Hi,

I'm going to be getting another car soon and it is going to be my daily driver yet I would also like it to kind of a sporty car that is reliable. I've been following a member named SoCalLove and my needs are a lot like his. I don't expect it to be super fast but I would just like it to keep up with my friends cars (Honda Prelude VTEC, Ford F150, etc.). Anywho, I've been looking at these cars:

- Chevy Cavalier Z24
- Nissan Sentra SE-R
- VW (Any model really as I would plan on chipping it.)
- Acura Integra

So, what do you guys think? Which do you think would be best suited for my needs? Thanks in advance guys!

what years of the cav, sentra, and teg are you talking about?

more info would be nice

Yeah, we need a little bit more info. Range of years acceptable? Maximum price? Preferred body style? Automatic or manual? Minimum fuel economy required? Can you do maintenance yourself? etc. etc.

Okay, sorry about that guys. What year the car is isn't a huge deal to me, if I had a choice though probably like a late 90's car would be my first pick. I'm definately going to be getting a manual. I have virtually no car experience so any major things on the car I doubt I would be able to do so reliability is something I'll definately think about. Also, whether the car is 2 Door or 4 Door doesn't really matter to me.

Thank you!

i would say go with the integra gsr, followed closely by the sentra se-r

You'll need some decent power to keep up with a Prelude VTEC. The Sentra SE-R, a.k.a. 200SX SE-R, isn't quite up to the task, but it's still fun as hell to drive, not to mention cheap, reliable, and well-built. That'd probably be my top pick.

Okay, thanks. Most of our racing would just be short little sprints so top end power isn't really a major factor. I highly doubt that we would every break 100 MPH. Thanks guys!

Another question: How much upgrading do you plan on/feel like doing. There are some cars that might be over looked in stock trim but with a little bit of attention can be made quick enough.

Well, the cheaper the car the more modding I will do to it...

Edit: Also, I've been looking at the late 90's Celica's. I don't know how those compare to the Sentra's or Integra's but just thought I'd bring it up.

My suggestion is that one would expect: Get a Z and be happy.

A 300ZX would be great if you can afford it and handle it, a 240SX would also suffice if you can't.

Mk. IV VW GTi 1.8t. Good little car that makes a good daily driver. Its not RWD like a 240sx, but its got a stock turbo, and is capable of nearly 220hp with only a chip. Its interior is also far better then the various Nissans and the Chevy. There is a massive aftermarket 1.8t VWs.

look into a maxima, they make great daily drivers and are deceptively quick cars plus they have a pretty large aftermarket.

Okay, thanks.I would love to get a 240SX and was looking at them but I’ve heard that they don’t get very good gas mileage. Since this is my daily driver I would like my car to get decent gas mileage. I would love to get a VW GTi but I don’t think that I could afford one. My price range is pretty pathetic, probably around $5K give or take some. So, what do you guys think? I’ll be sure to check out the Maxima. Thanks guys!

The 240SX should get better gas mileage than the Maxima; it's lighter, more aerodynamic, and with less power. Probably geared shorter, but still.

Wow, I didn't know that. I just checked fueleconomy.gov and your right. The Maxima actually get's worse gas mileage than the 240SX. The 240SX though still only gets 21ish MPG and I was hoping to get more like 25ish. Anyways, how would the other cars mentioned before (Sentra SE-R, Celica, etc.) compare to the 240SX?

Thank you.

Not to sound like a fanboy or anything, but you may want to consider a Taurus SHO, not the V8 models the older V6 models, they're pretty quick, and darn reliable as well. Don't know about your age or if insurance is an issue but for 5k you can get a Foxbody Mustang 5.0, or LT1 Camaro and blow your friend's doors off. Any older cheap Civic with an engine/drivetrain swap will do the trick as well.

I would love to get a Fox Body Mustang but I also need good gas mileage as well, at least over 20 MPG. I'll check out those other cars though. Thanks!

I agree with SHO, to me those are awesome choices for cars. In the long run it wouldn't take much to take out a prelude or F150

I have driven a few SHO's and they are much nicer than the 97 taurus I had. I like the uniqueness of a manual taurus. The only problem is that they are becoming increasingly difficult to find in good condition. But if you look you will find them, there are SHO enthusiasts that have taken as much care of their car as you could hope. Side note though: I always recomend the 5.0 for stop light to stoplight races. They are cheap and easy to mod and are awesome in the low end, but like you said if gas is a factor its really not a good choice.

Okay, thanks. Also, you mentioned the older V6 Taurus' are better than the V8's. What years are the older models?

Thanks!

like 90-94

a maxima 5 speed will get about 23-28 mpg, i'm not sure where fuel economy.gov got their figures from, but having owned 4 maxima's all the way from 3rd gen(89-94) 4th gen(95-99)-5th gen(00-01) and my current 5.5 gen, none of them have averaged less than in the 20's as far as mpg, and two of them were automatics. my current maxima has a digital readout that tells you your gas mileage, and it shows usually between 25-30 around town, and on the highway w/ the 6 speed as much as 40mpg or better. considering that mine has a 3.5L engine compared to the older generations with the 3.0L, it doesn't make sense that the older generations would make less mpg with a smaller engine.

also if you're going to look into the SHO taurus, gsr teg or 300zx which are all awesome cars, take a look at what Motor Trend had to say about the 1995 maxima 5 speed the year it debuted:


Motor Trend, Road Test, June 1994
"Our tester, a five-speed SE version of this fourth generation of Maxima, produced a blazing 6.6-second 0-60-mph time, and a 15.2-second, 92.4-mph quarter-mile run. Ask us,
and we'll tell you how the Maxima SE will whip the Integra GS-R, and Taurus SHO;
the new Maxima also shows no mercy on its Nissan stablemates: It'll stomp the normally aspirated 300ZX, and drivers of automatic-transmissioned 300ZX Turbos best not be snoozing when the light goes green. just some thing's to think about.
This demure-looking family car is the quickest Japanese sedan available in the States."


sorry to sound like a fanboy, but i wouldn't have stuck with the maxima as long as i have if it was all just hype. they really are great cars, man.

Okay, I'll be sure to look into them again. How much money do you think it would cost to get a Maxima to run low 14's for the 1/4 mile? Any specific years that you recommend?

Thanks!

I don't think you will be touching low 14's in any of these cars for a while if you are on a budget. You are looking at taking off a whole second I would bet you would spend a couple of thousand dollars at least. Look around for which one you want and what is available. Get some test drives and see which one will satisfy you the most. Just take notes on what you should be looking at.

Okay, thanks. Right now I'm looking at:

- Nissan Maxima
- Nissan Sentra SE-R
- Acura Integra
- Nissan 240SX (Possibly, not sure yet though.)
- Toyota Celica

Still can't decide though. I really like all of these cars...

Those are all fine choices. If you don't mind owning a roadster, also take a look at the Mazda MX-5 Miata. It was made from '90 to '97 (1st generation), and then again from '99 to '05 (2nd generation). It's not big on power, but it's cheap, reliable, easy to drive, and very fun in the corners.

Yeah, I was looking at those too, I'm just not a big fan of the super small body or anything. Anywho, how would the Miata compare to the other's listed?

Thank you.

good on corners bad against your buddys prelude on the straights.

Do you think that the other cars that I listed would fare better on the straights than the Miata?

Okay, I'll be sure to look into them again. How much money do you think it would cost to get a Maxima to run low 14's for the 1/4 mile? Any specific years that you recommend?

Thanks!


a 4th generation Maxima(1995-1999) falls right into the price range you're shooting for and is the lightest maxima weighing in around 2900 lbs for a 5 speed base model. it makes 190 hp 205 lbs of tq, and they move well but they tend to fall off in power after 5000 rpm due to their intake system.

the 5th generation(2000-2001) make 32 more hp than the 4th gens and have cam phasing and a variable intake manifold providing significant power gains in the upper rpm ranges(similar to a honda's Vtec) where the 4th gens fall off, however they weigh 300 lbs more, so the horsepower advantage isn't as big a factor as it would seem. Also, the variable intake system from the 5th generation can be added to the 4th gen to provide the same power gains while keeping the benefits of less body weight.
the 5.5 generation(02-03) make 255 hp have the detuned version of the 3.5L engine from the 350Z, it makes use of the same variable intake system to gove good power all around and can run in the mid 14's stock, so low 14's would be easy to achieve but they're probably up out of your price range, unless you wanna use the $5K for a down payment.

i'd say a 4th gen is probably your best bet, and you could get it into mid 14's for less than a grand if you shop around. an intake, cat-back and dowpipe would get you about 20-25whp and probably get you well into the 14's, and if you added the variable intake system i wouldn't be surprised if it touched 13's well driven.

Awesome, thanks. I think I may be getting the Maxima now as it seems like it has a lot of potential. Also, since I'm mostly going to be racing from light to light the top end power isn't very important. Any other info on the 4th generation Maxima would be greatly appreciated. One more thing, what kind of gas do you run through your Maxima's? Premium? Thanks!

Awesome, thanks. I think I may be getting the Maxima now as it seems like it has a lot of potential. Also, since I'm mostly going to be racing from light to light the top end power isn't very important. Any other info on the 4th generation Maxima would be greatly appreciated. One more thing, what kind of gas do you run through your Maxima's? Premium? Thanks!
i run 93, 91's recommended, that and regualr changes with synthetic oil kept my last max running strong at 170,000 miles.

it's good that you are interested in a maxima, but make sure you test drive one or two before you commit and see how it suits you. i loved mine, but it may not be the car for you. what's important is that the car makes you happy. definitely check out some of the other car's you are interested in. before i got into my 95 maxima, i test drove a 94 prelude and a 95 3000GT SL. both were pretty nice, the prelude would have definitely been my next choice.

Motor Trend, Road Test, June 1994
"Our tester, a five-speed SE version of this fourth generation of Maxima, produced a blazing 6.6-second 0-60-mph time, and a 15.2-second, 92.4-mph quarter-mile run. Ask us,
and we'll tell you how the Maxima SE will whip the Integra GS-R, and Taurus SHO;
the new Maxima also shows no mercy on its Nissan stablemates: It'll stomp the normally aspirated 300ZX, and drivers of automatic-transmissioned 300ZX Turbos best not be snoozing when the light goes green. just some thing's to think about.
This demure-looking family car is the quickest Japanese sedan available in the States."




whoa, i just read this...

im sorry to inform everyone, but the 15.2 second 1/4 mile isnt going to come close to the "automatic-transmissioned 300ZX Turbos". a 300zx automatic N/A, yes it would make a damn good race. a 5-speed n/a should have no problem walking it...

let me just clarify that nissan designed the automatic 300zxTT to be just as fast as the 5-speed. the auto TT has a totally different set of turbos to allow them to work better with the automatic transmission. the gearing of course was also changed to make a run at the 5-speed. and if you know anything about turbocharged cars, automatic's allow you to hold boost while shifting because you do not have to let off the gas. this gives you yet another leg-up on the 5-speed. if a 5-speed TT shifts perfect it will run dead even with an automatic, but i repeat...they must not make the slightest mistake.

i dont know how MotorTrend could think they could get away with comparing the high 13-low 14 second 300zxTT to the low 15 second maxima, in 1/4 mile times. :screwy:

anyways, sorry to interrupt...carry on. :D

let me just clarify that nissan designed the automatic 300zxTT to be just as fast as the 5-speed. the auto TT has a totally different set of turbos to allow them to work better with the automatic transmission. the gearing of course was also changed to make a run at the 5-speed. and if you know anything about turbocharged cars, automatic's allow you to hold boost while shifting because you do not have to let off the gas. this gives you yet another leg-up on the 5-speed. if a 5-speed TT shifts perfect it will run dead even with an automatic, but i repeat...they must not make the slightest mistake.

It's still got one less gear to work with, so its either going to have worse acceleration, a lower top speed, or worse fuel economy. Stick with manual if you can live with it day to day.

ummm about the guys original post Id go with a Gs-r first because its very reliable, a good daily driver, easy easy tranny to learn on, and very modifiable....id take over the Z24 just because I've heard that econ GM manuals are absolutely awful...oh wait, I've driven a Saturn Vue manual, they are awful....


On the other topic, im really not sure how you can set-up the turbos differently to make the auto the same, or why Nissan would go through that effort...but I trust K3smostwanted's info...id like to know how good the 300zx TT 5-speed is...because the Legacy's clutch is soooooo heavy, the throws are sooo long, and the gear ratios are very close so I have to shift often...I have driving the legacy in traffic!! is the 300ZX the same???

On the other topic, im really not sure how you can set-up the turbos differently to make the auto the same, or why Nissan would go through that effort...but I trust K3smostwanted's info...id like to know how good the 300zx TT 5-speed is...because the Legacy's clutch is soooooo heavy, the throws are sooo long, and the gear ratios are very close so I have to shift often...I have driving the legacy in traffic!! is the 300ZX the same???

well, the 5-speed TT has pretty long 2nd and 3rd gears but 1st gear is relaticely short. throws are not long at all for a stock car. stock gearing at stock rev limiter, limits the 300zxTT to ~185mph so the gears are not short at all.

the automatic TT turbos have a smaller A/R ratio which combats the drivetrain loss with an automatic transmission so the turbos spool sooner or at the same time as the 5-speed. it also does alot of other things but basically it just enables the automatic to form the same turbo output numbers and speeds as the 5-speed.

also, about the clutch being heavy...yes it would be a damn heavy clutch but nissan fixed this by engineering a "clutch booster" system. works exactly like the brake booster except for your clutch. it uses vacuum from the intake charge to help you push down the clutch without straining your leg muscles. this feature isnt offered on the N/A but with the much heavier TT drivetrain components, it is a must for daily driving.

It's still got one less gear to work with, so its either going to have worse acceleration, a lower top speed, or worse fuel economy. Stick with manual if you can live with it day to day.

actually 5th gear in the 5-speed is virtually the same as OD in the automatic 300zxTT. so...they have virtually the same amount of gears...

4-speed with OD or a 5-speed...it is just as quick, gets the same gas mileage, but it does slack on top end. i remember reading that it average ~180mph without the limiter. ~5mph loss, i dont think its that significant to even be considered. this probably has more to do with the drivetrain loss of the automatic rather than gearing.

but yes i agree, buy a 5-speed if you want a street car. if you have any intentions of building a big performance track car of any kind, go with the automatic because with the new SAW kit for the 300zxTT, it can shift alot faster than a person can even think to switch gears. remember that people are slow....atleast compared to computers.

well i can tell you, i drove a auto 300zxtt and also a stick, and i couldnt tell the difference in speed myself. they both felt equivalent in speed. my buddy was out to buy one, so we test drove a few.

Okay, I won't question your knowledge of the 300ZX. But still, I'm just more of a manual kind of guy. Even if it's slower and more difficult, I like to do it myself :)

Okay, I won't question your knowledge of the 300ZX. But still, I'm just more of a manual kind of guy. Even if it's slower and more difficult, I like to do it myself :)

im the same way..thats why i have gone to the trouble of swapping a manual transmission, while doing the TT swap, in my 300zx instead of sticking with the automatic. i want a fun nearly untouchable street car. so for a street car, i think a manual transmission is the only way to go.

but the automatic 300zxTT is just as fast and the automatic is VERY strong. there is a guy running a SAW kit and light upgrading, bolted to a VH45DETT pushing over 1000hp over in the "Past Z Car Forum".

Okay, thanks guys. So I think I´m looking at the Nissan Maximan, Mazda Miata, or Acura Integra GSR. Which do you think would be the best for me? ShouldI just go based on looks? They´re all reliable and get good gas mileage so should I just pick the one that I think looks best?

Thank you.

They're all reliable, they are all fun to drive, and they all get decent gas mileage (the Maxima's is a bit worse than the rest, but it's also got a lot more power). Just go with whatever you like the most.

id personally take the GSR but thats me. i think it would be kind of frightening to be on the highway cruising next to semi trucks in a miata, but then again...i cruise the highway alot and have had some past experiences that would make me a little more frightened than another person.

and the maxima, i dont know...i cant get past the typical 4 door sedan. too blah...

i dont know how MotorTrend could think they could get away with comparing the high 13-low 14 second 300zxTT to the low 15 second maxima, in 1/4 mile times. :screwy: they didn't, they were comparing the maxima to the SHO, GSR, and na 300ZX. they mentioned the turbo Z for a brief second.

whoa, i just read this...

im sorry to inform everyone, but the 15.2 second 1/4 mile isnt going to come close to the "automatic-transmissioned 300ZX Turbos". a 300zx automatic N/A, yes it would make a damn good race. a 5-speed n/a should have no problem walking it...
a buddy of mine back in highschool had a 96 300zx na 5 speed and i walked him in my 95 5 speed maxima. considering that the 300z weighs 300+ lbs more and sends the power to the rear weels making for more drivetrain loss, i don't see why you would find that so hard to believe. if you consider that the maxima loses 8% power through the front wheels and the Z loses 15 % of its power through the rear wheels, the Z only makes 7-8 more whp but still has to over come the extra 300 lbs of body weight. not to mention the fact that the maxima actually makes more peak torque than the 300Z and makes it at a lower rpm.

they didn't, they were comparing the maxima to the SHO, GSR, and na 300ZX. they mentioned the turbo Z for a brief second.

a buddy of mine back in highschool had a 96 300zx na 5 speed and i walked him in my 95 5 speed maxima. considering that the 300z weighs 300+ lbs more and sends the power to the rear weels making for more drivetrain loss, i don't see why you would find that so hard to believe. if you consider that the maxima loses 8% power through the front wheels and the Z loses 15 % of its power through the rear wheels, the Z only makes 7-8 more whp but still has to over come the extra 300 lbs of body weight. not to mention the fact that the maxima actually makes more peak torque than the 300Z and makes it at a lower rpm.


i know they mentioned it for a brief second...but that is still a problem. it should not have been mentioned at all because they were implying that that the 300zxTT auto is slower than the manual and that the maxima has somewhat similar performance and neither of these are true.

there are alot of things that contribute to you beating one 300zx N/A. in general, it would be a damn good race...i just think, the majority of the time, that the 300zx n/a will win beings most in good condition consistently run in the high 14's. like i said, alot of times these cars are not in the best of condition and the owner isnt the best of driver's which causes that acceleration time to slip. i have no problem admitting that the maxima and N/A 300zx would be a good race...i do have a problem admitting that the maxima will win everytime because you happen to beat one in your maxima.

you have no problems putting words in my mouth either it seems. i never said that the maxima would win every time, i posted a review of a car, and i said i beat my friends Z. you're the one who said... ...a 5-speed n/a(300Z) should have no problem walking it(the maxima). if you think it's a driver's race, then say so, but that's not what your statement would lead one to believe.

you have no problems putting words in my mouth either it seems. i never said that the maxima would win every time, i posted a review of a car, and i said i beat my friends Z. you're the one who said... if you think it's a driver's race, then say so, but that's not what your statement would lead one to believe.

sorry for the mis-communication.

next time i will make sure to clarify that at certain times the 5-speed N/A will be beaten by the maxima if it is improperly driven or is not running up to par. j/k...:D

bottom line: the 15.2 second maxima is not going to be a competition for the 300zxTT, automatic or manual.

i actually just read a thread over at TwinTurbo.net that had this discussion and most people were fairly amazed that the Automatic does in deed consistently run faster times than the 5-speed.

Okay, thanks guys. Quick question, I was talking to my friend about the older Celica's and I must say that I really like the look of them. How would a Celica compare to a Maxima, Sentra, or Integra? Thank you.