What would you buy tomorrow if you crashed your car today?

Back in the 90's I used to take my Olds 442 daily driver to the drags on the weekend. I got paired up with a guy in a Dodge Omni Turbo that would run 14 seconds flat in the quarter mile. I didn't want to look lame in front of my buddies at the track by getting my 15.8 second Olds getting spanked by a 4 banger. As luck would have it the guy in the Omni missed second gear and lunched his trans so I got through that round with no shame. ;)
 
I have a buddy that has two brothers in the racing industry. Between them, they used to have three turbo minivans. All 89s I think.

One was fairly stock, one had basic bolt ons, upped the boost a few PSI and had a big exhaust. The third was a bit more extreme.

I remember it had a huge turbo and an even more huge intercooler. It was from a Cummins, I think. It was literally bigger than the radiator. They ran a fes runs up to 26PSI but mostly had it dialed in around 22 or 23 PSI.

I only rode in it once when it was running about 16 PSI and on front semi slicks, once the boost kicked fully in, it felt like driving on ice. It was the worst turbo lag I'd ever felt. It literally felt like the car broke after each shift then about 1/4 second later, it was woah Nelly. They had done a bunch of front suspension mods because it would try to hop ridiculously.

I think it ran a best sub 10.5 a few times and that was pretty traction limited on slicks. They had it dialed in around 11.8 at the lower boost with full slicks.

They tore up so many transmissions that he said they could change one in his brother's shop in three hours.

They used to terrorize Viper owners, esp new owners that didn't know how to properly launch.

So many drivers think that just because they have a 'fast car' they can go to the track the first time and get Motor Trend type slips.

My buddy had an Omni GLH-S that was stock and a project GLH that was pretty stupid fast for a FWD four cylinder. Their dad had about a 72 Duster with a huge supercharger sticking out of the hood. The one brother had about a 1995 Eclipse AWD that was around 650 HP but it kept killing the biggest clutches he could put in it.

They were not fans of the word subtle. :p
 
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It's amazing that automotive performance over the last decade or so is following the path of audio gear in the 70's.

With audio gear, we got "cheap watts" with higher and higher power ratings with every new generation, for the same or less money, until the bubble finally burst and a lot of folks realized that they didn't need 200+ wpc in every room in the house. But regardless, cheap watts are out there, especially with class-D evolving the way it is.

Cars/trucks have evolved much the same way in the past decade or so. I remember the late 70's and most of the 80's where "performance cars" struggled to keep hp ratings in the 200-250 hp range. My grandmother's 1953 Kirby vacuum cleaner probably made more hp than the average "econobox", back during that time frame--weighs as much too--I know--I still have it :).

Now, (with the exception of the real cheap econoboxes), 200-250 hp is more the norm, rather than the exception, even amongst the small vehicle/4-banger market. Go to the V-6 models and we are expecting numbers in the ~300 hp range. 400+ hp is no longer "rare air" territory, and real performance cars approaching or exceeding 800 hp are rapidly increasing in numbers, and readily available--some of them quite "affordably" compared to their "weakling" predecessors. My absolutely fully optioned-out Challenger SRT HellCat RedEye never even got close to cracking the $100K mark (all fees/taxes/misc., inclusive)--and it is a 797 hp "monster". In contrast, my 1984 C4 Vette was almost $30K and made a mere 205 hp. Yeah--$30K to a bit over $80K is one hell of a jump, but 35 years have passed in-between, and hp has jumped 4X too--and there are basically the same EPA mileage ratings on the stickers.

So I guess we are well-into the era of "cheap hp". This is not intended to be a "political statement" of any type, but just an observation that the "paradigm" of the American public, auto manufacturers, and oil producers have not changed one bit. Fuel prices in the US remain low (almost artificially low) relative to the rest of the world, Americans still buy what they want--regardless, and the auto manufacturers oblige their market by applying new tech to get more hp out of a gallon of gas, rather than more mpg--and none of this is going to change, unless people have to start giving up Starbuck's to put gas in their car to get to work.

Just some quicky facts: EPA mileage ratings--1984 Vette 15 mpg city, 20 mpg highway--2018 Vette 13-16 mpg city, 23-25 mpg highway (depends on engine option)--2019 Challenger SRT HellCat RedEye 13 mpg city, 21 mpg highway. Prius' they are not--not any of them.
 
If I had to replace my daily driver (2014 Ford Fusion), I'd shop the used market for another Fusion. I might go a year or two newer to buy one with 35k or less on the clock, but otherwise I'd be happy to find one with the same general equipment level as the one I'm driving. The only features my current car lacks that I'd like to have are a rear-view camera, which became standard on the Fusion for 2015; automatic temperature control for the heater and A/C system; and remote start.

Other cars I'd consider would be the Mazda6 and the Chrysler 300. I had a rental 300 recently and was surprised at how much I enjoyed driving that car. The only downside I could see is that the V6 Chrysler was somewhat thirstier than my four-cylinder Fusion.
 
The only downside I could see is that the V6 Chrysler was somewhat thirstier than my four-cylinder Fusion.

Under "normal" driving conditions, I sincerely doubt the V-6 in the Chrysler will hit you very (if any) much "harder" on fuel costs. The "issue" with both the Fusion and the 300 are that they are "ageing" platforms, and due for replacement or eradication (as has been the recent trend for sedans). The Fusion debuted as a 2006 model, and the 300 as a 2005--both are a little "long-in-the-tooth", as they say, having only "marginal makeovers" in the last decade or so.

As a used car buyer, this can be a "bonus"--there are a zillion of them around, and an "old" plaform, so they are depreciating rapidly, and lots of "shared" parts across the model years, so repair costs and parts availability are good (and relatively inexpensive).

Downside is that if you buy a new one, yours is not much different (other than date on the VIN and perhaps mileage) than a 5-year-old model, so you are going to take a beating if you choose to get rid of it anytime soon.

This is true of all vehicles (more significant, the higher up the "food chain" you go), but kind of "universal" to whatever extent. As soon as the "ground-up" re-incarnation of any vehicle is released, the last generation is now "old" or "dated", and immediately de-valued--even if you just bought it 6 months ago. This is (of course) a bit of a "generalization", but look at the prices of a "fresh", "all-new" Benz or BMW vs a 1-2 year-old one of the "old" body style. How dare you be seen in that?--sooo last year...
 
Volvo V70R. If I couldn't find an R in budget, XC70 and plan on some performance mods. Replacing an 06 V70. This is the last front wheel drive vehicle I will ever own.
 
Under "normal" driving conditions, I sincerely doubt the V-6 in the Chrysler will hit you very (if any) much "harder" on fuel costs. The "issue" with both the Fusion and the 300 are that they are "ageing" platforms, and due for replacement or eradication (as has been the recent trend for sedans). The Fusion debuted as a 2006 model, and the 300 as a 2005--both are a little "long-in-the-tooth", as they say, having only "marginal makeovers" in the last decade or so.

As a used car buyer, this can be a "bonus"--there are a zillion of them around, and an "old" plaform, so they are depreciating rapidly, and lots of "shared" parts across the model years, so repair costs and parts availability are good (and relatively inexpensive).

Downside is that if you buy a new one, yours is not much different (other than date on the VIN and perhaps mileage) than a 5-year-old model, so you are going to take a beating if you choose to get rid of it anytime soon.

This is true of all vehicles (more significant, the higher up the "food chain" you go), but kind of "universal" to whatever extent. As soon as the "ground-up" re-incarnation of any vehicle is released, the last generation is now "old" or "dated", and immediately de-valued--even if you just bought it 6 months ago. This is (of course) a bit of a "generalization", but look at the prices of a "fresh", "all-new" Benz or BMW vs a 1-2 year-old one of the "old" body style. How dare you be seen in that?--sooo last year...

The Fusion was actually all-new in 2013. The 2006-2012 CD3 platform was based on the Mazda6 of that era; the 2013-up CD4 platform was a new design by Ford for the Fusion, Mondeo, and Edge, with Ford of Europe having engineering lead responsibility for the job. The Fusion has seen only minor freshenings since 2013, so your observations about rapid depreciation and ample parts supply for this model are on target. Those are two of the factors that led me to buy a used Fusion instead of a new one in 2017.
 
^^^
At one time you could get that turbo motor with a 5-speed stick...in a DODGE MINIVAN!

I remember those. My friend's parents had one when I was a kid. It was pretty quick for it's time. I still see them pop up on Craigslist a few times per year. I'd love to have one.
 
So many drivers think that just because they have a 'fast car' they can go to the track the first time and get Motor Trend type slips.

Those are the types of people I surprise in my Fiesta. I can drive pretty decent, I know my car will launch hard with minimal wheel spin at 4k rpm on a decent road. I do have to pedal it a bit, but that's part of the game. Most of the people I encounter simply flat pedal it and they either bog or spin.
 
I don't plan on wrecking our cars, but if I had to replace mine next week for whatever reason, I'd probably step up to a 2nd gen RDX from the CR-V, or 3rd gen MDX or Pilot (as these all have the V6). Cars for me are too low to get out of easily (hip arthritis), as a daily driver. I never will buy new ever again, so I get a good bang for the buck.

It’s ridiculous. Too many people buying diesels to get groceries. The amount of 3/4 ton and 1 ton trucks out there with short boxes is stupid. What are you going to haul? A 10,000 pound refrigerator?
It's a case of urban redneck dick-waving, where I live...
 
It's a case of urban redneck dick-waving, where I live...

I think thats pretty much everywhere.

I also just find it amusing when I hit full serve pumps in the Lincoln and ask for diesel fuel. I get really odd looks, but I may be about the only person on the road locally with an oil burner that isn't a truck. There may be a few in TDI VW's and the like but I know we're well in the minority. Oddly enough the 80s Benz diesels get some respect from the truck crowd. They're good cars honestly, if MB had made something that was along the lines of an El Camino with that turbo 5 cyl I'd buy one. Once in a while I just have need of a truck bed, even if it doesn't have massive weight capacity.
 
I also just find it amusing when I hit full serve pumps in the Lincoln and ask for diesel fuel.
I find full service pumps amusing. We haven't seen those in our state in years if not decades! :D (I think they still will pump for the disabled on request.) NJ is one of two (?) states that still do full serve...?
 
I think thats pretty much everywhere.

I also just find it amusing when I hit full serve pumps in the Lincoln and ask for diesel fuel. I get really odd looks, but I may be about the only person on the road locally with an oil burner that isn't a truck. There may be a few in TDI VW's and the like but I know we're well in the minority. Oddly enough the 80s Benz diesels get some respect from the truck crowd. They're good cars honestly, if MB had made something that was along the lines of an El Camino with that turbo 5 cyl I'd buy one. Once in a while I just have need of a truck bed, even if it doesn't have massive weight capacity.
I've always wanted to swap a MB 5cyl turbo diesel into an S10 or Ranger. I think that there is a way to adapt the MB engine to a Jeep standard transmission, but I'd probably just use the MB automatic. Maybe someday after I get a garage I'll take on a project like that.
 
yeah, two I think. For years I laughed at the surrounding states, they paid more and had to do it themselves. How silly. Now I get gas out of state because the fuel taxes went up. Its 40 odd cents per gallon cheaper for diesel in Delaware, and 15 cents or so cheaper for gasoline now.
 
Without question, another '93 Toyota Pickup (pre-Tacoma) 4WD XCab 5-spd, 22RE motor.

She was declared a total loss after taking a good lick by a DUI driver.

Can't tell you how many times I passed a 7-Eleven where the day laborers would flag me down wanting to know if I'd sell her.

The truck was solid.
 
I honestly don't know - nothing appeals to me anymore. Currently I have a E92 335i and a late Jeep Cherokee with the 4.0/AW4/NP242.

Older cars seem more appealing than newer cars to me, seems like nothing either mfgr. made since is as appealing.
 
I drive a 2005 Ford Mustang and I would definitely buy used one 2005-2014.

Don't care for the 2015 and newer ones.
 
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