I am now ready for my third car. I would like a light, sporty, semi-powerful, easily modified, sleak street car.

Please do not suggest a civic. I also want to be a little unique. I've always liked the 3000GT. and i've resently gained a lot of interest in the 97-up model preludes. What are your opinions on each or another similar car. PS- if anyone owns a 3000GT or Prelude please feel free to share your experiences with them.

I am pretty sure a 3000gt vr4 will kill a prelude no matter the year , plus they are capable of semi high hp.

if ur going to go with the 3000GT go with the VR-4, i think the SL is underpowered for its weight, but if not the VR4 then go with like maybe a 99 Prelude SH, excellent handling, and decent power

I think a newer 3000gt sl will still beat a prelude, everyone associates them being heavy but i think thats the case w/ the vr4 only.

dont buy a 3000GT and get the SL, get the VR4, heavy or not

as tough as it is to say a Miata sorta fits all your requirements...its sporty, light weight, easily modified, semi powerful if u get the turbo...and it wont cost you a ton to buy or modify

i dont know what your price range is but you also may want to consider the 300zxTT, RX7TT, or Supra TT. all are great performers in all aspects...but the in the 2 particular cars named, the VR4 will demolish the prelude.

yeah, don't know how you fit in a prelude with a vr-4. it's just not on the same level. not taking away from the lude though, it has respectable performance for what it is, handles well and very well built. but overall performance it can't keep up with the vr-4, would struggle even against the sl like someone already mentioned. if you're just looking for speed, it's obvious which to get. but if you want a fairly quick handler that's reliable yet still unique, the prelude will suffice.

A 3000GT SL is about on the same level as a 97+ Prelude SH as far as speed/handling. I think the SL has better features (leather/ECS/dig. climate control), either one is a good choice as they are both nice unique cars around the same price. But if a VR4 is a part of the question, then there's only one choice...the AWD/AWS 320 HP one.

Vr4 definetly if you do look at the Rx7 as some people have mentioned its alot of work always something going on in the car. If your not into working on your car alot hondas the best solution.

yeah 3000gt is not really light, however the SL is 225 hp and 3200 lbs, which is still heavy for hp
the 97 prelude is fine, and can be turbo'ed by someone who knows what theyre doing, but stock will feel a little heavy iirc 205 hp/160ftlbs, 2850lbs
if you have some $$$ buy a 300zx TT, FD rx7, vr-4, MKIV supra, s2000 ect.

if you are ballin on a budget get a miata, FC rx7, 240sx, any prelude 90-up(90-91 you have to swap H-series engine to get some power) MKIII supra, ect.

3000GT VR4 weighs 3781 lbs.
Prelude weighs 2954 lbs. (3042 lbs. for SH)

Now which one do you want?

3000GT VR4 weighs 3781 lbs.
Prelude weighs 2954 lbs. (3042 lbs. for SH)

Now which one do you want?


VR-4 320hp awd (am i right on the hp?)
prelude 200hp fwd.

:eek7:

the mitsu has the drivetrain and more than enough hp to make up for the weight difference and outperform a prelude.

3000GT VR4 weighs 3781 lbs.
Prelude weighs 2954 lbs. (3042 lbs. for SH)

Now which one do you want?

i think anyone buying for performance reasons alone would still take the VR4. you cant argue with high 13 second 1/4 mile passes. it moves its weight very well...

i think anyone buying for performance reasons alone would still take the VR4. you cant argue with high 13 second 1/4 mile passes. it moves its weight very well...

I wouldnt care if the 3000GT has a 120hp diff. over the lude, its still heavy as shit. All you need is a single turbo kit on the Prelude, and the 3000GT can kiss its ass goodbye.

Well the 3000GT already has a turbo and its made to handle boost. If you had both cars, dollar for dollar the 3000GT would still kill the prelude.

I wouldnt care if the 3000GT has a 120hp diff. over the lude, its still heavy as shit. All you need is a single turbo kit on the Prelude, and the 3000GT can kiss its ass goodbye.
ok...now upgrade the 3000GT's performance with that same money that you just purchased a turbo kit for the prelude.

bottom line: the VR4 manages its weight very well and was engineered for higher performance than the prelude so it doesnt surprise anyone that the VR4 will out perform the prelude...

I wouldnt care if the 3000GT has a 120hp diff. over the lude, its still heavy as shit. All you need is a single turbo kit on the Prelude, and the 3000GT can kiss its ass goodbye.

relatively speaking, the prelude is heavy as shit too. compared to cars that ARE comparable - ie eclipse, celica, rsx, the lude is a pig. dont start on modding the cars coz that just opens up a whole new wrold of discussion. and modding an already turboed car is much more effective than turnoing a car NOT designed for boost. and FYI, there are easily better honda motors to boost than an h22.

First of all, why are we even arguing and comparing a N/A car to a FI car?? Stupid and pointles...

First of all, why are we even arguing and comparing a N/A car to a FI car?? Stupid and pointles...

its not that we are comparing a N/A and FI car...its we are comparing two cars that arent on the saame level as each other. the prelude being the better daily driver with a little punch and the VR4 being an all out japanese Grand Touring car from the early to late 90's.

VR4 is to heavy around the twisties. However I know some one thats ripping out the engine and putting it an FC. :smile:

VR4 is to heavy around the twisties. However I know some one thats ripping out the engine and putting it an FC. :smile:

its not too heavy...it handles much better than you would expect if you have ever driven one. sounds like a nice little project...seems like he choosed a much more difficult motor than needed beings the VR4 drivetrain is built to be placed in horizontally if im not mistaken.

Well the 3000GT already has a turbo and its made to handle boost. If you had both cars, dollar for dollar the 3000GT would still kill the prelude.

agreed honda engines stock are high compression which doesnt get along w/ boost very well :wave: 3kgt all the way

its not too heavy...it handles much better than you would expect if you have ever driven one. sounds like a nice little project...seems like he choosed a much more difficult motor than needed beings the VR4 drivetrain is built to be placed in horizontally if im not mistaken.

Im not sure on the Drivetrain and layout but it was either an Ls1 swap or an the Vr4 engine so he decided to go turbo.

Im not sure on the Drivetrain and layout but it was either an Ls1 swap or an the Vr4 engine so he decided to go turbo.

this is one time i would have to say that the LS1 would have been easier, more effective, and wiser. but that is my opinion and if he gets it running...he will deserve props reguardless.

come on... the vr4 had 315lb of torque!!!(94 n up)
it just exactly like the supra torque and also the same hp and they both run closely the same on a 1/4mile( mid 13.5s), on the other hand the lude have like half of the torque 156 and runs in the high 15s

AWD
Six Speed
Look way Better
Also Come in Spyder

torque is better then hp
Vr4 all the way!!! :worshippy

3000GT VR4=good power
Prelude= very "customizable"
Miata=small/great handling
All great cars in my opinion, and actually im considering these 3 cars also, along with a VW GTI, and a 300zx.

mr2 turbo? obviously with the cars being considered 2 seats isnt an issue... its light, rwd, mid engine, imo more rare than a 300zx and 3000gt's (in general not the vr4), many mods and responds well to them... i am a little bias but i think it should be considered

Haha you said that the mods respond well to the car.....shouldn't it be the car responds well to the mods haha.

Then lets throw the Subaru SVX into the comparison. :rolleyes:

Serious though, if you want to put the MR2 into the comparison, that means you can put in other countless cars into the comparison, Pontiac Fiero anyone?

But if you are comparing between a 4 cyl (with variable valve timing but none the less) NA FWD sports coupe and a turbocharged AWD 6, why not mix it up a bit then with a Eclipse GTX or its cheaper, supposedly more Americanized but oddly enough more cramp Eagle Talon TSi. Or what about a Subaru WRX? You can probably find a 3 year old one or perhaps less for about the same price as a VR4 and with even less mileage.

Also, didn't forget the Supra? :rofl:

Then lets throw the Subaru SVX into the comparison. :rolleyes:

Serious though, if you want to put the MR2 into the comparison, that means you can put in other countless cars into the comparison, Pontiac Fiero anyone?

But if you are comparing between a 4 cyl (with variable valve timing but none the less) NA FWD sports coupe and a turbocharged AWD 6, why not mix it up a bit then with a Eclipse GTX or its cheaper, supposedly more Americanized but oddly enough more cramp Eagle Talon TSi. Or what about a Subaru WRX? You can probably find a 3 year old one or perhaps less for about the same price as a VR4 and with even less mileage.

Also, didn't forget the Supra? :rofl:

wow... u really are an idiot arent you....

the mr2 turbo has 200hp 200ftlbs of torque DOES NOT have variable valve timing and has one of the most recognizable and respected engines... the 3sgte which in fact was used in the celica altrac durring toyotas rally days, in the top secret supra producing over 700hp while being street legal and hitting 194mph, in the hks altezza, and many other cars... why would they swap the 2jz engine? well if you dont quite need 1000hp+, the 3sgte is lighter, and being smaller can be placed closer to the center of the car both improving the handling.... just so you kno, this engine has been arround since the late 80's and different versions are still used in cars in japan such as the altezza and caldina... it is also used in the jgtc albacs mrs....

so, the engine has been in and is in all these cars.... oh yeah, and guess what you can keep it in your mr2 as well... SO, if you are going to make fun of 4 cylinder cars, the mr2 turbo is definately not the one you should have chosen... bad move on your part... i now think your knowledge on cars is very minimal as i dont think the fiero is much of a competitor

also your comment above makes it pretty obvious that you didnt even read what he said he wanted... he didnt want a very common car, and, well... its pretty hard to NOT see an eclipse/talon even though they may not be the tsi or the gsx, most people wont know... to them, its just another eclipse/talon

Haha you said that the mods respond well to the car.....shouldn't it be the car responds well to the mods haha.

why dont u check that over... looks like you read to fast.... or you cant read, but hopefully its the first one

Whoa, you don't have to get so defensive about your right. You know, how a related it to something as lowly as a Fiero GT, oh noooo. :sly:

But wait, which generation of MR2 did you exactly mean by, because if it was the first generation came with a supercharged 112hp variant of that all imfamous 3sg (notice no "te" because it wasn't tubocharged, you idiot). Which puts it appropriatley along side the Fiero GT. Don't get me wrong the 3sgte is an incredibly durable engine with many parts that are tunable. However, if you swap a 3800 into a Fiero you pretty much have the same incredibly wide range of tunability, and don't slam it when it comes to weight since it has so much more torque (notice how I said nothing about it being better). And thanks, captain obvious for telling me that the 3sg engine has been around for quite some time since what I said above obviously must mean I already know that.


As for my second paragraph, perhaps if you toned down your ego and actually assumed I wasn't a stupid person for a second, you would notice that part of the post wasn't directed towards you and the variable timing NA coupe I was referring to is the Prelude. And if tiger_speed wants some auto that is rare and unique why would one of the choices have to be a Prelude. Sure, for a Honda is it not one of the most common cars, but aside from the last generation, it probably wouldn't be too hard to find a 2nd or what are left of the 1st generation ones. And if you want a good FWD coupe to compare to the 3000GT VR4, why Prelude. Not only are the fourth generations are to find but also cost for what they are, as an all around car as well as what condition they maybe in, thanks in part to Honda's depreciation value. Unless you want to pay to sure reliability, which you can most likely find on another could which would probably cost about the same for but with less mileage, there is also the Pontiac Grand Prix GTP to consider. As well as, the MX-6 GT or gasp Probe GT. :iceslolan

Ghetto7o2azn, what I was trying to mean is that just as soon as you introduce one "other" into this comparison it opens the door to countless other autos to compare with these two, which have a big enough difference between each other to begin with.

Lets see what others can fill in the performance and price gap between these two that are also pretty rare. The Ford Contour SVT, like I mentioned before Pontiac Grand Prix GTP, Chevrolet Lebaron GT, Galant VR4, pre-1995 Legacy GT, gasp SVX and numerous others I can't think up at this moment. Cheaper alternatives to the Prelude include the Nissan 200sx SE-R, 240sx (which seem to be getting pretty rare), Mazda MX-6 GT, Cadillac Catera and others which as well I can't think up at the moment.

tiger_speed good luck getting the car you want and ghetto7o2azn, try not to make assumptions about people because if you're you become an even bigger moron than what you assumed the other person was.

Whoa, you don't have to get so defensive about your right. You know, how a related it to something as lowly as a Fiero GT, oh noooo. :sly:

first off... i have no idea what the second sentence is saying... the reason i gave attitude or was "defensive" was because of your sarcastic remarks in you earlier post infering that the mr2 was a stupid segestion...

But wait, which generation of MR2 did you exactly mean by, because if it was the first generation came with a supercharged 112hp variant of that all imfamous 3sg (notice no "te" because it wasn't tubocharged, you idiot). Which puts it appropriatley along side the Fiero GT. Don't get me wrong the 3sgte is an incredibly durable engine with many parts that are tunable. However, if you swap a 3800 into a Fiero you pretty much have the same incredibly wide range of tunability, and don't slam it when it comes to weight since it has so much more torque (notice how I said nothing about it being better). And thanks, captain obvious for telling me that the 3sg engine has been around for quite some time since what I said above obviously must mean I already know that.


ok... if you know that the first gen mr2 came either na or supercharged... and the 3rd gen is na with vvti... then which one could it be??? im guessing the 2nd gen.... also... only the "t" acounts for the turbo in the engine "3sgte" not both "te"... the na version of this would be the 3sge... notice that the "e" is still there... and also, america never got this engine as the 3sge engines were performance engines... instead, america got the 5sfe... an eco engine for our n/a's... also... the first gen DID NOT have the 3sge, 5sfe, or 3sgte... it got the 4age (n/a) and 4agze (supercharged)... by the way... the N/A was rated at 112hp and supercharged was 145hp w/ 140ft lbs tq...

as for the fiero... i highly doubt he wants to do a swap right after he buys it, or even at all... i mean, there are people that do put the 3sgte engine in the aw11's and will go 0 - 60 in the 4's...

now lets look at this
"if you swap a 3800 into a Fiero you pretty much have the same incredibly wide range of tunability"

why would u want to go through the trouble of swapping an engine to have the "same" range of tunability... when you can just buy a car that already has it stock?

tiger_speed good luck getting the car you want and ghetto7o2azn, try not to make assumptions about people because if you're you become an even bigger moron than what you assumed the other person was.

you're right.. i have no right to call you an idiot.. mistake on my part... but man do you have to watch your mouth... if you dont know anything about a certain car... dont act like you do... an example of this would be right now... pretty much everything you said about mr2's was wrong, but you came of as though you knew everything... im sure someone who knew nothing about them would believe you... i especially liked how you said "notice no 'te' because it wasn't tubocharged, you idiot" ... lol... i have to laugh at that again :grinno: ok... well i think i made my point

i also hope you find the car you want tiger_speed sorry for "semi-hijacking" your thread but i couldnt have someone blurting false info out there...

Ok, I concede, give up, surrender, happy now.

While I was charging you for making assumptions I was making some stupid ones myself. I watched a topgear episode where they pitted a 3rd gen MR2 against a 1st gen one, where they said the first one was supercharged. Ok, aside from the 3rd gen winning what I took from that was that there are 1st gen MR2s that are supercharged, now I must have known at one point that it should have came in an NA trim as well but that obviously didn't slip my mind while I did that post. And everything else you said on that first post is pretty much right, I don't know Toyota engine codes too well (I was just using what I knew about Nissan and Subaru engine codes to crack the Toyota one). You are right about the NA 3sg"e", since the "e" obviously stands for engine. :screwy:

I guess I let my emotions get the best of me. And my emotions were making me pretty pissed considering that you assumed that I was just trying to put down the MR2, based on the assumption that you thought I was referring to the MR2 as an FWD NA 4 cylinder coupe in which I really was talking about the Prelude.

However, despite the fact that there indeed are NA MR2s, you automatically jump me thinking that I somehow dissed your ride. I am sorry if I insulted you by saying that you might as well include Fiero which suggests that they are comparable (in which, but you have obviously shown that you hate the Fiero in which I was trying to convey in my first sentence but my anger apparently hampered me from typing it in propper vocabulary :rolleyes:). Sure a stock Fiero GT is no match for a 2nd generation turbocharged MR2, but is plenty for a 1st gen NA. It is one thing to be biased towards a particular automobile, but a whole other thing if you feel insulted when I made a reference to what you seem to think of as the enemy. Sure, I admit, aside from the engine codes and what engine the USDM 1st gen MR2 uses, I did twist facts about the MR2, which would make it look less desirable.

But the fact is that with your initial reply to my post that you twisted the point I was trying to make about my post. I was just trying to say how you mentioned the MR2, which is a great choice in this comparison, would then make it appropriate to include almost every other car into this comparison; which tiger knew well hence including the word "other" in title but other users didn't seem to know. I am not saying they are stupid either but do not know.

Also, on the subject of wrong assumption about automobiles and engines you shouldn't be so unfavorable about Fiero engine swaps while you talk about swapping 3sge/tes (or turbocharged engines) into AW11s. Which is again trying to insult me because you think that I wouldn't figure out that AW11 is the model code, don't know if its specifically for the chassis or not, for the first generation MR2. There are many iterations of the 3800, which include the all infamous turbocharged and intercooled ones that are in the 1986-87 Buick Grand National to the supercharged 3800 II which is in the Grand Prix GTP. These engines as well as a slew of other GM made ones can be put into the Fiero, just as the MR2 can take virtually every Toyota engine.

So mute point, you twisted the point of my post so I decided to bend back which in the process I must have bent to the point of twisting the facts and even unknowingly spouting out a couple of lies. Also I do know a thing or two about cars, I guess just not allot about Toyotas.

Btw, how do you know BlackGT2000 was replying about you anyway? It seems as though you come in guns blazing seeing any post that even slightly casting doubt upon your "mighty MR2" you automatically jump on the defensive and bash that person. Well, fine I admit I didn't say exactly which generation MR2 I was referring to being comparable to the Fiero, but that didn't mean you had to call me a moron because I assumed I meant the type you own. In fact, even if I did you didn't have to bash me; merely correcting me with factual evidence would have done just fine. This sort of replying could have applied to the second reply as well, even if what I posted in reply did have inaccurate information. But getting your panties in a bunch over engine codes is sort of funny.:cwm27:

And I thought SVX owners had to be defensive. Also I guess I didn't quite surrender either. :lol:

"many mods and responds well to them..."

Sorry wasn't trying to touch a nerve on the last post, but since you are getting all defensive, it still reads to me that the mods respond well to the car.

sorry if i seamed defensive against your post but it was probably because of vad0r's post... ill explain it

"many mods and responds well to them..."

in the beginning of the list i put "it" refering to the car and then has/is depending on what is listed... so

(it has many mods) = the car has many mods

(and responds well to them) = the subject is still "it" being the car so this can be made into another sentence

it (the car) responds well to mods.... combined it creates

it (the car) has many mods and responds well to them

hope this helped

Also, on the subject of wrong assumption about automobiles and engines you shouldn't be so unfavorable about Fiero engine swaps while you talk about swapping 3sge/tes (or turbocharged engines) into AW11s. Which is again trying to insult me because you think that I wouldn't figure out that AW11 is the model code, don't know if its specifically for the chassis or not, for the first generation MR2. There are many iterations of the 3800, which include the all infamous turbocharged and intercooled ones that are in the 1986-87 Buick Grand National to the supercharged 3800 II which is in the Grand Prix GTP. These engines as well as a slew of other GM made ones can be put into the Fiero, just as the MR2 can take virtually every Toyota engine.

i just used the aw11 swap as an example that you could swap any engine into any car if u have the amount of time and money required... i wasnt actually suggesting that he actually do it...

*edit*why did u even bring up the first gen mr2 in the first place when my suggestion was on the 2nd gen :screwy: *edit*

also i wasnt trying to insult you by using aw11... thats just what it is called... its actually pretty common... its pretty much like saying a gt350, and me thinking that you are trying to trick me because u didnt say mustang

once again... i dont think he wants to do an engine swap on a car he just bought... it takes a good amount of time and money...

anyways im done with this conversation, and will only reply if it has to do with the initial toppic

sorry blackgt2000, no harm was intended and i dont have anyting against you or what you said.. it just came off wrong

I'm sorry but when you first mentioned about the MR2 you didn't say anything about it being a 2nd gen. Maybe I should have used my "car common sense" to determine that it was only the 2nd generation MR2s that were turbocharged. But what I simply saw you saying that his search for a rare car opened the possibility to consider a MR2 and what I did was reply by saying that can open up the possibility to many other automobiles. I am sorry if I brushed by your post quickly and didn't think about the "turbo" part of it. And I admit I was going off topic about the whole engine swap thing, I was just defending the Fiero as well as the 3800, sorry about that.

To tiger_speed good luck to getting the car of your dreams and I am sorry for highjacking your post. And while spending your time on this forum I hope you don't make any enemies like I have.:p

The 2nd gen MR2 turbo is surely a sweet car. I first saw a nice and clean black one while in the Florida Keys. In fact, that is the car that got me off on researching on many automobiles including finding out about the Fiero and many others.

Hey Ghetto no harm done just didn't want any bad blood there. I knew what you were saying, it just appeared to be worded funny and thought you could get a laugh.

3000GT VR4 weighs 3781 lbs.
Prelude weighs 2954 lbs. (3042 lbs. for SH)

Now which one do you want?

Yeah, all wheel drive and all wheel steering add a little weight. They also add some traction. Not to mention that the Prelude is rated at 120 less horsepower. I can't say the Prelude is a bad car because it's not but it is simply outclassed by something like the VR4 which also has a MUCH stronger drivetrain.

My LeBaron weighs 2,800 pounds, but that doesn't mean you would want it over your Prelude, does it?

My opinion would be that if you can afford it get the VR4. Also, drop by the VR4 forums here; there is a lot of good information especially if you’re looking to buy one. All I can say is that my next project car will be either a VR4 or an RT/TT. After driving a friends modified RT/TT it was simply amazing.

VR4 is to heavy around the twisties. However I know some one thats ripping out the engine and putting it an FC. :smile:

That isn't true. Have you ever driven one? I would guess not because I have. I've driven a Stealth RT and a RT/TT with stock and after market suspensions. I can say that they both were very good doing some canyon carving. If I could have only tested them at an auto-x.

That isn't true. Have you ever driven one? I would guess not because I have. I've driven a Stealth RT and a RT/TT with stock and after market suspensions. I can say that they both were very good doing some canyon carving. If I could have only tested them at an auto-x.

Ok so logically thinking 3700 pound around a turn is a shitload more interia an Im saying in general not just to the lude. So your saying it can out handle a 2650lbs Rx7 too?

Ok so logically thinking 3700 pound around a turn is a shitload more interia an Im saying in general not just to the lude. So your saying it can out handle a 2650lbs Rx7 too?

Yeah, and the Supra, Skyline, and the 300ZX are pigs too but I don't hear people saying they can't handle. I never said it could outhandle an RX-7. I know physics I'm just saying that they don't handle like crap.

Yeah, and the Supra, Skyline, and the 300ZX are pigs too but I don't hear people saying they can't handle. I never said it could outhandle an RX-7. I know physics I'm just saying that they don't handle like crap.

Not at all I agree supra an skyline an the 300 as well are all buff the R34 weighing 3400 and the supra weighing 3515. I agree they can't handle as well as the 7 Ive seen it to.

vr4's handle very well, check out there slaloms and braking and other handling stats. i post them every so often but i'm tired and sleepy so maybe i'll post them tommorow

this comparison is very one sided.

Prelude against vr4 and its obvious.

The vr4 is a much better choice and can hit 12's with only very minor modifications.

Yea i had two vr4's already a white 94 and a red 93 both of them were great. They were so fun to drive. It has been my dream car since i was little. but both of them have been totaled. one lady ran into me and the other i ran into a propane truck. i would def go with the vr. any year it doesnt matter. also the other twins like supra, rx7, 300, all good but might be expensive. its great launchin on some front wheel drive and rear wheel cars. preludes can be fast with about 3 to 4 grand. vr4s arent unbeatable, but really sexy.

i have some pictures of them if u would like to see them. i tried to put them on here but i dont know how to.

thread is a month old man.