Thomas123 |
11-10-2008 11:15 PM |
I can''t totally agree with the car not being able to get out of its own way with an 85 hp engine, though it''s nicer to have more hp. My roommate''s 1990 Honda Civic has a 90 hp engine, and has fine acceleration, and is quite fast if gears are shifted properly. If shifted for economy, of course, don''t expect to be able to get a lot of response by gunning it.
Also, my 1951 Chevrolet, which I''ve owned for over 10 years now, has a 90 hp inline 6 (OHV) engine. It can''t squeel the tires, but has excellent low-end torque and hill climbing capabilities, and gets up to speed in a reasonable amount of time. On flat land it''s quite nice. When properly tuned, the car can easily handle saner freeway speeds (anything at or under 65), though it can go as fast as 100 on flat land. The car''s shipping weight (no fluids) is 3150 lbs., which, amazingly, is actually lighter than the shipping weight of a 2002 Dodge Stratus (a much smaller car), which weighs in at 3220 (shipping).
...So an 85 hp engine might not be the race winner, but you can have a fairly good time with it in a light weight Saturn. If it has the same pep as my roommate''s 1990 Honda, you''ll be able to do plenty of tire squeeling with it, too, though if you want to enjoy your car for a long time, I recommend not doing that.
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