Thats funny because those were the exact same cars I was deciding between before I bought the S. test drive them all and you'll know instantly which one fits you, the three cars behave very differently. As for the rx8, its pretty damn sporty for a 4 door coupe....have you driven one? The only thing I'd be weary of is the engine flooding issue prevalent in earlier models as well as burning oil.

Be patient, I waited 6+ months for the right deal/color combo. You're only 17 so you've got plenty of time to enjoy it.

 

as much as i don't like to buy previously moded cars, the first one looks good to me, i wouldn't get the orange one just because it was painted...but remember being cheap is not always good, you never know. maybe at of the day something goes wrong and you'll end up paying a lot for repairs...always check the car in and out, i know you are exited to get a car, but do your research....always! take your time and take the car to the dealer for an inspection. Good luck

 

My two cents on a few things:

The 350Z is definitely not a boat. Handling is excellent. It is not as willing to make transitions as the S and it primarily understeers (the S is neutral), but it is a more forgiving car than the S and overall grip is excellent, especially powering out of corners. It is a very fun car, just maybe not as fun as the S.

The RX-8 is a sporty drive (people especially praise the steering response and handling), it just doesn't have as much power as the S or the 350Z and the engine doesn't have a good reputation for reliability.

From your options and what you want, I'd go for the blue one, but only if the owner has meticulous service records that indicate he was at least on the "severe" service schedule, if not even more proactive. I say that because the mods indicate the car was driven really hard. Otherwise the yellow one, which despite having more miles was probably not driven as hard. I wouldn't even look at the orange one.

Torque does not equal acceleration by itself. Horsepower equals acceleration. Torque is ONE component of calculating horsepower, and having lots of torque does help increase horsepower output, but RPM is just as important in the calculation. Your typical lazy high-torque motor will feel peppier around town when you are purposely keeping RPM low. But driven to maximum potential and all else being equal, the motor with higher horsepower will deliver better acceleration regardless of torque figures.

 

Yeah, I've decided to kind of hold out and all. Today I was driving in my prelude and there was a massive thunderstorm, which I'm sure only happens about one a week if even that, but a question arose. Does the Honda S2000 or the Mazda Rx8 handle better for everyday driving?

I'm not going to be racing this car or anything, but I'd just like something sporty to travel around my town (lots of curves and hills). So, as I was making a routine trip towards my house, I noticed that 2 of the turns are fairly hard turns. So, I just thought I'd ask how often do the Honda S2K's skid or lose traction on turns and peel out for everyday driving. Like, am I going to need to take a turn at 10 or under to be safe? I'm more accustomed to fwd so just curious.

 

I would not buy a modded car, and I would stick with 02 or later. Additionally, I would never consider buying a car off a guy that had poor enough taste to paint a car orange.

Personally, pass on all three and keep looking - there has to be a better car out there than what you've found so far.

 

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ct=p...&standard=false

Is this one any good? It looks a little beaten to me, but that may just be the aged top which I don't mind replacing.

 

Assuming you're in FL, which is where that car listed is found, and a budget max of 15K, why not look at these cars?

Car 1

Car 2

Car 3

I'll tell you from experience, it's better to spend a few extra thousand to get a car that is in better condition and better cared for. I had to replace my engine shortly after buying it because I was a sucker for a better deal. With the monry I have poured into my 2003 POS S2000, I could have bought a 2005 brand new for the same amount of money.

Think hard about what I am telling you and don't make a stupid mistake like I did.

Hope this helps.

 

You get what you pay for...,

 

Well thats exactly my point.

He can go buy a $9600 S2000, and 6months later he may end up putting $5k into a new engine, and he'll be kicking himself thinking about my post knowing he's just spent 14K on his car, and could have spent that on a newer car with less miles and less problems.

I spent 22k on my car, and I've put about 5K into fixing things that should never have been needed, and for that I could have bought an 05 or a pristine 04.

LMB

 

Well I've bought a '95 prelude and never had problems, a 2001 miata for 8 grand (2 years ago) and had no problems. I know cars for these cheaper prices are available and that's more my looking for. I understand for 15k I could get a better car, but I don't have the extra 5-7 thousand lol. I'm not looking for anything jaw dropping, but a stock '01-'05 for around 8-12k listed is what I'm looking for. I've got three months before I'm really "ready" to buy the new car, but am scoping out now in case I find that unbelievable deal, in which case I'll make the step up to buy.

Appreciate the help and input though, can't wait to actually get behind one.