ZSAK

I went through a similar situation trying to find my daily a few months ago. I was all over the place in trying to find a fun family friendly daily. I test drove a used Ghibili, a Alpha Giulia awd (a lot more fun than I thought it would be) another ATSV, JL Wrangler Rubicon, Sti, and considered a CPO M3. Then one day on a whim I went to a used car lot and they had a Type R sitting there. I never even considered a Civic in my list but I went and looked at it and for whatever reason I just loved the styling. It was aggressive and different. Then when I sat in the car I was amazed on how much room there actually is in it. After going through my thought process I decided on the Type R even though it was not THE car I wanted at the time. The things that won me over was the interior room and flexability, the uniqueness, and the fact it was a Honda, meaning it should be reliable and cheap to maintain compared to the others, and it can be had for under $36k new and probably won't depreciate as much and an extended 8year 120k extended warranty can be had for $1k . Also I am averaging 25mpg in city driving and about 31mpg on the interstate. The negatives that bugged me was the FWD and rear seat materials are pretty low rent but perfect for my kids if they make a mess. It does not have all of the amenities I am use to like radar cruise, leather, heated seats/steering wheel. Anyways I ended up finding a car at MSRP and picked it up without driving it. Well its been 3 months and 4k miles later and I am extremely pleased I went this route. The car is flat out fun, handles amazingly well and it has a lot of low end tq. The shifter is maybe a half step behind the S2k shifter. I have had a turbo s2000 for the past 15 years and I can honestly say I am just as satisfied with this car as it. Is it my dream car not by a long shot but for the price and the fun you get it its perfect. Also I forgot to mention when the car is in comfort mode it is extremely comfortable.
I know this is not a awd car but its just as fun as one and does well in the snow to boot. If you get a chance I highly recommend test driving one it may just surprise you. Sorry for the long response but figured it may help as I went through the same thing.

LikeTheNight

Moses - A 10 year or older $40k car isn't really what I was looking for. I was trying to buy something relatively modern. Plus what's the complexity/DIY factor of a mid 2000s Porsche vs the RS/Audi? The specialists around here don't specify really. They kind of stick with "german" cars without specifying brands, which I understand. There weren't any close but I saw listings in vegas and chicago where I'll be over the next two weeks. I planned on scouting them out.

Interhat - I'm not really looking for luxury or space. I want a substitute for the s2k so I don't miss it so much but still appreciate it. I'm mostly looking for what the S doesn't have - low end torque on top of being quicker overall, some space for practicality, AWD for bad weather. Iv been DDing the S since May; my RSX has worse suspension/comfort. A more comfortable ride would be nice but not a priority as long as it's close to what the S is

ZSAK - I tried asking around my area for a test drive on the Type R, no one helped... I happened to be in Indy for work and I met a guy there. Unfortunately, all I got was to drive it around in stop n go traffic for 20 minutes. While it did fine there; it was a poor representation. The seats and shifter were awesome, high selling point on the car for me. I always loved the looks of it so that was never an issue. I'm still plenty open for convincing but I hate to say I was underwhelmed by the power and feel overall. He even said it was like a normal civic in traffic. While better than probably any other car shy of $40k, it's no S2000. He was in a hurry but I urged him to drive the S around the parking lot; he was very much left with a wow experience. While space is always nice it's not much of a selling point for me. It's just the sound is beyond bleh even with an exhaust on there. I plan on upping the power at some point so the FWD rears its head even more. I hate sounding like a snob but the things that make sense for most people are the least important to me. The sound, FWD, and "been there done that" feel are pretty impactful

JonBoy

Evo X would be a good choice but if you're driving in rain/snow, the AYC pump is going to eventually rust out. Mitsubishi does warranty them so it's probably more of an annoyance than anything. Alternatively, you can do a trunk relocate and it's a moot point.

In my opinion, the Evo X was closest to an S2000 in terms of overall driving feel and "sharpness", while still offering good torque and all-weather capability.

ZSAK

I concur with Jonboy as well, the Evo X was very similar to the S2k as far as sharpness and overall handling ( had one for 4 years) also it is very inexpensive to make 400whp on the thing. The biggest downside of it was daily driving it. It was loud inside, and very stiff around town.

mosesbotbol

Complexity - DIY between the Porsche and RS Audi would be similar, but with the RS have more expensive parts.

00S2K01S4

My daily/beater was a 2007 Honda Fit, lasted about 180K miles before the accident which totaled it. Went with a 2018 Impreza hatcback and have been happy with it. More power, larger interior and has Eyesight safety features. Didn't chose the WRX or STI because of the high number of commute miles.

s.hasan546

I'll disagree with that. Id bet they are similar if not more expensive for the 911. a 10 year old Porsche is not cheap to maintain.

TommyDeVito

The Golf R sounds like your car, DCT or manual, you choose. Interior is very Audi and you wouldn't know it was a VW inside until you see the logo. It's a fantastic car, great interior, excellent stereo, controls, etc. I know you say the looks, they changes dramatically with the right set of wheels. Go drive one. It's a lot of car for the money and has that winter/AWD capability.

TheDonEffect

I like the TTRS but frankly owning one outside of the warranty scares me. Great looking cars and legit fast.
Alot of great suggestions here already to which I'll add the m240i and m2. My vote though goes golf r with dsg.