[c1pher]

Originally Posted by jayely1

You guys are naming corvettes, camraos and mustangs lol... I said not common! LOL.
Forgot to mention, under 50k or so. I love the Cayman 718, but out of my range.

Something that's refined yet very sporty.
But i'm sure you guys named every manual under 100k right there...

Unfortunately when you lower the price, the more common they will be unless they don’t sell well. And that’s probably why people aren’t recommending them...because they suck lol. Lots of awesome cars in the $50-75k space. And less expensive if you are willing to buy used/CPO.

[c1pher]

This is why I like my 135is. I rarely see any 1 series running around, let alone 135is.

[seetohey]

Originally Posted by MGM135is

Unfortunately when you lower the price, the more common they will be unless they don’t sell well. And that’s probably why people aren’t recommending them...because they suck lol. Lots of awesome cars in the $50-75k space. And less expensive if you are willing to buy used/CPO.

The Focus RS doesn't suck (imo at least...) and is far less common than Caymans, 911s, Vettes, or M2s.

[baege]

Originally Posted by MGM135is

If you like the F Type then try the Corvette. They are very similar at least to me. I was actually surprised how similar. I almost bought a used 2015 F Type S but it reminded me of the C7 so I went back and test drove it again and realized I could have a new 2LT trimmed C7 for the same money. Both great cars IMO and sound lovely.

been there done that
went from a 2014 cayman to a C7
regretted it within 3 days
for me the c7 can not compare to a type r f type
the c7 is fast but the poor partial throttle response takes away from the fun
the r has electric immediate power at any rpm and throttle application
that makes it loads of fun!
i never really smiled with the c7 i owned...the f type made me giggle on 2 test drives...but only the R...the v6 was meh

if only the r came in manual...

[chief1richard]

Originally Posted by jayely1

I'm in the market for a new car (new or used) and I feel there is nothing out right now that's a great drivers car in a 6 speed that looks good, handles well and isn't super common. The 240i is the top on my list. But even that isn't ideal. Manuals are getting harder and harder to come by, so maybe that's the issue more than anything else. Anyone else feel the same way?

Before I got an allocation for an 18M2, I test drove a "16" Cayman GTS 6 speed. Awesome car. Only drawbacks would be more costly to maintain once out of warranty.

[MightyMouseTech]

Originally Posted by jayely1

You guys are naming corvettes, camraos and mustangs lol... I said not common! LOL.
Forgot to mention, under 50k or so. I love the Cayman 718, but out of my range.

Something that's refined yet very sporty.
But i'm sure you guys named every manual under 100k right there...

Get a 135i.

[Red Bread]

Don't understand the love for the 135/235/240. One wheel drive wonders. 1M/M2 are definitely worlds better. Even my GTI has a limited slip. Hated our N54 135i. Relatively fast in a straight line, but a hot mess everywhere else.

Autoblog just listed their least favorite cars of the year and the 240i was on there because it was too heavy, too uncommunicative and didn't live up to its potential.

[HawkeyeGeoff]

+1 on ZL1. You wont regret it if you go drive one. It's a pretty magical vehicle. The SS 1LE is a close second. I'm also a little biased because I'm in these cars a lot though.

[Alfisti]

GT350 covers everything you need. Hardly common, shit tons of power, handles OK, sound like the devil himself and has a stick.

Not sure why you need to look elsewhere.

[RM7]

Originally Posted by HawkeyeGeoff

+1 on ZL1. You wont regret it if you go drive one. It's a pretty magical vehicle. The SS 1LE is a close second. I'm also a little biased because I'm in these cars a lot though.

I would say zl1 is not very common, at least in the states I travel to. I’d give zl1-1le best “track” car, but not necessarily best driver’s. Regular zl1 is a monster and SS 1le is almost same chassis tune w/o the 650hp.

[BMWILUVU]

Originally Posted by jayely1

I'm in the market for a new car (new or used) and I feel there is nothing out right now that's a great drivers car in a 6 speed that looks good, handles well and isn't super common. The 240i is the top on my list. But even that isn't ideal. Manuals are getting harder and harder to come by, so maybe that's the issue more than anything else. Anyone else feel the same way?

Maybe you can stretch for an M2?

[Viffermike]

Originally Posted by BMWILUVU

Maybe you can stretch for an M2?

Or try to find a CPO M2. (Hey, it's possible. Not probable, but possible.)

Chevy has a glut of new 2017 Corvettes all over the country; rumor is that some are being discounted substantially below your budget. For all I know, some Chevy dealers may even be allowing test drives ... might be worth exploring.

[Never_Enough]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

GT350 covers everything you need. Hardly common, shit tons of power, handles OK, sound like the devil himself and has a stick.

Not sure why you need to look elsewhere.

You got it backwards. GT350 has great handling, but not the shit ton of power or tq. For the power, you want a GT500.

[Red Bread]

Yeah, handily outrun by a TT-RS with 400 hp does not qualify as excessive.

[jayely1]

The F-Type only come in a stick in the "S" model correct? That model is too slow for the price.

[c1pher]

Originally Posted by baege

been there done that
went from a 2014 cayman to a C7
regretted it within 3 days
for me the c7 can not compare to a type r f type
the c7 is fast but the poor partial throttle response takes away from the fun
the r has electric immediate power at any rpm and throttle application
that makes it loads of fun!
i never really smiled with the c7 i owned...the f type made me giggle on 2 test drives...but only the R...the v6 was meh

if only the r came in manual...

Yes, you and I discussed your throttle response issues on the C7 in another thread. I am not really experiencing them. And there are cost effective solutions that make most people happy if they feel the throttle is laggy.

[TomHudson]

Originally Posted by chief1richard

Before I got an allocation for an 18M2, I test drove a "16" Cayman GTS 6 speed. Awesome car. Only drawbacks would be more costly to maintain once out of warranty.

Was the 16 the new turbo engine?

This car, 15 or 16 whichever was the last year for the 6 cylinder, would be a top shelf choice ... Cayman GTS 6 spd.

[Alfisti]

Originally Posted by Never_Enough

You got it backwards. GT350 has great handling, but not the shit ton of power or tq. For the power, you want a GT500.

It has 500+ HP, how much power do you need? As for torque, it's a drivers car, that's the request, so stick, power, revs and handling.

It's exactly what he wants.

[KenB925]

Originally Posted by HawkeyeGeoff

+1 on ZL1. You wont regret it if you go drive one. It's a pretty magical vehicle. The SS 1LE is a close second. I'm also a little biased because I'm in these cars a lot though.

The ZL1 is so much fun. I have not gotten to a track day yet, ill get out there this spring.

The power is SO MUCH FUN, even if I am having a shit day, one mash of the skinny pedal never fails to put a smile on my face, and it is very usable as an everyday car.

[Never_Enough]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

It has 500+ HP, how much power do you need? As for torque, it's a drivers car, that's the request, so stick, power, revs and handling.

It's exactly what he wants.

I'm simply stating facts. If you want a tq monster, the GT350 ain't it. Furthermore, it's gonna handle great on street too, but the real power fun is higher up in the RPM range so may not be so much fun as a street car.

[SunnyD]

Originally Posted by kprocivic

If I wasn't suck a macho man I'd totally be driving a fiesta st right now.

Good thing I'm not macho and am enjoying the heck out of mine

[kprocivic]

Originally Posted by SunnyD

Good thing I'm not macho and am enjoying the heck out of mine

Settled for the focus to have a little more room but I really wanted that fiesta.