What's the best "bang for the buck" sportscar??

[Kabob]

Originally posted by: Arkaign

Originally posted by: Kromis
No love for the 350Z? I'm the only who voted for it?

The 350Z isn't too bad, but in current form it's a bit overweight/underwhelming. Sits right around Mustang GT performance, which is disturbingly close to Acura TL, Camry V6, etc.

The upcoming 370Z, with the 200lb weight drop + 50hp/tq power boost should return the Z-Car to a sports car instead of a generic 'Grand Tourer' status.

Ooh, I haven't heard about a 370Z (makes since with the new G37's). When is it slated to be released??

Originally posted by: zerocool84
What about cars like the MS3 or SRT-4??? It really depends what you mean by sports car cus some of those choices aren't sports cars.

Mazdaspeed 3 I'd include but the SRT-4...it's a flippin' Neon!!

 

[Demon-Xanth]

It's a tough one between the C6 and the Miata. Both are great cars, but there's a good deal of difference in price. The WRX/STI/EVO have lost their edge this generation and really fell out a bit IMO. BMW doesn't have the best anything for the buck. Great cars, but not great values. The ZO6 and ZR1 offer a huge boost over the stock, but require too much buck to exceed the bang/buck of the base vette. The Viper has the best exotic for the buck of anything these days, quite possibly the only thing being close being the Atom. No love for the RX8, 350Z, and Boxster here. All good cars, just not great cars. Overpriced and underwhelming. The GT-R is a great car, just seems too gimmicky for my tastes. The 911 is also a good car that's just not good at bang/buck.

Some other cars worth considering:
Camaro (pending reviews...)
G8
Solstice GXP/Sky Redline (okay, those are sports cars)
Challenger R/T (SRT8 just takes too much money)
Atom
Mustang GT
GTI
BMW 135i

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth
It's a tough one between the C6 and the Miata. Both are great cars, but there's a good deal of difference in price. The WRX/STI/EVO have lost their edge this generation and really fell out a bit IMO. BMW doesn't have the best anything for the buck. Great cars, but not great values. The ZO6 and ZR1 offer a huge boost over the stock, but require too much buck to exceed the bang/buck of the base vette. The Viper has the best exotic for the buck of anything these days, quite possibly the only thing being close being the Atom. No love for the RX8, 350Z, and Boxster here. All good cars, just not great cars. Overpriced and underwhelming. The GT-R is a great car, just seems too gimmicky for my tastes. The 911 is also a good car that's just not good at bang/buck.

Some other cars worth considering:
Camaro (pending reviews...)
G8
Solstice GXP/Sky Redline (okay, those are sports cars)
Challenger R/T (SRT8 just takes too much money)
Atom
Mustang GT
GTI
BMW 135i

^ Best post in the thread. Pretty much says it all.

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: kabob983

Ooh, I haven't heard about a 370Z (makes since with the new G37's). When is it slated to be released??

http://www.roadandtrack.com/ar..._id=12&article_id=6781

The overall shape and profile of the new Z will remain relatively unchanged. However, it will be slightly smaller than the current car, measuring roughly 163 in. from bumper to bumper, about 6.5 in. shorter than today's 350Z. Interior space will stay the same, but the car will weigh some 200 lb. less, tipping the scales at about 3010 lb.

What this means is the new Z will be a rocket. A reliable source in Japan has told us it will be powered by a 3.7-liter V-6, the same engine used in the Infiniti G37 coupe, with output bumped to 350 bhp at 6500 rpm and torque to about 280 lb.-ft. at 4500. This new power-to-weight ratio for the "370Z" will allow the car to reach 60 mph in less than 5.0 seconds, and should give the Porsche Cayman S a run for its money around any racetrack.

Oh, and speaking of money, there are rumors that the price tag will also increase, probably north of the $35,000 mark. The 370Z will make its world debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show this November and go on sale in the U.S. in early 2009.

IF ^^ all of that is true, I think Nissan has a real winner coming up. Hopefully they keep a cheaper version in the lineup. I think they could drop the ~270hp Altima VQ in the new chassis, and keep the 350Z name, and offer the 3.7L 350hp version as the 370Z, maybe even drop a twin-turbo AWD version out with ~425HP for $50k range as well. That would give Nissan a smooth range of performance offerings indeed.

 

[Kabob]

Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth
It's a tough one between the C6 and the Miata. Both are great cars, but there's a good deal of difference in price. The WRX/STI/EVO have lost their edge this generation and really fell out a bit IMO. BMW doesn't have the best anything for the buck. Great cars, but not great values. The ZO6 and ZR1 offer a huge boost over the stock, but require too much buck to exceed the bang/buck of the base vette. The Viper has the best exotic for the buck of anything these days, quite possibly the only thing being close being the Atom. No love for the RX8, 350Z, and Boxster here. All good cars, just not great cars. Overpriced and underwhelming. The GT-R is a great car, just seems too gimmicky for my tastes. The 911 is also a good car that's just not good at bang/buck.

Some other cars worth considering:
Camaro (pending reviews...)
G8
Solstice GXP/Sky Redline (okay, those are sports cars)
Challenger R/T (SRT8 just takes too much money)
Atom
Mustang GT
GTI
BMW 135i

Good post, although Subaru is completely redesigning the WRX (not the STi unfortunately) for '09 after a very lackluster review last year. The base WRX now sports a ~264 bhp engine, sportier suspension, and a few other nice tidbits. They say it's a huge improvement over the '08, and it's under $25K.

I'm with you, I still dunno how I feel about the GT-R. It's performance is undeniable, it's hammering cars around a track that cost 2-3 times as much, but it does seem almost gimicky in a sense. It's got so many bells and whistles that I think it would greatly take away from the driving experience.

The Mustang GT I meant to include, the 135i is another good one.

Hrm, the 370Z sounds interesteing, can't wait to see it in action! Dunno about hanging with Cayman S (maybe the base Cayman), but if it does at a price that's $20-25K less that'd be great news for Nissan.

 

[zerocool84]

Originally posted by: kabob983

Originally posted by: zerocool84
What about cars like the MS3 or SRT-4??? It really depends what you mean by sports car cus some of those choices aren't sports cars.

Mazdaspeed 3 I'd include but the SRT-4...it's a flippin' Neon!!

So no Cobalt either? There is also a new SRT-4. I'm just trying to keep this poll fairly equal.

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: zerocool84

Originally posted by: kabob983

Originally posted by: zerocool84
What about cars like the MS3 or SRT-4??? It really depends what you mean by sports car cus some of those choices aren't sports cars.

Mazdaspeed 3 I'd include but the SRT-4...it's a flippin' Neon!!

So no Cobalt either? There is also a new SRT-4. I'm just trying to keep this poll fairly equal.

FWD can be fast, there's no denying that, your modded Neon SRT is proof positive of that. That said, however, I don't think a FWD vehicle really qualifies as a 'sports' car in the purer sense of the word. FWD vehicles are for general DD's, and the tuner versions (MazdaSpeed 3, SRT Neon, Civic Si, etc) of these are hopped up generic vehicles. Even powerhouses like Acura TL-S, Camry V6, Altima V6, with north of 270hp, just don't provide the kind of performance one would expect from a sports car.

There are some strange overlaps. I'd fully expect a decent FWD sports box to keep up with stuff like Challenger R/T, Pontiac G8 GT, Mustang GT, etc, but that's really just showing the weaknesses of the overweight vehicles and antiquated suspension setups than a positive mark for the FWD setup.

I'm not universally down on FWD, I think it has it's place, and 90+% of drivers should probably be driving FWD (unless it's a truck or van), as the advantage of RWD/AWD just doesn't make a difference under most conditions, particularly with 200 or less HP, or 100hp/ton or less. But high power (eg; 140hp/ton or more) FWD setups are just a recipe for a vicious combination of torque steer + understeer on curves if you apply throttle.

 

[exdeath]

http://k53.pbase.com/u41/turbo.../39563944.FWDsucks.jpg

 

[Tiamat]

Cobalt SS, Solstice GXP, S2000, all do pretty decently around a track.

 

[zerocool84]

Originally posted by: Arkaign

Originally posted by: zerocool84

Originally posted by: kabob983

Originally posted by: zerocool84
What about cars like the MS3 or SRT-4??? It really depends what you mean by sports car cus some of those choices aren't sports cars.

Mazdaspeed 3 I'd include but the SRT-4...it's a flippin' Neon!!

So no Cobalt either? There is also a new SRT-4. I'm just trying to keep this poll fairly equal.

FWD can be fast, there's no denying that, your modded Neon SRT is proof positive of that. That said, however, I don't think a FWD vehicle really qualifies as a 'sports' car in the purer sense of the word. FWD vehicles are for general DD's, and the tuner versions (MazdaSpeed 3, SRT Neon, Civic Si, etc) of these are hopped up generic vehicles. Even powerhouses like Acura TL-S, Camry V6, Altima V6, with north of 270hp, just don't provide the kind of performance one would expect from a sports car.

There are some strange overlaps. I'd fully expect a decent FWD sports box to keep up with stuff like Challenger R/T, Pontiac G8 GT, Mustang GT, etc, but that's really just showing the weaknesses of the overweight vehicles and antiquated suspension setups than a positive mark for the FWD setup.

I'm not universally down on FWD, I think it has it's place, and 90+% of drivers should probably be driving FWD (unless it's a truck or van), as the advantage of RWD/AWD just doesn't make a difference under most conditions, particularly with 200 or less HP, or 100hp/ton or less. But high power (eg; 140hp/ton or more) FWD setups are just a recipe for a vicious combination of torque steer + understeer on curves if you apply throttle.

I know that but cars like MS3 are great bang for the buck cars even with the FWD limits.

 

[Arkaign]

True. It's hard to beat MS3 performance at that particular price point. It definitely outclasses the Caliber SRT-4. The new '09 WRX should be pretty stout as well though, with the added bonus of AWD on the table. And then the Lancer Ralliart Turbo is a good platform to mod from, having the actual Evo motor and AWD system in place, with a dual-clutch transmission to boot, just add some more boost and say hello to sub-5 0-60s, without the limitations of FWD.

 

[Kabob]

The 2009 WRX

 

[StageLeft]

Low end definitely the miata, higher than that the corvette.

 

[sdifox]

Originally posted by: exdeath
http://k53.pbase.com/u41/turbo.../39563944.FWDsucks.jpg

thy link worketh not

 

[lurk3r]

For ~26k you can get the Mx-5 with 166hp and the LSD at around 3100lbs, for ~$46k you get a base C6 with 430 hp at about 3250lbs.