Most reliable fun car you can get at a comparable price (~25k).
 

With frs/brz technically 'n/a' atm...

Tons of fun coupes and hothatches at this price bracket, but which of them are the most reliable that you can get brand new?

Miata

/thread

I could literally list all the other options in the price bracket because I would bet that they will all make it to 100k miles with no major issues and proper maintenance. Past that mark nobody really knows because the cars haven't been out long enough to tell, especially with updates and refreshes every year or two. You'd be guessing based on brand name (Hyundai vs. Ford) and there wouldn't be any solid evidence for at least 3 years after the model came out and was actually run to it's limit.

Reliability means different things to different people, some want a car that will go 60k without a major service and then they will sell it, some want a car that will make 250k and as long as the parts aren't outrageous they'll be happy (even if there's a couple of things that need serious work).

More like 32k for comparison purpose as you won't leave the lot without paying that much for a FRS

Fiesta ST.

More torques, similar weight and cheaper to boot.

Brand New?

Similar/lower 0-60 (depends on tester) and FWD. When you start comparing FWD to RWD, you've already lost all credibility.

Huh?

^Yeah what is this guy talking about?

Used, I say an S2000.

Walked off the lot paying $27.3k and it was like pulling teeth. That was after the $300 price hike and after the college rebate got reduced by $500. I'd bet that someone (in California mind you) walked off the lot paying ~$26.6k

It comes down to finding the car you want and the local taxes and registration fees, which will be pretty much static based on location, $25k for sticker price of the vehicle before tax/title/licence is a valid baseline.

But that's irrelevant for the thread.

He said "fun, reliable car" not "pinnacle of handling excellence".

Anyone here could still have fun in a FWD hot hatch.

Miata (new) or s2000 (used)

I have a hard time believing that someone would find FWD handling characteristics more entertaining (IE fun) than RWD handling characteristics. It's like saying that you prefer Miller High Life over Stella Artois. It's possible, but highly unlikely/unusual.:happy0180:

Wow were you ever taken! If I had paid any where near that much for my FR-S the last thing I would do is admit it. Mine was $27,070.93 with wheel locks out the door. Yes, that included everything.

Maybe not AS fun, but could still be fun. There's plenty of civic's/integra's/3's/etc at track/auto-x days and all those guys have smiles on their faces.

There are also plenty of less than ideal RWD platforms out there, I'd take an ITR over a fox body mustang 10 times out of 10.

Mini Cooper S?

ooh mean new :P

Was actually thinking about getting a used NC miata as well because they are pretty cheap, and people don't tend to abuse them if they are still stock... but the iffy trunk space and not particularly a big fan of convertibles and the way how miatas look. :P

mini cooper? I always heard they were a pain to own, have they gotten more reliable recently?

New Mini Cooper S = Not Reliable

For 25k and fun, the Focus ST would also be cool. I know I know "OMG! FWD! KILL HIM! FWD IS THE DEVIL! RWD FOR LIFE! ETC! ETC!" but I think being able to come out of a corner and actually mash the gas pedal to the floor and then actually having to use your neck muscles from the feel of the torque is fun in its own way. RWD is fun when you're slipping the tail out but how often do we really get to do that on our every day drives? I will on occasion but it elicits some serious attention and not in a good way more like a "that crazy guy is out of control and going to kill us all!" kind of way because people are boring and get angry at things they don't understand.

Is this "whaap" from miata.net .... ??

Good day to ya ..... :)

I'm sure liking my FR-S.

Yes, I found my 3rd generation miata (NC) to be quite reliable.

humfrz

Wtf did the dealer stick on your car? I paid $29k with rims, spoiler, tint, gap and TTL.

my crx and msp were significantly more fun than my ae86 ever was and maybe even more fun than my miatas were (too much of a time gap to really compare). its a little bit like saying that weight hinders sports cars and then coming to the conclusion that the fiesta is more fun than an f430.

i guess im just saying that execution of the product in practice counts for more than ideals in theory.
more than likely. also, welcome.

What a great, pleasant surprise! Glad to see you "come over to the other side". Congratulations. I bought mine this past September and I am enjoying it more the longer I have it.

Your lot blows. Literally fly somewhere else and buy one and drive it home, far cheaper.

Seeing mentions of Focus st. I tested drived it, was pretty fun even though steering felt weird and... fake?

The thing is, are focus reliable? Never had a good experience or had friends with good experiences with Fords.

Fiesta ST if we were getting the 2 door coupe version(which we are not!) Maybe a 2.0T GC

I was just trying to compare two similiar style beers. And I admit that I do thoroughly enjoy Stella Artois. I mean it's no Tremens Delerium or Chimay Blue. Still...it's good;)

The combination of electric steering assist, an electronic "LSD" and FWD all conspire to ruin steering feel.:thumbdown:

Yep, good to be here .... :)

I've only had this car for about 500 miles and I hope it proves to be as reliable as my 06 MX5 was after 89,000 miles ... :thumbsup:

humfrz

Considering Stella Artois is the French European equivalent of Bud Light, it's not unusual at all.

I paid 24,500.....

Don't forgot Myford Touch, I hear that thing holds the vehicle owner hostage. No environmental controls and it leaves the radio on even when the car is off.

I paid less than $5k less than that out the door for my BRZ. Comparing at the MSRP is really the best way to go since you will pay the same tax percentage and fees no matter what you buy. That is, unless you get something with the gas guzzler tax.

Pontiac G6...big ol' honkin V6 for beating the imports...made in 'Murica....

I'd take the '13 Miata Club, which can be had for ~25k since they are just sitting on the lot.

I guess if we're considering the "reliability" factor, FR-S shouldn't even be in there with all of the CEL and major engine failures.

There's been major engine failures?

Speaking of miata. how much trunk space is there actually? I've seen one at a glance but never tried sticking things in. Can it fit a medium size luggage?

There quite a lot of frs/brzs that had to have the whole vehicle replaces because extreme engine failure.

If we're talking old and new, I'd say s2000 and miata are good contenders. Only driven a miata once but it was really interesting. Just too small for my preference. I drove an s2k for literally an entire day and it was fun. Only thing I wasn't a fan of was the extreme lack of torque. I was driving a 350+hp wrx at the time so the lack of torque was probably over dramatic for me haha

I would say the older Evo's but all of my friends that owned them had issues at one point or another. Drove an Evo IX MR around a track(the best one IMO) and was blown away. Such a capable car and I loved everything about it. I would still kill to have one today if Icould get one with low miles and zero mods.

New cars, I would imagine the new mx5 would be damn good and have yet to hear anything negative. My wife drives a Focus ST and loves it. Practical and fun. I have a few things I don't like about it like the way the steering WHEEL feels. The leather feels cheap and flimsy and the wheel is so skinny. The Ford Touch system is awesome but it takes some time to figure out how to navigate through everything properly. Awesome GT car for the money and have yet to hear of any real issues. We'll see what happens though lol