Need Help.....I'm going Rice!

[Grim Reaper]

Gas prices are killing me. My DD is a 88 R20 454 burb. I'm blowing through about $60 in fuel a week. Round trip to work is 44 miles.
Short term fix is I'll start driving my wifes 89 Honda Accord bomb. I figure it will save me about $150 a month.

Problem is I HATE the car.....well that might be strong. It runs fine now that I replace the timming belt but It's over 200k and the front end is shot . full off rattles etc. I feel like a clown thring to get in and out.

Wife drove the Burb for the first time last week since we bought in April of 03. Understand her last DD was a 79 K5 and the reason we sold it was lack of doors and the seat hight was a reall pain in the butt for her to load our youngest. Well the yongest is 3 now and can get in the seat so not a problem. Her Comment is "It's so big and hard to park". It's true, it's a Pain in the butt at the supper market and she knows I would get really pissied if something happend to it. The burb is pristine with 82k on it now. It was bought to tow our Airstream so It will be staying in the family.

So I'm looking for a ride that gets about 30mpg or better. Looking at late 80's Preludes and CRX's. I found a couple promicing Ludes for under $1500 starting and found a CRX SI for $1100 asking. The CRX I figure will get about 40mpg and save me $300 a month in fuel. Either will set me back about $50 for insurance (I'm old fart and married very clean record).

So If I own rice I have to be rice....so what sort of tachy crap do I need to do and get?

I'm thing the Blaxk CRX wouyld look real sporty with a yellow racing stripe and one of the Luds is red so the yellow would work even better.

How big around of a tail pipe should I get and what the most anoying muffler I can run?

Need some help with my new life style here.

[cochino12]

Originally posted by Riptide's 78p/u
why dont ya get a rice rocket...super cheap on fuel. get a honda or yamaha bike. that way you wont be temped to put a park bench on the back, or the infamous coffee can exhaust

Thats what I am in the process of doing right now. I cant seem to find a decent bike though.

[Grim Reaper]

Originally posted by Riptide's 78p/u
why dont ya get a rice rocket...super cheap on fuel. get a honda or yamaha bike. that way you wont be temped to put a park bench on the back, or the infamous coffee can exhaust

I'm too candy assed to ride it in the rain and winter. Not solving my problems then. Becides Both my wife and Mother would kill me.
My parrents rode with the Highwaymen MC out of Detroit in the 50's and 60's and they have many dead friends or screwed up.

One was going after his second world speed record in Bonniville and at 270mph the forks broke. He almost lost an arm. In fact he refused to let them cut it off is the only reason he still has it. Robert Lapan is his name that was around 1970. Some stuff on the net if you want to look.

Mom also bounced a guard rail at 70mph and the whole back of her leg was nearly ripped off from the knee down.

My wifes dad was alost killed when some stupid old woman pulled out in front of him. 20 days in the hospital and the better part of a year to recover.

They managed to keep me off them in my stupid years so not going to change now. :p

[Grim Reaper]

Originally posted by cochino12


Thats what I am in the process of doing right now. I cant seem to find a decent bike though.

Well the above said...My buddy just picked up a SWEET Valkarie. He got the big HP year too. Ohhhhhhh they are nice. That would be what I would have to get (no crotch rocket for me).

[Tom]

Around here I would last maybe 3 days on a bike before I was run over in traffic. Not a good idea in phoenix. that and al lthe decent bikes are $3000+

The CRX is the way to go. Great milage, reliable, they can fit 6" exaust tips, o yeah and a $1500 engine swap gets you 13's while keeping the 25+MPG

[Grim Reaper]

Originally posted by Tom
Around here I would last maybe 3 days on a bike before I was run over in traffic. Not a good idea in phoenix. that and al lthe decent bikes are $3000+

The CRX is the way to go. Great milage, reliable, they can fit 6" exaust tips, o yeah and a $1500 engine swap gets you 13's while keeping the 25+MPG

Yeah as much as I would like ht comfort stuff of the lude the CRX makes a little better sense. The back seat is totaly worthless in the Lude and I dubt my youngest chair would fit it so no real point.

[cochino12]

Originally posted by Tom
The CRX is the way to go. Great milage, reliable, they can fit 6" exaust tips, o yeah and a $1500 engine swap gets you 13's while keeping the 25+MPG

wow! $1500 to get you in the 13's, it would be hard to pass that up.

[cochino12]

Originally posted by Grim Reaper


Well the above said...My buddy just picked up a SWEET Valkarie. He got the big HP year too. Ohhhhhhh they are nice. That would be what I would have to get (no crotch rocket for me).

what year would that be?

[8t5Silverado]

Dropping a B-series engine into a CRX could do 13s simply because of the power to weight ratio.

Hondas can be used and abused and still go 250,000 miles.

If you want to go fast, get a turbo Subaru. Plus, they are all wheel drive and do great in the snow and off road.

[Grim Reaper]

Originally posted by cochino12


what year would that be?

I want to say a 97 but it's been a couple weeks since he brought it by and showed it off. He said something about they changed the gear ratio and did something to bring the HP down the next year. I'll probably be talking to him this afternoon and I'll ask.

[Grim Reaper]

Originally posted by 8t5Silverado
Dropping a B-series engine into a CRX could do 13s simply because of the power to weight ratio.

Hondas can be used and abused and still go 250,000 miles.

If you want to go fast, get a turbo Subaru. Plus, they are all wheel drive and do great in the snow and off road.

But now your talking some money.

I'm looking for a $1k bomb. Drive it for a couple years Wad it up and throw it out or sell it for what I can and get another. Turbo is real Fun ( had a Merkur Xr4ti that pushed 20psi and was sacrry fast) but there is a cost in maintance and longgevity of the motor. You pop a motor and your talking about $400 to swap a cartredge on the cheap side AND the impeller has been run through the engine and scored the cylinder walls. After you do that about 3 times it's motor time. Subaru with 4wd is also down in the low 20's MPG. I want something that's 30 or better if I have to deal with small for the MPG.

When I was still in High School my buddy had a CRX SI. It was a fun car to toss around. Maybe hook up with the SCCA do some parking lot racing.

[8t5Silverado]

Yeah, you get about 25mpg.

I got a free SCCA membership with the purchase of my daily driver.

[Blue Beard]

Going Rice.........better check yourself into the clinic.....

[odie82]

only bikes I ride are crotch rockets,I love the speed,my old bike was a 01' gsxr 600 had to sell because I wanted more power,bought a 03' gsxr 1000-I got the silver one because every one has the blue and white ones.