Kart Racer

Lets put it this way. A neon is faster, no doubt about it. I was actually considering getting one. But those FWD sport compacts are such a waste of money, no magazine would EVER rate the SRT better then even an RSX type S, so how do they even compete with our car??? If someone ever tells you that his is faster, give him a pat on the back and say, "yes, your right, but how does it feel when you spin the front tires and turn at the same time though????" hahahhaha

DOMINION

"The SR-T" Call it what you will. Every time I see that car I say Hey look at the neon!

Red Devil

Yeah, it is just a hopped up Neon. But for the price, it isn't a bad car to get if performance is your only goal. And that thing can handle, I'm not sure how much better it can get than what the factory has it at, but it puts up good numbers. I still think overall the RX-8 is a far superior product, but I can see why people are buying the SRT-4.

XDEEDUBBX

comparing the two is like comparing Duplo vs. Erector Sets...haha

Ike

You get the geek of the week prize for that one

XDEEDUBBX

cool thanks.... i prefer priority shipping...i'll PM you my mailing address..

dos

Who really cares what people are saying in the SR-T forums. I've seen tons of bashing on this site about Mustangs and 350z's. You will find passonite people about their cars anywhere, and a few people that take it over the top. I think for 21 grand you can't beat the performance that you get from a SR-T 4(not everyone can afford a $30,000 car). Myself, I'm a bit too old (31) to be cruising around in one looking for a stoplight race

VRRocket

This morning I had an SRT pull up next to me at 65 in the left lane and just sit there - if I'd so much as flinched he'd have geared down and taken off and labelled me a "kill". I've never driven one, although I got in one in an auto show and was impressed with the interior (esp. the seats) vs. the stock neon. This guy today was hilarious and so incredibly obvious in what he was doing. I wasn't going to be the guy to make his day.

Anyway, I bought the 8 for several reasons: the looks, the handling, the interior, the rotary mystique, the fact that I wanted a 7 for so many years prior and couldn't afford it, etc. I have not been dissapointed in any of those reasons, with one exception: I believed the R&T/MT/C&D articles that said you could pull a 5.9-6.2 60 in the 8. I'm past that now, because I have arguably one of the most beautiful cars on the road that can outhandle and outrun (if necessary) 75-85% of the cars on the road. If it had a 100 horse engine in it, it would still be gorgeous. Not many neon buyers could say that.

VRRocket

Oh, I forgot to mention a couple of things - the bedhead, wrinkled t-shirt, chronic acne, and the "I{heart}Brittney Spears" sticker should give you an idea of what I was up against.

Oh well, if he does this type of thing a lot at his age he'll be able to donate some prime kidneys, corneas, etc. to a deserving person.

GotBass

Something like that.

I was driving home late the other night. I took a exit ramp at about 55, which has a 25 mph sign. For me, That is taking it slow, It can be easily done at 75-80. After taking the turn I start to slow to merge with traffic and a car comes flying off the ramp and severly tailgaing. All I could see in my rear view is a pair of round lights. And the first thing I think is Beetle or maybe neon. I pull into a left turn lane and an SRT4 revs up and farts by.

I'll admit the car is fast for 20k. But these owners are always trying to prove something. 90% of the population doesnt know it from a Neon.

XDEEDUBBX

i'd rather drive a 89 ford festiva than a neon...seriously

SimplexEffect

The Neon SRT-4 will take the RX8. Basically because it has 253 whp. So no doubt it can take us. Stage 3 SRT-4 has somewhere around 400 whp.

RedRenisis

Man, the other night I was driving home from work, I was about 2 miles from my house and I had 2 SRT4's pull up next to me, a blue one on the left and a silver one on the right, I knew they wanted to make me look bad so I didnt give them the oppurtunity, (saved ego), well they were looking at me and then at each other while the light was red, and you know, all I wanted to do was have them roll down there windows so I could say, you know what? mines way cooler,


Racing a Neon is like competeing in the special olympics, even if you win you're still retarted.

willpower

Hey us Z guys aint all that bad

XDEEDUBBX

[QUOTE=willpower]Hey us Z guys aint all that bad[/QUOTE

somewhat true..

Roaddemon

lol, Now thats funny. loved it.

mitchmiller

a neon??????? no way

Steiner

They gave the RX-8 more respect in those Dodge forums then some of you have given the SRT-4 in here.

Since it appears I'm the only resident SRT-4 owner on these forums I'll chime in...

A coworker of mine owns an '04 RX-8. I've driven his car many times. I love it. It's totally different from my car. It feels much more nimple and planted. He let me take it for a spin in the foothills right after it was broken in and I was floored by the confidence it inspires. I especially loved how, if you stay in the 5k-8k RPM range, the way the car just scoots. I also loved how the center console is elevated for that ergonomic shifting advantage. Great shifter. Great clutch. Great overall car.

My coworker also enjoys driving my '04 SRT-4. He says it's a totally different driving experience...bumpy ride, loud exhaust, pshhhhh blow-off valve, boy racer spoiler, big fascia for the FMIC, etc. He says it's more of a muscle car than a compact so it just makes you want to drive fast. With the Mopar stage 2 turbo upgrade and my 3" exhaust I'm well over 300hp/320tq at the crank so, as you can imagine, he agrees that this car should have been RWD or AWD in order to put all that power to the ground. Who can argue with that? Problem is that the car would have been closer to $30k than $20k if it wasn't FWD.

BTW...the Mazdaspeed RX-8 should compete with both the 350Z and SRT-4 in a straight line. Right now it doesn't.

army_rx8

hmmm since i don't care to much about streight line stoplight racing...guess i picked teh right car for me:D

XDEEDUBBX

as far as noth of them competing...we'll all just have to wait and see

devious12

I like the Neon only if it's dropped a little and that hood scoop is nice too. I have no problem with any other car owners. I say keep an open mind to everything, even the cars like Mini Cooper. When I first saw the Cooper I wasn't all that thrilled, but it grew on me and now it's even more interesting because they will be turbo charging it soon. If you own any type of an exotic or eye catching vechile, you ought to be able to appreciate and respect other cars and owners, because most of us are all car enthusists alike.

GT350C

We own both cars and enjoy driving them for different reasons, each has its strong points and as with any comparison the victors will vary depending on your matrix.

Both cars are excellent values; $21K for high 13s and $28K for a capable GT car. If you want to cruise/tour the RXs compliant suspension tuning adds emotion to any trip. If you want to rip and snort the SRT can dance suprisingly well (not as balanced as the RX but still capable). We trade often, each driving the others cars depending on the mood, and I have come to grips that on the hwy my wife can leave me at any time.......

Both cars appeal to a broad demographic, our children demand that we drop them of at school, and our mature neighbors request test drives.

Soon we will be adding an '05 GTO to our stable - a different beast which will necessitate a stage II kit for the SRT, The RX will stay stock I like it just the way it is.

speedweasel

Guys,

I will always have respect for the Neon.
It brought SCCA racing back from the dead.
Between it and the Miata, real guys, not just rich guys can afford to race and win!

As for the 8 owning the road in all aspects....just wait...time will prove it can be made into a screamer. Just wait for the current owners warranties to expire. :D
Mine will later this year!

Ike

People just don't get that the Neon chassis is pretty damn capable for a fwd car. Those thAt don't participate in the SCCA don't realize what an impact cars like the Neon ACR had, and how well the SRT can do in DS as well as how well it is doing in Prorally.

Cattywampus

''A good freind of mine has one. It is a very nice car.........but we frequently accelerate rapidly on public thoroughfares (notice, I didn't say race), and my little neon smokes him every time, from every perceivable situation. From a stop, from a roll, from 3rd gear, from 2nd gear, you name it, I beat him. He was actually surprised that he got beat so bad. I really do like the car though, it is a very good looking car (awesome interior) and it is a blast to drive. Now if they only put the zoom-zoom under the hood.

Danny

_____________________________

Quit calling my car "cute" damnit!!
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2004 Silver SRT-4''
Read that on theer forum. This guy must on crack. Srt-4s are slower in the 0-60 and slower in the quarter from all the stuff I have read. Why do people swear every little pos ricer can beat an 8. I think they are jealous and need to say ''yeah it's nice but I beat it everytime.''