Question on AWD Cars

[rousie13]

I'm going to have to buy a second car soon, as I'm going to be going on co-op, and need something I can drive all year around. I've been looking at the 98+ Subarau Impreza 2.5RS or 96+ Eagle Talon/Mitsubishi Eclipse AWD. I might have to sell my 240 though, because it will pretty much be sitting in the garage for two years because I won't be home in the summer to drive it. Any other ideas on cars for 7K-12K that will be reliable, yet fairly quick as a dailry driver.

[rco8786]

Mmmm I would stay away from Mitsu(eclipses anyway) but that's just my opinion of them...If you want something awd maybe an older impreza

[SCOOBYSHAG]

yeah get the Impreza. I used to have a 2000 RS and it was a great car..

[RobDET]

nothing wrong with mitsu either...keep the oil changed and get a first gen car and you'll be fine. the old 2.5RS looks cool tho. The eclipse has more aftermarket support.

[RobDET]

If t was me i'de try really hard to find a Mazda 323GTX... those things are cool

[prigo]

I like the Impreza RS's

[sleepy_nokkie]

older 97-01 A4 1.8T (B5) 5spd .. 150-170hp depending on the year .. You can get 1 bar chip for like $500 that will boost it up to 200-208hp and 240-248 lb-ft.

older Scooby 2.5RS is nice too but lack of power. 165hp You'll gonna have to spend a lot to get it up to like 200hp

[droptopsilvia]

older 97-01 A4 1.8T (B5) 5spd .. 150-170hp depending on the year .. You can get 1 bar chip for like $500 that will boost it up to 200-208hp and 240-248 lb-ft.

older Scooby 2.5RS is nice too but lack of power. 165hp You'll gonna have to spend a lot to get it up to like 200hp

Audi all the way!!! and that chip is only 250-300$german kraftwerk is excellent and reliable.....and its made by porsche so you can have those bragging rights

[Ceptos]

for some reason i like the legacy, only like 165hp and torque tho. i just like the look of it. i also like the older impreza, before the one with circular head lamps.

[lbrowne]

why not drive your 240 all year round?

Unless you are actually moving somewhere that you can't take the car with you....

[groundhogday1976]

My 240 sucks on snow. I'm getting real snow tires (not all season) before winter. The open diff doesn't help, either.

[CaptainHenreh]

Toyota Celica All-Trac Turbo.

'Nuff said.

[DSM91]

Audis are awful. At least the newer ones. I have several friends who have stock 1.8T audis who have blown their engines with less than 40k on the car. Audi and VW is trash. Car and Driver did their annual reliability report, and Audi and VW were in the worst category right above Hyundai and Kia.

The Eclipse/Talon is not the most reliable car as they get older. The only real problem they are known for is the transmission. 1st gen DSMs have awful synchros. They tend to die quickly after 100k miles or so. Other than that, the trannies are ok. The 4G63 is an extremely reliable engine as long as you can take care of it. Be careful of crankwalk when purchasing a 95-99 turbo Eclipse or Talon though. Get an auto and avoid it all together

The only other thing I can say about winter driving in a DSM is that they are not your typical winter AWD car. You need some good winter tires and wheels to make use of the AWD, otherwise you will find yourself drifting all over the place.

[RobDET]

heh... i still like the 323GTX best of all... they're so choice... if you can find one i definately recomend it...

[D1SR240]

323gtx? i never even heard of this car, what kinda specifications does it have?

[jacob360]

Yeah, the Mazda 323GTX is great. Talk about a sleeper. It looks just like the regular econobox 323s, but its turbo and all wheel drive. Kind of hard to find though.

[float_6969]

Get the scooby....

[Repo Man]

Holy crap, 240's aren't THAT bad in the snow that you would have to get rid of it. Get the Blizzaks, throw some weight in the back and look at as an excuse to put an LSD in there.

Also use it in the snow to perfect your mad tyte JDM drifting skillz yo...

[Onizuka]

i saw a 2.5 RS with a EJ20 (WRX motor) swaped in it. Cheap AWD sleeper.

[float_6969]

I actually agree with Repo. I got my first LSD in my 2nd 240 and I won't even drive a 240 w/o one now. I'm in Kansas and so I'm VERY used to snow. I swear to goodness that last year I was pulling friends with FWD cars who got stuck in parking lots! All I had was LSD, and some studded snow tires in the rear. I NEVER got stuck. Not even once, and I even tried to a couple of times. LSD makes a world of difference. I firmly believe it should be the FIRST modification ALL 240 owners should make to their vehicle.

[Bubba1]

Plenty of good choices for AWD.

Sube 2.5RS practical, though a little boxy, fairly reliable, nice car

Celica Alltrac. Not particularly attractive either but very reliable and fun,

1st Gen AWD Turbo eclipse/talon. Little rockets. Very fun. Not as reliable as say a Toyota or Honda, but a whole lot more reliable than anything American. Certainly worth a look.

Audi A4: They are more expensive to maintain and less reliable than a Sube, but it's much more refined. I'd rather take a long trip in an A4 before a 2.5rs

Audi Coupe Quattro, same as above, fun cars if you can find a clean rust free example

AWD Passat 4 motion. same platform as an A4 except it doesn't hold it's value as well, making it more cheaper to buy used. but same comments as A4, just not quite as plush..

240's do suck in snow, that's a given, but it definitely is good practice for skid control. Besides the key to driving well in snow is the driver, not which wheels are the drive wheels.

Subie would be my first choice if you're looking for cheap AWD car. But If you want to look at SUV's, different story.

Happy hunting

[canadians14]

i live in canada and we have eagle here instead of mitsubishi ... the 2g talons ( and eclipses i'm assuming ) have a problem known as crankwalk and it can cause total engine failure ... thats the only reason i'd stay away .... i've heard 2.5 RS are really underpowered with the AWD and only 165 HP but theres always the aftermarket heres a decent crankwalk link http://www.nyccdsm.com/forums/...=1425

[sr20meplease]

yea we have talons in america too and yes 2g dsm's have crank walk....

[rousie13]

Yeah I've read a lot about that crank walk, and not sure if I want to risk it now. I'm debating if I wanna buy the AWD(Audi, Eagle or Subaru) or buy an SR and put an LSD in my 240 and just drive that all the time. I would just like to have a newer(97+) car right now until I can afford a brand new one when I get done with school. I've seen '00 and '01 Impreza's for like $10K, so I am leaning that way until I drive one and can tell for sure if I like the car.

[DSM91]

Not all 2G DSMs cranwalk. About 15% last time I checked.

You can install a 1g 6-bolt motor (non-crankwalking) in place of the crankwalked 2g motor too, so go ahead and get a DSM.

But if you just want a low 13 second winter beater, you can't beat a 1st gen DSM.

[float_6969]

LSD, it totally changes your 240 and you'll learn how your car reactes in a loss of traction and how to control it. Every year, on the first snow. I go out to a big empty parking lot and make the car loose traction. That way I can re aquaint myself with the feeling, how the car reacts, and what I have to do to correct it. Driving in the snow is not that bad, it really isn't.

[PROJECTRB240SX]

'98 SUBARU 2.5RS, THEN DO THE RA/STI COMPLETE CONVERSION.

PM: WRX TO RB25DET ABOUT IT, HE CAN GIVE YOU MORE INFO.

[rousie13]

This car will only be a daily driver, so I really won't put any money into aftermarket parts. When I get out of school, thats when I'll buy a car that I'll sink money into and keep as a weekend driver. When I go home in October, I might go test drive a 2.5RS to see if I like them.

[PROJECTRB240SX]

MAN A 98 STI, WOULD HAVE LIKE 220HP TO ALL FOUR WHEELS STOCK PLUS HUGE AMOUNTS OF POTENTIAL. YOU COULD POSSIBLY DO IT ALL FOR UNDER 15K, INCLUDING BOTH CARS. OHH WELL DO WHAT YOU WANT BUT THAT IS GOING TO BE MY NEXT PROJECT.

[RobDET]

323 GTX