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Joined: Jul 2005
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Karma: 1,001 |  | Tuning Article: Buying a Project Car
« Thread Started on Jul 15, 2006, 5:06pm » | ![[Quote]](http://s2.images.proboards.com/buttons/quote.gif "[Quote]") |
Considerations when buying a 'project' car
When buying a "project" car you need to be very cautious not to make a fatal mistake. That is to buy the wrong car and be stuck without many options. Should you purchase a car that is too 'slow' or has too small an engine, you may have more regret about your purchase than you originally thought. There is a saying in the muscle car world that goes:
"There's no replacement for displacement."
What this means is essentially a small engine has more limitations compared to a larger one. A 5.0L V8 naturally produces more power than a 2.0 I4 and can be made to produce more power easier. A fairly obvious statement. For example:
Take Webmaster K's '00 626. His V6 puts out about 170hp stock, while the 4 cylinder version of the 626 has about 140. If someone were to try and tune that smaller engine to reach 170hp (a difference of +30hp), it would take several thousand dollars and require changing the majority of the engine components. Now consider that the price difference between the I4 and V6 was only $1500-3000 and you start with 170hp and now have room get closer to 200hp (again, a difference of +30hp) and outperform the original I4 by +60hp! Now one problem some people dpSo you see why you should always try to get the biggest engine available on your car of choice, even in lue of any other options..
That's right...I said NO other options. Why? Consider that power windows average $995 at a dealer while a car electronics shop will charge $500 or less and if you are even mildy handy with tools, you could install them yourself for about $200+. The same applies with power locks, leather seating, audio packages, and of course, wheels & tires. Those "options" are all available on the aftermarket for less.
Stay tuned for more in this series...
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