Am I Mad...?

[chris300zx]

not a for sale thread yet..! but having horrible thoughts of selling my vr4 and getting an accord type r if for nothing else but better fuel economy ish .filling her up twice a week with petrol is starting to hurt a little do you think i am mad..

[Kryton]

Keep it! Accords are nice but no comparison to the Legnum & not as practical. I struggle to drive these as the seat don't move back very far either so worth checking there is enough space for you

[Turbo_Steve]

I'm going through the same think at the moment, Chris : I just can't justify the expense of running a VR4 when there are (much) faster cars that use less fuel, handle as well / better and are nearly as comfortable / roomy.

Rather than the type R (which I've driven and is very nice, but amazingly impractical and not all that fast) consider some of the current diesel estates you can get these days - a few mods and they're powerful, quiet, and handle surprisingly well. And generally use half the fuel of the VR4.

[VR4Kaos]

I'm going through the same think at the moment, Chris : I just can't justify the expense of running a VR4 when there are (much) faster cars that use less fuel, handle as well / better and are nearly as comfortable / roomy.

.

name and shame em Steve

[miller]

Steve is entirely disenchanted with his VR4 and subsequently his current views shouldnt tarnish the enjoyment others get out of their VR4's!

Im sure he will agree with me

[Kryton]

I can understand going for a high spec diesel but don't see the benefit of changing to a type-r. Not going to gain much & might end up getting a car that might need unexpected money spent on it. I personally won't bother but I am still a fan of the Accord Type-R's (hate chavy Civics though)

[thugbulletproof]

hey my mate has got an accord type r and they are FAST!

2.2 vtec is a powerful engine. but i don't think you can save fuel with any car nowadays!!!

[WildCards]

I love ATR's, but as has been said they're not very practical and I doubt they would be good enough on fuel to warrant the expense involved in changing cars.

Budget dependant obviously but i'd look at something like a Mondeo ST TDCi Estate or E46 330d Tourer, both are said to have 'drivers car' qualities that would probably suit your needs after VR4 ownership.

[MPBVr4]

When I bought the Scoobie I thought it might be more economical, than the VR4, for the daily thrash..... sorry, steady drive to work but it isn't, certainly not now it's been remapped but what the heck.

[mike74]

once you've had a turbo'd car, anything else just isn't the same! (well, apart from a supercharged one )
IMO honda's are for ageing petrol heads who aren't allowed real sports cars
keep the VR4 dude, you know you want to

[MPBVr4]

IMO honda's are for ageing petrol heads

Oi I resemble that remark .........................but i ain't got a Honda.

[lancerevo3]

just buy a cheap diesel and keep the vr4 too.

[Turbo_Steve]

Scoobie I thought it might be more economical, than the VR4

That's not right - All three of my scoobs (including the legacy) have been a LOT more economical than the VR4...but then they weren't autos......

Steve is entirely disenchanted with his VR4 and subsequently his current views shouldnt tarnish the enjoyment others get out of their VR4's!

That's a bit strong - I'm not disenchanted: it remains the best car for a long-distance, mixed driving I've ever been in - it's comfy, fast, only a bit too noisy and fcuk me it grips like an Evo. Unfortunately, it also costs more than any other performance car I've ever had to run - and whilst it's a better daily driver, it's generally a worse performance car.
When you consider that I am comparing it against 500bhp 3.0L twin turbos, Imprezas, Legacies, A pulsar GTIR (sunny, actually) Mazda 323 GTR, Volvo T4, an 850R, Evo 4, Evo 2 and goodness knows what else I've owned, that's really saying something!

I've always (Always) said that if you want a performance car, you don't buy a VR4, you buy an Evo. The VR4 is all things to all men: Anything you ask it to do, it will do very well (apart from park easily ). Unfortunately, it's a Jack of all trades, which means it's master of none, and always expensive.

It's served us brilliantly as a family car - as our only performance car etc.
Unfortunately, I've been commuting in it: unless you're using the Evo-like handling on a regular basis (in which case.....buy an Evo?) then there are cars that go faster in a straight line for less money. It's not a good commuter car.

If you really really love the VR4, and are prepared to cherish it and keep her as she should be, then it's a fantastic car to own - I don't regret owning it at all.
If there was a less expensive route to 400bhp/400lbft then I wouldn't consider selling.

But there isn't, and at 300bhp (that's around 260bhp at the wheels) it's pretty humbling knowing that a FWD Audi A4 with a 2.0L TDI engine and a remap running 195bhp (and yes, they can) isn't going anywhere.......and isn't watching the fuel gauge whilst he's doing it.


If you're doing limited mileage, and want a car that you and your wife can enjoy, get the kids in, a fridge, etc etc it's brilliant.




Let me share a little thing I have noticed whilst driving 500-odd miles a week:
You sit on an dual carrigeway at 70-80mph. 10 years ago, the cars overtaking you would all have been imprezas, GTi's, Type-Rs and other performance kit, as well as a few 2.8L BMWs Vectra V6s etc.

Now, They're all in lane one, one eye on the revs, the other eye on the fuel gauge. Sure they'll pop out and have some fun, but it's short lived.

The cars in lane 2 and 3 are all diesels. Try it - sit there and count how many of each car overtake you on a long journey.


I love my VR4, but it only makes sense as a toy car - and there are better toys.

[AlanDITD]

once you've had a turbo'd car, anything else just isn't the same! (well, apart from a supercharged one )
IMO honda's are for ageing petrol heads who aren't allowed real sports cars
keep the VR4 dude, you know you want to

utter nonsense....

give me a honda - prelude, integra, s2000 over a vr4 anyday for driver focussed fun!

[Nick Mann]

I'm not quite in agreement with you there Steve.

Any FWD car is only going to be quicker in a straight line without a standing start coming into play. How many FWD cars do you see a day that are faster even then?

I am struggling to think of cars that "are (much) faster ... use less fuel, handle as well / better and are nearly as comfortable / roomy" when compared to a VR4. Can you let me know what they are? Seriously, at the end of this year, if not sooner, I will be looking for my next VR4 - if there are options to suit me better then I want to know!

I am in agreement with the fact that the VR4 is a jack of all trades and master of none. But for me that's okay. I don't want several more cars to do what the VR4 does a bit better. I want one car that is pretty good at it all. Stoopid petrol costs are the one downside of that, but running a different 300bhp car AND a family estate would end up costing a lot more.

[chris300zx]

oops think i have caused a riot only reason i was thing of an atr is surely it is still quick whilst doing more than 240 mile to a tank i know it aint a turbo but its a fair compromise

[Kryton]

I personally agree with - "just buy a cheap diesel and keep the vr4 too" but at the end of the day, its your decision & the Honda will be reliable & still a nice car to drive. No harm in looking (but keep the vr4)

[elnevio]

I like the option of having the Swift as well. Also comes in handy if either car is off the road. £500 to buy, 40mpg on the commute, hasn't gone wrong in 20 months of ownership, with the exception of me crawling under the car to adjust a rattling heatshield (what heat it's shielding against is anybody's guess!) and replacement of the front discs and pads for £85, and can do the quarter-mile in under 20 seconds!

[mike74]

spose it depends on how much of a compromise you're willing to accept at the end of the day. performance cars are generally fairly thirsty & frugal cars aren't (usually) that speedy. theres nothing wrong with honda's by any means but you'll probably end up thrashing it more to get the sound of the v-tec kicking in YO!
i went from a 200sx to a mk1 mr2 years ago & even with the engine's power band kicking in at about 5.5k & a beautiful noise too, i still yearned for a turbo. turbo's are evil incarnate, once they have you they won't let you go back to a 'normal' car ever again

[miller]

see immediate Fail comes into play when you mention commute and a 2.5V6 TT



Wasnt meant to be strong Steve, just the ill feeling towards the VR4 i picked up last night