Interesting clip from C/D magazine, might make ya smile :)

[Guest bastaad525]

Okay I'm reading C/D magazine today about the One Lap of America race, and a little clip about one of the cars involved, a 2002 IS300. Now, to me, the direct competition to the Z has always been the Toyota Supra, and to me, the IS300 is the spiritual successor to the Supra... or at least it's engine is... so this article made me think and crack a big grin... I'll just put the good parts:

 

"Reg Riemer (owner of the car) swapped the IS300's stock 3.0 liter straight six for the 3.0 liter Aristo Twin Turbo straight six used in the old Toyota Supra." "Running 14 psi of boost, reimer claims 450 hp and 425 lb ft of torque at the flywheel, and claims that the super IS will run high 12 second quarter miles" (hmmm.... didn't Jersey just run a high 12 on a barely modified turbo 240? How many others have?) "Reimer will sell you his super IS300 engine for *wait for it........* $16,000 (not a typo.... how many people have spent this much or more on a turbo 240 conversion??), installed" ""It's the only one like it" he says "The engine is bulletproof. It's fast, and is also a reliable daily driver""

 

Stuff like this makes me wonder.... why dont' guys like this just buy Z's and put turbo motors in them? I mean.... $16,000, for just the engine?? I know guys on here who have built entire 240zt's on here for less than that, and have a car that looks better, probably outhandles and outbrakes, and would definately out accelerate this car!! Jersey's car comes to mind Why so few people see the light of what you can do with a Z and for so cheap..... and so many spend fortunes on cars that were never even intended to be fast (especially honda's or any other typically riced car) is beyond me.... I'm just glad I'm one of the lucky ones

[johnc]

Well...

 

1. An IS300 is a much nicer car for day to day driving.

2. There's no need to spend hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars fixing rust problems.

3. Much larger selection of aftermarket stuff.

4. Every single replacement part is as close as your Lexus dealer.

5. 4 doors and 4 seats.

 

Questioning someone's choce in cars is like questioning a person's taste in wine and beer.

[Jay1970Z]

Hey, whatever floats your boat. 2JZ-GTE to Lexus swaps are pretty common actually. Since a lot of Lexus models already use the 2JZ-GE its not all that hard (especially if your swapping out engine in your brand new Lexus). I've seen 2JZ-GTE's in IS300's, GS300/400's, SC300/400's. In fact I almost bought an SC300 w/ 250k miles on it thinking I'd swap in a 2JZ until I found out a 10 year old 2JZ costs more than the car did. Maybe I'll reconsider it again some day, probably with a 1JZ though considering the SC (Soarer) comes with it factory in Japan.

[Drax240z]

Hey, thats my next swap! I'd really love an IS300 + SupraTT engine/6speed for a daily driver. Pretty nice cruiser/driver/long trip car if you ask me!

 

As for why I don't just get a Z with a turbo in it... I'll have that too!

[Guest bastaad525]

whoa whoa dont get me wrong I LIKE the IS300, heck this article probably coulda been about any car and still made me grin.... I love Supra's too..... like I said, to me the Z and Supra have always been kinda like rivals, even though I love them both I guess I favor the Z more, the point of me posting that though more than anything was just the amount of money spent to get x amount of performance out of the car... yeah the Lexus may be a nicer car (though IMO it is not, I can see why most people would think it is though) I guess to me how fast a car is and how well it handles outweigh anything like.... having a backseat or four doors

[Drax240z]

Until you try a 4000km+ drive in a Z anyway.

[Guest bastaad525]

LOL point made..... like I said I guess the gist of it was, that here we have a bunch of guys who have put turbos into 240's or 280's or what have you, and have spent so little money compared to what guys spend on much more 'modern' cars to get the same performance. When you can take a car that cost you maybe $10k or $20k to build, and totally outperform car's costing 2-3x that much..... I dunno, sure would make me smile When you can start smoking guys who's ENGINE cost the same as your car..... well i guess it's not like anyone here really needs reminding we're all aware of what our cars cost and what they can and cant do, I didn't post this to start any arguments or to flame anyone or their choice of cars.

[johnc]

Another thing to look it is how cars are classed for events like One Lap, OTC, etc. Maybe there is (was) a loophole in the rules that made that particular vehicle combination a class killer.

 

For the 2003 OTC, DJ and the other Radical drivers realized that there was a two seat version of that race car legal for road use in the UK. Bammo! A legal, 1,400lb, 250hp, carbon fiber "road car."

[TimZ]

"Reimer will sell you his super IS300 engine for *wait for it........* $16,000 (not a typo.... how many people have spent this much or more on a turbo 240 conversion??), installed" ""It's the only one like it" he says "The engine is bulletproof. It's fast, and is also a reliable daily driver""

 

The key phrase here is "installed". The lion's share of that $16k was mostly in performing the swap and ironing out the problems for you. If you did all the work yourself, the IS300 swap would probably be cheaper, too (although performance parts, while available are most likely pretty pricey).

 

How much do you think TopEnd would charge for a turnkey "400hp" 240Z?

[Guest bastaad525]

I dunno....... too damn much!! Top End seem to be very pricey on a lot of things, and the guy is always rude, to boot, but I see your point also. However, it also makes me wonder just how much more money was spent on the entire car, the Lexus I mean. I kinda regret posting this thread.... it was kind of a foolish comparison I guess but when I read that it just made me think..... the things you can get out of a Z for so relatively little cash, consider it more of a 'thinking out loud' post.... one that I was able to type out faster than I was able to realize exactly what I was typing

[TimZ]

Wasn't trying to make you feel bad...

 

I often shake my head when I see what people pay for stuff on the newer cars, too - and often for relatively mediocre performance for the price.

 

I was just pointing out that when you farm _everything_ out, the price goes up pretty steeply.

 

Personally, I've never seen the attraction to just buying a turnkey fast car. How much skill does that take? For me, making it is at least half the fun.

[johnc]

Personally, I've never seen the attraction to just buying a turnkey fast car. How much skill does that take? For me, making it is at least half the fun.

 

Then you're a masochistic person...

[Doug71zt]

I second Timz's opinion - although it makes you wonder when you have people asking to buy one-off parts from your car when you are done with them! For me - the upgrades never stop - that's most of the fun.

Cheers - Doug

[Drax240z]

Don't feel bad about posting something like this, its just a good way to start a conversation.

[Lockjaw]

I would like one with an automatic.

[Kazuya1274]

Well, most Toyota owners are high dollar spenders. Kinda like Honda guys with more performance. They usually only go for 3 cars that didn't sell well in this country, supra, mr2, and celica all trac, so parts for them are expensive. Then they have to buy most of their parts from the factory. And when you have a plan to have the ultimate street car, there is no limit on how much to spend. I know a guy like this, btw 32K and the two all trac's still aren't running!!

[john kosmatka]

Your right in the fact that you can make one bad z with 16 grand. But its a diferent kind of market with lexus buyers. Me myself i see no need to buy a new car when i can already improve the one i have, the z. Besides with 16 grand i could make a z alot more fun to drive than a is300 swap. Besides why do that when you kind find cars alot better with a lower price.

My father picked up a 1997 saab 9000 for 5grand handles great and does 0-60 in 6.2sec and the quarter in 14.8. For another 20 grand this car and the z could easily outperform the IS300. I just don's see peoples thinking either(not to offend anyone) but why waste so much money when it doesnt make it all that great.

But it still would be a sleeper, but you would still cost you a total of 40,000 dollars +.

[Guest zpeedracer25]

This topic makes me laugh

I was just thinking the same thing when I read that article. Notice, two Zs made it into that article too.

I believe that bang for the buck, the Z is on top. The last Z car club event I was at with my poorly running 280Z turbo I did a good job of keeping up with a guy who was out in his Porsche Boxster S and I had to shift at 4800...hmmm 4800 thats about the same dollar amount I've got into my Z including the purchase price

[Drax240z]

Well the appeal of an IS300 with a supra twin turbo to me is still pretty huge. Its a good looking car, and with the supra engine 12's shouldn't be out of the question. Good milage, comfortable, quiet. I might spend $40000 canadian on the car + engine, but so what? I'd rather have a 3-5 year old IS300 with a Supra TT engine in it than a new base model Impreza, Accord, etc. in that price range.

 

For me it would never be my "fun" car, the Z is that. The IS300 would make a great daily driver, still fast enough to do well on the street, get 30mpg+ on the highway even with the TT engine, be able to take 3 friends to a hockey game with me, and be a perfect car for a 1000km+ road trip. My Z will never have AC, sunroof, power seats, a great stereo, a quiet ride, etc. but that doesn't mean that I won't occasionally want those things.

[Guest bastaad525]

heheh well good to see that at least SOME of you guys feel the same way I do...... I just think it's rediculous spending that kind of money to make a car like that fast.