LEMONS FORUMS
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MurileeMartin wrote:
Camaros and FWD Celicas tend to blow up early and often.
Aaaw crap, what? What blows up on celica's? That's it, I'm bringing a ride on lawn mower.
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davisriley wrote:
MurileeMartin wrote:
Camaros and FWD Celicas tend to blow up early and often.
Aaaw crap, what? What blows up on celica's? That's it, I'm bringing a ride on lawn mower.
Yeah a statment like that almost makes me happy we;re gonna bring the Wartburg instead of the Celica.
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Spank wrote:
If not, I'm gonna bring THIS!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_7J_a2y6IA
Gives a whole new meaning to limited slip rear end!
As an added bonus, it will clear debris from the track. And, you'll save on tires too! Getting rear-ended might be an issue though!
Last edited by SharkBait (2009-09-03 01:17 PM)
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Solracer
I would love to bing out a Classic mini or A Citroen DS 21 to an event to see what it can do. However even a $500 car would have potential to be restored. AKA be a nice car. And with the amount of contact that still takes place. The trading paint and rubbing. I wouldnt want to trash the car. I have 2 BMW 2002s that are somehat rusty and under $500. but to me there worth more to restor than to get smashed up.
Now a Pinto, Gremlin or Pacer.. may be an option..
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CaptainRat wrote:
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!
The Caprice is a lot faster than the Crown Vic, but not as reliable. As for Mitsubishis, they have not generally distinguished themselves as solid LeMons cars.
Kind of a mixed bag with Mustangs. The 4-cylinder ones mostly do better than the V8s.
Neons have done pretty well, as have Escorts.
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Any 12-cylinder Jag saloon, especially with fuel injection and Lucas Opus ignition....
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MurileeMartin wrote:
Camaros and FWD Celicas tend to blow up early and often.
Hey! I represent that... actually ours was a bit of an odd one.. I've had LOTS of Toyota's, and they are really reliable generally. The camry motored ones are not my top pic though, so the older ones are actually better (e.g. 88 or earlier GT-S preferred)
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jimeditorial wrote:
Any 12-cylinder Jag saloon, especially with fuel injection and Lucas Opus ignition....
Yea when a heavy big american v8 car is not hard enough on tires and brake.. Grab a Jag.. it is alot cooler. but Lucas.... RUN AWAY..
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RobL wrote:
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)
Dunno Rob, that Impalla was keeping the ole' Fx at bay pretty handily until they got hit trying to go too many wide! See you at CMP shortly if you are goin.... Or MR2 didn't get done on time, so we are back the the battered and torn old Celica (on of the ones Murliee referenced as the blowing up FWD kind)....
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davisriley wrote:
MurileeMartin wrote:
Camaros and FWD Celicas tend to blow up early and often.
Aaaw crap, what? What blows up on celica's? That's it, I'm bringing a ride on lawn mower.
the sludge filled camry motors... How'd you do a 94' so cheap? back date to the yamaha GT-S motor if you can!
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Neons have done pretty well, as have Escorts.
That's what we want to hear!
KT
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Spinnetti wrote:
RobL wrote:
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)Dunno Rob, that Impalla was keeping the ole' Fx at bay pretty handily until they got hit trying to go too many wide! See you at CMP shortly if you are goin.... Or MR2 didn't get done on time, so we are back the the battered and torn old Celica (on of the ones Murliee referenced as the blowing up FWD kind)....
I would have gotten around them eventually. All I needed to do was keep filling his mirrors and wait for him to make a mistake - exactly like he did. The funny thing is that I smelled his brakes fade - he went into the previous couple of corners and his car's smell changed pitch so to speak. So I backed off.
I'm not making this trip to CMP. I'm going to be in Lincoln NE all next week and can't make it back to Philly and then to SC in time. The MR2 will be in Ohio in October. You going to be there?
Last edited by RobL (2009-09-03 08:55 PM)
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Spinnetti wrote:
davisriley wrote:
MurileeMartin wrote:
Camaros and FWD Celicas tend to blow up early and often.
Aaaw crap, what? What blows up on celica's? That's it, I'm bringing a ride on lawn mower.
the sludge filled camry motors... How'd you do a 94' so cheap? back date to the yamaha GT-S motor if you can!
Po thought the trans was screwed. Could only get 2nd gear. Was a shift retainer. Had the valve cover off, no sludge to be seen. So, fingers crossed I guess.
Plus it's been hit more times than the lottery, the interior was an ashtray, it's ugly and the sunroof was smashed. Other than that, a great car!
Last edited by davisriley (2009-09-04 06:30 AM)
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bam2002 wrote:
Solracer
I would love to bing out a Classic mini or A Citroen DS 21 to an event to see what it can do. However even a $500 car would have potential to be restored. AKA be a nice car. And with the amount of contact that still takes place. The trading paint and rubbing. I wouldnt want to trash the car. I have 2 BMW 2002s that are somehat rusty and under $500. but to me there worth more to restor than to get smashed up.
Now a Pinto, Gremlin or Pacer.. may be an option..
Well if you're going for something actually *valuable* then I can see your reservations but I bet if you look long and hard enough you can find a Mini or a DS that is so bad no one would want to restore it. A Mini sounds good to me since my friend just got a free running 995cc engine so all we'd need is a serviceable body and we'd be set.
I do like the AMC ideas too, there have been too few of them in LeMons and I've seen quite a few of them for sale locally as of late. My favorite is still the Eagle SX/4 for the pure ridiculousness of the thing.
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How about a VW 411? I'm on the lookout for a Chevette Diesel myself......
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Solracer wrote:
I do like the AMC ideas too, there have been too few of them in LeMons and I've seen quite a few of them for sale locally as of late. My favorite is still the Eagle SX/4 for the pure ridiculousness of the thing.
I can only think of one LeMons AMC so far:
We need more!
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RobL wrote:
Spinnetti wrote:
RobL wrote:
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)Dunno Rob, that Impalla was keeping the ole' Fx at bay pretty handily until they got hit trying to go too many wide! See you at CMP shortly if you are goin.... Or MR2 didn't get done on time, so we are back the the battered and torn old Celica (on of the ones Murliee referenced as the blowing up FWD kind)....
I would have gotten around them eventually. All I needed to do was keep filling his mirrors and wait for him to make a mistake - exactly like he did. The funny thing is that I smelled his brakes fade - he went into the previous couple of corners and his car's smell changed pitch so to speak. So I backed off.
I'm not making this trip to CMP. I'm going to be in Lincoln NE all next week and can't make it back to Philly and then to SC in time. The MR2 will be in Ohio in October. You going to be there?
Bummer on CMP.. Planning on Nelsons.... Bring your mig to my house... LS400 (next lemons weapon) needs a cage put in it 
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bam2002 wrote:
Solracer
I would love to bing out a Classic mini or A Citroen DS 21 to an event to see what it can do. However even a $500 car would have potential to be restored. AKA be a nice car. And with the amount of contact that still takes place. The trading paint and rubbing. I wouldnt want to trash the car. I have 2 BMW 2002s that are somehat rusty and under $500. but to me there worth more to restor than to get smashed up.
Now a Pinto, Gremlin or Pacer.. may be an option..
ANYTHING can be restored... even this "could be". But at what expense?
For a limit of $500 plus safety equipment, it could be back on the road (ok, a racetrack) and enjoyed/cursed by up to 6 behind-the-wheel drivers each LeMons weekend for as long as it holds together. (and hopefully, I can have it done ready for one of the first west coast events of 2010)
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I have been offered 2 FREE classic minis. But they are in the UK.. so shipping them over would be cost prohibitive. event if Shipping didt factor in to the cost of the car, the investment in the car would be rather high.
I do have a lead on a Euro BMW e21 323 that a tree fell on and took out the back of the roof and the trunk. So maybe that would be wothwhile. RE a non e30 but still a 6 cyl car.
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I STILL have a free to any LeMons team a cherry, never been raced, lightly used, beautiful, original condition(?) AMC Spirit. Can be seen somewhere on Jalopnik...I believe Ms Martin would be happy to see it ...probably 0 bs laps. I even have a theme for it..'Rust Never Sleeps'...I'll help you load it with a excavator! Who's brave enough to step up? It's a California car!
Last edited by sawinatthewheel (2009-09-04 12:07 PM)
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How about a large - by Japanese standards - Cressida, Maxima, Mazda Comso or RX-4 - how do the "big" Japanese 4 doors fair? too common, not "clunky" enough? What say ye all
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ifb_mole wrote:
How about a large - by Japanese standards - Cressida, Maxima, Mazda Comso or RX-4 - how do the "big" Japanese 4 doors fair? too common, not "clunky" enough? What say ye all
I say hell yes! We've had a real shortage of Japanese luxury so far. Never seen a Cressida or Maxima. One apiece Q45 and LS400.
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bam2002 wrote:
jimeditorial wrote:
Any 12-cylinder Jag saloon, especially with fuel injection and Lucas Opus ignition....
Yea when a heavy big american v8 car is not hard enough on tires and brake.. Grab a Jag.. it is alot cooler. but Lucas.... RUN AWAY..
Our V12 Jag (with original fuel injection and Lucas electrics) has a 50/50 finish rate so far.
Hmmm... for simplicity maybe you'd want to go with a 1995 Mercedes S600 V-12 with a melted wiring harness, no title, malfunction automated throttle bodies, dead air suspension, erratic traction control and over 30 check engine codes?
Would I try that??? Hmmm... I do hate myself
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50-50 with a V-12 Lucas Jag is outstanding...my TR-8 can't match it for reliability.
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jimeditorial wrote:
How about a VW 411? I'm on the lookout for a Chevette Diesel myself......
Like this one? It's even nearby to me and is $850:
http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/1357139983.html
A couple of others but both going for a lot more than I can ever imagine any Chevette going for ($2200 and $1200):
http://nmi.en.craigslist.org/cto/1337877909.html
http://iowacity.en.craigslist.org/cto/1311447288.html
And one in Canada but also *way* too expensive ($2000):
http://abbotsford.en.craigslist.ca/cto/1324414542.html
Last edited by Solracer (2009-09-05 02:15 AM)
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