Used Car Shopping - All Scoring Areas Out!

AndiD · 17 January 2022 05:59

… such as the meme entry hijacking the entire score progression?

Edsel · 17 January 2022 14:20

Heh, no. Nothing’s been hijacked.

Odyssey_Fan · 17 January 2022 18:50

Yet, emphasis on the yet.

Edsel · 18 January 2022 22:48

SCORING AREA #3: FUEL ECONOMY

A car is not a one-time purchase; Cars cost money, in the form of fuel, just to use. Nathan, as established in the first post, won’t have a job over the coming spring months, so he’s stuck with the money he already has; the less a car costs to use, the more he’ll be able to use it.

The scoring for this section was calculated in Miles per Gallon (US). In this post, a converted value in L/100km will be provided when applicable.

Most Efficient Car:

2000 Etherea Sunburst - 39.2 mpg (6.0 l/100km)

At first, it seems surprising that a sports car like this would have such good economy, especially one weighed down with tech like ESC and a 4-speed auto. But the fact that its a limited volume, performance-specialized vehicle is actually what made the Sunburst so efficient: the car is built on a semi-space frame (which can only be made out of aluminum), that makes the car very light; partial aluminum panels also help with this. A basic interior, though out of place seemingly, also helps with this.

Though the engine probably made a much bigger part in this; a 2L SOHC inline-4, with both VVL and VVT, as well as low-friction cast pistons. Thanks in part to a small-ish turbocharger, it makes (in addition to its 175hp) 144 lb/ft of torque across an impressively wide torque curve; from 2,200 RPM until 6,500 rpm, roughly full torque is continuously available.

Least Efficient Car:

1990 Stockholm 525B - 12.0 mpg (19.6 l/100km)

Proving weight isn’t everything, the Stockholm is only 400lbs heavier than the Sunburst, despite being so much larger. It also has a 5 speed manual, more overdrive, and a body with a lower drag coefficient than the lead car (though this is cancelled out by the car’s downforce). What’s driving economy so low, then?

The engine is; the 2.5L SOHC Inline-5 powering this entry that has been tuned heavily for performance. Thanks to a rather large turbo, it makes 300lb/ft of torque at peak (3,700) and 248hp eventually (5,100); but the Grand Canyon of turbo lag makes most this power very difficult to access when the car isn’t being driven full-throttle. Also, compression is very low (8.9), and fuel mixture is very rich (11.2), all making the engine inherently very inefficient in the name of speed.

Fuel Economy Scoreboard:

5.0 pts: 2000 Etherea Sunburst
4.5 pts: 1994 GSI Phantasm XR4
4.2 pts: 1993 Seneca R200 RS Turbotop
3.8 pts: 1998 Valiant 18AR SR 2 4
3.7 pts: 1995 Neko CiX-2 X-Series
3.6 pts: 1994 Montebianco 42-130 20V Ultima Edizione
3.4 pts: 1998 Schnell L20 SLX
3.4 pts: 1994 Denison King Snake DM-HP
3.4 pts: 1997 Autodelta Auriga by Gelera
3.3 pts: 2007 Wells H1 Track Edition
3.3 pts: 1992 KPS K30 3.2
3.3 pts: 1997 AZLK 2152
3.1 pts: 1992 Swanson 225Pf
2.9 pts: 1992 Armor Valencia GT
2.6 pts: 1995 Kumos Garto
2.6 pts: 1992 EHH 270ESiA
2.4 pts: 1993 Manda Tuono DX8 Z-line
2.3 pts: 1991 Saarland Ambrosia ES-24
2.2 pts: 1995 Vulcrum LB-5
2.1 pts: 1995 Mantra GT 5.0i S8
2.0 pts: 1992 MAHG Psi Rapide
1.8 pts: 1998 Ibis Phoenix
1.8 pts: 1990 Aim Swallow H8T
1.7 pts: 1994 VULKAN Kanna GTZ
1.0 pts: 1990 Stockholm 525B

Current Scoreboard:

(Other fun facts)

The mean mileage of an entry (rounded) is 25.2 mpg (9.3 l/100km), which would earn a score of 2.9. The Armor Valencia achieved that rating exactly
This category has a considerable point gap between the best/worst cars, and their runner ups. Here’s what that looks like in terms of Fuel Economy: The second most efficient vheicle (.5 points behind the first), the GSI Phantasm, had an economy of 35.9 mpg (6.6 l/100km). The second least efficient vheicle (.7 points ahead of the first), the VULKAN Kanna, had an economy of 17.0 (13.8 l/100km).

Next up: Service costs. If something breaks (and given their age, something will break), what does that mean for Nathan?

GassTiresandOil · 19 January 2022 03:30

lol and once again my Valencia GT is middle-of-the-road!

mart1n2005 · 19 January 2022 07:45

I have a feeling that due to score weighting that only a sports car can really win his round now.

Knugcab · 19 January 2022 12:22

Keep in mind that you can score 10 points for practicality, which was why I decided to go for a 4 door sports sedan instead of a 2+2 coupé.

Knugcab · 19 January 2022 12:28

By the way @Edsel…
In the explanation of the scoring system, you said that for coolness, it could score between -20 and +20, with 0 being true neutral.

Since the lowest scoring car got +2, my question is:
A: Did you change the scoring system to 0-20 or
B: Was all of the cars at least slightly cooler than true neutral?

Edsel · 19 January 2022 18:06

The latter. Just about everyone leaned really far into coolness this round, way more than I had originally expected.

The one with the closest shot at a negative score was probably the King Snake, but that one’s rugged, offroader appearance just pulled it over into the positive (the cool wall cars I compared it closest to were the Honda CR-V and Jeep Wrangler). The Valiant 18AR is also pretty close to 0, being very similar to the Honda Accord used to mark “true neutral.”

(If ya’ll want me to elaborate on the logic behind a specific car’s score, by the way, let me know)

Edsel · 19 January 2022 18:18

And actually, while we’re at it, that relates to the main thing I wanted to discuss: what are your guys’ thoughts on the Cool Wall mechanic? Do ya’ll think it did a good job of making the coolness stat predictable, or were there any major problems or confusing elements you noticed? And do you think the ability for people to add cars to the Cool Wall worked well?

Final vs. Original:

(the difference between my expectations and the reality of what was entered is pretty visible)

oppositelock · 19 January 2022 20:35

As for myself, I can say that without the cool wall I would have made something far more mundane and practical than a sports car, and so far that decision seems to be paying off. Well, until the practicality and service scores knock me down a few spaces, I guess.

mart1n2005 · 19 January 2022 20:46

Yeh I think paying more attention to the cool wall would have been a good idea. Maybe just a coupe version of the car I made would have fared a little better

Edsel · 19 January 2022 21:34

SCORING AREA #4: SERVICE COSTS

Nathan would prefer nothing go wrong with his car- hence the importance of the reliability stat. But given how old all these entries are, we have to acknowledge the fact that things will go wrong. And with Nathan having a fixed amount of money for the coming months, a costly repair will dig into his funds for gas.

Which of these cars, then, will leave the smallest impact on his savings when the day comes?

Cheapest-To-Repair Car:

2007 Wells H1 Track Edition - $387.4

Remember when this car got 2 3-point penalties based largely on how stripped-down it was? Yeah, all that shedding is doing it quite a favor here. With steel construction, basic interior, no radio, no power steering or traction aids, manual transmission and basic 90’s safety, this car is so cheap to service because there’s nothing on it to service!

Also - I doubt this factors into Automation’s rating system - but this being the newest car in the competition means that parts would be most likely to be readily available.

Most Expensive-To-Repair Car:

1994 Denison King Snake DM-HP - $2063.0

Given that this car was advertised by the creator as a project car, this score doesn’t come as much of a surprise. It has an untreated-steel body and chassis, analog automatic gearbox, low-profile tires- and probably the main culprit, a strangely and poorly tuned engine.

Though it’s the cheapest car to buy, this self-designated “Hodge-Podge” is probably one of the most expensive cars overall. It’s just like the real used car market! (:

Service Costs Scoreboard:

5.0 pts: 2007 Wells H1 Track Edition
4.7 pts: 2000 Etherea Sunburst
4.6 pts: 1998 Schnell L20 SLX
4.2 pts: 1997 AZLK 2152
4.2 pts: 1997 Autodelta Auriga by Gelera
4.1 pts: 1998 Ibis Phoenix
4.1 pts: 1998 Valiant 18AR SR 2 4
4.0 pts: 1992 MAHG Psi Rapide
4.0 pts: 1994 VULKAN Kanna GTZ
4.0 pts: 1995 Neko CiX-2 X-Series
3.9 pts: 1995 Kumos Garto
3.9 pts: 1994 Montebianco 42-130 20V Ultima Edizione
3.8 pts: 1995 Vulcrum LB-5
3.8 pts: 1992 KPS K30 3.2
3.8 pts: 1990 Stockholm 525B
3.7 pts: 1992 EHH 270ESiA
3.7 pts: 1992 Armor Valencia GT
3.6 pts: 1992 Swanson 225Pf
3.6 pts: 1990 Aim Swallow H8T
3.4 pts: 1993 Manda Tuono DX8 Z-line
3.3 pts: 1994 GSI Phantasm XR4
3.1 pts: 1991 Saarland Ambrosia ES-24
2.8 pts: 1995 Mantra GT 5.0i S8
2.7 pts: 1993 Seneca R200 RS Turbotop
1.0 pts: 1994 Denison King Snake DM-HP

Current Scoreboard:

(Other fun facts)

The mean service costs of an entry (rounded) is $ 923.0, which would earn a score of 3.7. That score was achieved by both the EHH 270ESiA and, once again, the Armor Valencia, which tied for 16th, and actually had service costs of $911.3 and $917.4 respectively.
If the King Snake is taken out of the average as an outlier, the mean service costs become $875.4, earning a score of 3.8. 3 cars achieved this score, tied for 13th- the Vulcrum LB-5, the KPS K30, and the Stockholm 525B. Of them, the Vulcrum’s service costs of $886.6 were the closest to the average. (The Vulcrum also held the median service costs).
The second most expensive-to-service car, 1.7 points ahead of the worst, was the Seneca R200 at $1369.9.

Next up: Safety. The client for this challenge is a novice driver who lives in a suburb covered in snow. What could possibly go wrong?

Odyssey_Fan · 19 January 2022 21:53

Is anyone surprised that the one car that is too scary to get within 100 ft of due to the state of disrepair is mechanically totaled?

Also congrats to @GassTiresandOil for successfully mastering the art of being exactly average.

A lack of driving skill and snow, what could possibly go wrong indeed. I can not fathom what would happen once Nathan decides to demonstrate his mastery of driving.

Restomod · 19 January 2022 22:14

Odyssey_Fan · 19 January 2022 22:16

Good luck with that in a Mirage without the help of everyone’s best friend, gravity. 140 MPH in a car with only 77 HP? Optimistic for sure.

Edsel · 20 January 2022 02:53

SCORING AREA #5: SAFETY

Okay, enough about how much these cars cost. Are they actually any good?

Let’s start with safety- which for a novice driver, is understandably pretty important. Because while Nathan is certainly no hooligan, he hasn’t had enough experience in a car to really get a good sense of his and his car’s limits, or of how to deal with adverse situations. This is compounded by the fact that his town spends 1/4 of the year covered in white fluffy/slippery dust, and by the amount of people already on American roads who in full honesty aren’t really much better at driving than he is.

Of course, he’s also a teenager who thinks he’s immortal and hasn’t fully internalized all that, so this is only a 5-point stat.

Safest Car:

1990 Aim Swallow H8T - 54.9

Age is just a number, apparently.

Automation has smiled on the oldest car here, and why not? It has all the amenities; Traction Control, Advanced 90’s safety, and powerful brakes. The car being hard and heavy, with all-steel monocoque construction on what Automation already considers an inherently safe body, does a lot to help it, too.

Least Safe Car:

1995 Neko CiX-2 X-Series - 30.7

I bet this isn’t the car you would have guessed based on the photograph. But this trustworthy-looking Japanese hatchback is running Basic 80’s safety, as well as a rear fold up bench, both of which Automation disapproves of heavily. Plus, while Automation actually considers this body slightly safer than the Swallow’s, this car being so very small and light hurts its score.

On the bright side, it does barely escape the low-safety soft rule.

Note: Though its safety score was higher (31.0), the math rounded out such that the Denison King Snake also got a score of 1.0. The full unrounded value was 1.04958677…, which is so soul-crushingly close to 1.05 that it feels like a taunt. Sorry mate.

Safety Scoreboard:

5.0 pts: 1990 Aim Swallow H8T
4.3 pts: 1995 Vulcrum LB-5
4.3 pts: 1992 Armor Valencia GT
4.2 pts: 1994 VULKAN Kanna GTZ
4.1 pts: 1992 KPS K30 3.2
4.0 pts: 1997 Autodelta Auriga by Gelera
4.0 pts: 1992 MAHG Psi Rapide
3.9 pts: 1995 Mantra GT 5.0i S8
3.8 pts: 1991 Saarland Ambrosia ES-24
3.5 pts: 1994 GSI Phantasm XR4
3.4 pts: 1992 EHH 270ESiA
3.2 pts: 1998 Ibis Phoenix
3.1 pts: 1998 Valiant 18AR SR 2 4
3.0 pts: 1993 Manda Tuono DX8 Z-line
3.0 pts: 1990 Stockholm 525B
2.9 pts: 1994 Montebianco 42-130 20V Ultima Edizione
2.8 pts: 2000 Etherea Sunburst
2.8 pts: 1992 Swanson 225Pf
2.6 pts: 1997 AZLK 2152
2.1 pts: 1995 Kumos Garto
1.8 pts: 2007 Wells H1 Track Edition
1.7 pts: 1998 Schnell L20 SLX
1.2 pts: 1993 Seneca R200 RS Turbotop
1.0 pts: 1994 Denison King Snake DM-HP
1.0 pts: 1995 Neko CiX-2 X-Series

Current Scoreboard:

(Other fun facts)

The mean safety rating of an entry (rounded) is 43.3, which would earn a score of 3.1. The Valiant 18AR achieved that score, albeit with a rating of 43.5, and is also the median scorer.
If the Swallow is taken out of the average as an outlier, the mean safety becomea 42.8; the resulting score works out to exactly 3, lacking the long decimal that accompanies most score calculations before rounding. The 1990 Stockholm 525B got that specific safety rating.
The second safest car, .7 points ahead of the best, was the Vulcrum LB-5 and Armor Valencia, both at 50.9.

Next up: Comfort. Nathan wants to use this car pretty frequently, even as a daily driver. Please don’t let him drive in agony.

GassTiresandOil · 20 January 2022 03:17

Hey! I wasn’t the poster child for exactly average this time!

DuceTheTruth100 · 20 January 2022 04:22

@GassTiresandOil I swear me and you keep leapfroging each other lol.

@Edsel man, once I had everything dialed in(or so I thought) I had to downgrade so damn much to get “legal”…

So I figured what would make this car be acceptable being so stripped down…

The “Track Edition” was born.

I figured if Subaru could do it with the WRX, then we at Wells could take the same approach.

Love this angle at the challenges with all the breakdowns…

Now if we could get S31(?) to do some videos…

Violent_Lobster · 20 January 2022 05:19

The denison dealership mechanics knowing how wonky that king snake is lol.