Car Shopping - What am I missing
 

Which cars am I not thinking of?

Time for some car shopping and here are some criteria:

MUST: Have a 6 speed manual transmission, Be relatively small (under 3200lbs), handle very well, be around/under $25k, Be a hardtop

WANT: Rear Wheel drive, coupe, be somewhat ‘fast’

Here is my current list of candidates:

1. 14’ BRZ
2. 13 Focus ST
3. 14 Fiesta ST
4. 03-04 Z06
5. 09-12’ BMW 135i
6. 11-12 Genesis Coupe r-Spec
7. Cayman S
8. 370z

Am I missing any obvious cars? Don’t Say Mustang/Camaro, been there, played that game, those are ‘big’ cars.

If you're considering used, you should throw in a used Porsche Cayman S or Boxster S. Might also consider a 370z.

S2K & MX5
 

How about the Honda S2000 or Mazda Miata MX5? Those are the only two obvious choices of cars that come to mind that you haven't listed. They are both excellent and fit what you are describing.

Edit: I think S2K has a 5 speed, not a 6 speed, but I don't see why you need a 6 speed so badly. Could you elaborate your needs?

Edit: Apparently S2K is a 6 speed, thanks WWShehan

Excellent points, however I forgot to say that I will never own a convertible. Sorry, should have mentioned that.

Ive driven a 2009 Miata and loved it, except that the roof was made of napkins.

Didnt think of the Cayman S, figured it was out of my price range...

370z seems big, but I havent driven one, I will update my list, thank you.

Lotus Elise?

Hard Top
 

Do consider the hard top convertible version of the MX5 :) I think the price range is still around 25k, probably a little higher like 28k.

If you're even remotely considering a 135i then you should also go look at an e46 M3, ZCP if possible.

M3 is a whole order of magnitude better than a 135 even though the turbo I6 is faster in a straight line. Don't let the curb weight deter you from at least test driving one.

Thanks guys, didnt know the MX5 had a hardtop option, I will research a bit.

I did drive a 02? M3 once, amazing car.

All good advice...still leaning towards the BRZ. Go figure.

S2K's prices have super increased recently.

Went from 8-9kish to 15k now. :l

Something about... "Being a classic" I remember hearing...

It's probably borderline, but a few could probably be found in that price range. Don't discount the 2.7L Cayman either (the non-S version) it's a bit cheaper, a bit lighter, and still a blast to drive.

If you're going to get a genesis definitely go for the 13-14. Huge improvements. Also the s2k is a 6 speed not a 5 to housecat. If you want power you can certainly find slightly used 370z for that, more space and a bit newer if a bit less sharp? Genesis. Handling? The brz would be great. The rest idk about really..


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The upcoming Mini cooper!! 1.5L turbo base, 2.0L turbo for the S.

a used wrx sti

5 speed not 6 :/ Dunno what Porsche was thinking when they did that. Still, a Cayman S is pretty good bang for the buck. I want to say I like the 986 better than the 987.1 because they didn't really improve much drivetrain wise, but I hate convertibles (hahaha I own one, the irony).

i'm curious as to why you don't have 2013+ Genesis?

RX8 ticks every one of your 'Musts' and 'Wants', the same can't be said for most cars on your list (currently # 2, 3, 5, 6, 8)

Lots of FWD cars you didn't list that could be competitive with the Fiesta/Focus ST:
GTI, Abarth, RSX-S, Mazdaspeed 3.

Seems like as an unwritten rule you also want reliability and built in the last 15 years, preferably 10?

Those are big beasts, which I think are pretty ugly.

I love how the 10-12s look. Amazing. The 13 was a huge disappointment for looks and the extra weight. Just not as much fun to drive as I thought it was going to be.

6 speed was an option if I remember right, so some 987.1 2.7s do have the 6spd. I'd take one even with the 5spd though - it's still a great car.

(I agree the 6spd should have been standard though)

BRZ DUHHHH!!!!!

I really am down to two cars:

14' BRZ and the 14' Fiesta ST.

Just drove the Fiesta, what a blast. This is tough.

I would never, ever own an STI or a GSXR of any size. Too much to explain, but I would never do it.

I know this is a shameless plug, but I suggest going and driving an Abarth as well if FWD isn't a dealbreaker. I won't promise you'll love it since it seems to be fairly polarizing, but at least give it consideration.

5 speed, sure, but I'm averaging 31mpg in mine, and I don't *****foot around all day.

I'm editing this now, but better late than never in case OP reads it. If you do test drive an Abarth, as soon as you have it turned on hit the Sport button. Night and day difference, and I can almost guarantee that you will have a poorer time driving in normal mode. Sport tightens the steering up, gives you the full 170lb/ft tq as opposed to normal mode's 150, and also gives you full throttle input, whereas it's neutered in normal for fuel economy.

Never driven the fiesta but if you don't car about rwd I will say it's gonna be easier to tune with the turbo and the hatch is a bit more room. That being said. Rwd makes me smile in ways fwd never could that's how I ended up with an frs instead of a focus st. (I know the fiesta is somewhat different) also IMO the brz looks leaps and bounds better


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I test drove one of these when I was looking at my FR-S and it was even more gutless than the twins.

Add horrendous gas mileage (20mpg on a good day) and the finicky high maintenance nature of the rotary and it just didn't make any sense.

It was a brand new 2010 sitting on the dealer lot, never sold. There's a reason for that...

what about a z4?

Interesting. Was it an Auto? The AT was detuned to ~190 hp with the MT coming in at ~230 hp (for at most 200 lbs more), by some counts it's faster than the Toyobaru and at least equivalent by most counts, of course any engine can feel slow if it's not in the powerband.

If the OP had mentioned gas mileage as a consideration I would not have mentioned it. And some would consider the boxer in the twins to be finicky and nonsensical as well.

Because it hasn't been posted enough:
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jImHTWfj8aM"]FRS (GT86, BRZ) vs RX8 vs S2000 Review - Everyday Driver - YouTube[/ame]

I see what you mean but I don't consider the boxer even close to the rotary in weirdness.. The boxer is used in porches and every Subaru so I think it's had a bit more tuning than rotary which has been in about 2 cars that are notable and sold to the public :/


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I've heard good things about the Fiesta ST. There's a good comparison of those two cars here:

http://www.autoguide.com/car-compari...-brz-3720.html

It was a manual, but I had two other people in the car. It was a nice car, but the rotary is definitely stranger than a boxer.

I also enjoyed the Fiesta ST. It is truly as close to USDM ITR as you can get in a new vehicle, albeit with more torque and marginally more weight. The ride is stiff but not abusive. I found the handling excellent over my 20 minute drive, especially considering the lack of a physical LSD. I would buy one as a daily driver in a heart beat if I needed the space. Hell, I may buy one anyway when my FR-S is paid off... Or a 2016 MX-5. :D

Bro isn't the fiesta fwd cuz :
1) rwd>awd>fwd
and
2) still not fun add and exhaust and some springs or coil overs and oh my gosh literally a go cart
hahahhah :bonk:

If you're seriously considering the Fiesta I second the Abarth, most fun I've had on a test drive. It's not like you'd be committing, well aside from committing to dealing with a Fiat salesman.

I agree with everyone, the BRZ is miles ahead in the looks department and you can't replace RWD.

With that said, my past car was a 360 RWHP coupe, which was a lot of fun and I know the BRZ will never be close to that without some extensive work and maintenance.

The Fiesta puts up some big numbers with a tune and some bolt ons (stock turbo).

Tough decision....I am going to sit in and drive a Fiesta ST tomorrow with the Recaro seats, see if I like the seats.

As for the BRZ seats, I liked them, but they were fairly narrow for my back as I am 5'10" and about 220 (32-34" waist).

I've heard the recaros are even more tight but they are great seats. Good luck 👍


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Having sat in them, the Recaros are a lot tighter than the seats in the FRS/BRZ. Not a dealbreaker for me, and still not as tight as the ones in the RX8 R3, which were a dealbreaker, sadly.

Bah, not what I was hoping to hear.

No more pullups and deadlifts for me. Thanks for the heads up, guys.

The Recaro's in the Focus ST are terrible, I hope the Fiesta's are better.

What? The ones in the Focus ST I sat in at the recent auto show were excellent - I didn't have any complaints at all.

They're the same seats.

edit: The "base" Fiesta ST is still an awesome car without the Recaros, as well.