I third the C5. It's fast, comfortable, reliable, and has lots of aftermarket support. After that, NC, because more useable torque than an RX-8 means that it is more liveable than an RX-8.
I third the C5. It's fast, comfortable, reliable, and has lots of aftermarket support. After that, NC, because more useable torque than an RX-8 means that it is more liveable than an RX-8.
Thanks for all of the responses, I appreciate it!
motomoron- Very nice M3, sir! And thanks for the extra insight on the E36, its appreciated!
docwyte- I agree that our altitude takes away a good amount of power vs the sea level guys (even more so on NA cars), but I still thought the last RX-8 I drove was fun. Not the fastest car on earth, but quick enough to get yourself into a bit of trouble! In the past I've owned a 2006 STI with full bolt-ons tuned on E85... and I've also owned a bolt-on/tuned E90 BMW 335i (N54)... they were both fairly quick, and yet, I don't think either one of them had the same fun factor as either of my old [much slower] Miata's! Smiles-per-hour matter more to me than power!
Trackmouse- I appreciate your concern, but I can assure you, its not necessary. I'm a 31 year old homeowner and civil servant. My wife and I are both working professionals, and our annual household income is roughly ~$135k. We're not wealthy, but we do alright for ourselves. My vehicles have always been meticulously maintained. Whatever I end up with, I'll be paying cash for and I'll also be leaving a decent amount of “toy” money left over for potential replacement and repair items. Most of the used vehicles I've purchased over the years have left my garage in better shape than they were in when they got here! And for the record, when I was 20 years old, I wasn't working at McDonalds, I was completing my first tour in Iraq! (OIF 1 2003-2004). :) Again, thanks for the concern!
JtspellS- I'm assuming you've owned both an RX-8 and an E36 M3? If so, how do they compare to one another in your opinion?
My thoughts:
-MR2 Spyder- I might try to take another one for a spin, but its tough to find them locally in a manual. Most of them are SMT's here it seems. Either way, I'll give it another shot when one pops up.
-E36 M3- Same problem as above. I've wanted to take one out, but all the ones that have popped up locally here lately have been autos or convertibles (or both). I will absolutely take one for a spin when the opportunity becomes available.
-C5 Corvette- I can't hardly find a C5 manual hardtop (or targa) for under my price range. In decent shape they seem to be running at least $12k-$15k+ locally. I could probably start to find them closer to my budget in the winter, but as of right now, they're a bit above what I'm looking to spend.
-Boxster- Even if I looked past the IMS bearing issue, maintenance on the Boxster does not appear to be inviting and replacement parts seem to cost a small fortune. I could be wrong, but they seem to require considerably deeper pockets than even the RX-8 and E36 M3, without offering enough of a reward to make it worth it. I get the impression that they're not very DIY friendly... Maybe I'm wrong?
-BMW Z3- I was under the impression that the Z3 had the old E30 rear trailing arm suspension? I was led to believe there were better tools for the money for track/autoX work; namely the E36 chassis cars and of course if you want a roadster- the Miata! (Or S2000/Sky/Soltice, ect)
-Sky Redline/Solstice GXP- These cars are going for between $15k-$17k locally. They're quite a bit above my budget.
-BMW 135i- These cars are going for $18k+ locally. Again, way above my budget. Hell, even the “lowly” 128i is going for above my budget!
Thanks again guy! Feel free to keep the “learn me” knowledge coming!
In reply to Mr_Clutch42:
Whoops! Forgot, headliner sags but so far the interior plastic bits a in good shape (knock wood)
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