How long before that new car is just a throw away item?

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by T1 Terry, Jun 18, 2026 at 4:32 AM.

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  1. futurist

    futurist Member

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    My gen-1 Paseo was 20yo when sold in WA for $200 to the kid of a friend of mine -- had 285K, on the original clutch, and still got 35 mpg.

    There was a JDM 1.3L turbo version of that car's engine (4E-FTE) that bolted right in, provided you had the right ECU and pigtail harness adapters -- could take a lot more boost than OEM, as in 180 wheel hp with no real hit on reliability. Back when I was thinking about it Y2Ks... getting a 4E-FTE shipped from JDM cost as much for shipping as the motor / trans, something crazy like $600 shipped. So you could have a 180 whp, 2000-lb-soaking-wet FWD rocket roller skate, for $600 and your own labour to drop the drivetrain in (probably needed an LSD and shorter gearing from a Starlet C52 5-spd, whilst we're dreaming :p )

    Could kick myself for not going for it in Y2Ks, would've been a terror to the BMW crowd of the Dubya years :D
     
    #21 futurist, Jun 19, 2026 at 2:42 AM
    Isaac Zachary likes this.
  2. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    #22 ETC(SS), Jun 19, 2026 at 5:15 AM
    Last edited: Jun 19, 2026 at 5:23 AM
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