I finally paid my car off. Its a 2003 Mazda Protege 5. 4cyl. 150hp, slow as heck and lacks some serious balls. What I really loved about it was the 30 mpg. But lately, I've had this sudden urge to buy American Muscle! Older Corvette or K-5 Chevy Blazer. (Got to be Chevy)
Do any of you drive a V8 daily? Does the gas consumption really kill your wallet and your spirits?
I'm afraid if I get a V8, i will regret it when I'm putting in $100 a week on gas.
Give me some insight on what it's like to own a V8 because I never have.
Thanks!
12:06 am on January 26th, 2012
Ive read that 98-02 Firebird/Trans AMs and Camaros with LS1 300hp/300ft/lbs can get 30mpg on the highway if you buy the six speed.
9:22 am on January 26th, 2012
I drove a 1990 GMC suburban with a 350 v8 (5.7L).. It was a GVWR 6,100 pound truck.
I ran the hell out of that thing, and never got below 13 MPG. If you treat a v8 right, and don't dog it all the time, it will return the favor. You'll quickly notice the change in gas milage, but the power-to-milage ratio from your Mazda to American Muscle will be worth it.
3:45 pm on January 26th, 2012
I use to own a 1970 chevelle with a 454 big block gas mileage wasn't a concern when i owned it but it did get 16 mpg in the city as long as i stayed off the floor with the gas pedal.but with all that power it was very hard to do! if you got a V-8 hot rod today try to keep the ride for nice days and weekends or you could see $100 a week for gas.
8:35 pm on January 26th, 2012
…I have a 1979 Chevy Pickup which started out as a 1/2 Ton and then my Son and I converted to a full 1 Ton…it has 350 LS9 ( tow truck Motor Home Engine and 3 speed HD Manual Trans and HD Transfer Case ( yes its a 4X4)….recently we upgraded the Intake Manifold with an Edelbrock and had the Quadjet Carb rebuilt…it doesn't get "fantastic Gas Mileage"…but thats not what I expect out of it..I occasionally use it to pull a 3 Ton trailer..which it handles without effort…My daily driver is a 1992 Isuzu pickup with a 2.6 4 Cyl…each vehicle has its own "Merits"…:-))
5:19 am on January 27th, 2012
I drove an old Chevy K5 for a long time. V8 6.2 Liter Diesel engine. Pull anything I wanted, go anywhere I wanted, and 17/ 23 MPG. Hard to beat. And it would SMOKE any 4 popper car. Lot of room in it, too.
9:55 am on January 27th, 2012
blazers arent "muscle" neither are vettes, i use to have a 72 demon 340 putting out 300 plus hp and got 16mpg, but a muscle car is a mid sized car with a big block engine
12:45 pm on January 27th, 2012
The muscle car wont be able to match the 30MPG, however if drive it gently it could be close, the problem is…. it is so fun that hehehe you wont drive it so gentle, you wont regret, the increase in fun will overcome the increase of Gas!, I daily drive a 15 MPG, 4cyl-tuned engine
You can use a car performance simulator to virtually run tests for that both cars and see how much faster your new on will be yo help you decide, try at http://www.nxgtrsim.com
5:29 pm on January 27th, 2012
I once had a 1977 Oldsmobile, 403 v8 engine. Loved that car, went like "A Bat Out of Hell"
But no matter what I did, the top MPG was 10.
I now own a Prius and get 45 – 50 MPG.
Don't forget about the Highway Patrol and city Police.
Tickets cause your insurance to sky rocket!
3:44 am on January 28th, 2012
My Cadillac SLS gets 24 MPG on the highway. It's not a Corvette, but the 300 HP Northstar V-8 engine gives it good performance and it's a great road car. Insurance is also less expensive because it's a 4-door sedan.
If you must have a K-5 Blazer, don't expect any better than 15 MPG.
8:15 am on January 28th, 2012
I drive a '90 V8 truck
why
because it has the power I need and I feel safer in it
Do I care about the gas mileage ??? NO. Does it have the true V8 power I want ??? NO
But I have a 135 hp motorcycle for that
4:47 pm on January 28th, 2012
Well there are a lot of things to considered such as: How much do you drive in a month? Add up your miles for one or two months and then figure out the gas prices. If you drive a lot of miles, then it might not be your best bet.
Is this muscle car going to be your daily driver? Since your Mazda is paid off, can you keep it for getting around and drive your muscle car after work and on the weekends? If you cannot have two cars, then it goes back to your miles you drive in a month.
What kind of Muscle car are you looking for? Newer, Older or a Project? Newer cars are definitely beefy with considered to gas consumption and you do not have to do a lot of tuning or troubleshooting if you want to just drive it off the lot. Older cars have a TON of aftermarket parts and you can make them gas guzzlers or more gas friendly if you want. It really depends on what you are looking to get into.
I have owned different cars but I always had a 'grocery getter' when I have a muscle car. Only because wear and tear and up keep is much more expensive, plus I like to keep my miles down to keep the appreciation of the car.
The only time I never had another back-up car is when I owned my 93 in college. I modded the heck out of it with head work, injectors, pistons, supercharger, rear-end, etc and it tore it up. LOVED that car only because it just didn't look like a beast. But I didn't drive a lot because I lived near campus, so while gas SUCKED (and this was when it was under $3 a gallon) because I had to run premium gas.
Owning a Muscle car is like nothing else, it is engrained in our primal American spirit and it is fun. But it can come at a price. Do some research, maintain your car and start small and then you can always sell to upgrade to your next Muscle car.
Best of luck.