Okay so tell me: why not buy a muscle car?

[fiznat]

I added up all the money it's going to cost me for my SR swap and everything that goes along with it today, and I had to wince looking at it.

I've thought about this before, but how come you guys decided to spend so much money on this (SR or KAT whatever it may be) instead of building up a sweet a$$ big block mustang or camaro or whatever? I mean, you can get power so much cheaper with all that displacement, and in the end it actually might be worth some money if you tried to sell it someday...

I donno I'm just worried about spending all this money and not being happy with the results. I've never driven in a SR powered s13, but I have been in some beefed up muscle cars and I gotta say: not much could possibly beat that feeling of being PRESSED back into the seat...

Watcha guys think?

[fiznat]

btw I understand some cars are better suited for different types of driving... and I do LOVE how my 240 handles around the roads... but I dont auto-x or drift (seriously) very much.... maybe hard acceleration is the best route...??

[Meantime]

It's a tradeoff. The muscle car has that awesome feeling of brute force. A car like the S13 has great handling and road feel. It depends on what you want. Sure, you could build a 400+ hp small block real easy...but, more likely than not, you wouldn't get the same great feedback or confidence the S13 chassis can inspire. I can tell you that I prefer great handling to great power, hence, I favor the S13 over the F5. But sometimes...sometimes...the 5.7L is just so great at WFO.

Partly because of that tradeoff, I bought both types of cars for whatever mood I'm in...although $2.00 for premium means the V-8 sits most of the time, now.

[89240sx]

I plan on building both when i have enough money!

[Phax]

I went with the SR20DET because I have a boner for turbo charged cars. My very first car was a turbo, and ever since I lost it I've always wanted another. I'm not a big fan of American cars, which is another reason that I went with the S13.

I do fear those SS Camaro's, and Saleen Mustang's though. They are cool. If you can build one for less than an S13 and get more power out of it, then go for it. You do have to put some serious cash into an S13/S14 to get it Porsche stomping fast.

One big bonus in favor of the muscle car is that you won't catch nearly as much crap from the cops. At least around here the mentality seems to be that as soon as you put an aftermarket exhaust on a Honda, all of a sudden you're a street racer in the eyes of the CHP. Yet a Mustang Cobra with fat *** tires and a full race suspension won't get much more than a second glance.

[tinted]

An SR powered S13 is not 'fast' by any means. Don't expect it to be Or you will be disspointed I think. Just like NEO from 240sxforums.com

[Wuss]

I choose import cars mainly due to the fact that I can't stand american engineering and design. It's 2 completely different philosophies. I can appreciate an 11 second camaro just as much as the next car guy, but I'll appreciate it from a distance, and stick with my preference for foreign engineered cars.

Besides that, it's not about the end result of power. A 600 hp domestic is fine, but my goal is not to build an import car that can match that.

The whole attraction to me is the idea of taking a small displacement 4 cylinder motor, and squeezing all the potential out of it. Whether it 600hp to match the domestic, or "just" 300hp, theres still nothing like taking that car down the road knowing that you just took a small motor and made it put out completely unnatural power and performance.

People expect to see a big, wide, loud, domestic to be fast. Many time's they are, and many times they're not. People crap their pants when they see a 4 cylinder import go down that track right next to that domestic, or past it.

[Nathan]

The thing that kept me away from a domestic was getting 14mpg in the city in my Blazer...and that was just a 4.3 liter V6. I dont expect to do too much incredibly better with the 75# injectors for my KAT...if I get on it I can forget mileage I have a feeling

[89240sx]

ya man those v6 blazers get HORRIBLE gas mileage! my brother has one and I think his 305 small block gets the same fuel economy

[MainEvent212]

i really wanna build up a 350 and drop it in a IROC-Z camaro...but i like my 240sx cuz it's an import...and i like turbos

[Nathan]

My mom's 350 suburban and my dad's 5.3 silverado both get about the same or better than I was getting in the blazer...it constantly pissed me off, the best I EVER saw on the highway was 23mpg.

Edit: but the seats middle seats laying down and it being flat from the tailgate to the front seats was one hell of a redeeming factor! :D:D ahhh, good memories...

[krazy skwerel]

I want to build a 68-72 Dodge Dart. They are cheap, look sweet , easy to throw a 360 crate in. What more could you ask for.

[Bubba1]

Why shouldn't you buy a muscle car? Other than that they're big, unattractive (most), cheaply made, unreliable, use a lot more gas, and handle poorly, I can't think of a single reason.

If all you're interested is straight line performance, big ol' Detroit pig iron can be tons of fun. I love the rumble of a V-8, but I personally find muscle cars too limiting. I want performance + handling + reliability. I'm unaware of a muscle car that combines all 3.

Good luck

[SilSweet80SX]

+1

"Why shouldn't you buy a muscle car? Other than that they're big, unattractive (most), cheaply made, unreliable, use a lot more gas, and handle poorly, I can't think of a single reason."

[Onizuka]

An SR powered S13 is not 'fast' by any means. Don't expect it to be Or you will be disspointed I think. Just like NEO from 240sxforums.com

Holy crap that is so funny! how much crack did you smoke today? But again maybe i just imagined all those magazine articles SR's making over 400, 500, even 750hp. Those can't be fast at all :rolleyes

no offense...

[tinted]

A stock one. 205 fwhp. ~?170rwhp. That isn't fast to me. Sorry for the confusion.

[Onizuka]

who swaps a SR and keeps it bone stock and on stock boost? Still a decently fast car anyways, you can tear down a 14 second 1/4 with a stock one. Some crazy arse got a 12.9 by disconnecting the wastegate and letting the turbo completely max out. I think that was on a sentra though (still the same motor)

[Onizuka]

ANYWAYS, i almost bought a 1970 Chevelle drop top until i figured out it would take 2.5 gallons of gas just to get to work then another 2.5 on the way back. A tad bit expensive operating cost if you ask me.

[tinted]

fast to me = low 13s, high 12s

Stock SR = 13.9-14.3 normally

I'm just saying a stock SR is not fast. Its faster, though, thats for sure!

[sixxdeuce]

My dad just told me about his friend that wants to sell a 85 mercury capri gt with for $2000. I think this would make an awesome sleeper. it was the last year with the holley 4-barrel, the most powerful year, 210 hp and 285 tq i think. Plus I know theres tons of cheap aftermarket support for those ford 5.0 motors.

[CA18_Dreams]

the way that i think about it is form experince... i use to have a 200hp honda crx... i have a freind with a 5.0 mustang with about 325hp... i kicked his *** all the time... it all comes down to power to weight ratio... my crx was about 2200 pounds... a musclle car is about 4000 to 4500... also... i paid my car 2500 and put about 2000 into it... and cars that had 3000 invested into a 5000 dollar car could beat me... in the straits... agian... power to weight ratio... thats my 2(damnit how do i make a cent sing)

[Sircnay]

eh, I don't like em because they're big, ugly and waste gas. Everywhere I see one there's something wrong with it. I mean, my 91 SE w/ a 93 SR20 has been running clean and wonderful for the last what? 11-12 years? Yeah, and my friends 2001 SS Camaro is on it's 2nd transmission and the motor is already falling apart. My friend's 2001 Saleen Mustang is currently undergoing a engine rebuild.

They're just unreliable and waaaay too expensive to keep up. And they handle like crap. Hell, Civics handle better than them. And everyone knows that a true sports car tries to be as light as possible. I mean look at the Lotus Elise, it's arguably the best handling car in the world and it's 1800lbs with a 4 banger under the hood right?

[Onizuka]

a 1.8 liter 4 banger at that

[Sircnay]

By the way<----- Lotus Elise whore

Who else is an Elise whore?

[Onizuka]

ME ME ME!!!! I want one but ill never get one for a long long time

[ZERO]

get a Lotus Elise and find a way to get an SR20det into the engine bay

[tinted]

nah, theres already a better car that has an SR20ve or det??

Its in the new road and track. Ill get it for you later if i feel like it

[Onizuka]

the lotus elise is posibly the most well balance car ever, with a FWD SR20DET in the back (the american track release model came with the honda B18 im pretty sure) it would dominate almost anything

[tinted]

Well anything under 80k, but still the SR is only 230 hp If they would bump that up to 300hp then now we would be talking!

[drifter_for_life06]

I'd have to agree the Lotus Elise is a bad*** car in my opinion, I'd love to have one.