Slipstream
Member
smolten said:-SNIP-
Ahh, here come the magazine racers.

Basically, my thoughts are this. If I wanted a balls out drag racer that can handle relatively well with some mods and push rediculous amounts of horsepower for little money, I'd buy...
... A MUSTANG. There's no way I'd fork over $20k + $8-10k in mods for a Neon when I could pick up a used Mustang for $6-7k, rebuild the engine for another $3-4k, do a full race suspension for another $6-7k, and completely rebuilt transmission for $3-5k and walk out with an absolute MONSTER for about $10,000 less than the Neon (and a HELL of a lot more attractive).
The MSP is a great mix of handling, power, style, amenities, Japanese quality and reliability, originality, and pride of ownership (the Mazda community has been a diehard one for a long time... I can see the Mopar guys getting tired of all the cocky street-racing types that are picking up SRTs and talking s***).
The part that amuses me most about the SRT is who's driving them. I can't wait to see what insurance rates are going to be when the companies find out what "SRT" stands for, and when all these 16-18 year old kids start wrapping them around telephone polls after doing PVO's upgrade kits.