A question from Finland. After all these cars, what next?
Discussion
Hello everybody,
I'm just a average 23 year old finnish piston(and sometimes rotor) head. Cars in my past include a quite various types of japanese cars. Let me introduce them off to you.
First one was this normal 1991 ED9 Honda CRX. I started to tune the stock D16- engine, had cams and everything. But in the end i were not convinced by the potential of the crappy D- series. Then i sourced and swapped a B18C- integra engine. It was my first car and i can say it was worth every penny. I had it for two years and after finishing the swap i sold it for not having any more plans for it. Yeah you can always do this and that for the car but basically its the same.
After keeping myself in the FWD / N/A for few years i found out that the turbocharged cars were always faster. That is why i wanted to enter this exciting world of RWD / Turbo. And what would be better vehicle to do that than a S14A Nissan 200SX? I did the basic tune-up EXH/INT/BOOST/FUEL and ended up having a 250hp SR20DET with fuel consumption of a Dodge Viper
After a year sold it and i wanted to try out the notrorius 4WD- monster which i used to see on the television at late 90's.
So i went into Sweden and found myself in the small town's airport. Later i found out that i went to buy this CP9A Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI Tommi Mäkinen Edition. The car was absolutely STUNNING, it looked just like in some of the the wet dreams i had when i was 15. This car was ultra- rare with LHD- steering. I had to pay a big sum of cash for this one and later found out that it wasnt exactley worth it. I was happy with the performance and looks of it but it didint quite satisfy all the motoring- needs that i would have wanted. It was basically a good base for a rallycar, nothing else. It lacked the quality and it was a harsh ride. The engine was a gem and otherwisely it was a okay-ish car. I struggled to sell it since it was quite expensive (22.000GBP) compared to the RHD- models that was just starting to become more and more available.
Now i'm in the situation that i would need to buy a another car. I was thinking about jumping into our side of continent and buy a BMW M- series car. E36 M3 was in my mind this time, but i stood back from the Bimmers. I wanted to buy something else and the cheap- JDM vehicles got my attention. Especially that little, very beautiful Mazda that cought my eye. And dreams one again, but this time dreams were wet cause of the fuel the 13B-REW burned. So i ended up buying a 1995 FD3S ëfini RX-7 from UK. It was recentley rebuilt and ti was running nicely. And boy was she beautiful. Some said that the 13B-REW twin- rotor engine wasn't up for the harsh finnish- winter. But i'll say they just dont have the experience. wankel started up EVERY time i wanted to wake the beast. Even in the coldest times when needle drops down to -25 degrees. It was lovely winter- vehicle and i think the rear- wheels travelled 10x the distance compared to the front tires. Front- midship layout was absolutely great for every means. But i came to the mind that although the lovely looks and the great handling, i found myself cold crying inside the blanket for the fragility of the twin- rotor engine and the fuel consumption. So i had to let it go once again.
Now i'm starting to look for another car. I wanted to experience something that is enough diffrent and enough familiar (there isint any left after the RX-7) . I always thought of the "good old days" when driving these exotics. And i always wanted to have a beast N/A- engine once again but i wasnt sure of the FWD layout. I found myself thinking of the E39 M5 all the time, but somehow i didint want to buy it. Now i picked up a AP1 Honda S2000 with the F20C- VTEC engine. It was a LHD- car once again and i enjoyed the whole summer driving topless. It was great time. The engine was awesome, the gearbox was even better and the front- midship layout was once again very good for the car. The car was great and only thing missing was the space. And i used it as a daily drive so there wasnt too much space left for anything. Honda had few minor problems which obviously was the dark side of cutting- edge technology used in the engine desing. The engine burned a little oil (which is the typical fault found in the early S2000's) and the space really started to bother me. Then i sold it at the end of the summer in 2009.
Now i have a problem. I always liked the concept of having sedan with 4WD with a sparky turbo. What are my option if i find Mitsubishi not up to my requirements? A Subaru, yes. This time i went off to UK once again to collect this immaculate (which i think stands above mint in the local chap's vocabularity) Subaru Impreza WRX STi Type-R. I'm currently driving it and it is an absolutely awesome machine. A DCCD (Driver controlled center differential) is the thing whats missing in the "normal" japanese 4WD's. This allows me to tackle corner after corner in the way i want and i can even use the handbrake to turn the car. Its a great car but i know this winter will end some time and i'm looking for a new car.
So, i've thought of various cars. Should i try the Bimmer this time? The JZA80 Supra Twin Turbo is a potential candidate aswell. Back to my roots and start tuning a Honda? How would K20 w/SC sound in a Civic? I'm not sure. Please tell me if you have experience in some of the mentioned and dont forget to mention something i've not thought of.
Thanks for looking, please leave a comment!
Ville
I'm just a average 23 year old finnish piston(and sometimes rotor) head. Cars in my past include a quite various types of japanese cars. Let me introduce them off to you.
First one was this normal 1991 ED9 Honda CRX. I started to tune the stock D16- engine, had cams and everything. But in the end i were not convinced by the potential of the crappy D- series. Then i sourced and swapped a B18C- integra engine. It was my first car and i can say it was worth every penny. I had it for two years and after finishing the swap i sold it for not having any more plans for it. Yeah you can always do this and that for the car but basically its the same.
After keeping myself in the FWD / N/A for few years i found out that the turbocharged cars were always faster. That is why i wanted to enter this exciting world of RWD / Turbo. And what would be better vehicle to do that than a S14A Nissan 200SX? I did the basic tune-up EXH/INT/BOOST/FUEL and ended up having a 250hp SR20DET with fuel consumption of a Dodge Viper
After a year sold it and i wanted to try out the notrorius 4WD- monster which i used to see on the television at late 90's.So i went into Sweden and found myself in the small town's airport. Later i found out that i went to buy this CP9A Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI Tommi Mäkinen Edition. The car was absolutely STUNNING, it looked just like in some of the the wet dreams i had when i was 15. This car was ultra- rare with LHD- steering. I had to pay a big sum of cash for this one and later found out that it wasnt exactley worth it. I was happy with the performance and looks of it but it didint quite satisfy all the motoring- needs that i would have wanted. It was basically a good base for a rallycar, nothing else. It lacked the quality and it was a harsh ride. The engine was a gem and otherwisely it was a okay-ish car. I struggled to sell it since it was quite expensive (22.000GBP) compared to the RHD- models that was just starting to become more and more available.
Now i'm in the situation that i would need to buy a another car. I was thinking about jumping into our side of continent and buy a BMW M- series car. E36 M3 was in my mind this time, but i stood back from the Bimmers. I wanted to buy something else and the cheap- JDM vehicles got my attention. Especially that little, very beautiful Mazda that cought my eye. And dreams one again, but this time dreams were wet cause of the fuel the 13B-REW burned.
So i ended up buying a 1995 FD3S ëfini RX-7 from UK. It was recentley rebuilt and ti was running nicely. And boy was she beautiful. Some said that the 13B-REW twin- rotor engine wasn't up for the harsh finnish- winter. But i'll say they just dont have the experience. wankel started up EVERY time i wanted to wake the beast. Even in the coldest times when needle drops down to -25 degrees. It was lovely winter- vehicle and i think the rear- wheels travelled 10x the distance compared to the front tires. Front- midship layout was absolutely great for every means. But i came to the mind that although the lovely looks and the great handling, i found myself cold crying inside the blanket for the fragility of the twin- rotor engine and the fuel consumption. So i had to let it go once again.Now i'm starting to look for another car. I wanted to experience something that is enough diffrent and enough familiar (there isint any left after the RX-7)
. I always thought of the "good old days" when driving these exotics. And i always wanted to have a beast N/A- engine once again but i wasnt sure of the FWD layout. I found myself thinking of the E39 M5 all the time, but somehow i didint want to buy it. Now i picked up a AP1 Honda S2000 with the F20C- VTEC engine. It was a LHD- car once again and i enjoyed the whole summer driving topless. It was great time. The engine was awesome, the gearbox was even better and the front- midship layout was once again very good for the car. The car was great and only thing missing was the space. And i used it as a daily drive so there wasnt too much space left for anything. Honda had few minor problems which obviously was the dark side of cutting- edge technology used in the engine desing. The engine burned a little oil (which is the typical fault found in the early S2000's) and the space really started to bother me. Then i sold it at the end of the summer in 2009.Now i have a problem. I always liked the concept of having sedan with 4WD with a sparky turbo. What are my option if i find Mitsubishi not up to my requirements? A Subaru, yes. This time i went off to UK once again to collect this immaculate (which i think stands above mint in the local chap's vocabularity
) Subaru Impreza WRX STi Type-R. I'm currently driving it and it is an absolutely awesome machine. A DCCD (Driver controlled center differential) is the thing whats missing in the "normal" japanese 4WD's. This allows me to tackle corner after corner in the way i want and i can even use the handbrake to turn the car. Its a great car but i know this winter will end some time and i'm looking for a new car.So, i've thought of various cars. Should i try the Bimmer this time? The JZA80 Supra Twin Turbo is a potential candidate aswell. Back to my roots and start tuning a Honda? How would K20 w/SC sound in a Civic? I'm not sure. Please tell me if you have experience in some of the mentioned and dont forget to mention something i've not thought of.
Thanks for looking, please leave a comment!
Ville
Edited by Twilight1 on Wednesday 7th April 08:13
Edited by Twilight1 on Wednesday 7th April 08:15
petrolsniffer said:
A nice car history there 
the subaru is probally my fave.
As for what to choose next maybe a e39 m5 get some v8 in your life
Believe me, that has been on my mind. Although i'm not totally convinced about the BMW's quality, and it is quite expensive to maintain in nice shape. Vanos, clutch, gearbox, MAF- sensors and everything else have a M- pricetag. the subaru is probally my fave.As for what to choose next maybe a e39 m5 get some v8 in your life
Don1 said:
That evo is something else....
How about going left-field, and getting a 300ZX? Or one of the monster BHP Supras that are running around? Or Just go old-school (R32-33) Skyline?
I think a Z32 300ZX has become too old. Z33 350Z is a minor letdown although a pretty car.How about going left-field, and getting a 300ZX? Or one of the monster BHP Supras that are running around? Or Just go old-school (R32-33) Skyline?
What comes into R32 and R33. The R32 would be a quite nice car afterall, but it is getting too old for my taste. R33 is quite bulky and dull looking. Both cars have nice engine. But i would count few things as a drawbacks, ATESSA-ETS/HICAS are nice when working, but headache when not. The car is pretty bad to maintain, virtually any bigger repair would require lifting the engine off.
Why to buy a little cheaper Skyline GT-R when you can buy a JZA80 Supra. That is a Toyota and little easier to maintain. Not that there wouldnt be any problems with Toyota but usually they are easier to solve. Its a tough car and i think i'll buy one before its too late. They start to age soon.
Please let the comments roll.
After all of the JDM Jap metal and tuning I'd go for something German. BMW is an option, but not one I'd look into. Sorry guys I find them boring! I think you'll find yourself starting to look at Porches: Rear wheel/4WD, lots of torque, BHP - (room for improvement),relative comfort, stunning looks...
ETA: Changed my mind! Datsun 240z
ETA: Changed my mind! Datsun 240z
Edited by Mini_Lund on Wednesday 7th April 17:32
Mini_Lund said:
After all of the JDM Jap metal and tuning I'd go for something German. BMW is an option, but not one I'd look into. Sorry guys I find them boring! I think you'll find yourself starting to look at Porches: Rear wheel/4WD, lots of torque, BHP - (room for improvement),relative comfort, stunning looks...
ETA: Changed my mind! Datsun 240z
Haha. Mini_Lund you are absolutely right! I've been driven various BMW's and i always find them boring after 30-180mins depending on the model. ;D Just like you said!ETA: Changed my mind! Datsun 240z
Edited by Mini_Lund on Wednesday 7th April 17:32
Porsche has always been my soft spot. I just dont want end up driving a 944 or other FR- Porsche. Not that there is anything wrong with them, but still. Before the S2000 i was looking for a Boxster. I know i know, but it is still a proper entry- level Porsche and the S- model would be the one to go. Since yet i cant afford a 911. But that day will come, i'm sure about that!
You have excellent taste of cars, S30Z 240Z would be SOOOO awesome.
chriis said:
2JZ-GTE
Do it .
Haha. I might do a 240Z with 2JZ then. Do it .
Twilight1 said:
Haha. Mini_Lund you are absolutely right! I've been driven various BMW's and i always find them boring after 30-180mins depending on the model. ;D Just like you said!
Porsche has always been my soft spot. I just dont want end up driving a 944 or other FR- Porsche. Not that there is anything wrong with them, but still. Before the S2000 i was looking for a Boxster. I know i know, but it is still a proper entry- level Porsche and the S- model would be the one to go. Since yet i cant afford a 911. But that day will come, i'm sure about that!
You have excellent taste of cars, S30Z 240Z would be SOOOO awesome.
Haha. I might do a 240Z with 2JZ then.
We're sure to receive a shafting on here based upon that remark! A Z4M is probably the better of the BMW options, but then again theres other options to be had. I can understand where you are coming from with regards to the Porches. I saw what looked to have been a 17year old lad driving a Boxter convertable today, which totally put me off any idea of ever owning one! Porsche has always been my soft spot. I just dont want end up driving a 944 or other FR- Porsche. Not that there is anything wrong with them, but still. Before the S2000 i was looking for a Boxster. I know i know, but it is still a proper entry- level Porsche and the S- model would be the one to go. Since yet i cant afford a 911. But that day will come, i'm sure about that!
You have excellent taste of cars, S30Z 240Z would be SOOOO awesome.
Haha. I might do a 240Z with 2JZ then.
You seem to enjoy your tuning, so go for something you could potentially fiddle around with; Subaru Impreza WRX STi? 2010 model?
- Probably great in all of the weather conditions Finland has to offer and in reasonable comfort.All the best, I'll be keeping a close eye on what you decide!
Tom
Mini_Lund said:
We're sure to receive a shafting on here based upon that remark! A Z4M is probably the better of the BMW options, but then again theres other options to be had. I can understand where you are coming from with regards to the Porches. I saw what looked to have been a 17year old lad driving a Boxter convertable today, which totally put me off any idea of ever owning one!
You seem to enjoy your tuning, so go for something you could potentially fiddle around with; Subaru Impreza WRX STi? 2010 model? - Probably great in all of the weather conditions Finland has to offer and in reasonable comfort.
All the best, I'll be keeping a close eye on what you decide!
Tom
Yeah. But its totally true. I think BMW's are built too good, that is one reason why they are so boring. You seem to enjoy your tuning, so go for something you could potentially fiddle around with; Subaru Impreza WRX STi? 2010 model?
- Probably great in all of the weather conditions Finland has to offer and in reasonable comfort.All the best, I'll be keeping a close eye on what you decide!
Tom
M- series are always a nice option, but bit pricey and you get this sort of image i'm not used to.Yeah. I enjoy tuning and detailing the cars. I've also been thinking about Honda K20 powered MR2, but that would require some time. 2010 Impreza STi is too expensive for me. Its £62.000 without options. Finland has this import tax which is applied to all cars, you have to pay it everytime you are buying a new car or a used one. Its about 15-100% extra tax in relation to the tax free price. To calculate a price of the vehicle in Finland, you have to add 1.5 to 2 times more value to the cars you have there.
For example;
Toyota Prius. Tax- free price is 26.700 EUR. Then you add only 4.600 EUR of tax since it has low Co2- emissions. Making a total price of 31.000 EUR (£27000).
Subaru Impreza WRX STi. Tax- free price is 45.800 EUR. Then you add 22.600 EUR of tax since it has moderate (242g/km) Co2- emissions. Making a total price of 68.000 EUR (£60.000).
Mercedes CLS63 AMG. Tax- free price is 111.000 EUR. Then you add 93.400 EUR of tax since it has high (345g/km) Co2- emissions. Making a total price of 205.000 EUR (£178.000).
Next time you see somebody with 63 AMG, think that in here they have to pay double price to have the same vehicle.
This is stupid and the old cars are treated in same manners. Politicians think that we can save the world with population of 5.500.000 people Finland. No we wont and we do suffer from it.So i have to buy cars from the golden 90's while i still can. 2002+ vehicles are starting to cost me a big penny...
Edited by Twilight1 on Thursday 8th April 18:24
Edited by Twilight1 on Thursday 8th April 18:27
Don1 said:
OK, you want something fast, fun, and something that you can repair and have fun with.
This is Pistonheads - it has to be a TVR. (Or MX-5?)
he'd have to pay a fair bit for a decent TVR and then he'd have to hand over his soul to the finnish government in regards to the import tax.This is Pistonheads - it has to be a TVR. (Or MX-5?)
MX-5 is a good idea though, specially considering if he wanted to he could put a rotor engine into one for stupid amounts of get up and go with some tuning
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff