Best sporty car at or under $10,000

[Onion]

Someone posted a link to a Mazda Speed 3 if you get a chance drive one they beat evo's/sti's stock for stock all day the thing is a beast of a 5 door hatchback and handles well too. I'd buy that out of anything mentioned so far with the s2k in close second 100k miles on a honda is like 100k miles on a cummins 5.9 you barely just seated the rings.

It has terrible torque steer just like the focus st, and doesn't handle as well as a gti. I test drove the 3 and I'm glad to have picked the gti. The Mazda is damn quick though, I'll give it that.

Edited December 9, 2013 by Onion

[IVIYTH0S]

Someone posted a link to a Mazda Speed 3 if you get a chance drive one they beat evo's/sti's stock for stock all day the thing is a beast of a 5 door hatchback and handles well too. I'd buy that out of anything mentioned so far with the s2k in close second 100k miles on a honda is like 100k miles on a cummins 5.9 you barely just seated the rings.

Any generation speed3?? And are you simply talking about drag racing it beats them because I cannot see a FWD with that kind of power beating an AWD in turns, or even off the line

 

 

Someone posted a link to a Mazda Speed 3 if you get a chance drive one they beat evo's/sti's stock for stock all day the thing is a beast of a 5 door hatchback and handles well too. I'd buy that out of anything mentioned so far with the s2k in close second 100k miles on a honda is like 100k miles on a cummins 5.9 you barely just seated the rings.

It has terrible torque steer just like the focus st, and doesn't handle as well as a gti. I test drove the 3 and I'm glad to have picked the gti. The Mazda is damn quick though, I'll give it that.

 

If it didn't have torque steer, given its power, I'd be concerned lol

 

Damn does this Speed3 look good for ~$10K though

Edited December 9, 2013 by IVIYTH0S

[cchalogamer]

I would like to chime in on the speed3, just no. It's beastly in the straights, has a sweet transmission, but if you turn you die.  OK that's a BIT of an overstatement but when I drove one the first time being used to my lowly Cobalt SS/SC that us silly Americans who can't go around corners built I EXPECTED it to at least match my car in the corners.  Yeah damn near had to file an insurance claim on that one.  Drove my car on the same route home that day and took the same corner @ 40MPH vs the 35 the mazda was braking traction and body rolling at (not that the cobalt is THAT good at cornering because the same corner in a newer camaro/mustang is good for over 40 and I took a WRX STI around it @ 50 one day)

 

With all that said:

 

 

 

Damn does this Speed3 look good for ~$10K though

 

 

That one lists some basic suspension mods that could 100% change the way it drives, I will say it was a bone stock 08 with 50K miles on it that tried to kill me though. Just remember, if they took the time to modify the car, they probably drove the car to take advantage of it...for better or worse.

Edited December 9, 2013 by cchalogamer

[IVIYTH0S]

I would like to chime in on the speed3, just no. It's beastly in the straights, has a sweet transmission, but if you turn you die.  OK that's a BIT of an overstatement but when I drove one the first time being used to my lowly Cobalt SS/SC that us silly Americans who can't go around corners built I EXPECTED it to at least match my car in the corners.  Yeah damn near had to file an insurance claim on that one.  Drove my car on the same route home that day and took the same corner @ 40MPH vs the 35 the mazda was braking traction and body rolling at (not that the cobalt is THAT good at cornering because the same corner in a newer camaro/mustang is good for over 40 and I took a WRX STI around it @ 50 one day)

 

With all that said:

 

 

 

Damn does this Speed3 look good for ~$10K though

 

 

That one lists some basic suspension mods that could 100% change the way it drives, I will say it was a bone stock 08 with 50K miles on it that tried to kill me though. Just remember, if they took the time to modify the car, they probably drove the car to take advantage of it...for better or worse.

Well yeah, I wouldn't expect wonders from it handling wise until the suspension is completely done which it looks like he has work on it.

 

My Saturn handles like a slot car with H&R sport springs

[confuzzedintelguy]

Yeah straights, nothing turns perfect out of the box but simple springs and sway bars make the car drive like its on rails as well as good tires its a great all around car that is not flashy by any means. You can have fun with it and throw the kids in it with all your Christmas shopping goods at the end of the day. An EVO is an amazing car but differentials and transmissions are glass(EVO 8 which fits his budget) when any real mods are done to it and the interior is pretty lackluster if you are tall, WRX's are dogs and have fragile connecting rods so power output is extremely limited and are known for oil control ring failure after 80k if driven hard, and their transmissions are a joke. If a STI fit the price range id say go that route but it doesn't.

[Waco]

Any FWD car can handle just as well as a RWD or AWD car...when not under power. All are equal when it comes to handling at constant speed for the most part - any differences are from the cars themselves.

 

It's hard to find a good sporty car for around $10k that doesn't have some kind of problem or flaw. Miatas are underpowered, Mazdaspeed3s are quite sloppy (stock), MR-Ses are underpowered, etc.

 

Best bet? Drive a TON of cars at used car lots to get a feel for what you want...then hit craigslist.

[Onion]

And I'm sitting here in my 40 year old sports car ragging on it daily and powershifting it and nothing seems like its about to break.

 

Honestly, underpowered cars can be fun in their own way. You can push them hard and wring them out and still not be going insanely fast.

Edited December 10, 2013 by Onion

[confuzzedintelguy]

at a mere 150whp its hard to break things we are talking cars with almost/above 300 from the factory and almost matching torque im sorry but the 280z is a great car but no where near the class of an evo/sti/speed 3 or even a miata at that... i mean no rudeness by that tho

[confuzzedintelguy]

Also i could go into the piss poor suspension design of the 280z as well if you'd like... it was a great car of its time holds a warm spot in my heart but the point is a 280z with 300hp on stock everything else would break constantly.

[Onion]

at a mere 150whp its hard to break things we are talking cars with almost/above 300 from the factory and almost matching torque im sorry but the 280z is a great car but no where near the class of an evo/sti/speed 3 or even a miata at that... i mean no rudeness by that tho

 

Its pretty easy considering I take it up to 9k rpm on all stock parts besides the cam. Of course its nowhere near as fast as an STI or evo, all I said was that it's a sturdy car. 

[Onion]

Also i could go into the piss poor suspension design of the 280z as well if you'd like... it was a great car of its time holds a warm spot in my heart but the point is a 280z with 300hp on stock everything else would break constantly.

 

Say it to the people with L28ET swaps pushing over 350 whp on stock suspension. 

[Waco]

Its pretty easy considering I take it up to 9k rpm on all stock parts besides the cam. Of course its nowhere near as fast as an STI or evo, all I said was that it's a sturdy car. 

 

 

I'm confused. Does your tach work now? Last I remember you were going based on sound and powerband only...and the vids you posted don't get anywhere near 9K.