I don't know what the general consensus of you people are thinking about nissan, but I love them. My next car is going to be a 4th gen (95-99) Maxima. NO, it's not a sports car. Why then?

Well, the VQ engine has won 'best v6 engine' from some company for the past 8 years. If you've ever driven one, you know what I'm talking about. Silky smooth power. The new maxima's for instance, w/ 255hp & a 6-speed will run a 1/4 in 14.3 bone stock. That's plain outrageous. An automatic 2002 maxima with an intake and catback ran a 14.31! That's unbelievable.

Now, the 4th gen maximas are quick too, and can run 14.7s bone stock with the right driver. With intake, y-pipe, and catback you can be running with the 2002s.

Now, nissan might be crazy to not try and bring the SR20DET over here, along with some of their other bitchin' cars, but mazda is no better. Mazda doesn't even have a standout performing car (yet, maybe the rx-8) in any category, except maybe the miata. Nissan has the altima AND the maxima performing great with bulletproof engines.

I'm absolutely serious when I say this, and I think everyone else already knows it: If mazda doesn't start upping their HP output, they are going to be left behind. Just about every other car company I can think of is upping their HP output to compete now adays. As someone said earlier in the post, dodge with that 205 hp neon, the ford svt focus (which kicks ***), GM is realeasing a factory optioned jackson racing supercharger, nissan with the altima, even VW with their higher output turbo bugs. Mazda is releasign the rx-8, but that's not even in the same class. It's sad really. As much as I love mazda, they need 30% more HP on all of their cars to dominate the market. Sorry for this being so long.

 

What car were those engines from? 240sx? Pulsar?

 

Oh yeah, sorry about the price .. I should've specified CDN Dollars that's why I said ~24K

 

Dont't forget the wonderful VG30DET (300ZX TT), and the often misjudged KA24DE (240SX, Stanza (KA24D- SOHC version)). I had a 91 Stanza for a few years and it was a GREAT car.

 

Agreed- I'm just looking at things from a neutral, mass marketing perspective. The enthusiast buyer is something competely different- you can never completely please them. Anywho- MINOR gripes aside, the WRX is a great performance value. I've just got horrible memories of Subaru's so I'm a bit jaded. I once drove a Loyale wagon around the block- it was 45 of the worst minutes of my driving life.

 

technical schmechnical- I haven't diven a nissan in over a year and a half so I'm a bit rusty And yes, I read your posts... geez...

 

No offense taken- I lost a bit of my useless car knowledge when I got married last year. Somehow things like drapes & **** seem interesting now. So let me correct my earlier post...

In addition to the engines you mentioned from your favorite Nissan products, don't forget the VG series 3.0litre 6's from the Maxima, 300ZX (available in twin turbo forced induction and NA format), the beautiful but short-lived J30, and the Infiniti badged maxima, or I30, etc... I also have a fondness for the KA series 2.4litre 4 cyl powerplants from the 240sx lineup and the later Stanza's (though only available as an SOHC 12 valve), and Altima. Though they originally found their roots as truck engines, the somewhat large displacement for a 4 cyl proved to be an excellent application is sedans and coupes. The VG, while an excellent engine, consistently rated best 6cyl by JD Power & Assoc, has been known to have problematic fuel injectors. Also, the KA series, while often underestimated is terms of performance, has been prone to serious cases of noisy lifters & other valvetrain related maladies.

 

To each his own of course, but having had my Stanza for 4 years, again only the 12 valve, I believe this was a good engine. I won nearly every stoplight race I ever was in, generally had no trouble beating out most 6cyl cars.

 

This isn't exactly on the Protege vs. WRX topic anymore (and not particularly consistent with my last opinions ;), but I just noticed a test-drive article on canadiandriver.com of the Sentra SE-R Spec V.

It costs like $21,000 CDN !!

Conceding the fact that with the bigger engine, you have much more room to go when tuning for power ... that's a pretty sweet deal. I guess it's really winning for off the lot speed potential.

http://www.canadiandriver.com/articl...entra_se-r.htm

 

I do remember reading several articles complaining that the Sentra's tranny is crap. One said something like 'Its the kind of transmission that makes you not want to shift'.

 

Minimum sticker on a Camaro Z28 is ~$23k, and a Firebird Formula is slightly higher due to extra standard equipment. However, this is a GM car, so the dealers are willing to discount the snot out of them. An acquaintance of mine recently bought a new Z28 for $21k out the door including TT&L. And yes, they are still in production until this summer

As for horsepower, the current rating is 310 hp, but that is bogus. There is hardly any difference between the "305 hp" LS1 in the Z28/SS and the "345 hp" engine in the `Vette- just a different exhaust system and *slightly* milder cam. Z28's normally crank out 280-290 rwhp, which translates to 330-340 hp at the crank. BTW there is no real-world difference between the output of the Z28 and the SS- they dyno the same and run the same times at the strip. 12.9-13.2 @ 106-108, stock

BTW I agree that the Neon is fugly However, Chrysler has a long and glorious history of marketing cheap, no-frills, zero-option cars with hot performance packages (from the Plymouth Roadrunner 440 6-Pak to the Neon ACR) so chances are good that we will see a Neon with the 205 hp 2.4L engine, normal bodywork, and manual crank windows

 

Here's you answer- Do NOT buy a WRX... yet. The Lancer EVO is offically coming to the US later this year packing 250hp. It looks mean as hell, too. Wait till the Evo arrives, then do some comparison shopping.

 

My vote for favorite Nissan engine is a late-model flattop-piston L28 with an E88 head cut to accept L28 valves, Nismo "slalom" cam, Nismo valvesprings, a 3 into 2 header, dual exhaust, and 3 44PHH dual sidedraft Mikuni carbs. Old school all the way Who needs 4 valves per cylinder, dual cams and crossflow heads anyways?

OK, all you Nissan trivia buffs: tell me this. I which Nissan cars will you find an L24E or an L20A?

This topic is getting way off track

 

Not quite.

L24 = 2.4L; 280Z = 2.8L. It's an L28

OK, since it's been a day, here's the answers:

The L24E was used in the Datsun 810, the predecessor to the Maxima. It is a 2.4L inline six similiar to the L24 240Z engine, but with a different oilpan to clear the 810 front suspension, and unique small-diameter crank journals, making it the only L-series engine ever built with a weak crankshaft

The L20A is a 2.0L short-stroke (66mm I think) inline six used in the 70-78 Fairlady Z, the JDM equivalent of the 240/260/280Z.

I guess nobody else on this list cares about old Nissan engines with 2-valve non-crossflow "wedge" heads, even if they are stronger than damn near anything built before or since. For those of you who doubt this, the RB26DETT Skyline motor is largely a similiar to an L24 below the cylinder head

 

Performance wise, the WRX is a trip and a half - 227 HP from 2 liters? 0-60 in under 6?? Sign me up. That's freakin' hot.

But for looks, I'd take the Pro every day. I love my damn car - every single thing about the exterior is beautiful to me, and I felt that way before I owned one, which is why I bought it.

From the test drive, I was unimpressed with the power. But shooting an off-ramp at twice the posted speed made me grin wide.

Road and Track calls the MP3 the BEST sports car value on the market today. Emphasis is sports car VALUE. Our P5's are not that far off from the MP3 performance, either. Okay, maybe the article should have called them sporTY cars, but we all get the idea.

The WRX is a nice value, also, but financing another $6 or $8k isn't in everyone's budget. Why the emphasis is always on speed, I'll never understand. I got THREE "nice car" comments today alone, two followed up with "what kind is it" and "how much". When I say Mazda and that with taxes, title, registration and all that other **** it was $20 out the door, jaws occasionally drop. Some people even repeat the "nice car" comment.

I'd say my Pro5 is performing just fine, thank you.

And if all you want is power (coupled with REAL comfort and world-class handling) get a damn Vette already. By far the baddest boy on the street, especially for under $50k (MUCH less if used - try LOW $30s for a '98 or '99 - Hmmmm....that's only a few more $K than a WRX, now which one would I rather have.....)