What can I buy?

April 13, 6:15 AMTampa Sports Car ExaminerMichael Berenis

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What can I buy? Let this article be your guide and assistance for making this decision when it comes to deciding which sports car to acquire. Asking yourself what you would like to purchase is more of an in depth question than initially perceived. This is a popular question amongst sports car enthusiasts. Asking yourself about which purchase to make is a great way to find out the truth behind your desired purchase. Many sports car enthusiasts are limited by money, but that doesn't mean you have to settle for a slow vehicle. What you want to buy is ultimately your decision, but consider a few things first!

1. Engine type
2. Part availability
3. Design

It is possible that you could buy a car that's as quick as a Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, etc for under ten thousand dollars. The amount of money you want to spend might be more, and for some people money may not be an object. For these people, high end exotic sports cars usually strike their fancy. Identifying what you want is the first step in deciding what to buy. Second, you need to understand the overall budget for your purchase. The most important thing to ask yourself is "What are all the positive attributes this purchase will give me?" Ultimately, what can you buy?

1. Engine type

While considering the question "what can I buy?" it is best to think ahead. A successful purchase of a sports car means you need to be looking for certain factors can improve the overall buying experience and satisfaction through out the entire process. Take for example aftermarket modifications. The easier a sports car is to modify directly results in overall speed. Some vehicles come OEM with turbo's and some don't.

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 An engine that is built with a turbo is built different than one with out a turbo. If you plan on using forced induction, it's best to start with an OEM forced induction motor. Typically, the compression ratio's are different in n/a and forced induction vehicles. For maximum bang for your buck, a forced induction motor is a great starting block and should be one of the first things you consider when asking yourself, "what can I buy?"

There is also several basic engine designs. V, in-line, horizontally opposed, and rotory are the current sports car engine types available to consumers today. The most popular V-8 engine is basically two inline four cylinder engines sitting on one crankshaft. In essense, it is two engines. Variations of the popular V-8 engines have been made such as the General Motors 4.3 found in small and medium sized pick up trucks. This engine is an exact copy of a the famous 350 small block; except it is missing two cylinders.

Import vehicles typically use in-line engine setups. Two rare JDM engine types, rotary and horizontally opposed, can be found in Mazda RX and Subaru vehicles. These engines are inspired from aircraft design and can actually be swapped into light aircraft and FAA approved for flight. Literally, these cars have airplane engines in them. This is a very attractive concept to the sports car enthusiast.

Check out the movies below to see functioning examples of how each engine type functions.

Rotary engine:

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Horizontally opposed engine:

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General Motors V-8:

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2. Part availability

Most sports cars produced between now and 1998 have decent part availability. The easiest cars to find performance parts for are muscle and jdm sports cars. Muscle cars like the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro, and Dodge Charger are somewhat easy to find parts for. Most standard racing parts from JEGS or similar can be adapted for use on your small block sports car. Small block sports cars can generate massive amounts of power with little investment.

JDM vehicles have the largest aftermarket part supply out of all vehicles. Honda, Mitsubishi, Subaru, Toyota and other Asian market vehicles all have an extensive list of performance upgrades. These upgrades have gimmick versions as well, so you can buy them even cheaper. Typical gimmick versions can be found on eBay for a fraction of the price you'll find mainstream parts. JDM vehicles were dominating the performance market since about the year 2000 forward. JDM vehicles also are fairly easy to modify as well.

• Great source for used OEM parts is LKQ Corp.
  
  • Why LKQ Corp? They offer the most attractive parts warranty in the industry. An international oem parts recycling yard, the biggest of it's type. If they don't have it, nobody does. Great prices too, I use them for all my part needs. Why buy new when you can buy barely used with a warranty? LKQ always stays true to their warranty as well. They have locations through out the USA, visit their website at http://www.lkqcorp.com

3. Design

The overall design of a vehicle is something to be considered. What are your planned uses for the vehicle? Will two seats accomplish the needed tasks of your life, or do you require four? Surprisingly many sports cars that are capable of high horse power rates come with four seats while the most elite exotics come with one. Seating and practicality are something that needs to be considered when making the purchase and planning modifications.

The most important part about the design of your proposed acquisition, "what can I buy?" should be based on the skill level of the manufacturer. The higher the skill level, typically the more expensive a vehicle will be. This is not always the case, but is typical of most sports cars. Some sports cars have excellent quality with low cost. Chevrolet's small and large block v-8's are a great example of excellent quality with low cost. The average life span of a small block is 300,000 miles. The total power output of the engines entire life is something to be considered.

Beyond fabrication quality, vehicle part placement and location play a huge role in the overall performance. Mid-range, rear, and front engine types are common through out sports cars. The most common is front engine which is usually the cheapest. Mid-range and rear engines are typically found in higher end, exotic sports cars such as Lamborghini, Ferrari, etc. Surprisingly, the Toyota MR2 and Pontiac Fierro feature a rear engine setup and can be purchased used for under $5,000.

Location of power output being either front, rear, or all wheel drive is another important decision of vehicle part placement. Angle, distance, weight, and gearing setup all can affect a cars overall performance. For highest off the line launch force, consider all wheel drive. If top end speed is your quest, a rear wheel drive is ideal because of the torque increase by differential location to engine.

Subaru Symmetrical AWD

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 If you want something that is good off the line, medium power, with a decent top end; consider front wheel drive. Front wheel drive has the bennefit of the engines weight sitting on top of the drive wheel which increases traction. All wheel drive also takes advantage of this, but some performance is lost by the distance energy must travel before it reaches the wheels. Front wheel drive has an extremely short drive shaft which in some cases can improve performance. It all depends on the driver.

Other design elements include weight distribution, aerodynamics, and chassis to drivetrain integration tolerances. How close the chassis and drivetrain come to each other, the harder it's going to be to repair and work on what you buy. It is important to consider repairability when purchasing a sports car. What goes hand in hand with sports cars? Tow trucks, pits, and tires. Sports cars break down, need regular maintenence, and eat tires. These are other types of things you should consider when asking yourself, "what can I buy?"

Summary

Engine type, part availability, and design are the top three things you should consider when asking yourself, "what can I buy?" Most times people get caught up in stereotypes and discrimination towards certain brands of automobiles. This is only short changing your life time of sports car experiences. To me, the most important thing I consider when purchasing a new sports car is how it plays into my overall sports car experiences. By "tasting" all flavors, a much more enjoyable experience is to be had.

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