Quote:
Originally Posted by Charles Bronson
The obvious answer is a Miata. I have two friends with aftermarket turbocharged Miatas. The cars are the "NB" generation (one a 2000 and the other a 2004). They spent $5k-9K on the cars and $3500 for the turbos installed along with new clutch and flywheel. The cars make about 200whp and 200wtq or around 230hp/230tq at the flywheel. It doesn't sound like a lot, but the cars weigh around 2300lbs. The Miatas are pretty quick and should be in the mid 4 0-60s and upper 12 second 1/4 mile range. They feel even faster because they are low and tiny. I help them do work on the cars and the Miata has a straight-up race car chassis. They are damn easy to work and parts are cheap. I love driving them and I fit (barely). I'm 6' 1", 175lbs. I'd definitely fit if they had aftermarket seats.
On the flipside, I've owned a 2016 BMW M235 since new in early 2016. The car has 60K miles and have been trouble free. I've done routine maintenance like oil/filter changes, spark plugs, brake fluid, coolant replacement, and filter changes as well as preventative maintenance including an accessory belt ($30), tensioner ($110), and coolant overflow hose ($40). The car has never had a warranty repair or failure. It's due for new front rotors and pads all around. OEM parts will cost me about $600 and about 2 hours of my time with very basic tools. BMW has made significant strides in quality in the past 10 years. They are still expensive to maintain, but if you're a shadetree mechanic, they're not too bad. My M235 is a 6MT and is pushing around 450hp/450tq with a tune, downpipe, and some other basic mods. It hauls, especially after 40mph. It's still on the stock clutch too. The car is built exceptionally well and doesn't have a single rattle.
I'm currently looking at 2003-2004 C5 Z06s as a fun car and occasional auto-x. I thought about a Miata, but I'm more power hungry than my friends and wanted something different. Once I get the Z06, I'll likely sell my M235 and get an automatic 2018-2020 M240 or 2016-2018 M2 DCT. I love the 2 series, but I don't want two 6MTs.
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I am with you on the larger displacement turbo cars....I think you loose a lot of reliability with a boosted small 4 banger such as a miata or similar. Even then, unless you go bonkers on a build, hp gains are moderate. I had an acquaintance that had a turbo s2000....spent a boatload on mods and my "stock" with tune E550 would pull away from it every time with no problem....he would be banging gears and blowoff valve was "blowing"...i just left mine in drive and walked away after about 60 mph and up to at least 130 or so.
