[v7guy]

How much hp/tq would you consider the minimum for a daily driver? Think 2 door econobox in major city traffic, NYC, Chicago etc. The significant other and I have been looking at cars and while she's been focusing heavily on mpg I don't want to try to pass someone and step on the gas and have it make noise and continue at the same speed. I've driven a dodge neon 5 years ago that was dangerously slow.


I've been thinking along 130/130 give or take, any comments?

This post has been edited by v7guy: Jun 18 2006, 06:06 PM

[jensend]

It all comes down to weight. My old "98 Neon ACR made 114 HP at the wheels, but was more than a fun ride both on the track and as a commuter vehicle. Even as a 4 dr. the car was light enough and had good enough gearing to be plenty sporty. As long as you didn't play too much it returned 33-36 mpg. Look at the performance of Civic Hatchbacks, CRXs and Del Sols, none are big HP cars, but they all perform amazingly well in stock trim with manual transmissions. My son's "89 Civic DX hatch has a 1500cc motor and performs ridiculously well with nothing more than a cheap header and a cat back exhaust. Even with him flogging it non-stop, it averages 34 mpg. Small beaters are the way to go for fun basic transportation in the era of $3 gas. JMO.