951 best do it yourself fast street/track car ever?
#46
I keep wondering what car I'd like to upgrade too if I ever do upgrade (track car).
But nothing ever comes to mind. I could spend a little more and get a car that nescesarily isn't better...it'd just be different. The only way out is to spend a lot more.
RX-8? E30 M3? E36 M3? .................
But nothing ever comes to mind. I could spend a little more and get a car that nescesarily isn't better...it'd just be different. The only way out is to spend a lot more.
RX-8? E30 M3? E36 M3? .................
#47
The brakes are the weak point on Camaro but 'it wouldn't be able to stop quickly if needed' is a huge overstatement. You can't stop a Camaro as fast as a 951 but with ducting and good fluid they get the job done.
#48
Rennlist Member
I know of a stripped and caged r32 with full KW race suspension that came 2nd to a 427cc Monaro in a production series last year and it's for sale for approx $20kau which is about $18k US. I'm very tempted to grab it just for some fun. I'm betting that the reason that they're a bit heavy in stock trim is because of the quality. Anything that weighs more than similar competition is usually because it is made better or with better level components. If you stripped a lot of that out, I'm betting you can lose some major lbs? We've still got an S2 to fix up for the track too. Prolly better off spending some money on it to have as a just for fun car.
#50
Instructor
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Boynton Beach, Florida
Posts: 140
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I know of a stripped and caged r32 with full KW race suspension that came 2nd to a 427cc Monaro in a production series last year and it's for sale for approx $20kau which is about $18k US. I'm very tempted to grab it just for some fun. I'm betting that the reason that they're a bit heavy in stock trim is because of the quality. Anything that weighs more than similar competition is usually because it is made better or with better level components. If you stripped a lot of that out, I'm betting you can lose some major lbs? We've still got an S2 to fix up for the track too. Prolly better off spending some money on it to have as a just for fun car.
#51
#52
Addict
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Phoenix, AZ - NJ Runaway
Posts: 3,649
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Overall it's an outstanding car. It's not the best looking of the group, shifts like a dump truck, and has the ****tiest seats on earth but offered the best overall performance of that group. Despite what many believe, there is quite a difference between the Z and non-Z and the few thousand extra you spend is worth it. Besides the extra 55HP/Tq, it's quite a bit lighter, has better suspension, gearing, trans, brakes, and wheels/tires. If cost was a concern I would go with a 99 or 00 fixed roof coupe (FRC) AKA the billy bob. They’re cheap, light, and stiff.
My 951 was a double duty workhorse for 8 years and for me the only suitable replacement to fill its role was the C5Z which it has done flawlessly and with only a fraction of the maintenance.
#53
Drifting
01-03 Z06? Best bang for buck compared to a 951?
This car came 12 years after the last 951 (U.S.), and we're comparing them? That's what I love about these cars. People are throwing out subies, vettes, camaros, audis...tons of different cars, and the majority of them are much newer. Does that not scream the obvious answer to anyone? We have people running a 1986 car against cars made within the past couple years and kicking ***. Lets see how awesome the 01-03 vettes are in 12 years when they're trying to compete with newer cars. I can almost guarantee they won't put up the fight the 951 does.
Considering you can get 951's for 4-5k (if you're going for a track car and body/interior doesn't matter), that makes it a hell of a lot better. I don't know Z06 prices, but I'm guessin they are in the mid 20's. I'd much rather buy a 10k dollar 951 and slap 10-15k more into it, then buy a z06 for ~25k and not have any upgrade money.
Not to mention corvettes are dime a dozen. There's probably 30+ corvettes in my town (probably a VERY low guess and my town isn't even that big), compared to not even one 951. There's even a couple C6 Z06s running around this town, yet still no 951. People don't see these cars all the time, and when they do...they LOOK. When I was younger, sure, I'd stare at the corvettes. Now? I'll glance, but I don't watch them leave site. The only corvette I'll stare at is the C6 Z06, because it is OBVIOUSLY different then the regular C6 vettes. Can't say that about the C5 Z06s...
This car came 12 years after the last 951 (U.S.), and we're comparing them? That's what I love about these cars. People are throwing out subies, vettes, camaros, audis...tons of different cars, and the majority of them are much newer. Does that not scream the obvious answer to anyone? We have people running a 1986 car against cars made within the past couple years and kicking ***. Lets see how awesome the 01-03 vettes are in 12 years when they're trying to compete with newer cars. I can almost guarantee they won't put up the fight the 951 does.
Considering you can get 951's for 4-5k (if you're going for a track car and body/interior doesn't matter), that makes it a hell of a lot better. I don't know Z06 prices, but I'm guessin they are in the mid 20's. I'd much rather buy a 10k dollar 951 and slap 10-15k more into it, then buy a z06 for ~25k and not have any upgrade money.
Not to mention corvettes are dime a dozen. There's probably 30+ corvettes in my town (probably a VERY low guess and my town isn't even that big), compared to not even one 951. There's even a couple C6 Z06s running around this town, yet still no 951. People don't see these cars all the time, and when they do...they LOOK. When I was younger, sure, I'd stare at the corvettes. Now? I'll glance, but I don't watch them leave site. The only corvette I'll stare at is the C6 Z06, because it is OBVIOUSLY different then the regular C6 vettes. Can't say that about the C5 Z06s...
#55
Formula One Spin Doctor
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Some time ago I was in the market for a new daily driver and fun toy (since I can't bring myself to drive a normal car) and started looking with an unbiased approach. I wasn't necessarily concerned with cost as function and reliability was more of a concern. My potential list included a Viper, E46M3, C-5 Z, 996, and even considered the EVO and WRX (for a second or two). After a ton of research and some test drives the C5 was the easy winner for bang for the buck. The Viper is a complete turd and quickly dropped off the list, the 996 and M3 while comfortable and pretty didn't offer enough performance for the dollar (and lacked the low end torque grin I was looking for) and still had the typical German car maintenance issues (parts availability, intricate sub assemblies, cost). Since I didn't have acne or a play station anymore the EVO and WRX were scratched off the list, and that left me with the C5Z.
Overall it's an outstanding car. It's not the best looking of the group, shifts like a dump truck, and has the ****tiest seats on earth but offered the best overall performance of that group. Despite what many believe, there is quite a difference between the Z and non-Z and the few thousand extra you spend is worth it. Besides the extra 55HP/Tq, it's quite a bit lighter, has better suspension, gearing, trans, brakes, and wheels/tires. If cost was a concern I would go with a 99 or 00 fixed roof coupe (FRC) AKA the billy bob. They’re cheap, light, and stiff.
My 951 was a double duty workhorse for 8 years and for me the only suitable replacement to fill its role was the C5Z which it has done flawlessly and with only a fraction of the maintenance.
Overall it's an outstanding car. It's not the best looking of the group, shifts like a dump truck, and has the ****tiest seats on earth but offered the best overall performance of that group. Despite what many believe, there is quite a difference between the Z and non-Z and the few thousand extra you spend is worth it. Besides the extra 55HP/Tq, it's quite a bit lighter, has better suspension, gearing, trans, brakes, and wheels/tires. If cost was a concern I would go with a 99 or 00 fixed roof coupe (FRC) AKA the billy bob. They’re cheap, light, and stiff.
My 951 was a double duty workhorse for 8 years and for me the only suitable replacement to fill its role was the C5Z which it has done flawlessly and with only a fraction of the maintenance.
The corvette does makes a beautiful street/track car, what year Was the viper you looked at ? The 98-99 viper GTS is another good street/track car , of course both are more expensive than a really nice 951...
#57
Drifting
Originally Posted by jasonlp
How come people aren't talking about the nsx yet?
All joking aside, at $80k, the nsx was hardly a bargain. Sure, they have come down tremendously (into the 20's I believe), but they still aren't a bang for the buck when compared to a 951.
#59
Drifting
Probably because no Porsche owner really wants to have a Honda being compared to their car.
Hondas have really, to me, never been anything serious. I see them strictly as economy cars. So they made one so-so sports car (No, I'm not talking of the S2K). What do you think when someone says Honda? What do you think when someone says Porsche? No one really compares the two. Porsches are made to go around corners, and fast at that. Damn near every single Porsche has been a well handling car. Honda has made one (two if you feel the need to include the S2K) well handling car. So where is the comparison? I'll start taking Honda more seriously when they actually produce cars for sports enthusiasts. The likely-hood of that? Slim to none.
They just don't have all of the ingredients. Pay $80k for a V6 and aluminum body panels. Little overpriced if you ask me. And the rumor of the new NSX with a V10 and...wait for it, VTEC!? I'll believe it when I see it. Until then, I really don't see an NSX as a bargain when 951's can be had for a fraction of the cost, have simple mods thrown at them and go out and hand an NSX it's rear.
Which was the question of this thread. What car can you buy for the money, and have it peform better then a 951. You really can't. You can find a decent 951 for $5,000 bucks, throw another $5,000 at it in performance goods, whether it be engine/suspension/brakes...and still have half the investment of a NSX. So how can the two even be compared? If both cars were on the same budget of $30,000 dollars, I know I would pick the 951. 'Cus good luck finding a $5,000 dollar NSX to which you can then throw $25,000 at!
Hondas have really, to me, never been anything serious. I see them strictly as economy cars. So they made one so-so sports car (No, I'm not talking of the S2K). What do you think when someone says Honda? What do you think when someone says Porsche? No one really compares the two. Porsches are made to go around corners, and fast at that. Damn near every single Porsche has been a well handling car. Honda has made one (two if you feel the need to include the S2K) well handling car. So where is the comparison? I'll start taking Honda more seriously when they actually produce cars for sports enthusiasts. The likely-hood of that? Slim to none.
They just don't have all of the ingredients. Pay $80k for a V6 and aluminum body panels. Little overpriced if you ask me. And the rumor of the new NSX with a V10 and...wait for it, VTEC!? I'll believe it when I see it. Until then, I really don't see an NSX as a bargain when 951's can be had for a fraction of the cost, have simple mods thrown at them and go out and hand an NSX it's rear.
Which was the question of this thread. What car can you buy for the money, and have it peform better then a 951. You really can't. You can find a decent 951 for $5,000 bucks, throw another $5,000 at it in performance goods, whether it be engine/suspension/brakes...and still have half the investment of a NSX. So how can the two even be compared? If both cars were on the same budget of $30,000 dollars, I know I would pick the 951. 'Cus good luck finding a $5,000 dollar NSX to which you can then throw $25,000 at!
#60
Rennlist Member