This is really just kind of out of curiousity right now, but will kelley blue book be accurate for my car? I only have 6000 miles on it despite its age. I realize it's a couple years old but the private seller listing was about 14k at best when it cost a little over 20k. I realize depreciation is pretty strong in cars but will it actually be that awful for something with no deformations, no interior stains, and only 6,000 miles? The only scratches on it are on the bottom of the stupid body kit, so even that's pretty good.
there's no real reason to buy a new car for exactly the reason you are complaining right now.
a dodge though... and a neon.. i imagine that its value will drop like a rock
quote:
diadem had this to say about dark elf butts:
that sounds about right to me... and toytas keep their values like a motherfucker compared to other cars too.there's no real reason to buy a new car for exactly the reason you are complaining right now.
a dodge though... and a neon.. i imagine that its value will drop like a rock
That's what I'm hoping. I want to find a used 2004 or '05 model because they have limited slip differentials stock, and as long as it's stock, you can use it in autocross. 
Though preferrably I'd want it to have less than 30,000 miles and no significant damage to the interior or exterior, so I guess I'm a bit picky.
After I have it I guess the resale will be poor but if I keep the Matrix for another 3-4 years at least I don't see it keeping great value either. Snugglits fucked around with this message on 04-07-2005 at 10:03 PM.
quote:
Snugglits had this to say about Knight Rider:
That's what I'm hoping. I want to find a used 2004 or '05 model because they have limited slip differentials stock, and as long as it's stock, you can use it in autocross.
After I have it I guess the resale will be poor but if I keep the Matrix for another 3-4 years at least I don't see it keeping great value either.
Ya also have to look and see what ya owe on the loan for the Matrix (unless your parents bought it straight up cash?). If ya owe more than the car is worth...wait to sell and buy the new one. Being upside-down is NOT where ya want to be.
quote:
Falaanla Marr had this to say about Duck Tales:
Ya also have to look and see what ya owe on the loan for the Matrix (unless your parents bought it straight up cash?). If ya owe more than the car is worth...wait to sell and buy the new one. Being upside-down is NOT where ya want to be.
It's totally paid for. When my dad was fired from his first company a couple years ago he got termination pay for 9 months or a year or so and then was still getting extra pay for a couple months. He found a new job almost right away. So the double-salary thing made it attractive to not have payments due on a new car. 
2) The Matrix is not keeping its value in the post market. While she payed 22,000 for her car 2 years ago, others like it are only selling for 13,000 now.
3) When driving this thing you feel sorry for the engine.
4) I'm pretty sure getting an american car to replace a toyota isn't an upgrade
5) Get an Acura RSX-S 
That's it
quote:
Noxhil2 said this about your mom:
1) My mom drives a Toyota Matrix2) The Matrix is not keeping its value in the post market. While she payed 22,000 for her car 2 years ago, others like it are only selling for 13,000 now.
3) When driving this thing you feel sorry for the engine.
4) I'm pretty sure getting an american car to replace a toyota isn't an upgrade
5) Get an Acura RSX-S
That's it
1) that really makes me want to keep it
2) It could actually be worse
3) Is it XRS or not? The XRS has a different engine, the same as in the Celica GT-S. It redlines at 8200 rpm and has a second cam profile for anything over 6000.
4) What is that supposed to mean? The SRT-4 has twice the torque and probably handles four times as well. The Matrix is shitty if you have any interest in driving it for more than point a to point b, which makes me wonder why I got it in the first place.
5) wait, nevermind Snugglits fucked around with this message on 04-07-2005 at 11:14 PM.
quote:
Snugglits thought about the meaning of life:
1) that really makes me want to keep it2) It could actually be worse
3) Is it XRS or not? The XRS has a different engine, the same as in the Celica GT-S. It redlines at 8200 rpm and has a second cam profile for anything over 6000.
4) What is that supposed to mean? The SRT-4 has twice the torque and probably handles four times as well. The Matrix is shitty if you have any interest in driving it for more than point a to point b, which makes me wonder why I got it in the first place.
5) The RSX-S is costs a little more than the SRT-4 and is G-stock! I already have a G-stock car, why would I want another one? You should've just told me to get a mini cooper s.
1) My Mom is that cool
2) It could be worse, but for a Toyota that is pretty bad
3) Yes that tidbit is important, the 6-speed Matrix isn't that bad
4) & 5) Mechanical Reliability Edit: Also, depreciation, or lack of it
Edit: Also, as a young college student why do you need a stock high-performance car? Do you race or something Noxhil2 fucked around with this message on 04-07-2005 at 11:21 PM.
quote:
That's what I'm hoping. I want to find a used 2004 or '05 model because they have limited slip differentials stock, and as long as it's stock, you can use it in autocross.
quote:
We were all impressed when Noxhil2 wrote:
4) & 5) Mechanical Reliability Edit: Also, depreciation, or lack of it
Unlike Importish cars American cars are used for other things then A-B transport. My Trailblazer can go offroad, tow my boat, tow my motorcycles, etc. Some poor Honda Shitvic..civic cannot do this. Import SUV's aren't even close to American SUV's. No v8 no care.
It might break a little earlier, but hey it served more of a purpose.
But.. Dodge Neon. Hah. Great engine in the worst body ever. I give Dodge great props for building such a fast cost effective engine, but why oh why must you put it into some cheap economy body.
Go for a used Nissan 240sx or maybe a Miata(great potential).. hmm even possibly a LT1 Camaro or Trans am.
The Neon body is actually pretty spacious. That's what's great about it.
quote:
Snugglits put down Tada! magazine long enough to type:
I'm interested in something that isn't going to lose much cargo room compared to what I currently have but will kick the shit out of it in autocross. While being roughly the same price.The Neon body is actually pretty spacious. That's what's great about it.
The problem is the Neon has consistently been a horrible performer in crash tests--dead last ten years running, last I heard. Unless the SRT-4 is heaviliy reinforced (which I doubt), you're gonna be fucked if you wreck it.
Besides, front wheel drive is for weenies.
Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it's just the opposite. - John Kenneth Galbraith
quote:
Karnaj had this to say about Jimmy Carter:
The problem is the Neon has consistently been a horrible performer in crash tests--dead last ten years running, last I heard. Unless the SRT-4 is heaviliy reinforced (which I doubt), you're gonna be fucked if you wreck it.
I hadn't considered that. I wonder how the Matrix has 5 stars for nearly everything? Mine doesn't have side air bags, and the construction material doesn't seem awesome or anything.
quote:
When the babel fish was in place, it was apparent Karnaj said:
Besides, front wheel drive is for weenies.
Yeah, everyone should drive mid-engine, rear wheel drive.
quote:
Karnaj had this to say about Jimmy Carter:
The problem is the Neon has consistently been a horrible performer in crash tests--dead last ten years running, last I heard. Unless the SRT-4 is heaviliy reinforced (which I doubt), you're gonna be fucked if you wreck it.
I read that myself somewhere, actually. I'm in the market for a used car myself, and when looking at the safety ratings for Neons (Because it seems that every lot we go to there is at least one) it was something along the lines of a 120% fatality rate. I'm going to see if I can find that rating again, just so I'm not talking out my ass.
So...uh...have fun dying 
Lesage fucked around with this message on 04-08-2005 at 12:24 AM.
Edit: Or I could just link you another site showing the deadliness. Like here
Still always, Not-Dude.
quote:
This one time, at Kiranê camp:
Unlike Importish cars American cars are used for other things then A-B transport. My Trailblazer can go offroad, tow my boat, tow my motorcycles, etc. Some poor Honda Shitvic..civic cannot do this. Import SUV's aren't even close to American SUV's. No v8 no care.
Why are you comparing a 4 cylinder compact car to an SUV?
quote:
Noxhil2 enlisted the help of an infinite number of monkeys to write:
Why are you comparing a 4 cylinder compact car to an SUV?
Yeah, don't listen to kirane when he talks about cars.
I've looked up some stuff on the rsx-s and it looks nice, but it relies on i-VTEC to get its power. I already deal with that in my car but with a mechanical system instead of an electric one.
Still, it's an interesting car.
It also has the added benefit of a much better frontal crash test rating, and about the same other ratings.
Maybe something to consider.
No, Really. Bite me.
You can also add on that Acuras last forever, if you were interesting in keeping this car for awhile.
If you want to buy a $20,000 car buy one that people will actually think cost $20,000 when they ride in it. I.E. a RSX-S or a GTI. Maybe even a Mazdaspeed miata if you can find one left over from 04 or 2003 RX8.
Yeah they aren't going to be as fast as the SRT-4, but remember there is more to a car than 0-60 and 1/4 mile time.
Or if you're really into the whole speed thing you can probibly snag a 2003 cobra for around 22,000 if you look in the right place, and those cars are just rediculous.
Or how about a 1999-2002 Audi S4? Around 20,000 again, 2.7 bi turbo v6 engine that will put down 340 hp with a $500 ecu upgrade.
Hell you can even get a late 90's corvette for 20,000.
Why get an SRT-4? Blindy. fucked around with this message on 04-08-2005 at 08:48 AM.
quote:
Blindy. had this to say about Captain Planet:
SRT-4's are just about the cheapest sporty car on the face of the earth. You're buying a $12,000 car with a $8,000 engine. If you really wanted to do that pick up an old ass honda and drop $8,000 under the hood and it would be much faster.If you want to buy a $20,000 car buy one that people will actually think cost $20,000 when they ride in it. I.E. a RSX-S or a GTI. Maybe even a Mazdaspeed miata if you can find one left over from 04 or 2003 RX8.
Yeah they aren't going to be as fast as the SRT-4, but remember there is more to a car than 0-60 and 1/4 mile time.
Or if you're really into the whole speed thing you can probibly snag a 2003 cobra for around 22,000 if you look in the right place, and those cars are just rediculous.
Or how about a 1999-2002 Audi S4? Around 20,000 again, 2.7 bi turbo v6 engine that will put down 340 hp with a $500 ecu upgrade.
Hell you can even get a late 90's corvette for 20,000.
Why get an SRT-4?
I'm into autocross now. It's a racing sport where you run your car through a series of pylon gates. The thing about the SRT-4 is that it does pretty decently at this. You don't want to do any kind of modification in autocross because it moves you up a category and you lose some of your "index". Replacing the engine will pretty much destroy your index. Handling is definitely important, but I guess it's not important as it seems because the SRT-4 is ranked higher (gets a little worse index) than the RSX-S. But I'm definitely not done comparing.
Responding well to light upgrades is good as you only get bumped a category or two by doing things like installing a rear sway bar or a limited slip differential.
I'm not really concerned with being competitive, though, I just want something that's actually meant for running the course/driven for fun than what I've got now, to be honest. It really rolls on turns and it's got massive understeer. It actually has the same index as what the RSX-S has now, so it's obvious the index isn't foolproof. The other criteria I have (very important) is that I want it to be my daily driver (longevity, cargo room), and I would like something with more kick than 180 hp/120ft*lbs.
I just liked the SRT-4 when I first saw some of the info on it. I haven't decided on anything, though. I don't want anything early 90s because it is likely to not be stock any more and most people will not keep care enough of such cars for them to have any longevity.
Matrix XRS: G stock but should be H stock, gets beaten by just about everything
SRT-4: D stock, probably gets beaten by most D stockers for being FWD
Audi S4: D stock, looks pretty hot. Probably does pretty well for its class. Definitely one to be considered. 2001 would probably be easy enough to find in my range. Looks like it comes with ~210(w)hp, so I'm not sure how it could get to 340 with just an ECU, but if the ECU modifies boost levels, it's unfortunately going to kick me up several categories for autocross. If it doesn't modify boost levels, it's not going to be too bad.
('03+) Ford Cobra SVT: A stock 
Probably kicks some ass at A stock, too, though it has to compete with the NSX, the Evo VIII, the Subaru WRX STi, and the 911 at that level. No autocross concerned it's definitely a nice car, and you can't beat the sound of Ford motors, heh. Searching for some used it appears to be a bit out of my price range, though.
No need to look this over, I probably won't end up switching anyway. I was more interested in the value of my used car.
This post really makes it sound like I'm concerned with auto-x, which isn't true. The daily driving part is very important. And any consideration I have for auto-x is that the car is fun to drive at autocross. Fun. What I have now isn't bad, surprisingly, but it definitely has to slow down too much for the turns. But as long as I had something that was a little more fun to take through the course I'd be happier. Snugglits fucked around with this message on 04-08-2005 at 09:40 AM.
My brother has a Miata, added the aftermarket supercharger, and now it both handles incredibly well (as Miatas are known for) as well as being fast as hell (as fast as my BMW). A very fun car to drive.
Also, they aren't many used yet, since they are new to the US market, so may be out of your price range, but Mini Cooper-S is another option. Very fast, very maneuverable, incredibly fun to drive.
Here's the S4, it's 250 hp 258 torque stock.
Yeah the S4 chip ups the boost levels quite a bit to add that 100 hp. You can buy a tuner and take it back to stock for AutoX though if you want to keep the same index.
Lots of S4 owners swap out the turbos for the turbos on the RS4, which puts them at about 450 hp, and costs about 3,000 
quote:
And now, we sprinkle Blindy. liberally with Old Spice!
Lots of S4 owners swap out the turbos for the turbos on the RS4, which puts them at about 450 hp, and costs about 3,000
Good gravy. Wouldn't that kind of power eat the transmission?
Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it's just the opposite. - John Kenneth Galbraith
quote:
Cherveny probably says this to all the girls:
How much of a bump up in class would it be if you got a Miata and added a supercharger?My brother has a Miata, added the aftermarket supercharger, and now it both handles incredibly well (as Miatas are known for) as well as being fast as hell (as fast as my BMW). A very fun car to drive.
Also, they aren't many used yet, since they are new to the US market, so may be out of your price range, but Mini Cooper-S is another option. Very fast, very maneuverable, incredibly fun to drive.
I can't find it, but it would be fairly significant. But, regardless, lots of miatas run autocross. A miata with a supercharger sounds like it'd be a lot of fun.
The Mini Cooper-S is dominating G-Stock presently. Half the cars run in the regionals in G-Stock are mini-cooper S. I saw one last weekend and it was beating the shit out of my car, heh. Looks fun, but not sure on how it works as a daily driver.
quote:
Check out the big brains on Karnaj:
Good gravy. Wouldn't that kind of power eat the transmission?
VAG makes some good transmissions. You just need to upgrade the clutch.
quote:
We were all impressed when Snugglits wrote:
I can't find it, but it would be fairly significant. But, regardless, lots of miatas run autocross. A miata with a supercharger sounds like it'd be a lot of fun.The Mini Cooper-S is dominating G-Stock presently. Half the cars run in the regionals in G-Stock are mini-cooper S. I saw one last weekend and it was beating the shit out of my car, heh. Looks fun, but not sure on how it works as a daily driver.
My brother also owns a Mini Cooper-S, as well as the Miata. It's now his main drive around town car. It works just fine as a daily use car, especially now that they are now made by BMW. They have all the little comforts and details BMW has historically put into their cars.
The biggest annoyance with the Mini's for day to day driving is no room for a spare tire, thus they have run-flat tires. These are EXPESNSIVE to replace.
Here is the rule book where I am pulling all the info out of. Snugglits fucked around with this message on 04-08-2005 at 10:27 AM.
code:
Stock | Street Touring | Street Prepared | Street Modified | Prepared | Modified
S .837 S .799 A .850 SM .842 A .865 A 1.00
A .828 X .802 B .839 SM2 .852 B .861 B .942
B .821 S2 .803 C .838 C .855 C .908
C .810 U .818 D .822 D .844 D .879
D .796 E .826 E .858 E .886
E .806 F .811 F .862 F .884
F .805
G .781
H .777
I left out karts.
As you can see, differences in stock aren't too big of a deal between a couple spots. Snugglits fucked around with this message on 04-08-2005 at 12:13 PM.
quote:
Blindy. had this to say about Knight Rider:
what
Heh, camber bolts successfully installed, according to the alignment shop I now have in my front left/right -1.5/-1.6 camber and -.01/.02 toe. I thought it would be "busy" like this but I took it out to the interstate and it pretty much feels the same as before.
Don't know how good it'd be for Solo, but I've got a hardon for the LS1.
Also neat: my dad would actually support a car switch as long as the choice car is reliable. An Audi would be reliable enough. A Dodge would not be, heh.
The Audi S4 is looking pretty hot. Now if I can find one with around 30k miles on it from '00-'01 this might be doable.
It doesn't get as much gas mileage as my XRS but the S4s do have nice cargo room and there is that nice twinturbo
quote:
The logic train ran off the tracks when Snugglits said:
Neat. I might be able to get as much as $16-17k on autotrader or a similar website. One dealer on autotrader is selling an '03 XRS with 30k miles for $20k. I realize being a dealer would give it more credit, but it's still nice to see.Also neat: my dad would actually support a car switch as long as the choice car is reliable. An Audi would be reliable enough. A Dodge would not be, heh.
The Audi S4 is looking pretty hot. Now if I can find one with around 30k miles on it from '00-'01 this might be doable.
It doesn't get as much gas mileage as my XRS but the S4s do have nice cargo room and there is that nice twinturbo
You probably wont ever get anything close to what a dealer advertises it for.
