Hi,

I'm looking at the:

- Honda CRX
- Mazda MX-6
- Toyota Celica (Probably a 90's one as I like the styling of those the most)
- Nissan Sentra SE-R/200SX

Out of these which would you recommend? I'm mostly going to be doing stop light to stop light stuff and nothing serious. My toughest competition would be a Ford Lightning that runs a 13.60 or something. I don't expect to beat him but would any of these give him a run for his money after their modified? Also this will be my daily driver so I'm not going to be stripping it down or anything.

Thank you.

Hi,

I'm looking at the:

- Honda CRX
- Mazda MX-6
- Toyota Celica (Probably a 90's one as I like the styling of those the most)
- Nissan Sentra SE-R/200SX

Out of these which would you recommend? I'm mostly going to be doing stop light to stop light stuff and nothing serious. My toughest competition would be a Ford Lightning that runs a 13.60 or something. I don't expect to beat him but would any of these give him a run for his money after their modified? Also this will be my daily driver so I'm not going to be stripping it down or anything.

Thank you.

is it the older turbo MX6 or the newest one offered with a V6??? if its the newer one, go for the probe...the probe usually sells for cheaper for whatever reasons.

i know the older MX-6 turbos can be made pretty quick with minor modification beings it comes from the factory turboed, makes for a really good "sleeper"...and i know the CRX can be deadly quick with the right turbo kit or motor swap.

i dont really know much about the others...

I'm not sure it will be possible to find any super-economical gas mileage cars that will have the capability to not be completely destroyed by that lightning. To make one of those cars die a decent death you'd probably need tons mods that would negate your excellent gas mileage and the affordability perk of owning an economy car. My recommendation, considering something on the merits of its reliability and gas mileage and forget the speed, or sacrifice some mpg to get a car with guts. I wish it wasn’t the case but gas mileage and good acceleration are usually mutually exclusive concepts.

Sorry buddy, power and great gas mileage rarely mix. If you are looking at these cars with gas mileage in mind price is clearly a big factor. I don't think you will be giving a lightning a run for its money any time soon. Get which ever one feels best to you and be happy with it. My friend back home has a 95 MX6 V6 and its pretty nice. Its got leather interior and its decently quick. It won't be scaring any lightnings though.

Of the cars you mentioned I like the 200sx se-r. It’s known to have very good reliability and it’s got the sr20de engine with 140hp and gets 24/31. Another car I like that’s not on your list is the late 90s civic HX, only 117hp but you get an awesome 35/43mpg with manual transmission. If you consider the HX though, steer clear of the auto cvt, I’ve read it had a lot of problems.

If you really want a "Battle of the Gas Mileage Vehicles", the CRX HF destroys all comers at nearly 50 mpg. Unfortunately, with 60 hp, 90 lb-ft of torque and absurdly long gearing, such mileage comes at the cost of performance. The Si is a bit more peppy and gets between 30 and 35 mpg, but you're still looking at a 16-second car. Like someone else said, performance and gas mileage don't mix.

Okay, thanks guys. I know that when I'm racing I won't be getting gas mileage, I'm talking about getting good gas mileage when I'm using it as my daily driver going 40-50ish MPH. If you mean that I won't get good gas mileage even when I'm not racing, well, I guess I'm screwed then.

Are there any cars that can possibly run low to mid 14's while still getting above 20 MPG when used for daily driving? Or are there any cars that get good gas mileage yet are very quick to around 60-70 MPH? Top end speed isn't super important.

Thank you.

A carefully-driven Camaro Z28 will get nearly 30 mpg on the highway while cruising, and it'll still hit 13's at the track with a good driver, and even low 14's with an average one. If you want better city mileage and still be able to pop off a 14-second quarter mile, get an older Honda Civic or CRX and tune it up. The easiest way to increase gas mileage and performance at the same time is to lower the vehicle's weight, and CRXs and older Civics are very light.

Okay, thanks. Definately considering the CRX now...

If anyone can think of a car that would fit me better, please speak up.

How about a Hoveround, they will get you to the grand canyon on one charge.

One more thing, how would a Civic Hatchback compare to the CRX? Thank you.

Notwithstanding the fact that the choice is primarily a matter of aesthetic preference, you'll have to be a little more specific. The lightest CRX is around 1,760 lbs (1st-gen HF), and the heaviest is about 2,160 (2nd-gen Si). Similarly, there's a significant difference in weight between a 6th-gen DX hatch and a 4th-gen. Regardless, Civics are only as light as the heaviest CRX, and the CRX is more peformance-oriented from the factory (aerodynamic body, 4-wheel disc brakes, rear sway bar, tight gearing and 14" alloys for the MKII Si). Unfortunately, you'll probably have a harder time finding a CRX that's in good shape than a Civic, but IMO, it's worth the effort.

Okay, thanks. I'll just go with the CRX unless I find a vehicle that's better suited to my needs. Thank you.

Yep, as far as combining gas mileage and performance goes, it doesn't get much better than the CRX.

How much money do you think I would be spending to get it to run low 14s? What would you guys recommend I do?

Thanks!

Ask the guys over in the Honda section of the forum, they know a lot more than me about this sort of thing. I'd guess that a D16 motor from the '92-'95 Civic with a good turbo kit would get the job done, but I'm sure it can be done without a turbo with a good set of VTEC headers.

Cool, thanks. On my way over there. :)

In regards to the original topic, I thought I'd also mention a first-gen Miata. Like the CRX, it's small and light, so you can expect good mileage. There's a decent aftermarket and a rabidly-loyal group of enthusiasts to whom you can turn for advice. Best of all, the handling on a Miata is literally point-and-shoot, and it's got the best gearbox I've ever ripped through short of the S2000. I seriously considered a Miata, but I went with the rex for a number of reasons: 1) Zero storage space. The CRX is my daily driver, so I needed to be able to haul more than one duffle bag on occasion. 2) The Miata is light, but the heaviest CRX is lighter still (2182 vs. 2167). 3) Purely subjective, but I prefer the old-school Honda look to a cutesy roadster. Just thought I'd mention the Miata as an option.

Low 14-sec CRX Si on a budget? Good tires, custom exhaust. generic intake, and a 50-shot on the D16A6 with a good 60" and good reaction times should do the trick.

Okay, thanks. I have also looked at the Miata but I'm just not a huge fan of how small it is. Anyways, the CRX is also my daily driver so I need to carry stuff around in it too. Thanks!

Well, I've done some reading and it seems like the Sentra SE-R/200SX has the potential to be a very good car since it's got the SR20 engine. Only 1 person talked about it so I was wondering what everybody else thinks about it. How would it compare to the CRX?

Thank you.

My 200k CRX gets 43 mpg at 70 mph. Even with a B16 swap it would still get above 30 mpg on the highway. Of those options listed, Honda will be the easiest to modify.

Have you considered an S13 240sx? Just as cheap as a CRX, easier to find one in good shape, decent aftermarket, relatively lightweight (2800 lbs), and best of all, it's RWD. The stock KA24 is a torquey truck engine that responds well to boost and averages about 25 mpg depending on how you drive, or you can swap in the ever-popular redtop SR20DET for an instant 200 hp and 200 lb-ft. of torque. It's a perfect drift car, if that's your thing. I would've looked into one more seriously, but my brother went with the SR20, and I wanted to stay all-motor. Very respectable platform for the budget tuner.

Yeah I've looked at the 240SX but I've heard that they get crappy gas mileage...

Edit: Some other cars that I'm looking at are the Subaru Impreza AWD (An older one, probably around 1995ish) and the Suzuki Aerio SX (2003 - 2004). Both of these cars get better gas mileage than I thought and can be had for fairly cheap. What do you think about these?

An older Impreza wouldn't be the kick-in-the-pants STi version; it'd be the ordinary, run of the mill sub-150hp version, if I remember correctly. As for the Aerio . . . good car, but from what I've heard tuner parts for it are somewhere south of scarce. That is, good luck finding any.

What's everyone else's opinion on the Aerio SX?

:eek7: boo.