Daily Driver w/ Potential?

Hi,

I'm in the market for a new car and am looking at these cars:

- SVT Focus
- Honda Civic Si (99-00 EM1)
- Mazda 3
- Chevrolet Z24
- Dodge Neon
- Toyota Matrix
- Honda Del So
- Suzuki Aerio SX
- Acura Integra (Non-GSR and ITR)

Out of all of these cars what I'm looking for is reliability as it's a daily driver and something that has potential to be a decently fast car. What I mean by this is that I would be able to have it run high 13's eventually. Anyways, what do you guys think is the best pick? Sorry there's so many, I just can't decide!

Thanks!

Civic Si. It's a Honda, it's going to be reliable. Lots of potential with turbo kits and engine swaps.

Civic Si or Cavalier Z24. The others are going to be tough to get into the high 13's, but the Civic Si and Cavalier Z24 have done it numerous times, and have an array of available engine swaps and aftermarket forced induction kits.

The same can be said for any Neon R/T or any Neon with the Magnum SOHC heads, as well as the SRT-4 I suppose.:evillol:

The Mazda3 also has pretty good potential. And people are finding out you can get 10hp out of the Aerio with a CIA and a bit more with exhaust, thing is you might want to preffer to either swap a manual into the SX or get the sedan model.

There aren't any manuals for the SX model? Darn. I thought for sure there was.

Anyways, thanks for all of the replies guys.

Vador - Which do you think would be best for me if you could only choose one?

Thank you!

Edit: Whoops. Forgot to say that I'm also looking at the Toyota Celica.

i also thought the non-awd aerio SX came as a manual...

i would get either the focus SVT or the civic SI, but you can get the focus in a 4-door, not just a 2-door like the civic. not sure how much that matters.

you may also consider a volkswagen gti 1.8t, since you seem to like hatches.

hate to say it but probly the civic SI. If you're willing to spend the money for a turbo or engine swap then they can be really quick.

If you can find a DOHC Del Sol Si that might be a good one to look at, not as common as some of the others and has a good engine to boot. On the other hand if you're not opposed to some American muscle an LT1 Camaro will get you there with a couple of bolt-ons while still maintaining the reliability of a stock motor.

Okay,thanks. Doesn't the Del Sol Si have the same engine as the EM1? What engine does the EM1 have and which one does the Del Sol Si have? Ugh, maybe I'm just going crazy...what else it new? :)

With either model though, a turbo would get me where I want to go right? Thanks.

I vote for Mazda 3. Everyone does a civic, but i havent seen any fast 3's around. Theres a kit out that gives 240 whp at http://hiboost.com/kitmmazda3.htm. That might be up your side street

Quick question, if I did get a turbo, is there any way that I could still keep the good fuel economy on these cars when I'm just using it for normal daily driving? I don't expect it to get good gas mileage when I'm running it really hard...

Okay,thanks. Doesn't the Del Sol Si have the same engine as the EM1? What engine does the EM1 have and which one does the Del Sol Si have? Ugh, maybe I'm just going crazy...what else it new? :)

With either model though, a turbo would get me where I want to go right? Thanks.

The Del Sol has the B16A3, and the Civic Si has the B16A2, and a turbo would get you where you want, you could even get there with NA.

Just another thought, you may want to check out Foxbody Mustang 5.0s, they're cheap , fast, easily modifiable, and reliable.

Quick question, if I did get a turbo, is there any way that I could still keep the good fuel economy on these cars when I'm just using it for normal daily driving? I don't expect it to get good gas mileage when I'm running it really hard...
It all depends on how you drive it. If you can stay out of boost then yes, but you probably won't have the self-control.

Okay, so if I stay out of boost I'll still get around 25ish MPG for city driving? Or even lower?

Secondly, the Del Sol would have to be an Si or VTEC one, right? Also, you say NA. Is NA much more reliable than forced induction?

Thanks.

Okay, so if I stay out of boost I'll still get around 25ish MPG for city driving? Or even lower?

Secondly, the Del Sol would have to be an Si or VTEC one, right? Also, you say NA. Is NA much more reliable than forced induction?

Thanks.

I would say that generally NA is more reliable than FI, in this case I don't know, the B-series engines have forged internals so they can withstand some abuse, although you'll want to beef it up if you're running high psi.

if you have a matrix on the list why not a celica gt-s its light and can run 13s with only a turbo. the civic si is alright but i dont like civics that much. the neon will kick ass if u get the srt4 but if its a reg. neon id say no. the focus is fugly as well as the matrix, the integra is a nice choice as well as the del sol, because it is so light. the mazda 3 is too plain and bulky. and like everyone said if u dont mind crappy gas mileage get a camaro, or firebird. even though a modded 4 cylinder wont retain its good gas mileage with a turbo. you could also consider the cobalt ss its a good little car.

the srt4 is cheap and will run 13s from the factory but its not a regular neon like you stated but close enough. that would be my pick.

stock for stock, the svt focus is the clear winner in your list. but aftermarket support will be nowhere near the level of the civ si or del sol. personally id get the del sol if i had the choice.

How would one go about staying out of boost with a turbo?

depending on when the turbo spools if you stay in low rpms the turbo wont spool and you will stay out of boost. youll never stay out of boost completeley but you can avoid going into it too much.

I was thinking and what about a VW Jetta? Sure, some may say their girly but I heard that they have lots of potential. I heard that if you chip it, it can be pretty fast. What do you guys think?

The VW GLI 1.8t/2.0t, as well as the GTI 1.8t + chip can make up to 210-220hp at the crank. This is what I would suggest. They tend to be nicer then a honda, the stock turbos are very tunable, theres a humongous VW community, and the aftermarket is very large as well.

My roommate last year bought one, its a very nice car, that would be one of my top picks for this category

If I do get a Jetta are all models as good as others too chip or should I only get the Jetta if I can get a specific model? Also, would the Golf be just as good?

Thanks.

seems the best to get is a 1.8t (or i guess 2.0t on the very newest models).

easiest to get more power out of as far as i know.

and... jetta or gti... same engine, and... basicly everything else. the jetta is a few 100lbs heavier, that's the only difference.

i also thought the non-awd aerio SX came as a manual...

i would get either the focus SVT or the civic SI, but you can get the focus in a 4-door, not just a 2-door like the civic. not sure how much that matters.

you may also consider a volkswagen gti 1.8t, since you seem to like hatches.

My bad there is (http://www.autobytel.com/content/research/detail/Suzuki/Suzuki-Aerio-SX.htm) a base Aerio SX that comes in FWD with a manual transmission, my bad. :p

Now when it comes to what tunable daily driver you want, is practicality a concern because if it isn't like other have said you should rather opt for a coupe than a sedan. Except the Focus SVT which is underrated and probably one of the best performance hatches (not compact sedan or coupe) in the US, the problem is Ford doesn't make them anymore and it might be a bit hard to find people that are giving them up.

Then there is the Dodge Neon R/T which from what I heard has a pretty tunable and torquei engine for a 4 cyl, but unless you have suped it up quite a bit most people look at it as the one that is eclipsed by the SRT-4.

Btw, if you are looking into coupes try looking for mid 90s Eclipse GT-Ss or Eagle Talon GTs. Or if the condition of the car is not that much of a problem you can get a 1st gen Elipse GSX or Talon TSi.

i wouldnt waste time on a R/T if you wanna turbo it. it's 2.0L compared to the srt4's 2.4L, and ofcourse the engine isnt as strong... not suited as well to handle a turbo.

and really, it's got FIVE more lb-ft of torque then the baseline neon. 135lb-ft. ok i guess for a 2.0L... but comeon...

and from personal experience, (i've got a 2003 R/T), it's a fun ride for the power, but i can put the gas to the floor in 5th at like 60mph, and it will take FOREVER to get to even 70mph... it's got no passing power.

Just out of curiousity, how would an older car, specifically the Nissan 200 SX SE-R or the Sentra SE compare to some of the cars I'm looking at, specifically the Toyota Celica GT, Dodge Neon R/T, Civic Si EP3, and the Saturn ION 2.4L?

Thanks.