What would you buy.......if they made it.

I didn't know that was a thing. An M140i 3 door would be a hella sweet hot hatch with 335hp/369ft*lbs on tap. I don't really like the new BMW styling but on paper I like this car.

I bought my 2005 Subaru Legacy GT wagon new because I heard they were discontinuing the wagon. 

Now I'd be in the market for a Mazda 6 wagon if they brought it here. 

Car that they don't make that I'd like to see? A modern version of the widebody Starion or Conquest. Don't change the exterior too much, just modernize it. Not sure if I'd rather have a Mitsubishi version with an EVO engine or a Chrysler version with a Hemi. How about a compromise with a turboed Hellcat motor?

In reply to Boost_Crazy :

Or keep it under 3000 lbs and put a 3.6 pentastar v6 with a 6 speed manual behind it. 295hp rwd 2800lbs sounds fun. 

AP1 S2000 but with a 3.0 6cyl still reving to 9k with at least 340 hp, more tire and less sketchy lift off oversteer at roughly the same weight +/- 75 lbs. Miss my '02.  :(

'09 Chevy Cobalt XFE but with a 2.0 direct inject non turbo vs the old 2.2 (roughly same hp) and the Cruze 6 speed instead of the 5 speed with more eco gearing, 100 lbs lighter, and sits 3/4 an inch lower (I swear looks like it has a lift kit from the factory), getting at least 28 mpg city and 39 highway. Not many 2 dr coupe non hybrid manual eco cars out there anymore. Love my '08 XFE.  :)

If they just kept making the Lotus Elise for the US so second hand prices weren't still so high.

If the '07 Malibu SS was a proper SS. 3,100 lbs instead of 3,300 lbs, 300 hp which could easily be made from the 3.9 L that is in there, a faster auto shifter (still fine with the 4 speed auto as its damn reliable its just slow), GM actually making the suspension different then the standard Malibu other then going up 3mm on the front sway. A proper LSD.

yupididit said:

Today I learned how unrealistic we grown men are. Also, most is y'all just need to buy a ND RF and never drop the top. 

I think the majority of us wanting the fixed roof/hatchback Miata are looking at storage/roll bar capability. I'd rather have a soft top car with a hard top permanently installed than the RF even though the RF is beautiful. 

yupididit said:

Today I learned how unrealistic we grown men are. Also, most is y'all just need to buy a ND RF and never drop the top. 

Are you suggesting that asking Mazda to build a tiny rwd 4 door sedan with around 200hp that's difficult to market and all of about 4 people would buy if they did is an unreasonable request? 

I guess the implication was for something brand new. In that case, a true ND hardtop is the only thing. I would actually buy that car, but only because they never sold NA or NB coupes here. 

The trouble with nearly any new car, for me, is what you can get used. I would buy a new Miata because it is the perfect daily for me. I have already been flirting with the idea of one and the horsepower boost makes it even more attractive. But even with the brilliant anomaly the ND is, you can buy a Lotus Motherberkeleying Elise for the price of a new one. As a second or third car, I think the Elise wins every time.

I also took a hard look at the C7 Corvette when they were being discounted because the magnetic dampers are magic, the data logging and video is nuts, and the car as a package is truly much better than its predecessors or even used cars that cost the same. I could option the car virtually exactly as I would want it. I realized that I can even afford one. However, the depreciation would be such that I'd rather not. This makes me realize I'll rarely, maybe even never, be in the market for a new car.

But what I really want is cars that could've been made in the past, but weren't. NA and NB coupes are at the top of the list. Virtually anything else you could want, the aftermarket makes, but a true coupe is elusive. I would likely buy a late P71 with a Coyote and a manual transmission. I would be way more interested in non-M BMW's if they came with LSD's. I wish BMW put the N54 in the E85 Z4. I could go on...

I'd be seriously interested in a new 4 or 6 cylinder front engined sports car - one with good power and handling, prefer a coupe, a 5 or 6 speed manual or good auto with sequential shifting and a power to weight of 8 lbs.per bhp or better.

Sadly, none are made that I am aware of.   Mazda declines to stick a Mazdaspeed motor in a Miata - I agree they wouldn't sell a ton of them, but as a top end price plus performance model it would be good for marketing. The Solstice/Sky, S2000, and E86M BMW are toast and the E89 lacks the same crispness to attract..  Nothing much out there - all anyone seems interested in are sedans and trucks!  If you don't want a Porsche it is a bit of a desert out there.  And no, sedans do not qualify (for me) as sports cars.

Mike said:

buzzboy said:

Nick Comstock said:

A small RWD hatchback. 

I love mine and I don't know why they don't exist in the market. All hot hatches are FWD but I like my oversteer dammit.

Good times...

Why yes, yes they were.

Stefan said:

buzzboy said:

Nick Comstock said:

A small RWD hatchback. 

I love mine and I don't know why they don't exist in the market. All hot hatches are FWD but I like my oversteer dammit.

Lift throttle oversteer is a thing and quite fun, plus FWD cars make better use of the available space, so they are more efficient for actually hauling stuff for their size.

Lift throttle oversteer is power oversteer's bitch and practicality is a very distant consideration compared to proper driving dynamics.

In reply to Jaynen :

I’m too poor to buy a new car.

Could there be an Accord wagon, please?

I just wish they still made COPO style cars, where you could order exactly what you want right from the factory. Radio delete, power nothing, with the biggest, baddest running gear available.

Every time this thread pops up my brain reads it as "What would you hire the A-Team for...if you could find them". Every Damn Time. 

Curtis said:

I want to see more cars like the E30 and Miata, but in more forms.  Maybe something mid-size that comes in coupe, sedan, wagon, and convertible.  Excellent platforms for upgrades.  I want RWD, manual trans option, and the "normal" options like PW, PL, and maybe traction control.  None of that complex automatic braking, lane departure, radar assisted cruise, or dynamic handling control.  Simple, effective, reliable, fun.

Like a Miata, but with a back seat that holds actual humans, or a 3-series that doesn't cost $50k and needs a radiator every 75k.  What I want is something like if Toyota or Mazda made their own 3-series-ish car.

 

Fwd, but Nissan sold a boat load of Sentras doing that. 

A minivan with dual-range 4wd and decent ground clearance. That's what I want. 

I wish there was a small RWD (or AWD) 5 seat hatchback (or wagon would be better) with a manual trans and 200+ HP and 200+lbs-ft torque for $25,000 or less. Basically I want the original 1 series hatchback available in EU (and I saw a few in Mexico). VW Golf Sportwagon is close (with AWD option) but low on power, and I'm not a fan of VW quality. I should probably take another look at this to support this unicorn configuration.

Also, if Mazda won't make a Miata hatchback, they should offer the ND with a factory hardtop with softtop delete like Jeep does with the Wrangled.

And this brings up the two reasons these cars either never make it to the US or will never be successful. First, when these configurations are made for other markets (such as EU), they don't get sent to the US since they have to pass emissions and safety regulations. If would be great if US regulations would allow low volume cars that meet EU regs or allow testing from engine configurations from other vehicles. 

The other problem is dealers won't stock these vehicles and most dealers avoid custom ordering vehicles for walk-in customers. It would be great to be able to order these vehicles directly from the manufacturer, then take delivery from a local dealer.

I want street rubber 235/50-13s.

Or 225/50-13s.

Or 205/60-13s.

Or ANY 13s with white letters.

Do it for under $100 each and I'll buy two sets tomorrow.

Tactical Penguin said:

I still want a Fit with Civic Si running gear. 

I want that too.  But the first generation Fit not the new bloated-pig Fit.

Knurled. said:

I want street rubber 235/50-13s.

 

Or 225/50-13s.

 

Or 205/60-13s.

 

Or ANY 13s with white letters.

 

Do it for under $100 each and I'll buy two sets tomorrow.

I put a set of full tread(but god knows how old) 235/60-13 bfg radial ta with RWL out at the street yesterday and they were gone in a few hours

yupididit said:

Today I learned how unrealistic we grown men are. Also, most is y'all just need to buy a ND RF and never drop the top. 

I saw an RF in traffic yesterday,  I quite literally stopped to gawk at it.   Then later, due to the happenstance of traffic, it passed me as I was parked and I snapped a picture.

The want is very, very strong.  Very strong.  I have no idea what I would do with another car that I'd be afraid to drive five months out of the year, but THE WANT.

It looks like someone crossed the ND with the only good looking part of the Endura era C3 Corvette.  And it WORKS.

Patrick said:

Knurled. said:

I want street rubber 235/50-13s.

 

Or 225/50-13s.

 

Or 205/60-13s.

 

Or ANY 13s with white letters.

 

Do it for under $100 each and I'll buy two sets tomorrow.

I put a set of full tread(but god knows how old) 235/60-13 bfg radial ta with RWL out at the street yesterday and they were gone in a few hours

Woulda been about 20 minutes if you let me know first...

RX-3 needs proper rubber and I think the Aussie method of putting 17" wheels on them is the stupidest looking thing ever.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ said:

They HAD a whole brand that worked for the younger market, and they mishandled it for a few years before deciding they'd berkeleyed up, and subsequently canned it.  When Buell still existed I remember the bikes being tucked in the back and the salesmen knowing nothing about them.

Sounds familiar.

Driven5 said:

Daylan C said:

I want a Miata in sub 3k lbs 4 door sedan form. The mental image is a new BMW E30 thats a Miata. 

I basically came here to say this. I'd buy something from an ND Miata based family of compact, lightweight, decent fuel economy, 4 (real) seat, manual transmission, RWD cars...Available in 2 door, 4 door, convertible, and maybe even 2/4 door wagon variants.

Alternatively, an RX-8 with an engine that doesn't suck for appliance-duty would suffice as well... Their turbo 4 would be fine, but since we're already dreaming, even better would be V6 and/or V8 versions of the upcoming Skyactiv-X engine technology. 

I'd be happy with a Mazda that didn't dissolve into iron ore and aluminum oxide before the payments ran out.

195/60-14's that land somewhere in the middle of all seasons and 200TW.