Fun Jap Cars

[CONRAD]

I've been a car nut (jap turbos) since the late nineties.. and have owned a considerable lot of them.

I've been riding a bike every day (K7 suzuki gsxr750) for the last two years because of parking in town and the love of speed.

Previous cars:
Supra RS 95 Non Turbo – maybe 100kw
Skyline GST 94 – modified – dyno 170kw
Subaru WRX MY00- in blue with gold wheels – not modified – dyno 110kw
Skyline R32 93 – N1 turbos, ecu, injectors, all the fruit – modified – 260kw

2008 – economic crisis

RX7 S4 FC – I purchased a cheap car with the engine blown.. and got it built at REVs in Adelaide – maybe 150kw

Mitsubishi Legnum – standard – it felt like 160kw wasn't dyno'd big torque though

Mitsubishi Evo 8MR – modified – 230kw – quicker car through roads than the R32

Purchased the bike – clearly the 0-100 blows my other rides out of contention.

Have had the bike for a while – but I'm also a Dad now.. so last week just purchased a:

Subaru Forester XT MY09 – maybe 120/30 at wheels (its got the 2.5L turbo engine and heavily restricted – so after reading forums and a vf52 turbo later 180kw+ is easily doable, great family sleeper – just like the legnum).

My question is, after all these great Jap Turbo cars, I'm thinking of selling the bike.. and what I really want is that grin factor of driving a well balanced car cheekily through corners. You might think I'm crazy, but I've heard of Hondas (ep3, s2000, type r) being fun to drive...are they?????

I'm looking at 10/15 grand or actually cheaper the better (bike is only worth 8/9K) – my mates all say get a chaser, FD (both – too expensive) or similar but I'm not looking to spend 20 grand.. but I really want a REALLY fun car you can throw around – think grim factor.. I know the new 86 and BRZ personify this (30k)- but please tell me your experiences of just that fun, grin filled car!!

[Hertz Donut]

Nothing wrong with Hondas. DC2 Integra Type R would suit your needs. Not super-fast but quick enough and a lot of fun on twisties. Other Honda options of course are EK9 Civic Type Rs, EK4 Civic VTiRs, not sure if you have any EG6 Civic SiRs over there. None of these are as quick as the DC2 (EG6 is probably closest) but all can be a barrel of fun and cheap to buy, run and maintain. Downside is they're all FWD and some will mock you for this factor alone but wgaf, they're still fun.

Also look at MX5s if you can withstand the "gay" comments.

[warps]

Yes the Hondas are fun to drive. Don't waste your time putting them on the dyno though (seems to be a bit of a habit of yours there??) as you'll be disappointed. Hondas have reasonable straight line performance, but they handle very well, and are extremely chuckable.

For your budget, I would go for (in the following order:)

EP3R - some are under $15k. Top gear claims these to be the best Type R Civic ever (built in UK, still use proper suspension - a "traditional" Honda)

DC5R - Occasionally see them as low as $12k Same running gear as the EP3R, but a bit bigger and heavier

DC2R - older, using the older B18 engine. These are still a great car, but finding a non thrashed one will be very hard and they seem to be the same price as DC5's

EK4 - you can get one under $6k and they're a nice car but a bit underpowered. Also hard to find a standard one that hasn't been thrashed

EK9 - Don't waste your time. The Type R tax on these is overwhelming. Yes, they are a good car but only if you just *have* to have one due to their rarity

I put the EP3 and DC5 first in the list because they have the K20 engine. This is streets ahead of the b series, which in their day were a fantastic motor. The K20's have massive potential for power (300hp N/A, 600+ hp boosted) so are a natural choice over the B's.

There are a couple of K swapped DC2 and EK's around at the moment around the $10-12k mark. For the cost of the conversion, this is pretty good buying, and a good way to get a bit decent straight line performance.

Yes I admit I'm a bit of a Honda Fanboi (bought a gravel car 4 years ago and liked it so much I now have 3 of them). they are extremely well engineered, and almost bullet proof, so even the thrashed ones hold up very well. If you want to fang around corners and not worry too much about 12 second quarters, then the Hondas will fit the bill nicely.

As far as FWD goes - well if you can handle being ridiculed by some of your mates, then go for it. Take one for a drive (even on a track if you ever get a chance) and decide for yourself. The guys who race them claim them to be the most RWD behaving bum dragger out there.

Edited March 11, 2014 by warps

[Hertz Donut]

My K20A-swapped EK4 was a high-13-second car with a crap driver (i.e. me), a "soft" launch (2500rpm) and no real suspension fiddling other than Spoon progressive springs and Koni shocks, so they can still be fairly quick. It's not the sort of swap you want to undertake lightly though, much better to buy a car that's already had the work done.

A DC2R will get into the 13s as well with a modicum of fettling. I've never driven the DC5R and EP3R so I can't comment on them but they're a nice piece of gear.

/anotherHondatragic

[warps]

Agree, Matt. It's a big conversion hence costly (expect to pay $15-20k for all the parts and even then it isn't just a straight bolt up proposition)

I've got a K24 powered EK4 that's being built as a circuit car. Can't wait to get to the track, but the ones already racing over here are pretty damn quick. Mine's just the stock K24 with ECU, exhaust and intake, but already puts down over 180hp at the wheels, even with a 7000RPM rev limit (I have no idea why they limited it so low - 500RPM less than the factory limit).