Why Civic's and other 4 cylinder Japanese Cars
 

I am not that old, (31) and when I was in high school, people used to build V-8's. Ranging from Charger's, Baracuda's, old and new Mustang's, especially the lx 5.0. Why do kids today try to do so much with so little. There is no torque coming out of the high reving 4 bangers, so getting out of the hole isn't optimal. The most non NOS horsepower you can reach is 230 or so. Why not build out a older mustang that has a solid base to work from? What happened to muscle cars and big engines? I used to love watching the 5 liter mustangs go up against the 60's muscle cars. Just wondering, please don't flame.

Car insurance, thats what happened. In order for a young guy to get a v-8 car the insurance is as much(if not more) as the damn payment for the car every month. Second would probably be reliability, Honda's, etc are known for reliabililty, Ford's on the other hand are not. Plus, just to be different. When you think about it, its the same now as it was then. Only times have changed, gas and insurance has skyrocketed, cars are more complex, parents are working and not teaching their kids about the v8's from back then. I'm sure there's more...

230? Nope. An N/A can easily break that.
Think about it this way. Its a challenge. Some of us don't want those 5.0s. Taking a 5.0 and making it run 13's is childs play. Taking a 1.6 and making it run 13's.... Well that takes more. And its nice to be different. Heck a modified 1.6 can still retain its gas mileage too. Can a 5.0?

Its a different generation now. When you were build 5.0s, you were different from the guys before you that built 60s hot rods. When we build our 4 bangers, we differ from the Firebirds & Stangs of today.

God what i wouldn't give for a nice beefy V8 to play with. Problem is i have to pay for everything myself, the car ($3300 cash), the insurance, the gas, etc. Just the insurance on a V8 would kill me.

Re: Why Civic's and other 4 cylinder Japanese Cars
 

Can't answer for the kids, since I'm not one, but I consider CiViCs to be like 'advanced go karts.' Simply put - they're fun to drive. I had a '65 I-6 and '66 V-8 Mustang. One of my kids has a '78 Mustang II. They are fun to drive too, but not as much fun IMHO...

Another nice feature is you can buy anything for CiViCs. I've never seen a car that was so widely supported by the aftermarket manufacturing community, except maybe the 55-57 Chevy. CiViCs are the '55 Chevy of the 90's.

I don't suppose I need to tell you that the 'new' Mustangs are the arch-enemy of the Honda CiViC, do I? So, we won't even go there.

Lastly, at least for me, I wanted something that got good mileage. It will become abundantly clear to you why in November when we start bombing Iraq and the Arabs shut down our gas supply... :bandit:

A V8 car wouldn't really be that expensive if you really wanted one.If you did the work your self and fixed it up.The insurance I don't think goes by car or motor I think its age.But if its not your thing than its not your thing.

I guess I understand now. That is really too bad that insurance is ridiculous, but with the probability of getting in wrecks when you are younger is greater. The thought of immortality tends to dim judgement when it comes to driving. I can remember driving my 85 dodge daytona in 1986 and racing some crappy 76 camaro and passing him on the shoulder of the road going 90. I guess that would be for the old school kill category.

i don't care too much for civics. i know they are fun to drive, easier too modify than the accords, and in the end faster than accords. i'd like a muscle car, but i put the safety first. i almost wrecked twice in a fwd car, in a rwd maybe i would have wrecked by now. i really don't care if i wrec or not but i do not want to take others with me. plus my accord gets 20+mpg even if i gun it all the time, and the insurance is pretty cheap too considering my age 250/6 mos fully insured.

Id love to have a V8 as a play car, but not everyday driving. After the civic is paid off, I have pondered a Trans Am with the WS6 package or something with some serious power like that as a weekend runner or something for nice days, but I couldnt imagine trying to drive that car in the snow and ice..:no:

Plus Im not looking forward to finding out what insurance is going to run me either. :paranoid:

Lets see im 19.. i pay 230 a month for full coverage with a clean driving record.. however they wanted to charge me *600* a month for a 5.0...

you do the math

then you musht have gotten more tickets than bills :crazy: ;)

read it again.. *with a clean driving record*

i have NOTHING on my record.. i own the car, its in my name, and im 19

how about cuz 5.0's are beater's and sh*t Boxes. im sorry if you got one and love it ... great. but ive been in TONS of 5.0's (including a 351 Windsor W/turbo and nos drag beast) and if your looking for a sports car that's not it. If your looking for a wheel spinner (now who's the kid) or a drag car then ya you got it. I could take any 5.0 around any set of corners in my home town in my 93 sentra e (1.6l w/eibach pro-kit susp. tech. sway bars.) If im on a straight road or a highway no im not gunna take them but if "driving" or turning the wheel is involved and not just stomping on the gas and "WAHOOOOOOOING" then the dude in the 5.0 isn't takin nuthin but a short trip off road if he tries to keep up.

why no 5.0 cuz i'd rather be flooring it through the corners.
if i ever want to do donuts or burn outs i know what to look for though.

oh and imo the REAL sports car is the Eagle Talon TSI and Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX

The question should be "why not AWD Turbo 4 bangers"

I bought it for a commuter car. Then I found all these goodies on the internet. Now, I can beat the other civics that don't have I/H/E, or NOS, or Turbos, or SC's, or high compression engines, or swaps[stops typing to conserve energy].

Quik

Trust me da damn insurance on some V-8 be horrible compared t' mah Integra. I
peeked into it b4 stealin' some Caddy. Mah Integra's pretty way baaad as it be.
(by the way from this point on i'm only speaking in jive, suck on dat turkey!)

basically for me the damn fords are all around in the "motor city" area. Im a rare one with a Civic, surrounded by 'stangs, and even the few that love their "oh-so-sweet" (my opinion really dumb) cavaliers, and all that other BIG THREE stuff. I am the radical here and I love it. So in short I have to hate all the fords and chevy's because I'm all alone in this Import Tuning world in the Detroit area.

I cant personnally see the attraction of big V8's n Chevvy's. Corners r much more fun than straight roads. and a small jap car will always beat a big chevy round the twisty stuff. Also they look better. (shame Civics n that aint RWD. have to wait 4 a Supra or sumin. wen I could afford one!!!!!)

i bought my I-4 cause of A) insurance is cheaper B) gas is cheaper and then its a lot of fun to mod it...and stuff like that..

civ
 

[Insert Flame Here - bdc]

Whoa i'm 23 and pay over $1000/6 for my insurance on my 94 camaro Z28 with fairly basicly converage. V-8 coupe Ttops, no tickets (I slow down by cops), no accidents. Almost got a speeding ticket, but the cop let off me (thank god) each ticket would kill me on a car like this. I hope it gets better then I turn 25. Just gota keep my record clean.

i'm 22, and i'm my dad's policy. i quoted myself on the same car, and it would go to 320/6mos with a 47/25mph ticket

I have no clue what it would be on my dad's. And I don't even bother asking cuase I know he wont let me. He wouldn't even let me when I was younger, I had to get my own when I was 16... But he did buy me the car. But it was a POS.

I pay almost $2000 a year. Then again I have about 6 points on my license. :rolleyes:

You know its bad when the BMV sends you a letter suggesting you goto "Defensive Driving" classes.:bandit:

don't get me wrong: i'm just quoted on there. i pay for my part. it's just money saving for me while i'm in college.

Alot of people'a parents are different that don't make any of them wrong, I have no problem paying my own, I have the money. And It don't bother me when other people's use their parents policy, or have their parents pay for them. I have my problems as does everybody and so does my dad.

Yeah its not a bad thing.

he promised me to kick me out of the house if i don't finish college, or if i'm 25 and still in college

Yeah I live with my parents on and off, but i've lived by my self for the past 4 months, well not my self by, me and friend. And his girl is around now and then. but me i'm between girlfriends, but i've still got my car.

Um because how many Muscle cars do you know that can run 12 flat with 20mpg completley street legal, have a full interior with air conditioning and a cd player, no nitrous, and still be a complete daily driver?

Example:

EclipseGSX

P.S. Why wont my sig work?????;(

Are you forgetting the Corvette?

after the first img you are missing a bracket.

Oh and that eclipse does it use pimp gas (92 or less octane) to do a 12, and it gets 20 stock, what does it get now?

and don't diss american cars till you know your facts.

No, not true... There is more to handling then weight. There is weight distribution, the center of gravity, and tire pressure. Just to name a few. And it's not a shame Civic arn't RWD they wouldn't sell as good, I know many people to own civics, for example 3 of my cousin's own them, they use them to go to work go home from work, and to stores, that about it. They don't race them, and they take them out in the snow, FWD is known to be better in snow then RWD. Cause of the added trackions in light accel. And i'm willing to bet none of their cars have ever been over 80mph or 4,500 RPM. And Civics main buyers don't buy them cuase of all the after market mods for them, they buy them cuase the're cheap, and get good gas milage. And i'm willing to bet thats how this whole thing started.

Ok now to prove my point...
Civic: (2553 lb)
01 EX Cpe PS May-01 1.7 I-4/5M 0-60, s. 8.50
Slalom, mph 50.70
60-0 Braking, ft. 127.00
Idle, dBA 40.00
60 mph, dBA 67.00
Full Throttle, dBA 80.00
Corvette: (3118 lb)
02 Z06 Cpe C&D Feb-02 5.7 V-8/6M 0-50, s. 3.30
0-60, s. 4.07
0-70, s. 5.39
1/4 Mile, s. 12.48
60-0 Braking, ft. 104.00
Skidpad, g. 0.99
Slalom, mph 70.30


* Sources: cars.yahoo.com and autosite.com. True as of date posted to the best of my knowledge. I take no responsibility for information Posted within. Use information at your own risk.

And yeah I know it's not a fair comparsion but he said always.

I'm making the switch, so I'll chime in on this one. My last 'sports' car was an '89 mustang that ran 12.7 @ 107. That's respectable, but nothing real special. My honda may never be that fast, but it'll be a lot more fun to drive, as well as more reliable. On top of all that, my insurance, gas, and purchase price will all be cut almost in half. I've beat the local chevy boys with a ford and that made them mad. When I do it with a civic, they will be p!ssed!

Thats not the point this kid is here dissing american cars with out knowing his shit or proving his point, I'm not trying to diss imported cars, that kind of shit just pisses me off.

Actually the whole thread got started because I couldn't figure out why teenagers weren't buying v-8's and i found out it was because of insurance. This wasn't a thread to flame certain types of cars, just curiosity.

Well there is alot of reason why someone wouldn't. I own a V-8 cuase I got the money.

Money doesn't always play a factor though. The S2000 is perfect example of an expensive 4 cylinder.