VR4 on E-Bay

[SGHOM]

#

no matter how you dress the VR-4 up, it is not a sports car and doesn't handle like one.

/note to committee members;

perhaps we could make Brind head of marketing ??

[Brind]

Thanks Jimbo. That's exactly what I'm trying to get across.

I have a long driveway but a small road at the bottom to get onto, I need to drop back while getting as much turn as possible and at the end, I need to drive forward to get more angle just to get off the driveway and onto the road.
The 200SX can almost do a 360 in the driveway.

[Jimbo]

Blimey, this thread's getting rather diverse isn't it?

:topic: sorrwee! :$

Hey everyone look, there's a VR4 on ebay - check it out HERE

:$

[Brind]

/note to committee members;

perhaps we could make Brind head of marketing ??

No need to lie and hide its shortfalls.

[Jimbo]

No need to lie and hide its shortfalls.

Damn right, no car is perfect. Not many cars have look as good, go as fast, or are as spacious and stealthy as the mighty VR4, but an out-an-out sports car like an GT3000 or an RX7, it aint!

I wouldn't swap though

[Kieran]

The 200SX, RX7 ARE sports cars, no matter how you dress the VR-4 up, it is not a sports car and doesn't handle like one.

:rolleyes5 "For sale, one VR-4! Not sporty enough! It smells of elderberries!" :$

A VR-4 *IS* a Sports Car. But not in the same way as the above. Let me explain...

A VR-4 is a Sports 'Car'... Or a Sports 'saloon' if you wish. Much like the BMW M5 is. It is a car that, thanks to the engineering genius from Mitsubishi, can outpace and out corner most other cars on the road - which inherently makes it a Sports car and with some tweaking, a borderline 'Super' Car.

A 200SX and an RX-7 are Coupes... It sounds a very pedantic point, but it's a valid one. An RX-7 and a 200SX were designed from the ground up in this way and yes, they're "Sports cars" in the same way a Toyota Supra IV or a 3000GT is. They were designed with speed, power and ability at the forefront, and considerations like cost, practicality, etc. as secondary objectives. And they do this job very well (especially the RX-7).

But, any car that can trade blows in speed, power, and handling characteristics with it's 'Sports' rivals is a sports car. The Honda CTR is another example. This is more 'Hot Hatch' than 'Sports Car', yet it displays 'Sports Car' abilities and is therefore a 'Sports Car' on some levels.

And...In a stock against stock competition, I would put money on the fact that a 200SX would be out dragged and thanks to the marvels of AYC and 4WD, probably out cornered too.

[Kieran]

/note to committee members;

perhaps we could make Brind head of marketing ??

:lolz: Classic!

[SGHOM]

#
Correct. Low speed.
Correct. It isn't agile at 'low speed'.

.

Sorry Mark, but the terms "agile" & "low speed" dont go together in my book.
sure, negotiating Tesco's car park will be a lot easier in other cars than a VR4 !! but whats that got to do with "sports cars" ??

A VR4 [ at any speed above 10mph :$ ] will probably outdrag most cars on the road today, & will almost certainly outhandle them. low speed agility just does not come into it !!

[mintyfresh]

up untill 3 weeks ago i also had a Nissan 200sx S14a. It is a nice comfrtable car with a great engine, and it is very agile and great to drive coz of the rear wheel drive., but i dont the class the 200sx in the same league as the Rx7.

Like i said the 200sx is comfortable, and pacy but not lightining without mods. A VR4 is quicker in standard trim. But i would class the 200sx as a sports tourer. It hasnt got a lot of grip without wider wheels and tires either coz its 205/16 as standard. My 200 had a NurspecR exhaust, Apexi induction, and boost set to 14psi. Thisa made it quick but i was always losing the back end, especially in the wet.

The Rx7 on the other hand is a pure sports car. cramped cabin, big power going straight to the rear wheels, agile as you like, with wide enough rubber to stick. You always feel confident in it, up untill you lose it. You dont get that from the 200. The rex is also a hell of a lot lighter.


I guess the best way to describe the VR4 is as a 'practicle EVO', am i right?


Deano.

[mintyfresh]

there is no way a legnum VR4 qill out handle my Rx7. THe RX7 was built to rival Toyota's Supra, Nissans 300zx, and the MIstsi GTO. And in my opinion it surpasses all of them becaus eof its near perfect handling and weight.

Surely the VR4 was built to compete with the like of BMW's M3/M5 and the Merc's?

[Brind]

Okay, lets pick at the words used. ozey:

You've already got the basic point I was getting at, why read more into it? :rolleyes:

[SGHOM]

I guess the best way to describe the VR4 is as a 'practicle EVO', am i right?


Deano.

damned right it is mate !! :-b I may be getting on in years now, & all these so called "boy racers" see is a grey haired old man in an automatic estate car !! little do they know, until I look at their [ embarressed ] faces in my rear view mirror, is that these cars shift !! :-b
Just ask big Dave about his slight altercation with a taxi !!

[SGHOM]

there is no way a legnum VR4 qill out handle my Rx7. THe RX7 was built to rival Toyota's Supra, Nissans 300zx, and the MIstsi GTO. And in my opinion it surpasses all of them becaus eof its near perfect handling and weight.

Surely the VR4 was built to compete with the like of BMW's M3/M5 and the Merc's?

having not driven an RX7, I dont know which car handles better. but I know that a recent track day at Castle coombe, I follwed a toyota Celica GT4 into a chicane, & had to brake much more than I needed to, & he span off !!
have a look at this thread Deano !!

http://www.clubvr4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4850

[Kieran]

Okay, lets pick at the words used. ozey:

You've already got the basic point I was getting at, why read more into it? :rolleyes:

Derrr..... Hang on a sec!

You came out with a statement, we responded with our opinions on it! Where's the "Reading more" bit come into it?! Your basis for saying the VR-4 wasn't a sports car was a poor turning circle and that you find it a handful round town. Then you compared it to a Sports GT type of car and an all-out Sports Coupe. So Jimbo, Derek and I put in our tuppence worth - and some interesting points have been made to help Mintyfresh evaluate what a VR-4 is like!

...Or vos zis a converzation vere opinions zat do nicht co-inzide wid zose of others are verbotten?!

[zentac]

Does the VR4 really handle that well ?

[enigma]

I tried not to get involved.......I did, no really!

A sports car is not a sports car because it has a poor turning circle???

Lets look at the evidence:

VR-4 turning circle 11.6m
Nissan Skyline GTR turning circle 10.4m
Nissan Silvia Spec R turning circle 9.8m
Ferrari 550 Maranello turning circle 12.0m
Lamborghini Countach LP5000S QV turning circle 13.0m
Ford GT40 Mk III turning circle 11.3m
2004 Chevrolet Corvette turning circle 12.0m
Bond Bug 700E turning circle 8.9m
Hillman Imp turning circle 9.6m
Dodge Viper RT/10 turning circle 12.3m
Nissan March i.z turning circle 9.2m
Koenigsegg CC turning circle 10.4m
Porsche 911 Carrera turning circle 10.6m

So which ones are the 'sports cars'

easy the Bond Bug and the Nissan March (Micra)

and the real slouches are the Lamborghini Countach and the Dodge Viper

both the GT40 and the 550 Maranello are rubbish, call themselves sportscars!

[Jimbo]

That's an interesting list, Dave - quite surprising actually! I think you've misunderstood me though - I wasn't saying it's not a sports car becuase it has a poor turning circle. :rolleyes5

I guess most people's impression of "what is a sports car is" isn't always what it really is, mine included. Sports-cars are fast, yes, but the other characteristics such as agility, weight, muscle, and classic appeal have changed through the decades. In the past 15-20 years, sports cars have just got faster and faster, and I guess my general impressions of sports cars from reading about them as a child are still stuck in the 60s and 70s - like the old Lotuses, Ferraris, E-types, etc.

I'm clearly wrong (but I think most people would be), but I have this mental impression of a "sports-car" as being nimble, agile and in many cases, quite small - I guess the Lotus Elise is one of very few examples of this type of thinking.

The VR4 is my perfect car, but as a car for getting in an out of gaps, it's a nightmare - the combination of it's weight, it's poor turning circle, and it's auto-box make it a bit of a handful at slow speeds when you're not used to it.

That's the only point I was trying to get across, but hey, none of us bought these cars just to drive them to the shops and back , and there sure as hell isn't another car out there (less than £50K) that has as good an all-round appeal to me.

So, in summary - the VR4 is a sportscar, but perhaps be should re-classify it as this: "stealthy-familycar-musclecar-sportscar-(with-a-poor-turning-circle-just-like-lots-of-other-cars)". Can we update the buyers guide, Barry? :-D

[enigma]

A sportscar doesn't need to be agile at slow speeds! :rolleyes5

I know the point you are trying to make (it was however more aimed at Mark!) If you want to know how unmanagable the VR4 can be take your power steering belt off! It then becomes a beast, ask Kieran! I think it is very well balanced, even in the car park, sure its a bit of a pig to park, but that may have something to do with its physical size more than anything else! ozey:

Compare the VR4 with the 200SX

Wheelbase 2635mm vs 2525mm
Track 1510mm vs 1480mm
Length 4680mm vs 4520mm
Width 1740mm vs 1730mm

The VR4 is simply a bigger car!

Incidentally the 3000GT 'true' sports car has a turning circle of 11.4m, almost exactly the same as the VR4. In all other respects it is similar as well, except mine is faster and I would argue handles better!

I think you hit the nail on the head when you said it can be a handful if you are not used to it.........drive it every day and it becomes normal. Its like any sort of training, the more you do it the more you get used to it. I drove mine for 4 days with no power steering along the twistiest roads England and Scotlan had to offer, when it was fixed I thought the front wheels were off the ground it was so light!

I dont mean to rant, but I truly believe the VR4 IS a sportscar - in fact it is that and more, especially in Estate format

[Jimbo]

I dont mean to rant

Hey, not at all mate, I've found this discussion extremely interesting.

Incidently, I've been asking people at work what the first car is when they think of "sportscar", and all but one person said "Ferrari!" Typical... The other "one" person said, "your VR4", but I reckon he was just sucking up

Here's another one that I've got people at work talking about:- What's the difference between a "sportscar" and a "supercar"?

So far, my esteemed colleagues have responded "The price!?" ozey:

[enigma]

There is still one for sale on EBAY as well