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Gen 1 V as a modded Daily/ high modded in the future

4K views 33 replies 17 participants last post by  DougNuts 
#1 ·
Thinking about getting a V as my next car to replace my truck for daily use, however i was reading about the inability to add bigger pumps to the passenger side of the tank. Also how would the V do as a daily to and from college (100 miles each way) weekly with head. cam, intake and other commons mods, besides the diff and bushing issues. Would it be reliable enough if tuned properly to not break down mid way if it was driven reasonably? Also would Bliztechs on the back be good for the random snows we get in the midwest?
 
#3 ·
Definitely. It would be reliable enough. I honestly thought, this being my third car and first higher horsepower car, it would be the least reliable, but its proven to be the most.

I'm currently 136k miles.
 
#5 ·
That's what i had thought. Dad owned a Buick for 25 yers and never had a serious problem. Some of my friends said Caddy's had iffy quality, but nothing about reliability. Though the V is probably alot more comfertable than a Evo 8 which was the other choice lol.
 
#6 ·
Evos are excellent cars. I would rock one for sure. But I didn't want the payments or the insurance for them. And I would have to get a new one cuz I don't want a clapped out hunk of shit that some boy racer put "tasteful" mods on... Plus they get horrifically poor fuel economy for a 4 banger. If you want a good daily driver 4 banger, look into a cobalt SS turbo. They are bitchin cars, I loved mine.
 
#13 · (Edited)
<sensible adult mode>

get a cheap commuter for college and save the V for when you get a decent job. they're not cheap to run, just like any high(er) hp car, least of all if you up the hp.

</sam>

that being said, V's are as reliable as any car so long as you keep up with maintenance and go to reputable shops to have work done. good fun to drive though i'd get bored slabbing it 100mi ea. way.
 
#14 ·
Some of the maintenance is expensive. I had the melted starter wires... Like $700 in bushings. Plus if you beat on it (hard not to) you're going to end up breaking shit. Oh, then there's the mod bug. I was going to pay mine off first. Now I'm into it like 7k parts and labor over the last 6 months. And thinking about the CS 8.8 upgrade in the next 6mo.
 
#16 ·
I'm surprised my original post didn't clear... hmm
anyway... Out of all my cars, I expected the V to be the least reliable. I expected because of its horsepower... I was going to have to baby the jesus out of it and be drowned in bills with it. And to be honest, its been THE most reliable car I've had. I'm currently at 136k miles, I commute daily in NYC thru all weather, including the snow in the V... hell I'm just getting in now. I love it as a daily.
 
#18 ·
As a parent, I wouldn't want my 16 y o driving a V or an EVO.

But if you are, it'll be fine as a daily. I do. $ for gas and tires goes fast.

If you're going to drive in the winter, you need A/S or winter tires up front too not just the rear unless stopping and turning is overrated.
 
#20 ·
Nope... that's pretty much the reason, lol. When I was 16 I was the same as you and I wouldn't want myself having a V then either. Had a couple 250cc bikes at age 15/16 and then a 5sp Maxima and that thing was already trouble with 190hp / 3000lbs.

I don't think any of this would have clicked to me as a 16yr old but here's how it goes:

Gets a relatively affordable 400hp car... spins out hits wall one week later, $4200 in damage... fixes... gets ticket for 101 in a 55 next week, loses license for 6 months and is charged with wreckless driving... insurance hits rate of 5500/year and you can't afford to drive it anymore... but you do anyways with cheaper liability insurance and then more bad things happen.... get in another accident and replace front bumper with cheaper non-V bumper... etc etc etc.

Of course that only happens to *other* 16 yr olds...

But yea once again it is a reliable DD!
 
#22 ·
I saved up and bought a 98 WS6 right out of high school, loved it....Spent all kinds of money on it, and mods...I had a sweet 414 whp nice sounding beast and some credit card debt. Not too bad so far?

Started working less and school more, so I had a commuter car to get me there 90% and the beast the other 10% (save on gas!!), this plus with moving around the city lead to all my stuff including my beast in a storage unit. Another few seasons go by it then leads to a once a month type car (with a couple of speeding tickets). Finally I reduced the insurance in the winter to liability. You can see where this is going :)

Snow cleared for 1 day, I hit the streets -- Later that night I was smashin' a little more than I should've been and hit a gravel spot in turn at about 50-60 and probably pullin' 1G. Found the biggest boulder I could lol straight to the bottom core support.

I was straight F'd -- Lost my license, got screwed on insurance.....Got a job in Cali, moved it with me -- Lost job a year later after and was forced to sell it to pay mortgage...


IF! I could do it all over again, I probably would've wished I waited a few more years before buying an addictive / expensive car.... But then again, I loved every minute with it and have sure learned a lot on how stupid I was..life goes on....


I then spent 4 years recovering and now I am back in a LS (06 V) -- Hope the outcome ends better :)
 
#25 ·
Mpg is more than just how you drive it... If you roll around with Michelin cup super sports or whatever they are that are basically slicks with tread grooves, you are going to get less mpg than say a 9million treadwear rated tire that they put on a Prius to go straight down the freeway with no rolling resistance.

400hp car, I'm not ashamed that I get about 23mpg on the highway... Hell my cobalt barely did better than that with all its mods to get it to over 400hp. Hell... On ethanol, cruising the cobalt at 70mph was under 20mpg... Course gearing had some to do with that as well, and running ethanol sucks for fuel economy... And tire selection, Hankook R-S3 tires are pretty grippy.
 
#26 ·
My plan around my sophomore year of college was to get a V when I graduated and got my commission in the Air Force. I did that. That said, it was six years ago that I graduated, so if you take that route, there might be 'better' cars by then. Still, I still love my V after having it this long and it's still near stock power levels.
 
#27 ·
I am not sure how I am getting that good but I do. Hehe. I have the corsa exhaust and I did the homemade trashcan intake I found on here somewhere with an open cone filter found out I have an under drive pulley on there and am running a custom tune through a Diablosport tuner! She still screams and when I baby her I have gotten a little over 19 in the city if I hit the lights just right and don't have to stop much! My youngest daughter does love it when I put the pedal to the floor too! She is 2!

BDV
 
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