What Should I Buy

[glemon]

Ok, this will be a long crazy rant, but I am pushing 50 and have decided I want a fun car as a daily driver, maybe even something I can take to a track day or two, my budget is somewhere between 10-15K. Needs to be RWD or 4WD, needs to have a manual transmission, don't want or like bigger cars.

My Short List is probably this:

BMW Z3, 3.0 liter or M, intrigued by the coupes too.

BMW 3 series, probably a 328 0r 330Ci from the early 2000s

Honda S2000

Other Possibilities:

Infiniti G35

Suburu WRX

Mazda RX-8

Mercedes SLK320

Toyota MR2 Spyder

That is about it lots of cars, any thought or experience on any on the list or similar that you would recommend or that I should steer clear of?

 

[AngliaGT]

I never would have thought I'd say this -
Look into a Mazda 6,or a Ford Fusion.We bought
a Fusion for my Wife (4 cylinder - 5 speed).
Utter reliabilty + fun to drive + a huge trunk.
The Mazda is more of an enthusiast car,but I dadn't
care for the auto/stickshift transmission.

- Doug

 

[DrEntropy]

If you can find a well treated/maintained Honda S2000 in your price range, that'd be my opinionated recommendation. :wink:

 

[toysrrus]

Honda S2000 for that "Spirited" ride & still have the sense of a "Sports Car" with all the extras like: Roll-Up Windows, A/C, Maybe even Power Windows & Seats.

Have Fun Shopping,

Russ

 

[3798j]

My vote goes to the Infinti G35. A wonderfully powerful engine in a very neutral handling chassis.

 

[aeronca65t]

As they say on another forum I'm on:

<span style="font-style: italic">"The answer is always Miata."</span>

By comparison, all those other cars you listed are tanks.
The first gen NA cars weight 2100 lbs. Even ~MY standard daily-driver NB~ is about 2300 lbs. An S2000 weights 550 lbs more than mine.

Miatas are bulletproof (with a nice, "non-interference" engine, for example). A friend of mine races a Spec-Miata with 229,000 street miles on it. Original engine.
And of course, they have the "inspired by the Elan" heritage (according to the original designer, anyway).

My bone-stock NB will clip off 0-60 is a tick over 7 seconds all day long. And it will easily keep up with a 911 on the Shenandoah circuit at Summit Point. According to lap charts I've looked at, my times are about as fast as a vintage-prepped MGB......except I have air conditioning, a heater, windshield, CD player, etc.

Mine has always lived outside, gets bare-minimum maintenance and still starts right up with its original 10 year-year old battery. Mine has a roll bar but its still plenty roomy (for me.....6' and 200 lbs) I've done 1000 mile, weekend stints in it. No problem.

If I wrecked this one, I'd buy another right away. Best fun/daily driver I've ever had.
Even if you buy another car, drive one of these first (if you haven't). My local dealer had new, 2009 left-overs for under $18,000 about a month ago.

 

[TRDejaVu]

Different approach for me as I went with a Saab 9-5 Aero. Comfortable practical car (heated and ventilated seats), sleeper styling, with awesome mid-range acceleration that frequently surprises the drivers of many performance cars. It also gets over 30MPG when cruising at interstate speeds.

Almost dead brand, but if you plan on keeping it then nice models are reasonably priced.

 

[Banjo]

For all around daily use, still retaining the utility if the boring grocery getter/people mover, while still being spirited enough for the track, I'd go with either the BMWs or the Subaru WRX. The Subaru being the most "economic" of the bunch while still being fun.
A customer we had at the independant shop I worked at had a Subaru Legacy GT wagon. Total sleeper. Looked like an all black, plain wagon with snazzy wheels. but actually came from Subaru with sport suspension and performance brakes, not to mention it was turbo charged! That thing was a rocket! That thing would be a hoot at the track!

 

[glemon]

Lots of good suggestions, I forgot to put Miata on the list, I agree about the weight, used to be a small car was maybe a ton, nowadays Civics and Corollas and such, which are "small cars" in many peoples minds are over 3000 lbs.

Weight is not fun.

I have driven a first gneration Miata, and an amazing number of my British car club guys have one, I was also looking at the Mazdaspeed turbo Miata.

Others have suggested a Boxster, but I don't know about a good one in my price range, and I do worry about the price of Porsche parts if it breaks.

I drove and loved an MR2 spyder, but maybe not practical enough for a daily driver--my wife has a "regular" car (Honda Fit) but still not only is the Mr. 2 a pure 2 seater, it has virtually no trunk.

I have driven an S2000, and while it is fun to wring out to 9,xxx rpm as I get older and fatter and lazier I seem to like cars with low fat effortless torque curves a little more, but I have to admit it fits the bill very well, has a good to great reliability record, and has great performance numbers.

The RX8 is a great combination of sporty and practical, but my nephew has one and it has had to go to the hop twice this winter with starting problems.

I really like the idea of the Z3 coupe. It is unique, slightly more practical than a two door convertible (hopefully soon I will have a Triumph TR250 back on the road to fill that role) and just looks like loads of fun, have driven the Z3 convertible and like the whole driving experience.

With all the snow we have been having the practicality 4wd in a WRX or even Audi TT drew my attention for awhile, but year round the 4wd is added complexity and weight.

In the end it is possible I will "wimp out" and get something with four seats like the BMW 3 series or G35 for the added practicality, but really at this point we have only one kid at home a four seater car for when we need it, so maybe I do need another sports car.

I had a 1st generation RX7 20 years ago and really loved it, good looking, great fun to drive, the hatchback added the ability to easily carry a load of groceries with a passenger on board, or a dog or car parts or whatever.

 

[tony barnhill]

Honda S2000 or BMW 3-series....G35 would be a long 3rd.

I had a BMW 323i (Euro specs) & wish I'd never sold it....that was one of the cars I've had the most fun in in a long time.

Then, there's always the C3 Corvette, pre-78.

 

[GregW]

Mmmmmmmmm Z4M

 

[DrEntropy]

One of my pals has one of the last Z8's, but I think that'd break the bank. It certainly GOES well, tho. :laugh:

 

[GregW]

If not the bank, then the frame. I'm not sure all of 'em had that problem though.

 

[glemon]

Z8 breaks the bank, Z4 M Coupe breaks the bank.

Yes, I have a feeling I may end up with a 3 series in the end, I drove a 323Ci and liked it, good balance between practicality and fun, to whoever suggested a Mazda 6 or Saab, I have a 99 Maxima SE with a 5 speed now, I know these other suggested cars are probably better, but want to get away from the FWD sports sedan thing. Saabs seem to be going really cheap right now though.

 

[DrEntropy]

Saab parts may be an issue "down the road" tho.

 

[tony barnhill]

Go to Grassroots Motorsports[/b] magazing for information on putting a 3-series BMW in street/strip kit....they've got some good articles on how to do one.

Or one that's forgotten, a BMW 320is - you can drop a 6 cylinder BMW engine in that thing & with a few suspenion mods (it already has upgrades from the factory) you can have a heckuva fun car!

 

[rlwhitetr3b]

+1 for the miata.

I have been using one as my daily driver for about three and a half years. With snow tires, I have not had any problems with any of the Illinois weather. Mine is a black 2001 (NB).
Good milage, fun and dependable.

 

[Deleted member 8987]

Add a MK2 Jag to that list.......

 

[DaveatMoon]

Saab parts may be an issue "down the road" tho.

So will BMW/Mercedes parts, but for a different reason. Saab is going away, and GM will not have to keep stock on parts more than 10 years old from a car they didn't build then anyway. The German cars have a cost issue when it comes to parts, and not just Porsches. Some bits for these cars can be amazingly expensive. I've seen personally Mercedes blower motors that cost almost $500.00 15 years ago, which is exceptional but not unusual for these cars.

Just an oil change in a Porsche will run you almost $50.00 if you do it yourself. Also the parts cost on a Porsche Boxster is almost immaterial. The car doesn't have a hood, and all engine access is from underneath the car. Unless you have a lift you're going to be paying somebody $100/hr. to fix it. Also there are issues regarding engine durability in Boxsters ( Porsche Boxster Engine Failures Mount, 11/7/08 ).

The Miata/MR2/S2000 cars are my dream rides, but with 2 kids and a conscience I'm driving a Prius. All 3 are bulletproof, and it's a matter of driver fit for each. The RX8 is a nice car as well, but it eats a lot of gas and is basically a 4-door. The WRX, and the similar Mitsubishi Mirage EVO, are going to be hard to find with any stuffing still left in them from the previous owners. Unlike the other cars listed here, these things were rarely bought by older drivers that cared for them adequately.

Now I've got to go change the oil in my wife's station wagon. Sigh.

 

[terp83]

Here's another vote for the Miata. I have never owned one, but know several people who do and have. None of them have anything negative to say about these cars. I have been watching Miata sales listings online for the past several months, but am not quite ready to buy. There are lots of them for sale, and it is not uncommon for older ones in decent shape to be offered for sale for less than $5,000.00.

There also appears to be an abundance of aftermarket and support groups for the Miata. If it is wrecked, it becomes a preferred donor for a Locost project.

For me, the only drawback to owning a Miata is the realization that I would probably like it so well and drive it so much that I would wind up driving my Healey 3000 even less than I do now.