Intro
Basically, this is and optimistic view of what I want in a car - my dream car. If I ever buy a car, I'll try to get as close to these guidlines I can. It includes some speculation. I just wanted to know what you guys think about it. The car is supposed to be the most effecient car to my tailoring - efficient in all senses of it. Meaning: No excessives of any kind, other than possibly safety.
I've made a few changes in the guidelines. The biggest change was platform choice of RWD over FWD. I know from a fun standpoint, RWD is the way to go, but my previous decision to include FWD was safety in the snow, but since then, I've read otherwise. And it made more sense: If you break with the engine with RWD, it's safer than FWD. If you try it with FWD, the back wheels would spin faster than the front and a fishtail would happen. I'm not too sure on the physics of this, but I'm sure the possibility is there. With RWD, there is no possibility.
Car Goals
-Reliability
-Fuel Efficient
-Sporty Handling & Acceleration
-Comfort
-Safety
Guidelines
The car's length should be about 170 - 190 inches maximum range, but about 180 inches is favorable. This makes the car easier to park and maneuver through traffic at high speed or during traffic jams.
The weight of the car should be 2500 - 3500 lbs maximum range, but staying under 3200 lbs is favorable. This keeps the gas mileage up because a less powerful engine is needed to get desirable acceleration.
A naturally aspirated engine with 14 - 16 lbs/hp acceleration. No turbo/superchargers since they may add maintenance, price, complexity, and weight to the car. They also don't provide low end power without increasing complexity and indefinitely require premium fuel, which adds to the cost.
20 mpg minimum for city/combined is a must. My Toyota Corrolla gets 29 mpg combined. I'm willing to sacrifice 9 mpg to get better acceleration. But would rather keep 14-16lbs/hp with greater than 20mpg city/combined.
RWD is more favorable because it's more fun to drive and safer when stopping on snow.
The car must have average reliability, fun handling, comfortable ride and be very safe. Safety includes all types of airbags, ABS, outside visibility and stability control.
A 4 door car is favorable because, not only does it save money on insurance, but it's more comfortable for the driver when passengers need to get to the back seats.
It is more favorable to get a car that accepts regular fuel without degrading performance. However, sometimes, you can't get away from a good car accepting only premium fuel.
Leather seats are more favorable because it houses less dust. This options isn't available on all cars, but it's not a total loss. Get it if it's available.
Keep rims at size stock.
Weight to Power Ratio
This is expressed in lbs/hp. The following shows how fast each rating can accelerate from 0 ? 60 MPH.
lbs/hp | seconds
10.0 = 5
12.5 = 6
15.0 = 7
17.5 = 8
20.0 = 9
Basically, this is and optimistic view of what I want in a car - my dream car. If I ever buy a car, I'll try to get as close to these guidlines I can. It includes some speculation. I just wanted to know what you guys think about it. The car is supposed to be the most effecient car to my tailoring - efficient in all senses of it. Meaning: No excessives of any kind, other than possibly safety.
I've made a few changes in the guidelines. The biggest change was platform choice of RWD over FWD. I know from a fun standpoint, RWD is the way to go, but my previous decision to include FWD was safety in the snow, but since then, I've read otherwise. And it made more sense: If you break with the engine with RWD, it's safer than FWD. If you try it with FWD, the back wheels would spin faster than the front and a fishtail would happen. I'm not too sure on the physics of this, but I'm sure the possibility is there. With RWD, there is no possibility.
Car Goals
-Reliability
-Fuel Efficient
-Sporty Handling & Acceleration
-Comfort
-Safety
Guidelines
The car's length should be about 170 - 190 inches maximum range, but about 180 inches is favorable. This makes the car easier to park and maneuver through traffic at high speed or during traffic jams.
The weight of the car should be 2500 - 3500 lbs maximum range, but staying under 3200 lbs is favorable. This keeps the gas mileage up because a less powerful engine is needed to get desirable acceleration.
A naturally aspirated engine with 14 - 16 lbs/hp acceleration. No turbo/superchargers since they may add maintenance, price, complexity, and weight to the car. They also don't provide low end power without increasing complexity and indefinitely require premium fuel, which adds to the cost.
20 mpg minimum for city/combined is a must. My Toyota Corrolla gets 29 mpg combined. I'm willing to sacrifice 9 mpg to get better acceleration. But would rather keep 14-16lbs/hp with greater than 20mpg city/combined.
RWD is more favorable because it's more fun to drive and safer when stopping on snow.
The car must have average reliability, fun handling, comfortable ride and be very safe. Safety includes all types of airbags, ABS, outside visibility and stability control.
A 4 door car is favorable because, not only does it save money on insurance, but it's more comfortable for the driver when passengers need to get to the back seats.
It is more favorable to get a car that accepts regular fuel without degrading performance. However, sometimes, you can't get away from a good car accepting only premium fuel.
Leather seats are more favorable because it houses less dust. This options isn't available on all cars, but it's not a total loss. Get it if it's available.
Keep rims at size stock.
Weight to Power Ratio
This is expressed in lbs/hp. The following shows how fast each rating can accelerate from 0 ? 60 MPH.
lbs/hp | seconds
10.0 = 5
12.5 = 6
15.0 = 7
17.5 = 8
20.0 = 9
