Hahah guys, I am no Mr. Bling Bling or Mr. V8 guy. My current commuter is a Volvo S70 my parents got me in back in college. Its a nice practical, semi luxury and I am sick and tired of good manner, humble, cars. The deal is I am going to keep my commuter and I want a fast and extreme machine. My pay (practically, w/o blowing a hole in my pocket) allows me to get a car top range around 45. Cars I have been considering is Used E46m3, G35coupe, Elise, 350z, Evo8, Wrx STI. In that order. Now I don't know about you but blowing 35k of my own money for a semi aggressive car is not what I want. Like Riffster said I want a toy car. Then again I had 500lbs worth of passenger in the G35 that day so it might be a reason why it felt slow. I floored it and the acceleration was just a tad faster than my s70. I ask myself why am I paying 35k for just a tad faster?

 

A 6MT G35C will reliably get to 60 in well under 6 seconds. Is that fast enough for you?

 

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A 6MT G35C will reliably get to 60 in well under 6 seconds. Is that fast enough for you?

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I probably will add procharger or a turbo if my choice is the G35. Ideally something that will run 0-60 under 5 seconds.

 

"Tad" faster than YOUR S70? Hmmm, I can't even comment on this one. Maybe you have a super fast S70 .
Seriously, just go with an STI, and it could be your toy car. I believe it doesn't even come with leather . If you think the coupe is just a "tad" faster, I suggest you look at your other options, and leave the coupe for another enthusiast. Nothing against you, but it seems like the car is not for you. Good luck in your decision.

G35 Coupe. Diamond Graphite, Graphite, Premium and wheel and Tire package. Zaino Baby.

 

Understand the S70 power thing.

I had the S70 T5 model which is the "high" pressure turbo'd 2.3L 5-cyl. They rated it at 247 HP / 243 lb-ft torque. It runs in the neighborhood of 3200-3300#.

Some timings I have seen for it are 0-60 in 6.4, 1/4 mile in 14.9. Not too far off the G. Definitely a polite hotrod, or is that a wolf in sheeps clothing.

I think what you experienced was the "feel" difference between the two cars.

This is probably a couple of things to consider.

First you really felt the torque of that motor/turbo in the FWD, ie: torque steer. In my mind this is probably a bad thing. I didn't necessarily like the feeling of the steering wheel trying to be ripped from my hands, but it did make it feel faster than it really was. Always caught a new driver of the car by surprise.

Next the turbo kicked in at about 3k and it really felt like a lot of power since the seats did not give as much in the back and the suspension was not as set up as the G. At least that is my perception. Off the line they were very doggie without the turbo.

I'd say take another drive (maybe take it up to 3k+ rpm) and lose some of the extra baggage. You will be amazed at how well the power comes on at that rpm onwards.

Even the S70 so fully loaded will not feel nearly as fast as it did with just you in it.

 

Nice to see you here as well guy - thanks for the compliment.

- Riff

G35C BS/GR/PREM/PERF/NAV/AERO/XM
Chicago Region SCCA
Tri-State Sports Car Council
Soon to come ... Tein Shocks w/EDFC, Stillen Sway and Big Brakes!

 

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Cars I have been considering is Used E46m3, G35coupe, Elise, 350z, Evo8, Wrx STI.

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The only stock setups that can do under 5 seconds (like you stated elsewhere in this thread) are the used E46///M3 and the Elise, the other four need mods of one kind or another to get to 5 seconds or under (even the STi.)

Of those, two (the Elise and the 350Z) can NOT take two additional passengers. The others can do that in varying degrees.

Used E46///M3 - upside is that it's a monster car stock - and can take 3 passengers with no problems. Downside is that engine blowup problem lurking in the background for certain model years/months. Also not going to be cheap, even used. Also, while the car is meant to be driven hard, you can virtually be certain that a used M3 HAS been driven hard before you ever set foot in it. And in the case of a car with a history of bad engine problems, that's not a good thing.

Elise - superb looks, handling, and quickness. Not too expensive. Negatives are finding one at a decent price and in decent time. Also, don't expect it to be anything but a "toy." It's a tiny car with virtually no storage and capable of only one other passenger (and he/she will not be all that comfy either.) A true sports car in every sense of the word. A word to the wise - while the engine is basically a Toyota, this car will not be as cheap to maintain as you think.

350z - another sports car, although considerably heavier and less tossable than the Elise (nearly every other car in the world is less tossable than the Elise!) Only one passenger. Interior is not to the liking of some. Very good engine with power and quickness. A sort of mini-Bulldog look that most people like.

Evo8 - lots of power and handling. Looks are eehhhh - not that great IMO. You may like it though. A 'boy-racer' kind of car. As a Mistubishi I wouldn't expect reliability like in the other cars, except it should be better (or at least cheaper) to fix it than the Elise.

STi - seriously fast and nimble. Much like the Evo8 in that it is a 'boy-racer' car. Does have a back seat and 4 doors (like the Evo8 does.) Looks range from nice (front) to not-so-nice (boxy from the side and rear.) Should be more reliable than the Evo8. Does not come with a stock stereo, although it is pre-wired for one - a serious sports rally sedan in other words!

G35c - IMO, the most beautiful car on the road for under 80K. You have to spend over that and even then only the Jag XKR and the Benz SL can give you the kind of looks plus performance that the G coupe does for under six figures (maybe the Maserati coupe too - although expect it to cost you heavy in maintenance being a fussy Italian!) The G coupe does have a back seat - suitable for short adults, kids, and pets! Powerful engine, beautiful exhaust look/note, great reliability, and Infiniti backing it up. There are negatives such as a cheapish interior and too much weight. You can tell why I bought this car. (Have owned many, many cars - the G35c is by far my favorite!)

Personally, I respect all of the above as performers. I don't like the STi and Evo8 because they are too "boy-racer" for me - I am older than most people on this forum. The Elise is a wonderful car - if I had the time and money to spend on a second car that was essentially a track day/weekend car with ZERO practicality. The M3 is another matter - it has everything a G coupe has and more (except for looks), unfortunately two things it has more of than the G are not good - sticker price (even used) and engine problems.

Good luck - and enjoy whatever car you purchase Cookielover.

- Riff

G35C BS/GR/PREM/PERF/NAV/AERO/XM
Chicago Region SCCA
Tri-State Sports Car Council
Soon to come ... Tein Shocks w/EDFC, Stillen Sway and Big Brakes!

 

Potentially bad news Cookie- Elise may not be an option. This just out in the current issue of Sports Car Intl magazine. They tested the car and loved it, but as they were going to press they were informed that Lotus is on hold pending approval for two exemptions- front headlights and bumper (2.5mph test) do not meet US specs. Without the nod on the exemptions, car will not come to the US, because Lotus is unwilling to expend the resources to overcome the deficiencies in the short term. No duff here. You can pick up the mag for yourself. Doesn't sound to hopeful.

Derek

DB