Best option for a starter car

Yeah, unconventional. They're legal though. I teched it at Rim and I don't remember there being any other issues with it. Sent you a PM on the other board.

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Self-righteous douche canoe

I would like to add something even though I have not yet started my build, so take this for what it's worth, which ain't much.

Mercedes-Benz 190

1. RWD

2. Cheap as balls and alot of them around

3. Cossie designed 16v head that will make any non-cossie ford or volvo head look like a saab transmission casting (far reaching on that analogy aren't I?)

4. MB designed this car to rally, but then the quattro came out and they relegated it to DTM, which it won the championship, twice.

5. Independent rear suspension that was considered best of it's time, and still not out of date despite being 20 years old.

6. MB's then CEO remarked that the 190 was "needlessly overengineered" and this was at a time when "needless overengineering" was the norm at MB.

7. these are rallied in europe.

8. Road Racers get their 190s down to around 2,000lbs.

9. Plenty of bolt on upgrade parts, need bigger brakes? Find a bigger merc.

10. I'm sure there are more....


I know this is NOT a stateside proven car, but dammit, when I graduate in 4 months I WILL start building one of these. The Volvos are tougher, but heavier, and don't have engine options that are as nice. The merkurs are only uglier by a factor of four trillion.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/25/2007 04:37PM by gemorris.

I know someone trying to sell a 190 Cossie. I know two more who are building standard 190s to Cossie spec, and one who is putting one together as a DTM-alike.

Quite frankly, XR4Ti, BMW, 190... it's all German crap, Two of them have ginormous price tags attached to the cars and most of the parts simply because of the badge on the front.

Re: friends playing with their three pointed star cars: If you can find these cars cheap, let me know and I'll let them know. Unless your idea of cheap is under $5000, that is.

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Pete Remner
Cleveland, Ohio

1984 RX-7 (rallycross thing)
1978
Silence is golden, but duct tape is silver.

Anyone else saw that oldschool hotrod article in GRM a few months back, and read about that '82 Corolla with the Lexus V8, and started to get involuntary gp5 eye tics? Or is that just me being stupid? Those damn Corollas are about A-bombproof, thier all alloy V8's are deadnuts reliable, parts are to be had, so I guess there's some pickyass rule that say we can't run that configuration, or what?

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Jay Woodward
Snohomish, WA
'90 Mazdog Frankenprotege
Chronologically, 46...

http://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/car/266255206.html

$2000 is not bad for that car.

gemorris Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> >
> $2000 is not bad for that car.

No, it's not. But, $2000 will buy you a cheaper car plus a lot of swag.

(At this point, you may counter-argue that you could probably sell the luxojunk out of it and sell what still works for about $2k.)

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Pete Remner
Cleveland, Ohio

1984 RX-7 (rallycross thing)
1978
Silence is golden, but duct tape is silver.

gemorris Wrote:

> 6. MB's then CEO remarked that the 190 was
> "needlessly overengineered" and this was at a
> time when "needless overengineering" was the norm
> at MB.
And there is the problem in a nutshell, IMHO.

That's why I'd go with either the Volvo (simple and proven) or the XR ( slightly less simple and world class); both are strong cars.

As for analogies, a stock 20 year old XR(in good running condition) will walk away from a new 230 Kompressor. And will run away from a 190 like it was standing still. And with the XR, know one will think that you've stolen grandma's car.

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Scott Manley
Spokane, WA
86' XR4Ti
37

There was a 190 25/16 that ran Maine many years ago. Rock solid car but maintenance, prep and upkeep is measured in cubic dollars.

Would be a good grocery getter but rallying it would be expensive as hell.

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Cheers
M.Samli
Phoenix AZ
Gaylant VR4
EVO III GSR (Stolen)


Rallies are no place for traitors

hoche Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I confess I'm in the build-it-don't-buy-it camp,
> because you'll end up with a car you know inside
> and out. BUT, 1) find a mentor with lots of rally
> experience who can show you what to do and what
> not to do, and 2) BUDGET. Budget both your money
> and your time.

I didn't figure Hoche for the build it type. hrmm...
I'm glad I built my rally car. I thank that experience everytime I somehow keep the car going. Do you think the trust fund kids know what code the ECU blinks for O2 and where to reach behind the motor to disconnect it?

Plus there is not a huge pile of ready to run Production cars for sale.
They are all beat up G2's and G5's... Good luck getting any 88 Golf back to "stock"

- Kris

Kris: http://www.grok.com/hoche/gti/

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Self-righteous douche canoe