someone bet me $50...

Page 5 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

Arkaign

Lifer
Oct 27, 2006
20,736
1,377
126
Bleh, S54 is one if the cleanest simplest engines out there to work on, only a two stroke is simpler. That's what makes it so great. I mean have you seen how clean the harness is, lack of hose rats nest, etc

Parts costs on the other hand...

Yeah it's not so much the motor that worries me, it's a lot of other little stuff :

Brake cost? Reliability of little things like moonroof seals/motor, door electrics for power windows/locks, AC components, and so on. I'd also guess that a clutch for an M3 would be a fairly high price compared to generic econoboxes, and I don't even want to think about the cost of rebuilding/replacing the tranny.

A lot of this also applies to the G35 of course, but I seldom see people having any major trouble with them other than worn interiors and such.

Maybe I'm just jealous and want to get a //M first again :p
 

Arkaign

Lifer
Oct 27, 2006
20,736
1,377
126
Strangely, I see more low-miles E39 M5s on the market for better prices than E46 M3s, and the original price difference was pretty substantial. Sadly, I think the E39 is too big for her tastes, and she wants a coupe instead of sedan. E39 did suck a ton of fuel though (but oh so worth it!).
 

Arkaign

Lifer
Oct 27, 2006
20,736
1,377
126
I have a somewhat hilarious update to this thread.

I borrowed my brother's 2005 Titan to pick up some hardware and wood (4 Door, Auto of course, some light intake and exhaust mods and tune), and after gassing it back up and headed back to swap back out for my Focus, I ran into ..

A Mini Cooper S :) It was jackrabbiting around on a street with a 45mph speed limit, but it was on the way down the same direction as I was headed anyway, so I followed it up near the 121 tollway where the road changes to a 55mph zone (everyone does 65+ there anyway). I pull into a spot next to him at the light, and he's revving his little motor at an old Integra to the left of him, and I'm on the right. Just before the light I let the 5.6 V8 growl over to him, and I hear nothing over the Nissan motor doing it's work. Before I had even hit 40mph he was already getting pushed back, and by 60 where I let off he was totally done. The old beat-up looking early 90s integra on the other hand, was fender to fender all the way, and he sailed on down the road doing what looked like 80 :p

So, I learned that perhaps something about these types of mini drivers, they're like chihuahuas. They think they're much bigger than their bark :p

If that tremendously heavy Titan can do it, that MR2 Turbo is going to change time zones before the mini can get out of its own way. It will also probably suck less fuel than the damned Titan. I swear that thing gets under 15mpg city with only a moderately heavy foot.
 

exdeath

Lifer
Jan 29, 2004
13,679
10
81
^ lol

On a related note, I always get Titans and Tundras with big shiny V8 emblems and temp tags trying to beat me on merges and I do the same thing to them that you did to the Mini... with the no longer installed Eaton :p

Wonder if the Teg knew you were racing the Mini and not him lol.
 
Last edited:

Arkaign

Lifer
Oct 27, 2006
20,736
1,377
126
^ lol

On a related note, I always get Titans and Tundras with big shiny V8 emblems and temp tags trying to beat me on merges and I do the same thing to them that you did to the Mini... with the no longer installed Eaton :p

Hahaha yeah, I'd never mess with a Mustang V8 unless I had something dead serious like a big single turbo Supra or something :D
 

Arkaign

Lifer
Oct 27, 2006
20,736
1,377
126
A New Edge GT only had 260 HP...

Well, best case scenario, with around a 6 second 0-60, I could probably keep up with a stock Mustang with those specs, but pretty much any mods and the Titan would be done :D

It's mainly fun playing with cars like that Mini, Scion TCs, etc, that for some ungodly reason think they're fast. My brother's favorite target is Civic Sis :D Apparently almost noone knows how to launch one properly to get the advertised acceleration.
 

exdeath

Lifer
Jan 29, 2004
13,679
10
81
Well, best case scenario, with around a 6 second 0-60, I could probably keep up with a stock Mustang with those specs, but pretty much any mods and the Titan would be done :D

It's mainly fun playing with cars like that Mini, Scion TCs, etc, that for some ungodly reason think they're fast. My brother's favorite target is Civic Sis :D Apparently almost noone knows how to launch one properly to get the advertised acceleration.

Picking on the little guys... and ATG wonders why people get an itch to soup up their poor econo boxes. :D

It's people like you and your brother that drive people like me to put a 3SGTE into a Camry. I totally relate to people who spend $10,000 putting 500 HP in their $1500 Civic :awe:
 
Last edited:

Arkaign

Lifer
Oct 27, 2006
20,736
1,377
126
Hahahah, well I have a Focus, so I can relate. I've done some minor mods and it's surprisingly quick for what it is. However, I am under absolutely no illusions that it's actually fast :D
 

exdeath

Lifer
Jan 29, 2004
13,679
10
81
Hahahah, well I have a Focus, so I can relate. I've done some minor mods and it's surprisingly quick for what it is. However, I am under absolutely no illusions that it's actually fast :D

That's what you get for talking your wife out of a M3... :p
 

punjabiplaya

Diamond Member
Nov 12, 2006
3,495
1
71
I actually got into an argument with a coworker today over the same thing. She was bitching about how much her tires cost. Then she said she had a "high performance vehicle." So i asked her what it was - Mini Cooper S. She didn't know the year and/or whether it was the supercharged or turbocharged version. She doesn't race, but I immediately thought "I should bet her $50 that I could beat her in a 1/4." Thanks for the inspiration jlee.
 

alkemyst

No Lifer
Feb 13, 2001
83,769
19
81
Hahaha yeah, I'd never mess with a Mustang V8 unless I had something dead serious like a big single turbo Supra or something :D

I used to beat them all the time back in 96-97 with my GTI VR6.

I used to own a 66 GT and 88 GT that were both incredibly quick...the 66 GT limited by the non-shiftkit automatic my dad wanted me to have.
 

jlee

Lifer
Sep 12, 2001
48,517
223
106
Radar is promising - we'll find out in a few hours if the rain holds off long enough for us to get a few passes in. :D
 

jlee

Lifer
Sep 12, 2001
48,517
223
106

I sure hope so....if I can't find anyone I know, I will find someone who looks trustworthy and give him/her my camera and hope I get it back. :p

Edit: Per their website, today's scheduled event has been rained out. :(
 
Last edited:

alkalinetaupehat

Senior member
Mar 3, 2008
839
0
0
I sure hope so....if I can't find anyone I know, I will find someone who looks trustworthy and give him/her my camera and hope I get it back. :p

Edit: Per their website, today's scheduled event has been rained out. :(

Let him know that the wrath of the internet can be rather inconvenient.

Also, make sure to update the OP and thread title when this goes down so Zenmervolt can sticky it.
 

Arkaign

Lifer
Oct 27, 2006
20,736
1,377
126
Let him know that the wrath of the internet can be rather inconvenient.

Also, make sure to update the OP and thread title when this goes down so Zenmervolt can sticky it.

Definitely! This is going to be the epic thread of the garage.

Oh yes, I almost forgot, it's not important enough to put in a new thread or necro an old one, but I saw a F458 yesterday driving very mildly (too mildly, I wanted to hear that noise!), and my GOD is it beautiful in person, even more so than the pics/videos. Everything else in the universe dimmed a bit as I watched it drive onwards. I have a crap cell phone pic that I might post later, but it's no justice to the car.

Anyhow, that said....

GET HER JLEE!!!!
 

jlee

Lifer
Sep 12, 2001
48,517
223
106
Well as mentioned earlier, we couldn't race but I met her in town and took the Cooper for a drive..definitely a fun and very nimble car. She drove my MR2 and was all 'ohmygod' at partial throttle (about 8psi). She drove up to nowheresville off the interstate...I drove back and had a no-traffic opportunity to launch from first gear. After a "OH MY FVCKING GOD" (or something quite similar), she said she might as well just give me $50 right now...but we'll have to hit the track next spring regardless. :D

On that note, my transmission shifts WAY better than it did when I ran before. I have no doubt I can easily drop some time there.

Definitely! This is going to be the epic thread of the garage.

Oh yes, I almost forgot, it's not important enough to put in a new thread or necro an old one, but I saw a F458 yesterday driving very mildly (too mildly, I wanted to hear that noise!), and my GOD is it beautiful in person, even more so than the pics/videos. Everything else in the universe dimmed a bit as I watched it drive onwards. I have a crap cell phone pic that I might post later, but it's no justice to the car.

Anyhow, that said....

GET HER JLEE!!!!

Post it anyway! :D
 

vshah

Lifer
Sep 20, 2003
19,003
24
81
My brother's favorite target is Civic Sis :D Apparently almost noone knows how to launch one properly to get the advertised acceleration.

also most ppl put shit tires on them after the stockies wear out which slows it down even more