Cougar Replacement

[Virgil Wilkins]

Jeff, I have the car for YOU, a 1995 Buick Estate Wagon, 5.7L engine with 18" IROC rims and rear bar. If you want excitement at EVERY turn, then this is the ride for you. Plus, I may actually, FINALLY have a slim chance of catching up with you

In all seriousness, I would have thought the GTI to be a good ride, but apparently others have had a different experience. The R32 last weekend was pretty cool though. I didn't realize it was AWD until it took off - WOW! That was Awesome! If Jordan had the cash, an EVO or STi is on hist list

-v

[Will Kalman]

I didn't realize it was AWD until it took off - WOW! That was Awesome!

Ready, Set.....


GO!


Note both shots *during* the third yellow on the same launch

[Jeff Ringer]

the r32 idea is solid.. mark allen smith swears by them .. i have clutch dumped one at the limiter , the driveline feels solid as a rock - the v6's sounds and torque are slightly exotic

down the road if you get bored , add the apr turbo kit and supporting mods

the z06's are awesome machines if you have a co driver to share the tire cost. if you have a z06 and a cougar then she can pay for the tires :barf:

i was thinking low miles gem e36 m3 but that could be getting old. rx8's handle very well . e46's m3's are out there. doesnt the 330i makes a good ds car?

does your girlfriend have a practical vehicle? if so just roll the very affordable and fun honda s2000 - probably favoring ap2

please follow annie's advice about fwd

[Dan Shaw]

How about a Volkswagen GTI? Stephen Yeoh did pretty well in one in SK2 several years ago.

I was actually going to suggest this same car for the same reason. Stephen used to give me and my friend in another Tom Berry sale (2001 miata w/suspension pack) headaches in sk2. Was a fun car to drive, I remember it rotated very well and I don't recall Stephen having done much to it. I'd say GTI FTW.

[Adam Richter]

I have an 06 GTI (first year of MK5 model) as my daily driver and they're great cars. Lots of room, comfortable ride, and decent power. I've never used it for autox but it handles fairly well for a fwd box on wheels. Can't imagine it would be anywhere near as fun as my miata though. If you can get by with a miata or S2000 size wise you won't regret it.

FWIW, if you like doing a lot of left foot braking the GTI might not be the car for you. The anti "unanticipated sudden acceleration" nanny controls won't let you push the gas and brake at the same time for long before cutting the power.

[Jeff Stuart]

FWIW, if you like doing a lot of left foot braking the GTI might not be the car for you. The anti "unanticipated sudden acceleration" nanny controls won't let you push the gas and brake at the same time for long before cutting the power.

That's just silly... It's a shame really.

I'm still looking at the Hyundai. I test drove my step dad's and it was quite fun. He has a 3.8, but it's automatic (my mom's fault) so that kind of took some of the fun out of it. It's a bit cheaper than the Subaru, so I think I can stomach the increased tire costs... That's my justification anyways. As many have suggested, I do like the fact that it's RWD, and those Hyundais have great warranties.

We'll see though, I'm far from decided.

[Michael Palero]

OK Guys, lets get a few things straight. I own or get to drive 4 of the cars mentioned here.

Didn't the Palero Cash for Clunkers Accent do well in HS?
Great gas mileage, room for 4, and low cost tire size.

Hyundai Accent 2009 - I own one, and recommend it. It's cheap (cheap as in the cheapest car in America when I looked) and makes me smile. I bought a "loaded" accent for $7900 after my Audi trade. ST driver Lugod loved it. I get 29MPG with aggressive driving on a 20mi commute to Downtown Los Angeles. Small wheels = cheap tires

I once drove Palero's Jetta GTI. God, it was awful. Inside front tires spinning everywhere - I hated it with a passion.

Volkswagen GLI 2005.5-2009 - Hayter was such a hater. He drove the car when it was rolling on Federal tires. It weighs ???~ lbs more than a GTI (the GLI has a trunk and the GTI is a hatchback) I competed in SK2 for 2 years in one with tires (shocks came in last 3 events) and recommend it. HUGE trunk. 14.7gal tank. Incredible power for the MPG. Bright HIDs. No one pays much attention to GLIs.

Volkswagen GTI 2006-2009 - Feels like it weighs 2 Lugods less than a GLI and rotates much better than a GLI IMO. The rear isn't as good looking as a GLI and it isn't as "grown-up" as a GLI. The 4 door gets cheaper insurance but is much harder to find. Identical wheelbase & powertrain to GLI

Volkswagen R32 - If you can find one and can afford it, sure. I get to drive an .:R every week. Haven't had anyone step into it and complain.

About VW left foot braking, if you drake the brake while gassing ALOT, you will run into engine cut. This only happens if certain events are met. Talk to me if you want to know more.

[Dan Shaw]

I had a 2009 WRX and just recently bought my FIFTH Integra Type R. The WRX is good but is not the top of the class

mmm...ITR...now there's a good FWD car for SK2. would love to drive one of those someday. Bet it's a riot!

[Mako Koiwai]

the z06's are awesome machines if you have a car owner to share the tire cost.

Tire Rack is out of our front size Kumho 710's ... so Karen HAD to buy a set of Hoosiers for next weekend.

[Steve Ekstrand]

OK Guys, lets get a few things straight. I own or get to drive 4 of the cars mentioned here.

Didn't the Palero Cash for Clunkers Accent do well in HS?
Great gas mileage, room for 4, and low cost tire size.

Hyundai Accent 2009 - I own one, and recommend it. It's cheap (cheap as in the cheapest car in America when I looked) and makes me smile. I bought a "loaded" accent for $7900 after my Audi trade. ST driver Lugod loved it. I get 29MPG with aggressive driving on a 20mi commute to Downtown Los Angeles. Small wheels = cheap tires

I once drove Palero's Jetta GTI. God, it was awful. Inside front tires spinning everywhere - I hated it with a passion.

Volkswagen GLI 2005.5-2009 - Hayter was such a hater. He drove the car when it was rolling on Federal tires. It weighs ???~ lbs more than a GTI (the GLI has a trunk and the GTI is a hatchback) I competed in SK2 for 2 years in one with tires (shocks came in last 3 events) and recommend it. HUGE trunk. 14.7gal tank. Incredible power for the MPG. Bright HIDs. No one pays much attention to GLIs.

Volkswagen GTI 2006-2009 - Feels like it weighs 2 Lugods less than a GLI and rotates much better than a GLI IMO. The rear isn't as good looking as a GLI and it isn't as "grown-up" as a GLI. The 4 door gets cheaper insurance but is much harder to find. Identical wheelbase & powertrain to GLI

Volkswagen R32 - If you can find one and can afford it, sure. I get to drive an .:R every week. Haven't had anyone step into it and complain.

About VW left foot braking, if you drake the brake while gassing ALOT, you will run into engine cut. This only happens if certain events are met. Talk to me if you want to know more.

Watching Palero drive these wrecks I thought he was an alien.... Then I saw him drive prepped ST civcs... And I realized those previous pigs must be pretty decent in the right situation.

[Michael Palero]

Watching Palero drive these wrecks I thought he was an alien.... Then I saw him drive prepped ST civcs... And I realized those previous pigs must be pretty decent in the right situation.

Sad and somewhat true.


I forgot to mention the VW Rabbit S. It's the GTI - the 2.0 FSI Turbo but with a 180hp inline 5 instead. Goes straight to HS. I drove one of these at the Divisional. I thought it was a Great car with a used set of GTI struts + a GTI swaybar ($200 total used)

What's more important? Autocross? or daily live-ability?

[Craig Naylor]

I'll second (or what ever # were up to) the GTI if your going to stick with SK classes. Moving to R-rubber,ou really need ne of the top cars in class. On street rubber, to some extent your choices improve.

I also ran Stephens GTi for a few events his first year in CA in SK2. Even managed to hold top time of day for 1/2 a day in the rain in the car! (6 run groups that day, I drove in the pouring rain 1st run group, raw time didn't get broken till 5th run group (drying), or out paxed till 6th run group (mostly dry).

[Mako Koiwai]

Angie will have a '99 Carrera out there this weekend ... don't know if it has an LSD ... but check it out ...

[Leonard Cachola]

I'd also throw in a Mazda3 (H-Stock) in the mix - Morgan Trotter won SK2 for the season driving one in San Diego last year.

[Mako Koiwai]

The Lynches bought a new MazdaSpeed 3 ... with front LSD. But apparently that LSD isn't enough. I hope they bring it out on Saturday

[Jeff Stuart]

I'm pretty confident I don't want a FWD car.

I'm going to test drive a Genesis Coupe tomorrow night, so we'll see how that goes.

[Leonard Cachola]

I'm pretty confident I don't want a FWD car.

That narrows things down a lot, then!

[Rad_ Delgado_]

Nice suggestion Rad !

How much for one of those?

The 1999 Carrera came with a mechanical limited slip diff. The car has a 3.4 flat-6 with close to 300Hp stock. In 2000, Porsche removed the LSD added PSM (electronic stability control) and removed the traction control in the 99 car. In 2002 Porsche made the engine a 3.6 at 315-320Hp, but this car is more expensive in the used market. The 3.4 has very good power, good torque and it is very light, the 1999 Carrera with almost no fuel is a tad over 3,000 lbs (about 100 lbs lighter than a 2004 GT3).

Low miles cars (under 30k miles) are in the $24k range, and high miles cars (80k miles) in the $16k range.

They have been tracked for many years in PCA Club Racing and they have proven to be reliable. The only issues are related to the RMS leak (rear main seal), but it is an easy fix and covered even out of warranty by Porsche, as they know it is a problem. My two GT3 leaked from that seal (twice in the 04 GT3 6 times in the 07 GT3 RS).

They can hold plenty of cargo, the rear seats fold. Four wheels (8x18 and 10x18) with 245/285 tires fit in the back, leaving plenty of storage space in the front trunk (you can actually fit a front tire/wheel there) for all the autoX tools we use.

In A-stock, the car can benefit from upgraded shocks. You can lose almost 40 lbs from the exhaust in A-Stock, and another 30 lbs on wheels. I still think the Cayman S is a better autoX car, but it is such a close call, that it really depends on who's driving. Cayman-S cannot use a LSD, and the 1999 Carrera and 2004 40th Anniversary 911 (A 3.6 345Hp Carrera) both have LSD. All the other 996 for A-stock don't have the option for a LSD.

They are also at the bottom of their depreciation curve, so their ownership cost is lower compared to a 2010 Honda Accord or even worse 2010 Toyota Runaway Camry.

The Z06 and C5 are good autoX cars, but you need a trailer to get your sticky race compound tires to an event, or wear them out on public roads (like the Steve guy that runs ASP and Porsche events).

I have driven the R32, actually considered one for my daily driver years ago, but I could not stand the weight and lack of power. There are 250Hp in there, but they are well hidden, the engine sounds very nice, but the car drives like a FWD (thanks to the Haldex AWD system they use). It is a heavy car, 3500 lbs or so. I think it is overpriced for what it is.

I had a E36 M3, too slow in stock form, but fun car. Driven the E46 ad E92 M3, not fun like the E36, but E92 is pretty fast (expensive though), these two latest M cars are heavy as well.

Now if you want a competitive SK car, go for a HS Mini, Civic, etc. If you want fun and competitive, look for CS/BS/AS/SS cars.

[KJ Christopher]

The 1999 Carrera came with a mechanical limited slip diff.

All of them or was it an option? I'm seeing conflicting information on the interwebs.

[Annie Bauer]

I'm pretty confident I don't want a FWD car.

I'm going to test drive a Genesis Coupe tomorrow night, so we'll see how that goes.

Jeff, make sure you drive a R Spec or Track model - the others don't have Brembos and also don't have a limited slip, and the car is useless without one! The R Spec is essentially just a stripper Track model, so the only difference is the options (and associated weight).

[Curt Luther]

I'm pretty confident I don't want a FWD car.

I'm going to test drive a Genesis Coupe tomorrow night, so we'll see how that goes.

Jeff, make sure you drive a R Spec or Track model - the others don't have Brembos and also don't have a limited slip, and the car is useless without one! The R Spec is essentially just a stripper Track model, so the only difference is the options (and associated weight).

I know you're not normal in this regard, Annie, but how long did you have this car before you threw it in the gutter?

[Annie Bauer]

The Genesis? I actually still have it

[Curt Luther]

The Genesis? I actually still have it

No. Way. Are you trying to win or did you lose a bet?

[Mako Koiwai]

Z06 and C5 are good autoX cars, but you need a trailer to get your sticky race compound tires to an event, or wear them out on public roads (like the Steve guy that runs ASP and Porsche events).

Or have a co-driver with a support vehicle to carry the Practice & Race tires.

[Jeff Stuart]

I'm pretty confident I don't want a FWD car.

I'm going to test drive a Genesis Coupe tomorrow night, so we'll see how that goes.

Jeff, make sure you drive a R Spec or Track model - the others don't have Brembos and also don't have a limited slip, and the car is useless without one! The R Spec is essentially just a stripper Track model, so the only difference is the options (and associated weight).

I'm testing a Track tomorrow. I know the R-Spec is technically better at autocrossing due to the decreased weight, but I don't drive anywhere without using cruise control and would not be a very happy camper without it. I'd want the other options too, since this is going to be my daily driver as well.

I do have a question for you: A few of the reviews I've read/watched have mentioned that the flywheel is too large and the engine is too slow to rev down. While not a huge issue for autocrossing, I'm wondering what you're opinion is?