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RWD purchasing advise!

Posted by Paul Buck

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Paul Buck
Paul Buck
Super Moderator
Location: Portland, OR
Join Date: 03/23/2015
Age: Midlife Crisis
Posts: 156

Rally Car:
Volvo 242 in progress

Paul Buck

RWD purchasing advise!
March 23, 2015 09:04PM

Registered: 03/23/2015
Posts: 156

so i am looking to buy a rwd car to turn into my first and hopefully not last rally car.

i have no rally exp. raced karts as a kid, but music took my soul over and i gave everything up to tour the world and try to 'make it' playing music. well now i'm 'settling down' with wife and child and music hasn't paid the bills in a long time, so it's time to get a car for rally and live that dream...

i have looked at both a merkur and a volvo 242 but would love to hear opinions from you all on these cars. the volvos are EVERYWHERE in portland and know i could get one for next to nothing. but it seems like the volvos need a lot more work to get them rally ready compared to a merkur. or am i wrong?

is there another rwd car i should look at? i don't want a mustang. thats just a long held bias passed down to me from ex drag racer father.

regardless, thanks for any input you might have.

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MattP
Matt Pullen
Senior Moderator
Location: Calgary
Join Date: 10/22/2013
Age: Possibly Wise
Posts: 282

Rally Car:
2002 Ford StRanger

MattP

Re: RWD purchasing advise!
March 23, 2015 09:12PM

Registered: 10/22/2013
Posts: 282

Ranger!!!

Yes, it's a Ranger.
Xr4Ti, it is rwd and was made in Germany.

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Clayto
Clayton McCrary
Mega Moderator
Location: Olympia,WA
Join Date: 07/04/2013
Age: Possibly Wise
Posts: 161

Rally Car:
XRatty purchased. Now build it!!

Clayto

Re: RWD purchasing advise!
March 23, 2015 09:16PM

Registered: 07/04/2013
Posts: 161

I'm building a Merkur....when you mod the shit out of it, it actually has a few Mustang bits and Contour and Lincoln, Saab, Cosworth/Ford.
If I were you I would race a Fukkin Mustang just to say Heh to Daddy!

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Paul Buck
Paul Buck
Super Moderator
Location: Portland, OR
Join Date: 03/23/2015
Age: Midlife Crisis
Posts: 156

Rally Car:
Volvo 242 in progress

Paul Buck

Re: RWD purchasing advise!
March 23, 2015 09:22PM

Registered: 03/23/2015
Posts: 156

heh. he already thinks i'm nuts cuz i'm not getting a bmw. i had a '74 2002 for a long time and that was a fun car but... no.

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steveracer13
Steve Jackson
Godlike Moderator
Location: Fremont, NH
Join Date: 06/30/2011
Age: Midlife Crisis
Posts: 18

Rally Car:
e30 BMW - soon to be

steveracer13

Re: RWD purchasing advise!
March 23, 2015 09:22PM

Registered: 06/30/2011
Posts: 18

No big surprise that I'm going to suggest a BMW. E30 and E36 are both reliable and cost effective. Lots of cars available and parts to work with. The motors go forever, transmission, brakes and suspension are durable and great starting point performance wise. You can't underestimate a well balanced chassis. E36 has a more modern suspension, a bit easier to upgrade. E30 is smaller and lighter, starting to get a bit more challenging to find.

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Robert Culbertson
Out of this dumpster fire
Mod Moderator
Join Date: 08/15/2010
Posts: 1,236

Robert Culbertson

Re: RWD purchasing advise!
March 23, 2015 09:37PM

Registered: 08/15/2010
Posts: 1,236

There are a lot of good options/platforms out there. Celica/Corolla, e30/e36, Volvo 2/7/9 series, or a Merkur if you hate yourself smiling smiley

There's probably more "good" rwd options as opposed to "bad". I would personally go Volvo/e36/toyota if it were me getting a new car going.
Volvos are stupid tough, Derek has done very well in a basically stock e36 with nice suspension, and many people have rallied old toyotas well.
Merkurs are alright I guess. But you have to be really weird to want one.

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Paul Buck
Paul Buck
Super Moderator
Location: Portland, OR
Join Date: 03/23/2015
Age: Midlife Crisis
Posts: 156

Rally Car:
Volvo 242 in progress

Paul Buck

Re: RWD purchasing advise!
March 23, 2015 10:04PM

Registered: 03/23/2015
Posts: 156

so for me it boiled down to two different ways of looking at things. one, pick a car that's readily available at junkyards and cheap. check, volvo. two, buy a weird car because i tend to enjoy torturing myself, cursing and shaking my fist at the sky. check, merkur.

but then people start talking about bimmers and i feel myself start to give a little. e30s and e36s are pretty bountiful in these parts, but 240 volvos are even more bountiful. meh.

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RALLYRS
Mike Ball
Godlike Moderator
Location: Simi Valley,Ca.
Join Date: 07/15/2011
Age: Ancient
Posts: 466

Rally Car:
Nope...I wish...RWD 2 Door Jeep XJ 4.0 5-spd Dirt-o-cross car(we have no grass!)2.3 ZX3 rallyx car(sold)

RALLYRS

Re: RWD purchasing advise!
March 23, 2015 10:36PM

Registered: 07/15/2011
Posts: 466

Ha ....I've been having xr4ti withdrawals for a couple years now...
it's official...I'm weird.

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john vanlandingham
John Vanlandingham
Junior Moderator
Location: Ford Asylum, Sleezattle, WA
Join Date: 12/20/2005
Age: Fossilized
Posts: 14,152

Rally Car:
Saab 96 V4

john vanlandingham

Re: RWD purchasing advise!
March 23, 2015 11:31PM

Registered: 12/20/2005
Posts: 14,152

Vancandygram for Mr Buck.

Please check your Pea Ems

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

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alkun
Albert Kun
Professional Moderator
Location: SF Ca.
Join Date: 01/07/2008
Age: Possibly Wise
Posts: 1,732

Rally Car:
volvo 242

alkun

Re: RWD purchasing advise!
March 24, 2015 12:53AM

Registered: 01/07/2008
Posts: 1,732

I'll say it; do a volvo. The are boxy, but nice.

The fact that they are plentiful and cheap is huge. Get 2 or 3, have plenty of spares. 240s don't take more building than others. They are stupid fun to drive, if you are into that kind of thing...

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Paul Buck
Paul Buck
Super Moderator
Location: Portland, OR
Join Date: 03/23/2015
Age: Midlife Crisis
Posts: 156

Rally Car:
Volvo 242 in progress

Paul Buck

Re: RWD purchasing advise!
March 24, 2015 01:08AM

Registered: 03/23/2015
Posts: 156

stupid fun is what it's all about.

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Clayto
Clayton McCrary
Mega Moderator
Location: Olympia,WA
Join Date: 07/04/2013
Age: Possibly Wise
Posts: 161

Rally Car:
XRatty purchased. Now build it!!

Clayto

Re: RWD purchasing advise!
March 24, 2015 11:49AM

Registered: 07/04/2013
Posts: 161

Weird and stupid fun go hand in hand smiling smiley

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ALS FTW
Don K. Oates
Junior Moderator
Location: Strathmore, AB
Join Date: 01/19/2015
Age: Settling Down
Posts: 137

Rally Car:
looking

ALS FTW

Re: RWD purchasing advise!
March 25, 2015 02:59AM

Registered: 01/19/2015
Posts: 137

Quote
john vanlandingham
Vancandygram

Why does my brain instantly picture that spray panted on a panel van parked next to a school yard?

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NoCoast
Grant Hughes
Mod Moderator
Location: Whitefish, MT
Join Date: 01/11/2006
Age: Midlife Crisis
Posts: 6,818

Rally Car:
BMW

NoCoast

Re: RWD purchasing advise!
March 25, 2015 11:59AM

Registered: 01/11/2006
Posts: 6,818

Do you love junkyards and trucker hats? Volvo
Do you love eBay and Starbucks? BMW
Do you love long walks on the beach and swing sets? Subaru
Do you love money and your Xbox? None

Grant Hughes

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aj_johnson
A.J. Johnson
Elite Moderator
Location: Pendleton OR
Join Date: 01/07/2011
Age: Settling Down
Posts: 1,381

Rally Car:
88 Audi 80

aj_johnson

Re: RWD purchasing advise!
March 25, 2015 12:12PM

Registered: 01/07/2011
Posts: 1,381

Are you a masochist? RWD Audi 5cyl turbo

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/25/2015 12:13PM by aj_johnson.

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