turbo Civic v.s. 5.0

[showgunz]

Why are you guys comparing the fast domestics to slower imports? If you want a Z28/SS/GT/Cobra/WS6, you have to spend upwards for $23K and more. A lightweight Civic can cost half that much. Add engine parts/turbo/NOS to bring the cost equivalent to those cars and you'd eat them for breakfast. Cost to cost, imports will win up to that point. And an ITR wasn't designed to compete against domestics. It was for the track. Don't compare a slingshot to a go-kart, please.

Just as I can't imagine comparing a V8 Stang against a Civic, you can't compare the design philosophy of Domestic and Import companies, particularly Honda vs. Ford/GM. Just as you said, beem, domestic cars go faster with higher displacement and no. of cylinders. But that's so old school. It gets tiring after a while.

Only some people actually like the feel and sound of a V8. Meanwhile, Japanese companies like to do as much in a smaller package. They already start designing with a handicap: small displacement. It's efficiency vs. brute power. What do you get with a car that has brute power? Not much refinement, poor reliability, poor gas mileage, uninspired engineering and manufacture (look at the interior of the F-bodies, Stangs, and C5's), and brand image. Every other blonde drives a muscle car, anyway.

It used to be that imports were cool because a select few made the domestic muscle car owners pee in their pants after losing to small 4 banger cars. And imports were few and far in between! It's opposite now, of course. The Civics being the best selling compact car and with a kid buying an intake every 5 minutes (unconfirmed), they want to take on domestics too. It's apples to oranges comparison.

I can't say I prefer domestics or dislike them for how they are. I'd never own a muscle car (except the Shelby Cobras and 70's Corvettes) in my life, but I don't really diss them. I only diss them when they think they're holier than thou. And I don't like it when import enthusiasts think they're better than domestics, either, because some of them can get into 12's and quicker.

What's my point? Everyone knows that a moderately modded muscle car will beat a lot of heavily modded imports. Excluding the usual suspects, of course: Supra TT, 3Z TT, RX-7 TT, WRX STi, EVO VII, and etc. But there is no joy in modding domestics. It's just too simple and unchallenging. So if you have a fast domestic, don't brag about it. It's pointless. But getting a small fuel-efficient compact car to beat gas-guzzling, loud domestics is a lot of fun. Sort of like a David vs. Goliath battle. And the thing is, you can equip David with some pretty deadly weapons. Don't get so big by thinking you bought the best car on the planet because you can smoke tires at 3K RPM's. It's SO REDNECK. Get my point? Bragging about domestics is like bragging that you can win a hot dog eating contest with your 300 lb. body. In case you don't know this example, a big dude (don't know his nationality) was going against this Japanese boy in an eating contest. Guess who won? The Japanese boy won by dipping the buns in his water (and ate the buns wet) and ate the meat by itself. Cleverness is what I prefer. Get it, now beem?

[kojiro]

AMEN!!!! my dad owns re-built chevy II nova with a 357 and 1 of my bros owns a v6 comaro(i always give him shit cause i can beat him with my stock 96 ex hehehe) they're in love with domestics but they also know that with less than 2500 i can take them both. its no win guys give it up, its all preference. all power vs. weight. i'd take my lil import over any domestic but if i had to get another car i'd go euro: now those cars kick both the asses.

[mkoebra95]

Originally posted by sl33per
how much is the resale value for a used mustang gt or even cobra?

My Cobra convertible is still worth 65% of what I paid for it. My friends GSR is worth about 50%. Some fools pay over what the sticker was for the 00R new TODAY, so bad analogy.

The only real world fast 4 banger I know around here burns exhaust valves every 6000miles. His Integra is faster than my car by a little, but he's sunk damn near $15000 in performance and can't afford yet another cylinder head rebuild, so he doesn't spray much anymore on top of his 12lbs of boost. I've spent $1700 and have room to grow since I haven't thought about a turbo kit yet.: By the way, in case you didn't know, anything you can do to a VTEC 4 cylinder you can do to a V8 Mustang. The results are just that much more when you add a couple or 4 extra cylinders.

As far as getting chicks, with the top down on my car, I don't have a problem turning heads from babes of all ages and types. Course my wife doesn't like it that much...

[90CRX]

5.0 i thought the 03 cobra has 390?
ive been hearing they just said that for insurance purposes
where did you get that information 425-450??

[90CRX]

new cobra is the shit man
cant we imports and domestics just get alonggggggggg
the ricers are mad cuz there a little short of displacement under the hood...if you know what i mean....haaaaa

just playing i love both imports and domestics

[mkoebra95]

Originally posted by 90CRX
new cobra is the shit man
cant we imports and domestics just get alonggggggggg
the ricers are mad cuz there a little short of displacement under the hood...if you know what i mean....haaaaa

just playing i love both imports and domestics

I'll put it like this, I love hanging out with car enthusiasts. I don't care what you drive, if you don't give me attitude what I drive. I love going to the SCCA autocrosses and listen to the real car guys rip "posers" with wing and tip cars. These dudes drive hopped up Mustangs, Eclipses, and Civics. The FTOD of non race cars is usually a modded to the max naturally aspirated mustang.

[pushrod]

I think that dollar for dollar American cars are the best in the world. How much is a new Civic Si, 16-18k? How much for a new Mustang GT, 22k-24k? You can hit 13.7 in a stock GT. Let's see a Civic Si with 5k of mods run 13.7. No, make it 6k, so the Stang has 1k to play with. I'm betting you could get the Stang to low 13s or high 12s...

[ant1]

um.. you can also get a civic hatchback (1996-2000) for $10,490..new... and have 13k of mods... which total to 24k... and I guarantee you that it'll hit 12's... basically.. everyone has their preferences on cars, everyone is entitled to their own opinion... we are all car enthusiast on this board.... is only natural that we have diverse ideas.... and i think that's what makes this board so cool..... late!!

[needfaspeedsi]

Originally posted by ant1
um.. you can also get a civic hatchback (1996-2000) for $10,490..new... and have 13k of mods... which total to 24k... and I guarantee you that it'll hit 12's... basically.. everyone has their preferences on cars, everyone is entitled to their own opinion... we are all car enthusiast on this board.... is only natural that we have diverse ideas.... and i think that's what makes this board so cool..... late!!

amen bro

[kjl1576]

Originally posted by pushrod
I think that dollar for dollar American cars are the best in the world. How much is a new Civic Si, 16-18k? How much for a new Mustang GT, 22k-24k? You can hit 13.7 in a stock GT. Let's see a Civic Si with 5k of mods run 13.7. No, make it 6k, so the Stang has 1k to play with. I'm betting you could get the Stang to low 13s or high 12s...

American cars best in the world?
Try again newbie

Subaru STI=$26,000
Mitsubishi lancer Evo=$28,000
Nissan Skyline Gt-R=$45,000

[Stumbleine]

I can tell ALL of you guys this....My recently sold Cobra got WAY more looks then my GSR that I drive today. Some people here made some good points, others made no sense whatsoever. Going back to the video, I watched it about 30 times already. I draw two conclusions.

1. The guy in the 5.0 wasnt racing
2. That civic was a 10 sec to pull like that on a stock 5.0(mid-low 14s)

Whoever made that video was immature. It just proves that whole ricer mentality and proves my point again....Ricers use the mustang as their racing yard stick. They dream of beating mustangs, which in some cases they do(modded). Domestic guys have bigger dreams. They dream of taking out Vipers and 911s, and once again....some of them do(modded ones of course). I put about 2,500 into my car(99 GSR) and I cant even break out of the 15s. Which BTW, has been my most UNRELIABLE car. The driveline sucks, I broke 2 CV joints already, and I already had a head rebuild. My old 5.0 went over 200,000 when I sold it(original engine&tranny) with the only major repair being a clutch(125k). And you know what? Plenty of people hit the 200,000 miles club in their 5.0s.

[mkoebra95]

Anyone that says 5.0s are unreliable obviously have never owned one. I have one that gets 26mpg on the open road, has 90k on the ticker. The only "trouble" the car has had is needing new brakes. My friends GSR has had 3 driver's side rear calipers replaced due to them totally locking up. His exhaust manifold developed a rattle above 3K rpms. He loves his car, but to call it trouble free is a joke. Parts are $$$$$$$$$$$$ on it too.

The biggest fault that I see in making a 4banger go 12's is that all that "supposed" Honda reliability goes out the window at that point. You can't abuse an engine and drive train designed for 200hp like that and expect it to last. I have a very good friend that owns a shop that does a lot of work on imports, and his shop is littered with VTEC heads that people assumed because they were the "top" of the line Honda head that they would stand up to 12lbs of boost. 12lbs of boost and 10+:1 compression usually doesn't match. The LS head, I'm told, is better for that.