Ok, let me just throw this out there. Small, fuel injected V6 with 5 speed and live rear axle. My buddy had one with just a lowering kit and it was a great little truck that he would do track days and autocross and not only did he do well, but the truck never overheated brakes or anything.
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My vote is Mazda 2. Or RX-8? They seat 4 and are cheap and fun.
E30 or maybe E36 BMW for the 510 replacement. Mazda 2 for the original Mini replacement.
I'm going to go with the SVT Focus and SVT Contour. Well under $5k for a tossable factory performance model that are only getting more difficult to track down in decent shape.
No replacement for 510, really. Original mini? Take your pick: SVT focus, civic si, Mazda 2, Ford Fiesta.
In reply to penultimeta:
Why do you say there's no modern "replacement" to the 510?
Is it just because it was RWD? Other than that, it wasn't a remarkable car. Had it had the 2000cc motor from the 2000- it would have been a great car, but with the 1600cc pushrod- it was just a basic sedan.
And there are a lot of basic sedans that handle well these days.
Any basic B sized car for either would be a great replacement. It would be interesting to see how much would have to be put into a 510 to just equal a modern Fiesta or Fit. And BTW, my basic 6 speed auto Focus is a better car in most measurable ways than my 73 GTV is.
As for the Mini, it, too wasn't a barn burner- no need to have a SVT or S modern replacement. The Coopers were more interesting- maybe the SVT or S or RS or whatever.
You guys need to go back a decade in GRM magazines and see how much better modern cars are vs. really good old cars are.
If it's about driving entertainment, well, that's a tough one.
I've been looking at a similar set of cars since my son's about to turn 16.
For RWD, there's not a "lot" of options. The E36's, Nissan 240's (if a drifter hasn't ruined it), MR2's, RX-7. Loosecannon's small truck idea is a good one.
For FWD (and I'm assuming hatchback), there are more. Just looking at the power/weight ratio, pretty much any modern car would beat the original Mini power to weight. Some examples I look at: Civic Si's or any FI Civic hatchbacks, Swift GT's, VW GTi's, Corolla FX-16, Sentra SE-R, '06 and up Hyundai Accent, MINI's, Mazda 2's, Ford Escorts, Metro's, Omni GLH, Focus, Dodge Colt.....
-Rob
KIA Forte5 SX:
I've been around long enough that I've owned a Datsun 510 and a 1275 Mini. A modern minivan would kick their butts on pure objective numbers. Either car would be heaps more fun to drive than a minivan though. That feels was a combination of competent handling and light weight. Today's cars are better handling , but gaining weight. Even my MINI CooperS is a 2700 pound car, that's double my 1972 Austin Mini's heft. For me, if I want to replicate the driving experience of my old cars I need something pretty basic, light, with a responsive motor. That motor doesn't have to be all that powerful either. Any number of the current FWD hatches fit that description. I'm not looking to outrun a 700HP Dodge Charger any more than I would have challenged a 429 CJ Torino in 1972 with the 510.
This is nothing more than the adage about how much fun it is driving a slow car fast, vs a fast car slow.
Haven't read very thoroughly but do any of the Scions fit?
In reply to alfadriver:
Oh, I wasn't lamenting the loss of '80s technology. And modern vehicles are leaps and bounds better than anything manufactured even 20 years ago. No replacement for 510 just means there's no light weight, rear wheel drive, cheap to buy, cheap to own, easy to live with day to day coupe or sedan, that's as ubiquitous as dirt.
penultimeta wrote: In reply to alfadriver: Oh, I wasn't lamenting the loss of '80s technology. And modern vehicles are leaps and bounds better than anything manufactured even 20 years ago. No replacement for 510 just means there's no light weight, rear wheel drive, cheap to buy, cheap to own, easy to live with day to day coupe or sedan, that's as ubiquitous as dirt.
Depending on how you define "light weight," I'd argue that E30 and E36 BMWs fit the bill pretty well. Some other contenders that fit those criteria in one way or another could include the G35, 240SX, '80s Volvos, or the Hyundai Genesis Coupe.
And if the RWD part is negotiable, there's no shortage of sporty FWD compacts out there for cheap.
In reply to penultimeta:
Still- I personally don't recall the 510 being that common. I recall maybe one at my HS back in the early 80's, which is just 10 years after they came out. In the early 70's, the people who liked Japanese cars really liked them a lot. It's just that there were not nearly as many compared to 10 years later. Or more 10 years after that.
Forgive me for not thinking that the 510 is a good example of an ubiquitous car in any form.
I remember more Pinto's and Mustang II's. Or late 70's Japanese cars- we had a 77 Celica.
Of any ubiquitous cheap car from Japan- it would be the CVCC and Civics that followed and perhaps the Tercels.
The Z car- I remember seeing a LOT more of those growing up.
Anyway, the cheap RWD every day small family car ended in the '70's across the board. A few here and there came out from Japan, and there were the Alfas and BMW's from Europe- but they aren't cheap.
Still, the go to cheap car that can be made a racer seems to always have been a Civic of some type. They were popular new, and continue to be popular used.
sesto elemento wrote: Mr2s man mr2s.
I almost said the same thing, but he did say there were 3 of them. If he's willing to leave someone at home to play Xbox, MR2's are good cheap fun.
Mazda Protege.
Recall that what makes this genre is the fact that the cars were so good at being vanilla that nobody assigned any future value to them until the supply started to run out.
Corolla XRS? Jetta GLI?
You can't find a "modern-day 510" because no Japanese automakers produce a RWD sedan that is cheap, sporty, relatively fuel efficient, and reliable. I think that's what you mean by modern-day 510 at least. Everything is FWD, other than the true sports cars like the Miata or S2000. I think the closest thing to what you're looking for is probably the E36, if you consider that modern...most of them are 20 years old now.
What I think what you want is a RWD Mazda Protege, or something like that. To bad nobody ever made one.
For the modern day MINI, I think that's easier, with the aforementioned Mazda 2, Protege, Sentra, Ford Fiesta, etc. being examples. Except now you get reliability, but no RWD.
This thread has gotten me SERIOUSLY curious about a Mazda2 with the Bspec kit on it. Has anyone driven one spec'd out with this? How much would I hate it for a economy-minded daily driver? (Currently dailying a '01 330ci bimmer, but the new gig is going to have a decent amount of driving, and the 3 gets pretty abysmal gas mileage.)
-Ben
Corolla/Matrix XRS
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