Wow.... this thread got out of hand pretty quick! And all from a simple question asking if there was a local SRT-6 that beat a VERY quick Civic...
Here's my opinion:
- I love my Crossfire, I mean, I sure hope all of you do, too, with the amount of money you paid for it!
- I take the good with the bad. The Crossfire had horrible resale value; but on the flip side, this means it's a great bang for the buck car.
- The interior is good, but it's not the greatest (it's still not MB quality, but it's a level above what I've had to suffer with on my American cars, and even some of my Japanese ones)
- The N/A xFire is moderately quick (unfortunately, there's stock Civics and GTIs that are moderately quick as well)
- The SRT-6 is quicker, but is still behind the 'Vette and a couple other cars in its original price range.
- The SRT-6 mods very well, but so do many of its rivals in its bracket
- This forum may know about the SRT-6, but
nobody in the outside world does. I bet a lot of people think the SRT wing isn't stock, and that us SRT-6'ers are just ricers.
- While we may not believe them, we have to be aware of the stereotypes us Crossfire owners have in the outside world: mid-life crisis car, chick car (and even some of the more nasty stereotypes that a Miata has)
- Of course, this means that the SRT-6 is a sleeper in the outside world (hell, most of them mistake the xFire for a Sebring!)
- The flip side of being a sleeper is that nobody takes you seriously until you hit the gas, and even then they still sometimes don't take you seriously.
- "There's always someone faster than you." Similarly, "There's always someone with a more expensive/better/prettier car than you."
- We can say what we want about Civics being beneath us. Just remember that Bimmer, Lexus, and MB owners can say the same thing about us. To be honest, I'm always amazed by how accepting the MB forums are of our cars, because it would be very easy for them to be a lot more condescending to us.
- In daily life, comfort, fit and finish, experience, and reliability all matter.
- In a race (on the track or street, or whatever you want to call a race), none of that matters. Only who can pull ahead of the other car.
- I would not want to own a Civic. It's poorly appointed, common, plainly designed, and too slow for me stock. And modified, typically, it's still fairly gutless in the torque department, loud, rough, and uncomfortable.
- But in a race, I'll still respect any Civic that can keep up with an SRT-6 in a straight line. And whip its butt in the corners (this particular Civic is a Time Trial competitor, if you've heard of that kind of racing before).
- That doesn't change the fact that I wouldn't want that car in my garage. Respect and Desire aren't the same thing.
- There's plenty of people here for which speed is not a primary concern. That's all well and good.
- As long as when it comes to a race, where speed is the only concern, we don't use the same criteria.
- Vice versa for the people who home in only on dyno charts and power/weight ratios. Having nice, comfortable seats, a unique cupholder, and all of the tiny little features ("Rest" air circulation, 90 degree hood, unique cupholder, etc.) helps make the daily drive a comfortable one.
- While somehow I doubt that HDDP's ride is very luxurious, I'm pretty sure that even before his engine transplant, he could scare a couple SRT-6's on the right tracks.
- And because of that, I would LOVE to have his car, gutted interior, roll cage, and all.
