Need Help: Narrowed It Down To 5... - Page 7

k3smostwanted · 06-01-2005, 01:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GamerFreak

So, what do you think is the best car that get's good gas mileage and can be pretty fast? Also, it doesn't need to be very fast, probably the fastest I would race is a stock Ford Lightning which if I remember correctly does high 13's. So low 13's would be acceptable.

low 13's is pretty fast for any of these cars and it is going to take quite a few modifications to get any of them to get there. the Z31 Turbo and mustang can do it with bolts ons. the 240sx and hondas are gonna take motor swaps or turbo kits to get there.

GamerFreak · 06-01-2005, 01:34 PM

Oh, that's not good. Well, what about high 13's?

kman10587 · 06-01-2005, 02:57 PM

A 240SX with a turbo kit and a few bolt-ons can do high 13's no problem. Of course, that's going to kill your gas mileage too. If you want good gas mileage and enough power to do high 13's, I think an LT1 Camaro (1993-1997) is your best bet. Driven conservatively, they can get 30 mpg on the highway, and with a good enough driver, they can hit high 13's in the quarter mile. However, if you expect to go racing and still get average gas mileage, you're sadly mistaken. You can't be flooring it and getting good gas mileage at the same time; it's one or the other. Just letting you know.

GamerFreak · 06-01-2005, 09:54 PM

Yeah, that's what I figured, I just meant that it get's good gas mileage when your not racing. Anyways, thanks, I'll be sure to check out an LT1 Camaro.

GamerFreak · 06-01-2005, 11:14 PM

Maybe it's just me but I checked fueleconomy.gov but it said that the Camaro only got high teens for MPG. Maybe the site is wrong...

Edit: Also, I'm just guessing at random cars now but what is your take on the Mazda MX-6? I saw a thread on it and it seemed like a pretty nice car. But then again, what do I know about cars?

siege911 · 06-02-2005, 12:06 AM

okay, you seem kinda random when it comes to cars... I was looking for a used car for about 2 years, and I finally found mine (honda civic, but then again i didn't really want a performance car). My advice to you is to pinpoint what the most important trait is that you want your car to have, and then find a car with it. You mention gas mileage, price range and performance, but also reliability. A car with excellent ratings in all four is hard to come by, so pinpoint exactly the trait you want, then do research (google) and find a car that you like the looks of and can see yourself driving for a while. Then, finally, get nit-picky, and make your decision. Good luck.

k3smostwanted · 06-02-2005, 12:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GamerFreak

Maybe it's just me but I checked fueleconomy.gov but it said that the Camaro only got high teens for MPG. Maybe the site is wrong...

Edit: Also, I'm just guessing at random cars now but what is your take on the Mazda MX-6? I saw a thread on it and it seemed like a pretty nice car. But then again, what do I know about cars?

i think you will have even more problems modifying it into the 13's...and the probe looks a hell of alot better, less girly.

i still say Z31T, mid 20's in gas mileage, high 13's EASY, something you dont see everyday, can last as long as you take care of it, V6 power (so you dont have to turn the air conditioner off to pass someone on the highway), etc.

kman10587 · 06-02-2005, 12:42 AM

EPA mileage estimates for a 1993 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 are 17 city/25 highway (with a six-speed manual transmission). It's not spectacular, but considering how fast the car is, it's pretty good. But really, if you're looking for a used car for five grand that does high 13's in the quarter mile, don't expect much more than 20 mpg combined. If you want mpg in the upper 20's, you're going to have to give up some speed.

GamerFreak · 06-02-2005, 09:52 AM

Well, I was really hoping for a car that is under 5 grand that has pretty good MPG. It doesn't have to be fast stock, but can be made fast later on. Sorry if that was hard to understand.

kman10587 · 06-02-2005, 12:22 PM

Well, that's why I suggested the 240SX. It gets the best mileage of the group when stock (high 20's), and you can make it plenty fast with a turbo kit or motor swap later on.

Twyzz · 06-02-2005, 01:47 PM

Ever think of an na mr2?

GamerFreak · 06-02-2005, 02:50 PM

Yah, I did and I heard that it wasn't very novice friendly so I disregarded that idea, unless I was informed incorrectly.

Anyways, I think I've got it down 3 cars (240SX, CRX, and Z31). I'm pretty sure I'll go with the 240SX but if for whatever reason I don't (I'm not super fond of the looks) I think I'll go with the CRX (Gotta love that good gas mileage). How does that sound? Any other suggestions? Thanks.

kman10587 · 06-02-2005, 10:05 PM

Have you considered the Mazda Miata? I don't know if you want or don't want a roadster for any particular reason, but the car handles excellently, gets good gas mileage, and is incredibly fun to drive. You can get a 1st gen. in great shape for five grand. The only drawback is that its straightline performance is pretty subpar. It would take a LOT of work to get one to run high 13's.

GamerFreak · 06-02-2005, 10:35 PM

Yeah, I was looking at it but am not super fond of the small compact look. I will give it another look though, I don't really mind the hard top. Anyways, how much money would you have to put in to get it to run high 13's? Oh, one more thing, what years are the 1st Generation Miata? Thank you!

kman10587 · 06-02-2005, 10:48 PM

The 1st gen. Miata was produced in America between 1990 and 1997.

You'd have to ask a Miata expert to know exactly what you'd have to do to get the car to run high 13's (send a private message to kfoote; he owns and races one). But based on its weight, gearing, and aerodynamics, I'd say that you'd need about 280 horsepower. The car come with two engines: a 1.6L, 118 hp engine, and a 1.8L, 130 hp engine (don't know if those are exact figures). But either way, you're gonna need a turbocharger and a lot of boost (probably 15 to 17 psi) to make 280 horsepower. And at that point, the somewhat flimsy roadster chassis is going to have problems putting that kind of power to the ground, so you'd have to reinforce that as well (and I think it'd take more than just a roll cage and tower strut bar). You may have to upgrade the transmission as well, as I question its ability to reliably handle that much more power than it was designed to handle. Ditto for the rear suspension, which will need to be strengthened so that it doesn't bend in half from the influx of turbocharged power. So yeah, the Miata is really not a practical car to go drag racing with. It's excellent as a fun yet economical cruiser, or a competitive yet affordable autocrosser, but a drag racer it is not.

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