Cheapo "Sporty" cars

These are the best $20,000 and under import sports coupes on the market, which do you think are the best.

Scion tC
Honda Civic Si
Acura RSX (not S)
Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V
VW GTi 1.8t
Dodge SRT-4
Other I've forgotten

I already know that the SRT4 will do very well in this comparo for its raw speed and power over the competition, but I'd really like to see if people think that the Scion tC with the factory Supercharger thats will become available soon that will bring it up to approx. 200 hp for about a total of $20,000 ($1,000 less then the SRT4 msrp).

I don't know if the tC can ever compete with the SRT-4 in terms of performance and overall sportiness, supercharged or not. I would probably choose the SRT-4 if I REALLY wanted a performance machine for racing, and a supercharged tC if I wanted a peppy and comfy daily driver.

In order, I prefer:

1 GTI 1.8T
2 Scion tC
3 SRT-4
4 RSX
5 Civic Si
6 Sentra SE-R

I'd take the tC. The driving experience, while less sporty, is ten times better than that of the SRT-4. Plus it's got Toyota reliability.

SRT-4 because it's the only Dodge up there. :biggrin:

well the srt4 is by far the best perfomance value out of all the cars listed there.


But if you whant a softer ride, with more luxuries, better gas mileage, and decent perormance with the optional supercharger the tC makes a good case for itself.

Tc does look like a good deal, but its weight take away alot of performance...Srt-4 is the opposite, fast, handles well, but looks soooo....dorky...The supercharged Tc (if the numbers are good) would be better than the Srt-4

SRT-4 because it's the only Dodge up there. :biggrin:

I do not what to dissapoint you but Dodge makes some of the worst cars in the world! Yes, the SRT has strong performance but the question you have to ask yourself is: Do I want to spend 20000k on a Neon (because that's exactly what it is, a Neon) that will probably be worth half its purchasing price in less than 3 years?

Also, Neons have horrendous reliability -- if you really wanna buy domestic, I suggest you stick with GM, at least their cars are worth the money you put into them.

Tc does look like a good deal, but its weight take away alot of performance...Srt-4 is the opposite, fast, handles well, but looks soooo....dorky...The supercharged Tc (if the numbers are good) would be better than the Srt-4

I think the SRT-4 is about 200lbs lighter than the tC, and the SRT-4 comes with LSD standard and performance tuned suspension. The tC's handling might not be on the same level as the SRT-4 out of the box.
And, a supercharged tC should not be able to outrun a 230HP (underrated?) SRT-4 in a straight line race if the s/c tC only outputs 200HP.

No it will take alot for a TC to beat an SRT-4. I would take....the GTI 1.8T. i dont care for the SRT-4 much...

Yup, the 1.8T has both a classy leather interior and a nice powertrain to boost. An awesome blend of quality interior + performance.

if you really wanna buy domestic, I suggest you stick with GM, at least their cars are worth the money you put into them.

actually GM is pretty poor service as well...i've heard of people who've found pop cans in their frame, who's oil caps were never put back on after a check up, a fucking screw driver in the engine bay...

thats pretty bad IMHO

I do not what to dissapoint you but Dodge makes some of the worst cars in the world! Yes, the SRT has strong performance but the question you have to ask yourself is: Do I want to spend 20000k on a Neon (because that's exactly what it is, a Neon) that will probably be worth half its purchasing price in less than 3 years?

Also, Neons have horrendous reliability -- if you really wanna buy domestic, I suggest you stick with GM, at least their cars are worth the money you put into them.
Ummmm......No, it has been proven that the SRT-4's motor is extremely well set up for reliable power.


What the hell good cars do GM make in that price range anyway? None.

i like the tc. it's just a good looking car. neon's don't do it for me. at all. if any of you work on car's on a regular daily basis, you understand, why mopar's are disliked. they just do some really dumb things with their car setups. any how, speaking of gm. they do need to step it up, i agree. i'm interested to see the numbers on the pontiac soltice with a factory supercharged 2.4, that'll be interesting.

Golf Gti is rubbish. Steer well clear of it.

I do not what to dissapoint you but Dodge makes some of the worst cars in the world! Yes, the SRT has strong performance but the question you have to ask yourself is: Do I want to spend 20000k on a Neon (because that's exactly what it is, a Neon) that will probably be worth half its purchasing price in less than 3 years?

Also, Neons have horrendous reliability -- if you really wanna buy domestic, I suggest you stick with GM, at least their cars are worth the money you put into them.


Yes do make sure you remind the next srt4 owner that its just a neon right before he will blow your doors off your sunfire. I'm sure he will be deeply hurt.

:disappoin

People and their misconceptions...the SRT-4's 2.4 turbo has been used by MOPAR in drag racing for years now, and what you get on the streets is basically a massively de-tuned pro dragster engine, so it can definitely handle big power.

The handling sucks? That explains why the car has been doing incredibly well in open-class rally and autocross.

1 Sentra SE-R Spec V
2 Scion tC
3 SRT-4
4 RSX
5 GTI 1.8T
6 Civic SI

the srt.... i would absolutely love the car if it didn't look so much like a neon, call me vain but i wont care a damn about the guys 'doors i just blew off' if the girls down the street are laughing at my neon look-a-like sports car. If power was my only concern i would go right ahead with something like a srt-4 but only if i couldn't find an evo, sti, or vr-4 first.

Definately Srt-4 for that price range and performance capabilities...What comes second doesn't matter. It flies as a sleeper and for the price gives some awesome numbers. Personlly I love the evo and sti more but its not in this comparison...Sooooo neon (ugh I hate saying that word, like "creams")

its a neon. whether you chose to believe it or not, its a neon. NOthing you say is going to change that. Is doesnt matter how many races you win or how you modify it. Its still a neon. It looks like a normal neon with a body kit. With the wealth of aftermarket parts (turbos included) for the RSX and the factory supercharger (plus many other parts to come) with the Scion, getting 230/250 is not impossible. I like the SRT-4, but its a neon.

RSX/tc - tied for #1
if its the type s, the rsx wins easily.

Who cares if it's a Neon, it's still fast. It's more fun to have a slow car running fast times anyways.

With the SRT-4, you also get MOPAR's performance support (www.mopar.com).
We can expect a supercharger and maybe some suspension parts from TRD for the tC, but I think that would be about the end of it. The xA's and xB's optional accessories and performance parts aren't that impressive at all. I expect about the same half-ass effort for the tC as well, maybe a bit better.

Yeah, the tC is definitely not gonna be the performer that the SRT-4 is, but look at the features list! It's like a damn Lexus.

Please put a limit of 10 days on your polls.

actually GM is pretty poor service as well...i've heard of people who've found pop cans in their frame, who's oil caps were never put back on after a check up, a fucking screw driver in the engine bay...

thats pretty bad IMHO

You can't say that GM makes bad cars just because people take them to shitty dealers/garages for tune-ups

actually GM is pretty poor service as well...i've heard of people who've found pop cans in their frame, who's oil caps were never put back on after a check up, a fucking screw driver in the engine bay...

thats pretty bad IMHO

pop cans ? :grinno: you f*%kin yankee , you sound just like my family up in chicago ...

LOL I've heard the pop can story before. I'd take a SRT-4 before anything else on that list. Who gives a crap if it looks like a neon with a kit, my z24 looks like a '90 cavy with a kit, but anyone who knows cars knows it fast same with the SRT-4.