Quote:
Originally Posted by Turbolader
First off, sorry to hear about your financial situation. I think it takes a good person to realize and reprioritize their lifestyle and make a fiscally-responsible decision such as you have. If the rest of the country would have done this, we all wouldn't be where we are today.
That being said...
I've owned a lot of cars. If you can live with a two-seater, I recommend a 350z. I've owned one and they are fun little cars. Not a lot of mod potential with the engine or trans, but as they come, they are one of the better handling cars I've owned myself. I have a friend that lives in Kansas City, and while it's not easy, he can get around in a pinch with snow in his 350z. (They come standard with traction control) The VQ engine has it's own issues, so if you go that direction, make sure you don't end up with an oil burner.
The 1 is a 4-seater though, so if you absolutely need four seats, then I would recommend a Mustang GT. It's in a very different class than the 1, but it does have 4 seats, and handles reasonably well, and more importantly, a lower residual value means you can get more car for your dollar on the used market. The 4.6 in the mustang is pretty reliable, and later on down the road can handle a bolt-on supercharger.
You can go with AWD pocket rockets, but they aren't coupes, so I'm not recommending them. I haven't recommended any vert's because, well, they are verts. Should you want a 'vert, I'll pass on the S2000 trend though and say that the Pontiac Solstice GXP or Saturn Sky Redline interest me quite a bit. With the stage one ~$500 upgrade, you can get quite a bit of tq out of the wards-autoworld-winning ecotech LNF engine (Which has a dual scroll turbo). CR hates the car, but they feel the same way about the reliability of the 135. You're down to two seats, and roofless (with inheritantly weaker chassis), but you still have a RWD turbo car.
I haven't driven one, but you may want to even look into a hyundai genesis coupe 2.0T. Another way to have a RWD turbo coupe, with a back seat, on the cheap.
Lastly, not really on my short list, and full of its' own problems, you could go with the Mazda RX8. One heck of a chassis, and one heck of an engine (in its' own regard....it's a 1.3L after all) but it is a horribly slow car unless driven at 9/10 or higher. But again, it is a RWD coupe, with a back seat. Just don't use synthetic oil if you get one.
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What are the issues with the VQ engine? I just test drove a 2005 Enthusiast 350z that had a Nismo exhaust on it. The exhaust note was intoxicating and it handled extremely well compared to my non-sport 128i and on a similar level as an s2000.
I have not been able to find any subarus or gti's in my price range near me. I may have to try out the mustang as that car never really crossed my mind. Thanks for the input.