Originally posted by MartytC@May 20 2005, 01:25 PM
That's a given, isn't it? but...put $9,000 into it...and it'll smoke the eclipse...making them both around 25 g's.
No, it's not a given, and no you can't dump $9k into a tC and have Eclipse performance because you won't have a warranty.
Discussions about cars and money are dumb. Here's why: if your goal is pure speed, your cheapest proposition is to buy an F-Body and build the engine in it to ridiculous power/dollar. A used car with all the requisite parts and restoration can be built for less than the cost of a tC, and it will stomp practically anything for quarter mile performance. BUT, no warranty; it's going to broken more than it's going to be running, and it won't have all the nice to haves that you want in a daily driver. However, it will satisfy the need for speed in a big way.
We used to have these same foolish discussions on the Supra lists. One guy spanked a Murcielago (yes, the Lambo owner was trying) with his single turbo Dawg, but at the end of the day, he parked an affordable Japanese sports car in his garage, and the Lambo owner parked an Italian exotic in his garage. Why do you think guys in Civics with turbos want to race me when I drive my Dawg? So they can say, "I spanked a Supra today" and brag to all their buddies on the Honda board about Honda power vs. Toyota power.
So I return to my original premise: the Mitsu meets ALL goverment regulatory requirements, and straight off the showroom floor, completely smog legal, it will spank your tC. Who's to say you can't do a $50 mod to the turbo model and get another 50 hp? I got another 50 hp out of my Supra for $0. Boost is a funny thing. Mod your tC and you have a no longer smog legal car that struggles to beat this bone stock car. I'd say it's an easy choice: if you want to go fast with a minimum of hassles, buy the faster car. End of story.