srt neon better than wrx

[Former_240_s14]

A question: are the wrxs we buy here the same as the ones in japan amd are they imported or assembled here. I know that the sti's are different but i still dont know if they are assembled here or not. I know the evo is straight from japan cause it says it on the sticker but i odnt know about the wrx

Just because a car is straight from japan, dosen't mean it has the exact same options that the ones in japan do. Look where your s13 is from, directly from japan.

Repo is absolutly right about quality. Quality owns in every aspect of a vehicle, weather it is dealing with fabric, to plastics, to rubber, to steel. Mainting these products are important, but you are a step behind in the begining if you have a poor quality product.

If you don't think Dodge's break down alot then do some more research, my gf has a 01 Neon (even though its a diff. motor) it has broken down more than my 240sx has since I have owned it, and the thing runs like crap.

The Neon is exactly what Dodge wanted it to be, CONTROVERSY! The neon is nice if you DON"T want to upgrade many things, esp. since you can't get a LSD or mess with the camber on it.

I think all of us here with at least half a brian would pick a WRX over a SRT-4 anyday of the week............ enough said...........

[Jesda]

People like to praise the EVO, but bear in mind that Mitsu ranks FAR BELOW Dodge/Chrysler/Plymouth in JD Powers dependability rankings.

And Infiniti/Nissan far above all.

[f8sjester]

one more thing to toss in. . .

between the srt4 and the wrx. . . the aftermarket support for the wrx FAR FAR FAR outranks the support for the srt4. . .

p.s. and the srt4 is ugly as sin. . .

[SmithSR]

my $.02 : I dont think the srt will have many problems with breaking down since most dodge things i have seen seem to last along time.

Wrong, Wrong, and...Wrong. This is misinformation at the highest level. Call me a liar? Prove me wrong.

People who work in the automotive repair industry know better, and will not accept your ill-informed comment about dodge durability/longevity. About 35 years ago, and earlier...they built cars "on par" with Chevy and Ford. No more.(one exclusion, but the Viper gets seperate R&D team, extra budget in hopes of boosting public opinion) One car cannot carry a company,(unless we're talking about a Porsche 911) especially one the size of D/C.

Spend some time on http://www.alldata.com/recalls/

Numbers do not lie. Dodge build quality continues to slide. Their dealers are warranty-nazis, oh, and did I mention....All their cars SUCK! The only bright spot was a big brute of an engine called the HEMI...good job of resurrecting the name in hopes of bringing back some excitement from the 60's..... Even then, Dodge wasn't exactly the darling of Detroit...

Oh, BTW, Toyota is poised to take over the #3 spot of the "Big 3", and kick the spiraling Daimler-Chrysler out. More toyotas are built here. More Toyotas are sold here.

-Phil

[Meantime]

The SRT-4 is NOT, I repeat NOT better than a WRX.

Hey, a Camaro is faster than a WRX, is THAT better too?

Hell, a Camaro is faster than my 240sx. .. why didn't I buy one? 'cause my240sx IS BETTER

1) I agree with you.

2) Apples and oranges (drove both).

3) I beg to differ on the second part (own both). The Camaro does not have a buzzy, underpowered truck engine. The Nissan does not have a solid rear axle and piston slap. Call it a wash and everybody lay off the F-bodies...

[Altiman94]

Alright, alright. You guys fight way too much. I wasn't refering to buying a new 3-series bud, more like a 92 or 93 325i. Still a nice car, and can be had for like 6-8k. I am a fan of both the neon and wrx, but I wouldn't spend that much money on one. I want more practicallity, such as a maxima se or a the altima 3.5se.

[Jesda]

The WRX is ugly. The Neon is clean.

But screw both, I have a Q45.

[nlzmo400r]

haha, thanks for the info, nice lil chart

[CaptainHenreh]

I have to agree that this "discussion" is silly.

Not only that, but it's getting old. Every board I go to it's "Neon SRT-4 is Better/Worse than ThisThing/ThatThing" or "Are you Scared of SRT-4" ?

Why can't people just rejoice that we're in a Golden Age of Horsepower. We have horsepower coming out of our ears. If you had told me, 5 years ago, that there would be a 200+ horsepower turbocharged Neon for 2003, I would have laughed in your face. And if you had told me there was going to be a 200+HP Saturn, I would have smacked you, and told you to quit telling lies.

But it's all true. I have to occassionally pinch myself to be convinced I'm not dreaming.

We have a turbo charged Protege'. A Protege, people! And for little more than 20 grand!

And in a few years, when these cars hit the used market.... Oh Lordy! Hallelujah and Amen!

[nlzmo400r]

not to mention 5 years ago i wouldve never thought subaru or mitusbishi would even bring their precious pearls over here to begin with!, and also, the protege handles amazing too, thats its high point, hell we've had turbo'd caravans, so i wouldnt be surprised by a turbo charged anything anymore, except perhaps a leaf blower or something

[BadMojo]

And in a few years, when these cars hit the used market.... Oh Lordy! Hallelujah and Amen!

Preach on Brother Captain!

I agree 100% with your entire post. It's what I was trying to say earlier, but you said it much, much better. The amount of low $$$ and comparatively high performance cars available right now is amazing.

WRX, EVO, WRX Sti, Mazdaspeed Protege, Focus SVT...it's just going to get better.

I was just reading something in SCC mag about the new Focus Cosworth and the possibility that it might be brought to the US to fill a gap in the SVT line in the future. I'm not a Ford fan, but damn if that's not a whole lot of car!

[Cold_Zero]

Just to carry on what the Captain has said:

Who would have thought that a MINI would have sparked so much excitement in the automotive industry? These things are everywhere at Autocrosses.

Thanks Jesda for posting up that graphic. I found it interesting. I would have thought that Buick would be on top as far a dependability. Infiniti 2nd, wow! That is a feather in your cap.

[OneFastStanza]

Just to carry on what the Captain has said:

Who would have thought that a MINI would have sparked so much excitement in the automotive industry? These things are everywhere at Autocrosses.

True and they are doing very well at the AutoX events also.

[gibbo80]

what do you think about a nx2000 at auto x, i think that would be mean

[OneFastStanza]

I would think it would do decently but I don't know enough about them. I know a guy on B15Sentra.net that races one on road courses though and he seems to like it.

[gibbo80]

oh one thing for neons, they are hitting 10s on stock bottom end, cant be to bad

[nlzmo400r]

i gotta give props to mopar, i ahve seen many fast neons on stock bottoms, personally, i think if they wouldve made it a differnt car, evreyone would love it, if it wasnt in a neon body, cause its no longer hte puny motor, its hte 2.4, they did everything right, FMIC and such, just gave it the wrong name

[SmithSR]

i gotta give props to mopar, i ahve seen many fast neons on stock bottoms, personally, i think if they wouldve made it a differnt car, evreyone would love it, if it wasnt in a neon body,

Better give props to Honda and GM too. Both manufacturers have bottom ends being used in sub 10 sec compact car racing.

The neon will always be cursed with

1. a terrible name. the very name "neon" is lifeless, powerless, very fem. ghey.

2. a terrible parent company. Dodge is losing ground on every product it sells. Ford builds stronger trucks, Japs build better cars, Japs build better minivans. Market buzz about ONE niche car will not carry such a large company. Ze Germans need to breathe life into this dead company. Even so, Mercedes build quality has been subject to scrutiny of late.

3. RWD? ever? can we please have a RWD sports car? Viper is beyond your budget, and you all know it. Myself included. OOH, can't wait for the Crossfire...or, Magnum wagon...that'll be affordable:rolleyes

4. terrible build quality...anybody who disagrees, go make pals with a local auto tech and find out the truth.

5. complete lack of refinement. complete lack of refinement. repeat after me...

[Mayhem_J30]

is it just me or do both the Evo 8 and STi have 3 cats that restrict them beyond belief?

The Evo 8 only has one Catalytic converter. I very good one at that. It's been dyno'd with and w/o the cat with only a 1hp gain. Pretty impressive. Might as well leave it on for legality sakes. probably won't help removing unless you're putting down crazy power. Most of the restriction is in the muffler.

Back to the SRT-4, I like the interior better than the Evo's. If all I had was $20K I'd buy one. Which is better??? price defines that one. Would I care either way?? nope.

[Cold_Zero]

I do have to admit Chris, I was a bit jealous when you got the EVO. It is really an impressive machine. I was thinking to myself, how the hell could he afford 2 Infinitis and now an EVO?

I was really hoping that you would go with a STi, but even then I would still be jealous. I guess you get the Eclipse and VR-4 guys looking up to you as the bad azz big brother now. As well as other people trying to race you all the time because they are haters. I really want to see this thing in person, I have only seen one here in town.

Bud

[Mayhem_J30]

I do have to admit Chris, I was a bit jealous when you got the EVO. It is really an impressive machine. I was thinking to myself, how the hell could he afford 2 Infinitis and now an EVO?

I was really hoping that you would go with a STi, but even then I would still be jealous. I guess you get the Eclipse and VR-4 guys looking up to you as the bad azz big brother now. As well as other people trying to race you all the time because they are haters. I really want to see this thing in person, I have only seen one here in town.

Bud

it's a difficult juggle of starving and wearing the same clothes I had when I graduated highschool back in 96. don't forget those Infinitis can be had at very good prices. but i don't give two chits about the rest of the mitsubishi family, i don't like their cars and so far i don't like any of their message boards. the only car they make that i like i bought, other than that i got love for my NICO homies...unconditional! :ylsuper

[Nathan]

Smith beat me to it...dodge build quality is horrid. Read up on the Durango issues with sludge buildup in the engines leading to engines going out quite early in their life...warranty nazi's is right!

[BadMojo]

Smith beat me to it...dodge build quality is horrid. Read up on the Durango issues with sludge buildup in the engines leading to engines going out quite early in their life...warranty nazi's is right!

I'd forgotten about the oil sludge problems. That's really a mess.

Coincidentally, the newest SCC mag listed the SRT-4 as one of the top 8 sports compacts under $30K (interesting article, BTW...I was a little disappointed by the skid pad #'s posted for the WRX).

It's a shame that Dodge reliability is errr...dodgy at best. The JDPower numbers aren't 100% reliable, but they're convincing enough to scare me off of the SRT-4.

I suppose when something looks too good to be true, it usually is. Maybe something good will come of this. Perhaps the '05 WRX will get a power boost to keep up with the competition.

[gibbo80]

arnt eclipses and 3000gts diamond star? I can see y they would look up tho. The whole dodge truck thing, nothign compares to there diesel yet in pulling, i have ridden in chevy's, ford's, and dodges and the dodge just has more there. They also got truck of the year by mt with the hemi and the diesel. They cant be that bad

[Altiman94]

mitsu=chysler=DSM

all the same.

[Altiman94]

WRX's do not handle very well in stock form. But any car can handle well with suspension mods.

[SmithSR]

Huh? Dood, when the WRX first came out, my buddy at the dealer took me on some spirited speeding adventures. The car handles excellent in stock trim, compared to offerings from other companies(this was before it's archrival came to the U.S.). Turn in at speed tests the tire's limits. You can feel understeer, the car's <desire> to go straight. Dip into the throttle a bit, and bring the tail around, if you've got the balls to do so in a car that you're "test driving", and isn't yours.

Compared to FWD cars at a similar price point, the WRX is a step above. I was able to literally control the pitch mid-turn with the gas pedal. Sure, this is possible in many cars...just not this smoothly and with as much accuracy....again, in factory trim. It's limits...even in factory form...are quite high. You can really push the car, recover, and feel like a pro.......when in FWD cars, you'd lose ground or just look like a rookie. At least those were my driving impressions.

That's my opinion of why the car has recieved such high praise from all car magazines. In stock form, it's fast in a straight line, fast around turns, has tons of grip, has excellent feedback...clearly telling you when you're nearing the limits of adhesion, and is generally a blast to hustle around town and carve up the twisties.

On the other hand, the SRT4 is fast in a straight line, is ugly as sin, has poor reputation, build quality is a joke. Oh, and it's wrong wheel drive.

-Phil

[nlzmo400r]

i was gonna say the same thing, WRX's may not put up amazing skidpad numbers .88g i believe, but thats not bad at all, and the cars grip an quickness are enough to throw your balls in your throat on a mountain road, and as far as the SRT-4 goes, i still KNOW if dodge wouldve spent a lil more money on it (price it around 25k or so, as long as she stayed under 3o) and gave it a different body (i.e NOT neon) it would get much higher praise, i dont see how dodge will brag how great it is, having this all new 2.4 liter turbo'd motor, FMIC, iron block, hits under 14 flat stock, and they're gonna throw it on a neon??!!, cmon, something with a lil more kick wouldve been nice, like people have said, neon's name alone will kill it, put it in a different body, and give it a whirl, much like the avenger was, but again, build quality, still, differnt body please

[BadMojo]

Oddly enough, SCC posted skidpad #'s of.84g for the WRX compared to .86g for the SRT-4, which really surprised me.

[CaptainHenreh]

...and gave it a different body (i.e NOT neon) it would get much higher praise, i dont see how dodge will brag how great it is, having this all new 2.4 liter turbo'd motor, FMIC, iron block, hits under 14 flat stock, and they're gonna throw it on a neon??!!, cmon, something with a lil more kick wouldve been nice, like people have said, neon's name alone will kill it, put it in a different body, and give it a whirl, much like the avenger was, but again, build quality, still, differnt body please

Well, let's not forget the PT Cruiser GT.

Something so disgusting it's actually cool. A turbo, 200+ horsepower PT Cruiser.

Almost makes me want one. Almost

*clings to his broke-*** 240*