Let's see some unlikely enthusiast cars!

[SOHC-FTW]

I went to ohio to get a svt contour with a friend he traded his lightening for it and got 7k to boot. Decent cars not really that quick but quick enough.

Also last speeding ticket i got in kentucky at 4am for 98 in a 55 on the way to deliver the lightening.

[crazymikey]

This is awesome, I had this idea yesterday while driving and searched for a thread about random enthusiasts, really cool stepping outside the box with a build like these guys

I dig the galants especially a clean vr4, that contour SVT is pretty sick too, i work at a ford dealership and have yet to see one of those lol

The Contours got a real bad rap in North America. It was built as Ford's "World Car". It filled the slot between the Escort and the Taurus that nobody really asked to fill.

However, the engines that came in these cars were great, IMO. The 2.0 Zetec, when mated to a manual is really fun and peppy and great on gas, but they are awful dogs with an auto. The 2.5 Duratec is a pretty solid motor, with one of the biggest issues being water pump impeller failure. The OEM ones were plastic, which would get hot, turn brittle and then turn to shrapnel....my V6 did just that. A new aftermarket water pump with a metal impeller solves that issue.

2.0's have 135 or 140hp, the 2.5 Duratec has 170hp and the SVT has 200hp.

The SVT's are fun. They're starting to get real cheap now. I see some for sale around $2000-3000 once in a while.

I'd buy another one. I was into them the way I was into CB's.

[crazymikey]

Are we talking just America? One of my favorite overlooked cars in this country is the Merkur XR4Ti. While the Ford Sierra Cosworths were part of the iconic group of "Fast Fords" in Europe, I rarely see Merkurs driving around here. It's always a treat. Though they do have an enthusiast following.

]

I love these. You don't ever see them here because nobody bought them. WTF is a Merkur? If they sold these under the same Ford Cosworth name in North America, I guarantee they'd have been a success.

[crazymikey]

BTW, back on the Mitsubishi topic...as I mentioned I work at a Mitsu dealer, our service department is DEAD. All we ever get are A and C services come in. Nothing but routine maintenance. Once in a while we have to do a clutch or tranny in an older Lancer, or a clutch in an Eclipse. But we're never having to big repairs that put the vehicles out of commission due to break downs.

Our techs are literally like the Maytag repair man. Just waiting for something to happen.

I could honestly say Mitsubishi is one of the top 3 most reliable brands right now. Plus, the customer base is so loyal, we have repeat buyers who refer their friends and family who buy and then refer their friends and family...

[CyborgGT]

I would imagine those Contours had some sort of enthusiast following in Europe as well, since the Mondeo (as it was badged there) was used in the British Touring Car Championship. Can't say I'm a fan of the car, but there's definitely potential in the Contours.

F1 driver Nigel Mansell during his BTCC stint:

[Cb_JoeyG]

Yea im a fan, I really like them

[deevergote]

I'm quite sure the Mondeo was popular in Europe. Over there, Fords are generally regarded as very good cars (and Ford generally produced very good cars for the Euro market in turn!)
The XR4Ti was a sad failure. A very good car... turbo 4 luxury sport... it'd have fit in with today's offerings! Ford marketed it poorly, though. I LOVE seeing those restored/modified. They're quite uncommon these days!

As for Mitsubishis... I've always considered Mitsubishi as Japan's crappiest brand. They have some nice cars, and they did a few things right, but I never see a Mirage outlasting a Civic or Corolla, or a Galant being more luxurious than an Accord or Corolla. Well... not since the days of the VR4 models. The original Galant VR4 was a REALLY nice car, and the 3000GT VR4 was a worthy competitor to the Supra in its time. I would ONLY buy a 4G63, though! It's a fantastic engine, if you can find one that hasn't been abused.

[ctrain103]

[/QUOTE]


Oh man i have driven a few Merkur's and im in love with them.

[crazymikey]

I'm quite sure the Mondeo was popular in Europe. Over there, Fords are generally regarded as very good cars (and Ford generally produced very good cars for the Euro market in turn!)
The XR4Ti was a sad failure. A very good car... turbo 4 luxury sport... it'd have fit in with today's offerings! Ford marketed it poorly, though. I LOVE seeing those restored/modified. They're quite uncommon these days!

As for Mitsubishis... I've always considered Mitsubishi as Japan's crappiest brand. They have some nice cars, and they did a few things right, but I never see a Mirage outlasting a Civic or Corolla, or a Galant being more luxurious than an Accord or Corolla. Well... not since the days of the VR4 models. The original Galant VR4 was a REALLY nice car, and the 3000GT VR4 was a worthy competitor to the Supra in its time. I would ONLY buy a 4G63, though! It's a fantastic engine, if you can find one that hasn't been abused.

I wouldn't go out and say Mitsus will out last Honda/Toyota, that's why I said I'd put them in the top 3 or 5 for overall longevity and reliability.

While the Mirage was never sold in Canada, we've had a couple '90s USDM Mirages in for service, and they've been beat to shit, but still running like a top. The current Galant is probably the most inconspicuous and boring car you can find, aside from a beige Camry. I've driven some 3000GT's, including a limited production US-imported VR4, and I'll tell you, they are one of the worst cars I've ever driven.

4G63 is a great engine. They only blow up from too much boost, hard abuse and lack of maintenance, just like any other engine.


Speaking of unlikely cars to be modified... This entire video makes me laugh uncontrollably.

[jst_4_kiks]

heres my friends car. i like it. anyone else?

[wed3k]

heres my friends car. i like it. anyone else?

saturn is out of business, what else is there to say?

[Ralphie]

Capri?

[SOHC-FTW]

94-99 celica i'm a bit of a enthusiast so got few pix ha.







A few that are more than just lookers.


ken block in his rearview.

[jst_4_kiks]

saturn is out of business, what else is there to say?

ok. so i take it that YOU dont like it. anyone else? yes or no? this is a thread where certain cars that dont get modded or any sort of attention can be found. hence my friends saturn wagon. he has done a bunch of work to it and has some hard to find parts on it

[dysfunk]

ok. so i take it that YOU dont like it. anyone else? yes or no? this is a thread where certain cars that dont get modded or any sort of attention can be found. hence my friends saturn wagon. he has done a bunch of work to it and has some hard to find parts on it

I actually think its badass. Not a Saturn fan, but seeing someone make the best if what they've got.