Best used convertible sports cars?

[RadioHowie]

To have any fun at all in the Honda requires winding the **** out of the engine. And it still feels like an Asian car.

The Honda is a fun car, and well made, but as has been said, you really need to wind it out and be on the VTEC to feel like you're driving a performance car.

Boys, I gotta say, that's "V-Twin" talk right there.

Never spotted either of you as "Milwaukee Paint Shaker"-types.

 

[Fred W]

Not a VTEC fan. My VFR is pre-VTEC and of that I am very glad.

PS - BMW VARIOS is a superior variable valve timing design.

 

[Bounce]

Audi R8 Cabriolet FTW!

 

[HotRodZilla]

One of my buddies just went through the same thing for him and his GF. They bought an Audience TT convertable and love it. Said it handles as well as the Miata but is significantly faster and more fun. Said the Miata was a close second but lacked in power.

 

[RadioHowie]

Audi R8 Cabriolet FTW!

For ~$10,000??? On what planet???

 

[Bounce]

You come up with the $10k, the bank comes up with the rest, DONE!

 

[Geezer]

Miata is a great option. It goes along the lines of "It is more fun to drive a slow car fast, than a fast car slow." And the price for admission is much more reasonable.
I once owned an RX-7 ragtop. It was the perfect poor man's sports car. Sporty enough to keep you interested, slow enough not to get you into jail, and cheap enough not to send you to the poor farm.

I've never driven a Miata, but I envision it being close (though not quite as good as the Wankel) Wish they still made an RX convertible

The RX7 was significantly faster, but used a lot more fuel. They are still popular as track cars. The newer 2 liter Miatas are more powerful than the earlier ones, but still only 167 hp at the crankshaft and they weigh around 2500 pounds. Turbo kits and supercharger kits are available and the newer motors are durable enough to take some boost without harm. My only complaint is that my golf clubs won't fit in the trunk.

 

[Hudson]

My vote is for a low mileage Z3 with the inline 6.

I owned a Z3 coupe (the odd brake shoe hardtop model). My pal owned the Honda. His was very frenetic and needed to be wound up, but he liked it. I preferred the torque and smoothness of the inline 6. As Fred said, the Z3 was not expensive to maintain - I did everything on it, and parts were reasonable, and it was easy to access most everything. The 3.0 model is preferred over the earlier 2.8. I miss my Z3.

I liked the feel of the Miata too, but it's a fit feminine. It does have the nice glass rear window, but did lack for power compared to the Z3.

 

[user 213]

To have any fun at all in the Honda requires winding the **** out of the engine. And it still feels like an Asian car.

The Honda is a fun car, and well made, but as has been said, you really need to wind it out and be on the VTEC to feel like you're driving a performance car.

Boys, I gotta say, that's "V-Twin" talk right there.

Never spotted either of you as "Milwaukee Paint Shaker"-types.

If you drove a S2000, you'd understand it's econo car Vs Truck engine demeanor, also known as Mr. Hyde and Dr Hykle.

And I'm not ashamed of owning any motorcycle, including the '40 Knucklehead chopper I put around 30k on, or the '05 Road King 88" (great two up bike, whimpy power though), or the custom Big Dog Chopper with the S&S square bore motor. All were fun in their own way, but the FJR is a hell of a lot more fun in it's way.

 

[xcsp]

One of my buddies just went through the same thing for him and his GF. They bought an Audience TT convertable and love it. Said it handles as well as the Miata but is significantly faster and more fun. Said the Miata was a close second but lacked in power.

Friend has an Audi TT roadster and really likes the car, handles well and seems to be very well built.

 

[Warpdrv]

If you want a decent reliable car, Id say a Lexus IS 250c. Not sure Id call them s2000 sporty, if that's what your looking for.

Although I like German cars, owning a service shop in a very affluent neighborhood, they certainly are at our place all the time, especially BMW's

 

[user 213]

The original question stipulated a ~$10k spending figure. I'd stay away from an Audi TT in that price range. I seem to recall a spate of speedometer failures on several Audi platforms that gets very expensive when out of warranty. Hopefully that is no longer a current issue, but it may still be for some older cars.

 

[El Toro Joe]

A Miata or a Mustang will give you the best bang for the buck

 

[FredandJeannesRacer]

I'm having this mid life crisis thing too.

Trouble is at 6'3", I can't fit into most of the cool roadsters I like.

My bud, same height, bought a Nissan 350z, and had the seat moved back a couple inches.

 

[Bounce]

A Miata or a Mustang will give you the best bang for the buck

Depends on if you're looking for handling or straight line power to quickly get to the site of your crash.

 

[LagerHead]

I'm with Howie, I think that Honda is the schnizzle.

Mmmmmm, Shnitzel.

 

[Bungie]

Just a reminder...

Horsepower is how fast you get to the scene of the crash.

Torque is how big the hole will be.

 

[xcsp]

I'm having this mid life crisis thing too. Trouble is at 6'3", I can't fit into most of the cool roadsters I like. My bud, same height, bought a Nissan 350z, and had the seat moved back a couple inches.

Ever see tall guys driving Miatas? Seen a few whose heads were above the windshield header, must be fun with the top up.

 

[lonerider]

I'm having this mid life crisis thing too. Trouble is at 6'3", I can't fit into most of the cool roadsters I like. My bud, same height, bought a Nissan 350z, and had the seat moved back a couple inches.

Ever see tall guys driving Miatas? Seen a few whose heads were above the windshield header, must be fun with the top up.

I'm 6'4", 260 lb. and have had folks do a double take when they see me get out of my Miata. With the seat adjusted all the way down and all the way back, I only have to slouch slightly to keep from banging my head on the roof.

 

[airboss]

A Miata or a Mustang will give you the best bang for the buck

Depends on if you're looking for handling or straight line power to quickly get to the site of your crash.

Had a 2000 Mustang GT it handled the corners great, after I replaced all the Ford suspension with Ebach.

Still think J. B. should try on a Miata for size, only thing that kept me from buying one was I needed the rear seat.