lease is almost up, whats next?

[RockRoll]

Civic Si. A lot of fun for the money.

[dem00n]

M235i if you want something more luxurious or similar to our cars. Great choice right there.

Lexus IS models are indeed nice, but they tend to lack in handling and are still heavy cars.

[billwot]

Originally Posted by Ddreder

The fr-s actually feels cheap in comparison.. Yes convertibles are tough to live with I understand that. With a hardtop they become much more functional for all year round driving.

Idk I cant understand leasing a car. Its like renting an apartment. I would find it so hard to enjoy because at the end of the day its not actually yours..
ill
BUT I think the new IS's from lexus are super awesome. If I had to do a lease stuff I would go for one of those.

If you bought one today and financed $25K for 6 years at 3%, at the end of 3 years you would still owe over $13K. Based on average depreciation,, that's about what it would be worth in 3 years. So in all liklihood, you would actually 'own' nothing.

[wbradley]

$500/ month all in lease in the US...

Just trying to think of all the cars that lease for $800/month in Canada

[x1UP]

RC-F.

[FRSupra]

Anyone who disses the S2000 in this thread needs to have their head examined.

[dreamingat30fps]

I'll start by saying I know little about leasing and always purchase used cars. That being said here are the cars I would personally consider if I was replacing the FRS. These would all be used and under 30k.

- 128i Sport Package 6spd
- E46 M3 or Z4M
- G37S
- C6
- 370Z

[shishand]

Originally Posted by Ddreder

The fr-s actually feels cheap in comparison.. Yes convertibles are tough to live with I understand that. With a hardtop they become much more functional for all year round driving.

Idk I cant understand leasing a car. Its like renting an apartment. I would find it so hard to enjoy because at the end of the day its not actually yours..

BUT I think the new IS's from lexus are super awesome. If I had to do a lease stuff I would go for one of those.

As for the S2000, im aware its a nice car dont get me wrong, but i still see it as a downgrade. besides, the two seater can be a problem.

I like the lexus idea, thanks mate, i started to look at some of their cars.

Originally Posted by sprintertrueno86

RC350

Thanks, right on par with my budget.

Originally Posted by cdo221

you should take a look at the 2015 Mustang as well, seems to fit (sporty but more comfortable than a FR-S, add some luxury to it competitor to the Genesis)

I have a strong hate for mustangs haha, the handling is just too much off from the frs.

Originally Posted by DAEMANO

I'd concur that both Fiesta and Focus STs would be a downgrade in both performance, and especially looks from your twin.

Your dilemma kind of points out what makes the '86 platform so special. There simply aren't any lightweight, RWD, agile, driver focused 2+2 sports cars with good MPG on the market. Closest thing is a Lotus Evora. Outside of that car, there hasn't been anything like the '86 for a long time.

• 370z, Gencoupe, Mustang, Camaro, and Challenger are all heavy muscle car GTs.
• Miata, S2K, Cayman are all 2 seaters that aren't practical as DDs.
• Fiesta, Golf, Focus, Abarth, are FWD hot hatches that can be quick/fun, but look dowdy compared to a low slung coupe and you're not going to find one in RWD.

IMO your best bet would be to buy your '86 when the lease ends and then mod it to be more luxurious (upgrade the interior (leather, suede, etc) add sound deadening, upgrade the stereo), or faster (add F.I.) or maybe even both. If you find that you prefer a muscle car, roadster or hot hatch, then the '86 was probably never the right car for you to begin with.

Ugh you nailed it. The FRS is nimble, i love that about it. Which makes it suckier because not too many cars can compare..
If could had have my FR-S in a manual, quite frankly i'd be ok with its power. I'd stay away from FI solely because i dont have the time for all the visits to tuning shops etc..

Currently my best pick is an Lancer EVO with the highest packages, 5spd. total is about 39k new, so a 2011-12 should be easily 30k. I think the EVO somewhat can compare, im not so sure about its handling compared to the frs.
Second best pick is the M235. it has a awesome 50-50 balance, great power too. its definitely heavier, and it will feel less raw compared to the frs but the pros balance the cons. it starts at a great price too, too bad all the dealerships around me (socal) mark it a shit ton up..
Third and forth pick is kind of the lexus RC350 and the genesis coupe.

thoughts?

Originally Posted by yoitsrob

You probably would find it somewhat outdated but I would go for a used Nismo 350z. They've become cheaper and you could even grab a 370z for the amount of money you're willing to put down on a lease.

$500/month for a lease sounds outrageous to me even if it's well below it. You could finance a brand new BMW for that price if your credit and negotiation game is on point.

I dont know what it is but something about the 350/370 puts me off. i will test drive it when i get the chance, but the two seater thing wont work i think. i know the fr-s's two seats in the back arent comfortable, but the space can be useful and every now and then i need to take more than one person.

Originally Posted by PhantomX

It's no different from financing. The car is still the finance company's until you finish paying it off. Leasing a car for the first 2-3 years just makes it easier on the pocket per month. The biggest things are you can keep it and finance the balance (which is kind of like refinancing your car), sell the car and pay off the balance (just like selling a car you have financed), trade it in for a new car (which is just like financed vehicles, but you don't have to worry if the payoff is higher than the trade-in worth of the vehicle), or just plain give it back (which is the biggest pro to leasing since with financed vehicles, it's called a voluntary repo, which is a ding on your credit). The only con to leasing is you are limited to a certain average mileage per year within that lease period.

I agree. and the mile per year isnt too major for me, i barely drive hwy.

Originally Posted by Chanpion

I know it seems weird but the Fiesta feels much faster than the twin. I think it's the torque and torque curve. It's on overboost most of the time too. It's simply a fast car.
I urge you to at least just give it a test drive.

I will consider it but i highly doubt it, just doesnt sit well with me.

Originally Posted by billwot

Caymen!

too expensive.

Originally Posted by dem00n

M235i if you want something more luxurious or similar to our cars. Great choice right there.

Lexus IS models are indeed nice, but they tend to lack in handling and are still heavy cars.

m235 is barely carried in any dealership, and idk why
ill try the lexus, too bad they only come in AT.

Originally Posted by x1UP

RC-F.

Originally Posted by FRSupra

Anyone who disses the S2000 in this thread needs to have their head examined.

Its a great car indeed, but not for me, besides its too much like the frs. its like changing from the frs to the brz, just doesnt make much sense. they handle similar, yet the s2k only comes with one seat, convertible, no warranty ..etc. the frs is almost a better s2k, least i think. that said, the s2k is still a legendary car dont get me wrong, just not for me i guess.

Originally Posted by dreamingat30fps

I'll start by saying I know little about leasing and always purchase used cars. That being said here are the cars I would personally consider if I was replacing the FRS. These would all be used and under 30k.

- 128i Sport Package 6spd
- E46 M3 or Z4M
- G37S
- C6
- 370Z

ill look into the 128i, the e46 is too old, i need a reliable and somewhat fun car, the e46 is for someone with a stable job and a secondary car.
I like the G37s, thanks i almost forgot that car.
no corvettes, and ill try the 370 sometime!!
thanks mate

[tdoggy57]

I made a thread like this about a week ago lol.

Youre not getting into a well-optioned lexus or porsche for well under $500 a month thats for sure lol

[shishand]

Originally Posted by tdoggy57

I made a thread like this about a week ago lol.

Youre not getting into a well-optioned lexus or porsche for well under $500 a month thats for sure lol

I saw ur thread mate, but not what i was looking for. people only talked about their returns, or modding etc..

I know haha, maybe the rc350 although! anyways have you decided on what youre doing next?

[tdoggy57]

The RC350 is the most expensive lease of most of these cars mentioned just because it's so new and there arent really any discounts off of the MSRP.

Im in love with the RC350 and IS350 F sport so i read about them every day lol. Depending on where you live you might be able to negotiate an IS350 F Sport for a little under 500/month, but its not easy.

Were about the same age (im 22) so we want something similar. Ive been in contact with some dealers around me and some cars you should look into are the Cadillac ATS and the Infiniti Q50. The lease rates on just about everything else that interests us are pretty high.

Im interested in buying a house as well, so I may be sacrificing and keeping the FRS. I think about it every day though, only about 2 months left to decide.

[Timmy_Jones]

At least go and test drive the Focus and Fiesta ST. Sad that people wont give them a try.

I think since the lease is up....get something new for sure. The Gen coupe may not be bad, it sounds like more of what you want in a car.

[Twin4Life]

I wish I had a $500 month car budget in College. Lucky SOB. That being said, my friend bought a IS350 FSport a couple months ago. Its nice. Its almost as quick as my 3.8 and almost as nice to drive. To be honest, for $50K its a bit of a disappointment. Id go with a 370Z if I were you or a 3.8 Genesis.

[Braces]

I'm in the same situation. Lease is up in 5 months. Hard to beat the value, mpg, and fun factor that the FR-S offers. I may lease another FR-S after the 1st one. Well ... I have 5 months to think about it.