The cars and bikes thread!

[ck1109]

That is a worry. Also, I really want the premium package one, with a stick, leather, and a sunroof. The rarity of that package may push me to the STI.

If you buy an Evo X, get ready to deal with a LOT of cheap plastic. I think my wrangler's interior was better than my Evo's.
Also -> drone and lots of it at highway speeds. The 2l needs to work a lot to support that weight.
And I could never get a good seat adjustment with the Recaros (I'm shorter than average).

If you want to keep it stock/near stock and use it as a DD, take a look at the WRX/STI.
If you want to mod for more hp, definitely the Evo, the 4b11T block is fantastic. My friends who have run into engine issues with WRX/STIs when trying to mod for more HP.

I wouldn't worry so much about Mitsubishi being around. There are lots of repair shops specializing in Evos due to their popularity.

And if you're planning to buy wither of them used, make sure you have a good mechanic. Who knows what abuse they may have been put through before being traded in.

[Raza]

If you buy an Evo X, get ready to deal with a LOT of cheap plastic. I think my wrangler's interior was better than my Evo's.
Also -> drone and lots of it at highway speeds. The 2l needs to work a lot to support that weight.
And I could never get a good seat adjustment with the Recaros (I'm shorter than average).

If you want to keep it stock/near stock and use it as a DD, take a look at the WRX/STI.
If you want to mod for more hp, definitely the Evo, the 4b11T block is fantastic. My friends who have run into engine issues with WRX/STIs when trying to mod for more HP.

I wouldn't worry so much about Mitsubishi being around. There are lots of repair shops specializing in Evos due to their popularity.

And if you're planning to buy wither of them used, make sure you have a good mechanic. Who knows what abuse they may have been put through before being traded in.

I've gotten a similar warning before. I can't shake the feeling though....I've driven an Evo 8 and a Hawkeye STI, and there was no comparison between the two. The Evo felt so much more special, even just driving along in traffic. The STI really needed to be pushed hard (which is strange, in a way, because I didn't feel that way about the regular WRX), but the Evo felt right in any situation. Plus, the Evo X looks so much better. It smooths out those awkward proportions of the 7, 8, and 9 and really gives a modern, but not ugly (which is the new in look, ugly cars are the new good looking cars) take on the Evo.

Despite its shortcomings in the interior quality department, I still feel like I'd be happier with the Evo. Of course, my only taste of newer WRXs is the 2008 I drove when that first came out, which felt like a turbocharged Camry. It was the most disappointing car I've ever driven. But I hear they fixed a lot, if not all, of those issues with the 2009 update.

I'll be keeping the cars stock. I'm not much into the modifying scene. Too many unknowns.

[93EXCivic]

I'll be keeping the cars stock. I'm not much into the modifying scene. Too many unknowns.

Boring! Modify everything!

I have never bought a car which I have left stock which is why I would never buy a really rare car cause I don't think I could leave it alone. The only car I have ever owned that I left stock was a '95 F150.

Speaking of car in the near future will be a Jaguar plus black rims, exhaust, tint and lowering. Something like this.

[Raza]

Mods are nearly impossible to vet, impossible to return if they end up ruining the car (and I've seen many, many people end up hating their car after adding mods), and never, never, never get you a return on the money. I'm not an engineer; I prefer to buy something that was done right out of the box.

Now, if I were to do a track-only car, then I wouldn't mind modifying. But I wouldn't touch anything I have to rely on, beyond anything extremely basic, like an ECU reflash or something like that.

[thewalrus]

I came close to buying a modded Miata once. Really nice car. Great color. NB with a Flyin' Miata turbo set up included. An amazingly fun car to test drive - the Miata is, to my mind, one of those very nearly perfect cars. And a quickly spooling turbo that adds 40, 50 hp at the rear wheels makes it sublime. But it has to be done right. By people who know what they're doing. I would trust a tuner like Flyin' Miata to properly set up a car like that, and I was ready with pen and check book in hand to buy the car...


... until I found out that the previous owner (who really "knew his stuff") had installed the kit. Oh, and that "check engine" warning light always comes on when the engine warms up. It's just a loose oil cap. Nothing to worry about.

Didn't buy the car.

[mlcor]

I had my supercharger and exhaust done by a professional Lotus guy, maybe the best Lotus mechanic in the US. So I was comfortable.


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[ro63rto]

I came close to buying a modded Miata once. Really nice car. Great color. NB with a Flyin' Miata turbo set up included. An amazingly fun car to test drive - the Miata is, to my mind, one of those very nearly perfect cars. And a quickly spooling turbo that adds 40, 50 hp at the rear wheels makes it sublime. But it has to be done right. By people who know what they're doing. I would trust a tuner like Flyin' Miata to properly set up a car like that, and I was ready with pen and check book in hand to buy the car...


... until I found out that the previous owner (who really "knew his stuff") had installed the kit. Oh, and that "check engine" warning light always comes on when the engine warms up. It's just a loose oil cap. Nothing to worry about.

Didn't buy the car.

Have you seen the LS3 conversion done by Toms Turbo Garage on YT?

Awesome car and the weight is almost identical. Plus the exhaust note
LS3 V8 Miata Build
Project Thunderbolt Part 1:
http://youtu.be/gDMrJhpeYiE

[93EXCivic]

Mods are nearly impossible to vet, impossible to return if they end up ruining the car (and I've seen many, many people end up hating their car after adding mods), and never, never, never get you a return on the money. I'm not an engineer; I prefer to buy something that was done right out of the box.

Stock cars are so compromised by government regulations, accountants, need to sell to the mass market, etc. I have never been in a car done right the way I want it out of the box. They are easy to remove as long as they aren't internal to the motor or really crazy changes (like engine swaps).

It depends on how you define return on money. Smiles per mile and performance heck yes. Money back when you sell it no. But you never make money back on a hobby so it is a wash to me.

I am also the kinda of person who loves to tinker with things so I DIY a lot of things. Currently I am restoring the Spitfire, doing work on my 93 Civic in the offseason, working on two watch boxes, building a book shelf, building a practice putting disc golf basket out of random leftover materials around the house, building a coat rack and working on several watch projects. So I guess modifying is just something that appeals to me.

[thewalrus]

Have you seen the LS3 conversion done by Toms Turbo Garage on YT?

Awesome car and the weight is almost identical. Plus the exhaust note
LS3 V8 Miata Build
Project Thunderbolt Part 1:
http://youtu.be/gDMrJhpeYiE

Yeah... those V8 Miatas are amazingly awesome. It's hard to believe that weight distribution / total weight changes hardly at all with the swap. I know Flyin' Miata does something similar as well. Pricey. But I think it'd be a hell of a fun alternative to a traditional $35 000+ sports car.

I recall a classic car mag running a comparison between the Flyin' Miata V8 car and an old Sunbeam Tiger. The outcome was as you probably imagine. The Miata was a marvel of engineering and performance. Fast, agile, fun, and perfectly sorted. The Tiger was worse in every measurable way than the Miata - but it was also the far and away the sentimental favorite when the intangibles were worked into the equation.

[93EXCivic]

Yeah... those V8 Miatas are amazingly awesome. It's hard to believe that weight distribution / total weight changes hardly at all with the swap. I know Flyin' Miata does something similar as well. Pricey. But I think it'd be a hell of a fun alternative to a traditional $35 000+ sports car.

I recall a classic car mag running a comparison between the Flyin' Miata V8 car and an old Sunbeam Tiger. The outcome was as you probably imagine. The Miata was a marvel of engineering and performance. Fast, agile, fun, and perfectly sorted. The Tiger was worse in every measurable way than the Miata - but it was also the far and away the sentimental favorite when the intangibles were worked into the equation.

The LSx series engine is such an amazing engine. IT weights so little yet as so much power potential.

Grassroots Motorsports did an article a few years ago comparing a 356 and a '60s E-Type vs a Honda Odyssey. The Odyssey was as fast around an autocross coarse as the 356 and faster then the E-type.

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/ar...-moms-revenge/