What's your favorite momentum racer/cheap & economical fun car?

In reply to Kenny_McCormic:

Having owned an MRS, I don't really have any love for the 1zz. I wouldn't mind a nice 20v swapped 94 corolla wagon.

calteg wrote:

Kenny_McCormic wrote: In reply to 4cylndrfury: The 98-02 Corolla/Prizm is even better, same chassis/suspension, but ~100lbs lighter in the front with the same engine that went into the Euro market Lotus Elise S.

I'd like to subscribe to your newsletter. My current DD is an 02 prizm. It had never even occurred to me to try hopping it up

I have a thing about not modding DDs. It differs from bone stock as follows.

-Somewhat worn not the cheapest Monroe struts

-195/60R14 General Altimax HPs on stock alloys, 175/65R14 General Altimax Artics in the winter on Corolla alloys.

-coil spring boosters(the big rubber H channel style) in the rear springs to correct sagging and stiffen it a bit.

-High amp headlight harness to correct low voltage issue

-Redline MT-90 in trans(great hot, shifts like a truck cold though)

-M1 0w40 oil year round with the 2zz Denso oil filter, 7500 mile interval

-I have a spare gas pedal I've been meaning to bend up to give it better pedal spacing for easier heel toeing.

-Also been meaning to fit a better flowing slimmer muffler as the huge stock one drags often.

You can throw it into a corner a bit too hard and all 4 tires stark talking, its quite neutral. Far more entertaining on highway ramps than a fwd toyota should.

my neighbor (who never keeps anything for longer then 2 months) picked up a clean rust free fx-16 this past weekend. I'm quite intrigued, as it's the flavor of the week around here I'd recommend that along with my usual BG chassis mazda suggestion.

Both offer tons of parts sharing drivetrain upgrade options, from limited slips, to engine swaps that utilize the same motor mounting points to forced induction. I'll also throw in mkII 16v gti as well, although they've started to go back up in value already so you won't get as much car for the dollar as you would with the other options.

Someone mentioned Mirage earlier, I loved mine and had it for years without issue. I think I had from 80k miles to almost 150k when it met an untimely demise and did nothing but tires, suspension, battery and PM. Decent suspension, light and fun enough to toss around. If you can find a 4th Gen with 1.8 (4G93) and 5MT you're lucky, you can swap 4G63 easily if you get bored lol. 5th Gen (97-01) 1.8 are still pretty easy to find. 5th Gen LS coupe is actually a pretty nice looking car. Also you don't have to deal with Honda fanboy taxes and theft and it's like a Civic with more torque.

Also Corolla, pretty much any Corolla. 2ZZ XRS would be nice if you can find one, but good luck.

Ok. I'll bite. Ford Escort ZX2. It's a Mazda BG (Protege/MX3) chassis with a Ford Zetec 2.0 engine and a Mazda transaxle (G-Series 5 speed). Consumables are Ford cheap, and there is a fair bit of aftermarket support if you look in the Mazda catalog.

Oh, and they are faster than a Ferrari--here's proof! Watch at 3:45...ZX2 passes Ferrari at T3 Road America

I have a picture of my SR passing a 911 at Lime Rock.