First Street Racing Car?

Alright so I have been looking into buying a new car. I have been driving a 2004 Toyota Matrix that my mom gave me haha. But I am looking to get a new car that is suited for street racing. I am really quite uninformed on which cars are good/have the capability to be good. i am looking for a used (is that a good idea?) car for under 18g's or so, no more than 20. I would like a car that has a good market for upgrades and is very powerful. I have been looking into a Dodge SRT-4 because I've heard so many good things about them. But the other cars I have been looking at were RSX-S, Celica GT-S, 3000GT, Civic Si, or anything else. I'm not really sure of what a good street racing car is so if I could get any help i'd appreicate it or even an informative website. But what do you guys think of an SRT-4 as a car for me? Although I would prefer a coupe/2 door if the srt-4 is the most competitive then I will get that unless you guys can suggest somethingelse. Thanks a bunch for any help guys I really appreciate it.

Before everybody chimes in and tells you to get exactly what they either own or want to own.

1) how old are you?
2) how do you plan to pay for insurance adn maintaince?

I am 17 and my parents will be paying for insurance but I have to buy the car myself. I will most likely have to pay for maintenence/upgrades myself. Also one thing I'm wondering should I go for RWD or FWD? Also would buying used be a bad idea?

To be perfectly honest, every one of your options suck as a first street racing car for 18g or less used. Sorry, but its the truth.
Before anyone with a car style listed in the above thread, this is not a stab at anyone's ride by any means. I would never recommend a 99 silverado to anyone for a first street racing ride, yet I have one. It has nothing to do with the capabilites of cars with mods,etc. This is simply in HIS particular situation. Just trying to keep him from making the same mistake ALOT of people make. What would my SS be right now if I would have gotten it instead of the truck back in 99? It would be a street sweeper of the worst kind.

I will explain more in detail if necessary......

i would say if buying used spend half the money on car and save the other half for the things that WILL break and for upgrades, fwd would be a better car to start off with but i personaly love rwd and would never want to drive fwd, if you do go rwd take it easy until you learn your car so you dont swing it into anything

Don't start street racing.

It's not cool, it's stupid and street racing makes you a moron.

Now if you want to buy a street car to race at the track, that's a whole different issue.

Don't start street racing.

It's not cool, it's stupid and street racing makes you a moron.

Now if you want to buy a street car to race at the track, that's a whole different issue.

That would have been an AWESOME answer to a totally different question....like maybe," Should I start street racing?"

good point fellas I wasnt really thinking as I actually do have a drag race track relatively close to my house. and your right it would prob be alot safer to race it there although I still would like to drive it around in the streets...it's just such an adrenaline rush when I'm a passenger in my friends car while street racing. And if the cars I listed suck what ones would you recomend to me, something that I won't "outgrow" soon. Thanks for the help guys

Decent street racer.... '98-'00 LS1 Camaro/Trans Am with automatic.

Bolt-ons with a aftermarket stall converter, reliable and consistent track/street car.

Saturn

saturn? are you nutz? a ls1 auto camero/trans am actually sounds good stig. only one thing. insurrance. i assume since having 18g to blow on a car, spend 9g on car, rest for repairs. grab a f-body stang and drop in the 702 block. lol. that would be insane. again, i agree with stig. btw, not tryin to hijack the thread, but how much is that crate motor?

Decent street racer.... '98-'00 LS1 Camaro/Trans Am with automatic.

Bolt-ons with a aftermarket stall converter, reliable and consistent track/street car.


Did you say reliable and LS1 in the same sentence, Matty? :lol:


I'd say an LT1 Camaro would be perfect car to start with. It's got more than enough umph in stock form to keep a new driver happy for at least 2 years or so, has a massive aftermarket, very stout motor and is fairly cheap compared to any car on that list to buy/upgrade. It is rwd with a good amount of power however, so a novice driver needs to be careful for a while untill the car is learned.


Bulldog, ftw!

a vw jetta or gti would be good.also a 90-94 eclipse gsx (warning this car requires you to know how to work on cars),and you cant go wrong with a 5.0 mustange

I love 3000gt's but for 18 grand you could get a VR4. I dont reccomend that however, seeing as how the are damn expensive to maintain. They simpily aren't cheap cars and insurance on them is under "urban exotic". Then I am perplexed. You said 3000gt, Civic, etc. Completely different cars. What are you looking for? Speed in a straight line, nice handling car, something that looks real nice, Fi or n/a, etc.

Did you say reliable and LS1 in the same sentence, Matty? :lol:


No, no he didn't. They are clearly in seperate sentences.

Decent street racer.... '98-'00 LS1 Camaro/Trans Am with automatic.

Bolt-ons with a aftermarket stall converter, reliable and consistent track/street car.

fine, don't get a saturn,

GForce ftl

No, no he didn't. They are clearly in seperate sentences.


Damn, you're right, they are in different sentences. He did say it in the same post though!

id say get the car(whatever it is) in stick, youll probly regret it if you dont, few people i knew made that mistake

guys whats wrng with the srt-4 I have heard so much good stuff about it but yet no one suggests it. In general I am looking for a good handling, fast car preferably soemthing newer. I would like it to look nice I guess but its not a major priority (compared to handling/speed)

guys whats wrng with the srt-4 I have heard so much good stuff about it but yet no one suggests it. In general I am looking for a good handling, fast car preferably soemthing newer. I would like it to look nice I guess but its not a major priority (compared to handling/speed)


If you're going to think about a used srt, then you may as well look into a used ss/sc. Although not quite as fast stock, it's a better overall car with a much nicer motor and suspension setup.

whats the reasoning behind getting a cobalt over a srt-4...i thought the srt-4 was a faster car? is it because the srt-4 won't hold up as well or what? I'm not doubting your info just trying to learn a little bit more. thanks

The reasoning is in my above post. It may be a bit slower in a straight line , but it's a better overall car.

Speaking of Cobalts for sale, I'm selling mine with 24.5k miles for $18,500 US. Intested? ;)

haha what a coincidence :lol: but one thing I heard is that there is more available power to be had in the srt-4 b/c of the turbo. and by nicer do you mean handling and such? couldnt that be changed by new suspensions and stuff? to be honest I'm really kind of lost in the woods here haha. so now I guess it's between a cobalt ss/sc and a srt-4. these are the two best vehicles in the price range I have?

eh. srt-4s are more prone to boost leaks. ask 209 about if he ever had that vacumn leak fixed for longer than 2 months. ik thats a problem among most of them. used srt-4s, i peronsally wouldnt trust, unless u actually meet the person that drove the car on a day to day basis. most of them on used car lots are with people that couldnt drive worth beans and ruin things.

I would take the SRT-4 over the SS just because I hate superchargers. Also, you can get factory upgrades for the car which are warranted. Just be careful about buying a used. Most are owned by asshats that don't know how to take care of a car, or a turbocharged car for that matter.

Other cars you can look at in that range would be an E36 BMW M3. You could easily find a nice 3000GT/Stealth for that price. You could look into an LT1 Firebird/Camaro. Don't count out the 300ZX. You could get a 240SX and swap in an SR20DET. You could always look into a DSM.

Also, if you're willing to get a later model car I have tons of suggestions.

eh. srt-4s are more prone to boost leaks. ask 209 about if he ever had that vacumn leak fixed for longer than 2 months. ik thats a problem among most of them. used srt-4s, i peronsally wouldnt trust, unless u actually meet the person that drove the car on a day to day basis. most of them on used car lots are with people that couldnt drive worth beans and ruin things.

Just change the worm clamps for t-clamps and it fixes that problem.

yeah I am kind fo worried about buying used do to bad treatment but I have no other options. I do like the 3000gt and the 300zx but would I have to be worried about their reliability b/c it would most likely be an older one? or are they normally reliable? and are the srt-4's boost leaks a real big problem? that can't be easily fixed? i really appreciate the input everyone.

yeah I am kind fo worried about buying used do to bad treatment but I have no other options. I do like the 3000gt and the 300zx but would I have to be worried about their reliability b/c it would most likely be an older one? or are they normally reliable? and are the srt-4's boost leaks a real big problem? that can't be easily fixed? i really appreciate the input everyone.

Well, 3000GT/Stealths aren't known for their reliability and they are expensive to maintain. If you can find a lower mileage one that has been maintained you should be fine. Same goes for the 300ZX.

As for fixing the boost leaks in the SRT-4 you just need to change the worm clamps to t-bolt clamps. Very easy fix.

yeah I am kind fo worried about buying used do to bad treatment but I have no other options. I do like the 3000gt and the 300zx but would I have to be worried about their reliability b/c it would most likely be an older one? or are they normally reliable? and are the srt-4's boost leaks a real big problem? that can't be easily fixed? i really appreciate the input everyone.


You're 17, get the 3000gt and 300zx turbo models out of your head right now. Read this, vr4 as a beginner car (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=508150) , my post in there pretty much sums up my feelings on this topic. Get a Honda, learn to drive. If you don't kill yourself after a few years, upgrade to something powerful. You'll have more money and more experience...and I'm saying all this from my own experience.

haha yeahh that post makes sense...so would a srt-4 be a good learners car or something like a rsx-s?

SRT-4's handle terribley (at least thats what Musashi said and he did at one point and time own one). Plus as mentioned boost leaks are not uncommon. And from what I have heard many of the people who drive them have a bad rep....but certainly not all. Get a 3000gt n/a 5 spd. That would be a great car for you. Much more reliable than the TT 3000gt. Fun to drive, handles nicely. As far as speed they're pretty much equal with 5.0 Mustangs. And they can be had for less money than 18k easily unless you get a spyder. And after some driving experience do a twin turbo swap.

soo that sounds good, get a normal 3000gt then when I feel more comfortable ina few years upgrade it to vr4? how much would that cost? and this may be a stupid question..but it s a 300gt vr4 competitive on the streets? and does it have alot of aftermarket parts? also what year 3000gt should I be looking for if any?

Read the 3000gt FAQ

300zxTT MMMMMM(drooling), yea 5.0's are dirt cheap and the aftermarket is HUUGGEE, i know from experience

Here is the 3000gt FAQ: http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=301872


As Igovert said read it and read it carefully....its all you need to know about a 3/S.

Yes, it's what I own, but a Grand Prix GTP or Buick Regal GS are nice cars for street racing. They aren't compact cars like alot street racers prefer, but they have a Supercharged 3.8 Liter engine, which has a vast aftermarket for it. The Regal makes a great sleeper, pretty much why I mentioned that. They should run low 15's/high 14's stock, and a few bolt ons can put em into the low 14's. You can get em for well under $10,000, and they tend to be pretty reliable.

i completely agree with igovert

your 17. get something like a 99 civic SI for like 8k, put some money into it and when you wreck it you wont be as sad as if you wrecked an SRT or 300zx. then when you learn how to really drive, get something faster.

get a early 90s civic hatch. once u can drive do a type-r engine swap. u could run 13s easily.

im going to keep this very simple. your 17, i know you think your a good driver, but your not. you should not be racing on the streets. its dumb and even worse you've just started driving. please keep the racing to the tracks. its worth the drive to the track to save your life and others.

no matter don't get a 240sx. they suck and they're ugly as hell:crying:

I'm going to say find a decent GM G-Body car like the Monte, Regal, or Cutlass, they can be had cheap right now and you will typically pay less than $1,000 for a straight bodied runner. If you can find an SS Monte as they will be fairly quick stock. And after you get tired of the stock power you can always build a bigger nastier motor for it, that and it will always be cheaper to upgrade and maintain a Metric car than pretty much any other car on the face of the planet, GM made like 65,789,673,129 of them...Well maybe not that many but they made an assload of them so parts are cheap, that and the king of all racing motors, the Small Block Chevrolet, came bolted in to most of them, and for the ones that didn't I have four words for you "Multiple Motor Mount Locations". I realize from your posts that the Metric car may not be your bag but seriously check into them you won't be dissapointed. And remember people get killed on the street every day try to keep your racing on the track.

hey man i am 18 and i just went through the same thing...i got a 1994 Toyota Celica GT for $2,000 . the body style reminds me of the Supra and stock comes with a 2.2 liter 4cyl engine, 135 Horsepower, 0-60 in 6 sec., top speed of 125 and amazing cornering. for less than a 2,000 dollars you can get the horsepower up to 315hp, 0-60 in 5 sec. and top speed of 160 mph...pluss mine gets close to 40 mpg. [stock is 25mpg]

upgrades, stage 1 exhaust adds 70 HP, ECU upgrade chip adds 40 HP, Cold air intake ads 10 HP, headers and downpipe add 70 HP

prices for upgrades were so low because i did all the work myself. if you get them installed its more like 5-7 grand

hey man i am 18 and i just went through the same thing...i got a 1994 Toyota Celica GT for $2,000 . the body style reminds me of the Supra and stock comes with a 2.2 liter 4cyl engine, 135 Horsepower, 0-60 in 6 sec., top speed of 125 and amazing cornering. for less than a 2,000 dollars you can get the horsepower up to 315hp, 0-60 in 5 sec. and top speed of 160 mph...pluss mine gets close to 40 mpg. [stock is 25mpg]

upgrades, stage 1 exhaust adds 70 HP, ECU upgrade chip adds 40 HP, Cold air intake ads 10 HP, headers and downpipe add 70 HP

prices for upgrades were so low because i did all the work myself. if you get them installed its more like 5-7 grand


You are hilarious :lol: :lol:

hey man i am 18 and i just went through the same thing...i got a 1994 Toyota Celica GT for $2,000 . the body style reminds me of the Supra and stock comes with a 2.2 liter 4cyl engine, 135 Horsepower, 0-60 in 6 sec., top speed of 125 and amazing cornering. for less than a 2,000 dollars you can get the horsepower up to 315hp, 0-60 in 5 sec. and top speed of 160 mph...pluss mine gets close to 40 mpg. [stock is 25mpg]

upgrades, stage 1 exhaust adds 70 HP, ECU upgrade chip adds 40 HP, Cold air intake ads 10 HP, headers and downpipe add 70 HP

prices for upgrades were so low because i did all the work myself. if you get them installed its more like 5-7 grand

Do you really believe you got 70 hp from an exhast?? With all that work you MIGHT have gained 20 hp. But that is about it. I raced a celica all-trac the 200hp model and I had him first and second and my car was rated at 7 sec 0-60 too. I call BS until we have solid proof.

Have the kid get a civic. We don't need to be putting him in anything fast until he has worked his way up to it. Also a worthy note. Anything over 90 mph is overkill and unnecessary. Top speed does not matter whatsoever.

Civics are relatively easy to work on and it will help him learn about everything.

Back from the dead yo'.

Almost 2 years FTMFW!

I'd like to take this time to just say that MatthewChenault added 190hp, much more than his car makes stock, with just I/H/E and a chip.

hey man i am 18 and i just went through the same thing...i got a 1994 Toyota Celica GT for $2,000 . the body style reminds me of the Supra and stock comes with a 2.2 liter 4cyl engine, 135 Horsepower, 0-60 in 6 sec., top speed of 125 and amazing cornering. for less than a 2,000 dollars you can get the horsepower up to 315hp, 0-60 in 5 sec. and top speed of 160 mph...pluss mine gets close to 40 mpg. [stock is 25mpg]

upgrades, stage 1 exhaust adds 70 HP, ECU upgrade chip adds 40 HP, Cold air intake ads 10 HP, headers and downpipe add 70 HP

prices for upgrades were so low because i did all the work myself. if you get them installed its more like 5-7 grand

I'll have what he's having:rolleyes:

Where do you get your logic???

Prolly the APC catalog

Prolly the APC catalog

Haha i agree....hmm i wonder if the spoken celica has ever actually been timed

Prolly the APC catalog

NFS:U/U2/MW/C/PS

Everything in those games is done in "stages". And they are cheap too. I wish it was that easy to get an intake/header/exhaust/cams/tuning for $1400. And they have cams for the RX7/8. Thats awesome.

Well, if he comes back posting crap like that again he'll be given a vacation.

Good hell. :shakehead

Closing the dead thread.