SRT-4, and the Cheap performance FAD?

[trik]

It seems everywhere I look now there is some kid behind the wheel of an SRT-4. Out of about 5-6 close friends they have all traded/sold there cars for an srt-4. That puts 6 people in an SRT-4 that live within 5 mins of me. I understand the power they come with stock, and the lower price compared to an STI/EVO. Even a local performance shop here gives discounts to srt-4 owners..(wtf?) any kind of conversation about cars now seems to bring up, SRT-4 this, SRT-4 that...at first I was hoping they would just phase out and be done with, but it just seems ot be growing :x Am I the only one who feels this way? I can't go 10 mins outside without seeing 2-3 D:

I normally don't ever just dislike a car based off non performance issues. But I even hold a Civic, "king of the Ricer drop two tanks of NAWS in my car and make my life in the fast and furious cars with 500 yellow decals" to higher standards then it. I don't hate any other cars but SRT-4s...and I don't really know why...

There is just something about that car that makes me wish they would crash and die

[blakscorpion21]

i dont see hardly any in my town. i think theyer pretty cool.

[kfoote]

IMO, the SRT-4 is the best performance value of any car under $25,000. Just because some of the owners of them forget that because it's the best performance value car for under $25,000 doesn't mean it's the best performance car at any cost doesn't mean that the car is the problem.

[Zachp911]

I barely see any SRT-4's around my area... WRX's seem to be the big hype instead.

[nismo_power]

i hate the srt-4. its still a neon...people dont seem to grasp that. they come with good power for their price (over 200 horse for under 20k), but the things are SLOW. stock they run high 15's maybe. people all make a big deal about how big and bad their srt-4 is, but in reality its a slow POS. id give props if i saw one that was actually quick, but everyone around here who has em, doesnt mod em and thinks their car can take anything in stock form.

[Muscletang]

Originally Posted by nismo_power

stock they run high 15's maybe

Motortrend was able to get one to turn a 13.9. I hear though most owners can't launch them though and bounce around the 14s.

Personally I think Chevy's Cobalt is a much better buy. Sure it isn't faster but it's just an all around better car. The SRT-4 is still a Neon and all you're really getting is the engine, nothing else.

[Polygon]

Originally Posted by nismo_power

i hate the srt-4. its still a neon...people dont seem to grasp that. they come with good power for their price (over 200 horse for under 20k), but the things are SLOW. stock they run high 15's maybe. people all make a big deal about how big and bad their srt-4 is, but in reality its a slow POS. id give props if i saw one that was actually quick, but everyone around here who has em, doesnt mod em and thinks their car can take anything in stock form.

Last time I checked a stock SRT-4 was capable of 13 second passes on the 1/4 mile.

Get your damn facts straight. I don't care if you don't like it, but don't be a stupid ass.

[Zachp911]

Originally Posted by nismo_power

stock they run high 15's maybe..

Bone stock they run 13.9 @ 103mph in the 1/4 mile.

[SuperHighOutput]

Originally Posted by Muscletang

Personally I think Chevy's Cobalt is a much better buy. Sure it isn't faster but it's just an all around better car. The SRT-4 is still a Neon and all you're really getting is the engine, nothing else.

I have to agree with you, the Cobalt SS is a better built car, with a better interior, and I've even heard from reliable sources who drove the SRT-4 and SS back to back and say the SS has better handling, or at least better feel.

As for the topic, I don't see any more of them then the other cheap performance cars, and I think they're good cars with great performance especially for the price. I do notice how owners seem to think they have the fastest car on the planet. In fact an acquaintance bought one and the day he got it he started talking trash to my friend about how he could he whoop his modded 96 Z28.

[nismo_power]

im talking aside from professional drivers. i guess it was my mistake not mentioning that, so i accept your guys' correction. BUT however, i have yet to see an srt-4 run above a 14.8. thats from what ive PERSONALLY seen. which makes me think of this example. i went to global import car show last year in tacoma (stupid show...will never go again), and this girl had a completly stock srt-4, with a big posterboard in the trunk with magazine articles on it talking about how big and bad the srt-4 is. she also made the mistake of posting her timeslips on the posterboard. her fastest time was a 15.76. now....that was the fastest time out of maybe...6 or 7 timeslips. so its not like she was that new to the track, but obviously didnt know how to handle the car. dont uptalk the car so much if you cant unlease the power. if you dont believe me, i can call my friend and see if he cant find the picture of it (yes....we laughed so hard we had to take pictures).

my main problem with the srt-4 owners, is that to them....its not a neon. its an srt-4, and some holier than thou attitude about it. now i know all owners arent like this, but im making a generalization of the owners i know/met. they act like its some super car. great.....you paid 20 grand for a car that makes 230 horse. you can pay 16 grand for an 02 WRX with decent miles and youd still have 30 horse on top of it. not to mention the AWD. get over yourselves guys...its a freakin neon. just like a civic is a civic. if you can make your neon fast, great. if you can make your civic fast, great. but dont forget what kind of car you have. its not like its an enzo or something.

[Polygon]

Originally Posted by SuperHighOutput

I have to agree with you, the Cobalt SS is a better built car, with a better interior, and I've even heard from reliable sources who drove the SRT-4 and SS back to back and say the SS has better handling, or at least better feel.

I don't think they are built any better than the SRT-4. They do have a better interior, but that's not saying much. They meant for the SRT-4 to be spartan inside. It is a drivers car, much like an Evo MR. I would love to see a comparison of these two side by side. I think that the Cobalt was the right step for Chevy. It is a much better car than the Cavalier. They are both great cars but I would still take the SRT-4 based simply on power delivery. I hate super-chargers and I absolutely love turbo-chargers.

Originally Posted by nismo_power

im talking aside from professional drivers. i guess it was my mistake not mentioning that, so i accept your guys' correction. BUT however, i have yet to see an srt-4 run above a 14.8. thats from what ive PERSONALLY seen. which makes me think of this example. i went to global import car show last year in tacoma (stupid show...will never go again), and this girl had a completly stock srt-4, with a big posterboard in the trunk with magazine articles on it talking about how big and bad the srt-4 is. she also made the mistake of posting her timeslips on the posterboard. her fastest time was a 15.76. now....that was the fastest time out of maybe...6 or 7 timeslips. so its not like she was that new to the track, but obviously didnt know how to handle the car. dont uptalk the car so much if you cant unlease the power. if you dont believe me, i can call my friend and see if he cant find the picture of it (yes....we laughed so hard we had to take pictures).

my main problem with the srt-4 owners, is that to them....its not a neon. its an srt-4, and some holier than thou attitude about it. now i know all owners arent like this, but im making a generalization of the owners i know/met. they act like its some super car. great.....you paid 20 grand for a car that makes 230 horse. you can pay 16 grand for an 02 WRX with decent miles and youd still have 30 horse on top of it. not to mention the AWD. get over yourselves guys...its a freakin neon. just like a civic is a civic. if you can make your neon fast, great. if you can make your civic fast, great. but dont forget what kind of car you have. its not like its an enzo or something.

No, I believe you that there are shitty drivers out there. Don't blame the car though; blame the jack ass behind the wheel. Stock my last GTC pulled a 14.8 @ 98 MPH. That tells me that I might have been able to pull off a mid 14 second run if I had been better. The SRT-4 should be able to whip my GTCs ass stock for stock.

You must just have some shitty drivers in your area, too bad.

As for your “it’s just a Neon” argument, no it isn't and I get so sick and tired of this argument. I guess I can say that the WRX and WRX STi are just Imprezas, or that the Evo is just a lancer, or that the R32 is just a Skyline which are used as Taxis in some parts of the world and they aren't that fast and don't have the RB26DETT inside.

The point is that pretty much most of these cars have humble beginnings and are based off economy cars but they aren't the same. That is the same for the SRT-4 and the SRT-4 ACR, they aren't Neons.

[kman10587]

The problem with the SRT-4 is that, being a very cheap high-performance car, it's going to attract all kinds of jackasses, ricers, and people who just don't know how to push the car to its limit. For that reason, the car can become very tiresome and get a bad reputation very quickly. But make no mistake about it, it is THE most performance you can get for under $25,000, and with a good driver, can be a competitive force in drag racing, autocrossing, club racing, and rally racing. It's a tough-as-shit, dirt-cheap compact that can perform well in any area if you want it to, and it's a great gift to all the true performance enthusiasts out there.

[blakscorpion21]

if ur running high 15s in a 230 horse car you should drive yourself off a cliff. plus it was a girl what do you expect? plus why are you comparing new cars to used ones thats retarded. and a srt will still smoke a wrx non sti.

[Elk]

Originally Posted by trik

There is just something about that car that makes me wish they would crash and die

Well then what you should do it first write Honda and tell them there all new 170 HP Civic Si is a joke and that they need to stop sucking. Next write GM and tell them that instead of making a 205 HP S/C 2.0L version of the Cobalt SS and a 171 HP N/A 2.4L version of the Cobalt SS they should just make one 240 HP S/C 2.4L version of the Cobalt SS and that they need to stop screwing customers by making the LSD a $1,500 option.

The SRT-4 will stop being popular when someone makes a 240 HP car with a standard LSD for $21,000. Maybe Ford will do it.

blakscorpion21
Your going to end up getting ripped for your girl drive comment, but that doesn’t make it any less funny.

[Muscletang]

Originally Posted by Elk

The SRT-4 will stop being popular when someone makes a 240 HP car with a standard LSD for $21,000. Maybe Ford will do it.

It has been said that SVT is working on a turbo Focus that is suppose to eat the SRT-4 alive. I don't know if this is true or not because it's just a rumor. If it's true though we're suppose to first see it around 2007 after they bring the GT-500 out.