LEMONS FORUMS
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I have reviewed the forums and completed a search, but I don't find a thread discussing what people think are the best cars to create a Lemons racer out of. Therefore, to all you experienced guys (and gals), what are the top 5 cars you would recommend to a newbie for a Lemons build, and why?
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pgeorgeson wrote:
I have reviewed the forums and completed a search, but I don't find a thread discussing what people think are the best cars to create a Lemons racer out of. Therefore, to all you experienced guys (and gals), what are the top 5 cars you would recommend to a newbie for a Lemons build, and why?
Whatever you enjoy... that's what lemons is about.. Not stupid, restrictive rules, but run what you think would be fun, and build it how you damn well please. That's the draw for me...
PS,
The Celica in my sig is our Team car (I didn't pick this one).. I am just about done building a 91' Lexus LS400 though (because my team said it would never work or be fun), and that should hopefully be amusing...
Last edited by Spinnetti (2009-09-02 06:07 PM)
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It depends on what you want to do.
Cheap - Fast - Reliable , pick 2. Oh yeah, and cheap is already picked for you.
Hondas can be fast since they have cheap go-fast parts on ebay but they tend to pop head gaskets.
Toyotas can be reliable but they aren't the quickest things on the track.
BMWs and Miatas are plentiful, reliable, but they aren't cheap so expect to get harrased by the judges.
Cars that aren't fast nor reliable are the judges favorites and they tend to look beyond the new bushings on your '70s Pacer.
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Phil did a noob guide to lemons cars a couple of months ago:
http://jalopnik.com/5188845/the-24-hour … tion-guide
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what constitues a "good car" really depends on which trophy you're interested in: winner on distance or index of effluency.
toyotas and mazdas seem to hold up well, but of course, YMMV (literally).
whatever you do, avoid the chevy citation.
RobL wrote:
Toyotas can be reliable but they aren't the quickest things on the track.
the hell you say.
Last edited by Buzz Killington (2009-09-02 09:12 PM)
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Buzz Killington wrote:
RobL wrote:
Toyotas can be reliable but they aren't the quickest things on the track.
the hell you say.
SHHHHHhhhhhh!!!!!
(the FX16 video in the noob guide is us)
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Camaros and FWD Celicas tend to blow up early and often.
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Toyotas have won more LeMons races than any other marque. I believe the score right now is Toyota 5, Mazda 4.
But you'll have more fun shooting for the Index Of Effluency. IOE contenders always have the most fun at a LeMons race.
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My next lemon car will hopefully be some really obscure and shitty. Something french or russian built is what I'm looking for. I'm all about seeing something going around the track that you would never expect to see driving down the road and especially not on a race track. That's cool.
Last edited by jw33 (2009-09-02 10:31 PM)
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pgeorgeson wrote:
I have reviewed the forums and completed a search, but I don't find a thread discussing what people think are the best cars to create a Lemons racer out of. Therefore, to all you experienced guys (and gals), what are the top 5 cars you would recommend to a newbie for a Lemons build, and why?
THIS!!!!
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Oh, I've just found the best LeMons car ever!
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Actually, an excellent choice for the team that just wants to keep racing all weekend is the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor. Cheap, reliable, pretty decent suspension and brakes, enough power to be fun. Haven't seen many Crown Vics contending for Heroic Fix, if you know what I mean.
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MurileeMartin wrote:
http://images.craigslist.org/3na3k33of5 … dc13c7.jpg
Oh, I've just found the best LeMons car ever!
There was an abomination similar to that on the first BABE rally in 06, I'll see if I can find some photos. Imagine a 1500 mile roadtrip in that. This one did have doors at least.
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Found it
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pgeorgeson wrote:
I have reviewed the forums and completed a search, but I don't find a thread discussing what people think are the best cars to create a Lemons racer out of. Therefore, to all you experienced guys (and gals), what are the top 5 cars you would recommend to a newbie for a Lemons build, and why?
To answer your question, and these are in no particular order:
1. Crown Vic / Caprice - like Murilee said, cheap, reliable and fun
2. Toyota Corolla FX16 - there are a couple of these in Lemons and they are always at the top of the pack
3. Mustang - can be had for cheap, run well and parts are readily available
4. Mitsubishi anything - their motors are indestructible
5. Neon - dime a dozen and their run pretty well
This of course is just my humble opinion. Commence firing Lemon's racers!
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I think the Crown Vics and other V8 sedans are to big. Brakes will be an issue
plus now that we are running 100 cars per event. Well for the first hour.. before they start dropping like flys. A smaller more nible car is ideal.
Other than the Crown Vic I agree with Capt Rats list.. even though I think the VW golfs and BMWs are one of the best handling cars.
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MurileeMartin wrote:
http://images.craigslist.org/3na3k33of5 … dc13c7.jpg
Oh, I've just found the best LeMons car ever!
I thought the LeMons cars had to be 4 wheeled.
"2.1: Vehicle Eligibility: Entry limited to mass-produced, four-wheeled vehicles..."
If not, I'm gonna bring THIS!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_7J_a2y6IA
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Personally, I don't like the larger cars. They go through tires and gas faster than smaller cars. You also have to worry about the brakes.
FX16 vs. Impala - this is why I like smaller cars http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MkXRSu6X2I
Well and this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5iP3IIAw4U (I had 3" to one side and less than an inch to the other - and yes, I will continue to milk this video forever)
Last edited by RobL (2009-09-03 10:47 AM)
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I'm not even going to ask about our Plymouth Acclaim...
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CaptainRat wrote:
5. Neon - dime a dozen and their run pretty well
This of course is just my humble opinion. Commence firing Lemon's racers!
The Policia Neon at Buttonwillow was FAST...
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Yea the impalas can slip into the small space on the inside of a corner and make it.
We were rear ended 2 times at the last CMP by the v8 sedans. they would fixate on the back of our BMW and not realize that we can late break in the corners. Se we would slow down. they counldnt and they would bump us on the back bumper.
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I've always been of the opinion that for LeMons the more obscure and odd the car is the better. Sure you can buy a Miata or an E30 and run the whole race without problems but where's the fun in that? What's fun is doing the heroic fixes to keep some weird piece of crap running for two days despite questionable engineering (both as new and later on), unobtainable parts needing jury-rigging and asking 20-year-old parts to do something they would have had a hard time doing when new. Can't say I've been as excited about any race as when we took the checkered flag at Reno with the Peugeot despite the car being stuck in 3rd gear for the last 4 hours and overheating whenever there was a yellow flag. So what if we were 37th, we finished :-).
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