN TOO!! 😉
 
I gotta chime in this thread about RWD...it KICKS ASS!! Plain and simple! Its easy to drive in the rain...my 240SX which is a light car (2700lbs with 50/50 weight distro) drives perfectly in the rain..and its RWD as well. It has Michelin MXV4 All Seasons 205/50R16 in the summer and Nokian Hak1 195/60R15 in the winter. Both sets of tires are perfecti nthe rain. Its hard to get the tail to break loose unless your sutpid and dump the clutch mid-corner. Even then its easy to get it back in line.

In the winter, you have to be more catious, I put some weight in the trunk and its driveable. Just take it easy on the highway on/off-ramps and don't floor it. If you floor it..the rear end will break loose..but always comes back in line after. btw my car has a VLSD diff in the rear..so that may help.

And in the summer, RWD kicks ass as well...you'd have to drive it to understand. However this is all with sports cars...with regular commuter cars, I don't think it makes a difference if you have FWD or RWD. I know my mom won't notice a difference so I don't think regular consumers would either. As for doing maintance on it, I think its a non-issue cause chances are the car won't be needing serious maintence apart from oil changes.
 
I'd probably get a 1992/93 Dodge Daytona Iroc R/T or a Spirit R/T with a high pressure turbo.. The full scoop
they put out 224 HP (just a bit more than a 5.0 🙂) from a 2.2L 4 cyl and they freaking FFFFLLLLLYYYYYY

0-60 in about 6 seconds although it doesn't say on there, i have seen the numbers.

You would NOT be disappointed with the power of those cars...
I love those things...
 
Yeah but those dohc turbo dodges are prone to timming belt problems and head problems. Those heads are pricy and a bit harder to find than the regular turbo dodge ones too.
They are wicked fast stock but they have even less parts available than the regular ones and the vast majority of really fast turbo dodges are the regular type I or type II turbos. Then there is the problem finding them for under $5000. People are starting to figure out what they are and its tough to find the spirit r/ts for less than $4k and the ultra rare daytonas go for atleast $5k and a lot are much higher.
 


<< So, what do your local cops drive "where you live"? We live in Ohio and our cops use RWD almost exclusively. Strange, eh? $50.00 repair per month for a Taurus is probably lucky, depending how old it is. NOT my first choice by a LONG shot! >>



They drive minivans here. I'd be surprised if they were RWD. $600/yr in repair is "lucky" for a '98 taurus?? (or some year like that). Ugh..
 
Tell me more about your cops in minivans! How the F do they get anybody to pull over? 😀 Eh, what would you expect from Frogs? Too ghey!

The rest of Canada uses REAL patrol cars, like Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Ontario. Why do you suppose that is?

"...$600/yr in repair is "lucky" for a '98 taurus??"

Anybody stupid enough to buy a domestic FWD, POS is lucky it doesn't cost more than that! What do the cops in most of Canada know that your parents don't, eh?
 
hmm the stock 240sx engine is actually good huh...

THese are all some good reccomendations..Mustang seems to be the fastest for the cash tho.. supra sounds nice as does the 240sx... ALSO I was looking at older cars 🙂 Found a nice nova locally with a 350 chevy for 3000 ... that could run fairly fast maybe heh 🙂

Well lets hope this thread goes one for a little longer
 
no it does.. im just making no sense lol.. The mustang is still actually at the top of my list 🙂

That 240sx looks nice but I think itd be harder maybe more pricy to get it fast tho.. 🙁 nice cars tho ...

In the end Ill end up having to pick a balance between everything reliability , speed , gas mileage .

Mustangs in my area can be had for around 2500-3500 for a nice 89 or so stang with low miles .. so that is looking attractive only thing I dont like is the traction..
 


<< Tell me more about your cops in minivans! How the F do they get anybody to pull over? 😀 Eh, what would you expect from Frogs? Too ghey!

The rest of Canada uses REAL patrol cars, like Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Ontario. Why do you suppose that is?

"...$600/yr in repair is "lucky" for a '98 taurus??"

Anybody stupid enough to buy a domestic FWD, POS is lucky it doesn't cost more than that! What do the cops in most of Canada know that your parents don't, eh? >>



Well I guess everyone's stupid cause basically all domestic's (and imports) are FWD save for a few select sports cars. They didn't buy it new and we were short on cash at the time so stop being a tard 😉

Not ALL the cops drive minivans, some drive the full-size sedans but a lot of the cop cars I see around are minivans, too. Anyway, I don't give a damn what the cops do. I'm not a cop, and I personally don't need to tow stuff around or do anything else that would need such a car. RWD is useless without traction control unless you're an expert driver. But... even experts can benefit from it unless they're at the track, and no, the highway isn't a track 🙂

(Btw, I'm talking about a daily driver here. If you want to keep a camaro around for those warm summer days go ahead. In fact, that's what a friend of mine is doing. Camaro for summer and Tempo for winter).
 
I used to want to rebuild an older car, like a '68 Cadillac or '70 Buick GS back to original condition and use it as a daily driver. Trouble is, the cost is way too high, for me anyway. I'm convinced the most bang for the buck will be found in a 7 - 10 year old machine. If you get a 'good' one, it will only require nickel & dime repairs to keep it going.

If you can slap a halfway serious sports car together for in the neighborhood of $5,000.00, that would be about all you could hope for. Seems almost impossible, but that Mustang does have a chance of doing it.

Personally, I'd rather get a 1996 Buick Roadmaster. 0-60 in 6.7 and the quarter in 15.0 flat. You could race the furiously shifting rice boys with your A/C full on, while sipping a coke and just basically embarrass the sh!t out of 'em! If you buy a used Roadmaster, chances are it will have been owned by an old man who never beat on it. The Mustang will probably have been beat on daily! The gas mileage for the Buick wasn't really so bad either:

5.7-LITER V-8
  • Standard engine for the 1996 Roadmaster sedan and Estate Wagon is the LT1 V-8, the latest evolution of General Motors? legendary small-block V-8.

    Rated at 260 horsepower and 330 lb-ft of torque, the 5.7-liter V-8 provides power for brisk acceleration and effortless cruising. It allows the Roadmaster, when equipped with a towing package, to tow up to 5,000 pounds, one of the highest ratings for any passenger car.

    The LT1 combines the compact size and low friction of an overhead-valve design with advanced engineering and sophisticated powertrain controls.

    For 1996, the ignition system has been enhanced with new low-resistance ignition wires and new spark plugs, resulting in a smooth idle.

    Due to the inherent efficiency of the LT1, fuel economy is excellent. EPA rating for the Roadmaster is 17 mpg city, 25 mpg highway.
 
"Well I guess everyone's stupid cause basically all domestic's (and imports) are FWD save for a few select sports cars..."

Bingo! I think it's finally sinking in for some people. Half the vehicles sold in our country are RWD trucks and SUVs. Half the buyers in this country aren't so stupid after all!

"RWD is useless without traction control unless you're an expert driver."

ALL your cops are expert drivers? Most departments up there us RWD vehicles despite the rain and snow. And they are DAILY DRIVERS! It's a matter of durability and ruggedness. The vehicles they drive have to be able to take abuse. Tell those patrolmen how 'useless' their cars are and be prepared to be laughed at... for a while! 😀
 
All you guys bashing rear wheel drive need to learn to drive. The reason that there's 10 times as many accidents in the rain as on sunny days isn't because the cars are real wheel drive, it's cause people like you drive them. I drive my RWD car all the time and I haven't crashed it yet. Actually, I've owned 3 rwd cars and drove all of them in the rain. I only got in one accident, and it had nothing to do with which wheels were the drive wheels.
 
I'm willing to concede that FWD is easier in the snow, but it's not a big enough issue to overcome the inherent costliness of maintaining FWD cars. They're cheaper to build, but the consumer pays in the end. Struts VS coil over shocks, CV joints VS cheap U-Joints, room to work under the hood without a tranny in there and most RWD vehicles are body on frame instead of buzzy uni-bodies. Again, it's a matter of durability above snow driveability. If that was such a big issue, cop cruisers, taxis and trucks would be FWD too.
 


<< "Well I guess everyone's stupid cause basically all domestic's (and imports) are FWD save for a few select sports cars..."

Bingo! I think it's finally sinking in for some people. Half the vehicles sold in our country are RWD trucks and SUVs. Half the buyers in this country aren't so stupid after all!

"RWD is useless without traction control unless you're an expert driver."

ALL your cops are expert drivers? Most departments up there us RWD vehicles despite the rain and snow. And they are DAILY DRIVERS! It's a matter of durability and ruggedness. The vehicles they drive have to be able to take abuse. Tell those patrolmen how 'useless' their cars are and be prepared to be laughed at... for a while! 😀 >>



No, the SUV buyers in 90% of the case are more stupid. The other 10% that actually have a reason may be smart or not, I dunno, up to them. SUV's don't handle as good as cars and in an accident with the same size vehicle aren't as safe either. They're safer than a car if you're the SUV in a SUV-car crash, then again cars are usually safer in car-motorcycle crashes 😀. If you need it for commercial purposes or you like to go offroading or whatever then go ahead and buy one, but if you live in the city and are just buying it to impress your friends then you're a dumbass.

I never said the cars are useless, I said they'd be useless for me. Read better 🙂

All the cops are expert drivers? Well, compared to the average driver I sure hope so! I don't want some dumbass cop responding to a call and sliding into me cause he can't drive for sh!t.
 


<< All you guys bashing rear wheel drive need to learn to drive. The reason that there's 10 times as many accidents in the rain as on sunny days isn't because the cars are real wheel drive, it's cause people like you drive them. I drive my RWD car all the time and I haven't crashed it yet. Actually, I've owned 3 rwd cars and drove all of them in the rain. I only got in one accident, and it had nothing to do with which wheels were the drive wheels. >>



RWD may be fine for you, but there's a reason why RWD died out aside from trucks and sports cars: the average driver is a dumbass. Is that such a shock? 🙂
 
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