What now?

[steverife]

So I figured out some things on my Lincoln trip...

1) It is pretty nice to take your competition car on trips and not have to worry about towing/trailer parking/etc.

2) I care about being competitive. I didn't think I really cared that much, but I really do. I want to be in the mix for trophies/wins/etc wherever I travel.

3) In order for me to put myself in that position, I need to run lots of events. In order for me to run lots of events, I need a car that I can comfortably drive on trips.

So, I am finally 100% committed to moving on from the CRX. Prepared would be fun and is something of a dream of mine, but I don't think it is the best idea for me now. I can drive the car anywhere in STS trim, but it isn't a car that I enjoy driving on the street and I've gotten used to carrying a lot of things with me and that is kind of a pain..

So that means I'm thinking about the next car. I don't want to sell my truck, so my budget probably isn't going to be very huge. We are probably talking what I have set aside from selling my Mazda and what I can get out of the CRX. Maybe $12k or so total budget.

My first idea is to build an RSX Type S for STF. I think it'd be a good and useful street car and I like doing something somewhat different. Some people think it is an STF overdog, some think it can't hang no matter how much power it makes.

What other cars should I be thinking about? IMost likely street category and no Miatas.

[Buck05Sti]

Subaru or bust!

in all seriousness though, are you commited to staying fwd or looking to other drive styles?

[flier129]

A street class with that budget and no miata leaves two or maybe three options.

C-Street rx8
B-Street s2000, although an ap2 would be really hard to get at $12k
D-Street wrx if you could get a newer one that cheap.

[sentrase]

While I don't have street class car to suggest from the top of my head, IMO the RSX will only hit the competitive ( and that's a maybe ) and <$12K part. What I've read is that you basically have to stiffen the suspension to the point where it's not moving ( at least in the rear ), to make it work. That will not make a good street car, let alone a good travel car.

[sentrase]

A street class with that budget and no miata leaves two or maybe three options.

C-Street rx8 - NO
B-Street s2000, although an ap2 would be really hard to get at $12k - better than the other options. Convertible though.
D-Street wrx if you could get a newer one that cheap. - NO

[sentrase]

Actually, looking at the results, the non-Z C5 in BS answers all your requirements.

[dewittpayne]

Actually, looking at the results, the non-Z C5 in BS answers all your requirements.

Except possibly for the 'carrying a lot of stuff with me' part.

[sentrase]

From the pictures it looks like they have cavernous trunks. Definitely bigger than other non-hatchbacks.

[steverife]

I'd love an AP2. I know that Jed's car is a hopped up version, but I really enjoyed it.

My issue with the C5 is that what people say C5's cost and what C5's cost are 2 different things.

[Josh_McCRX]

I like the STF RSX-S idea and you might have someone who'd be really happy to co-drive with you at non-local events to help some costs... Hint: ME

[thrdeye]

Rife, I'm looking for a serious codriver for 2015

[rocket71]

My issue with the C5 is that what people say C5's cost and what C5's cost are 2 different things.

Not sure what you mean. I know Bob Moates just bought a Z06 and it was not grossly out of your budget. A base model under your budget can be found and incremental prep isn't too costly. BTW, an FRC isn't a requirement. Lane Borgs is hatch.

[eunos735]

Seeing all the E46 M3's in F Street at Nationals was kind of cool.

You can pick them up pretty inexpensively now. I have had a SMG E46 M3 for 8 years and LOVE the car. It was my daily driver for 6 of those 8 years. It has 170,000 miles on it and has been as trouble free as an other car I have owned.

[steverife]

Josh, that'd be cool. I really like the RSX idea.

Chris, I love co-driving, but I think I want my own car.

Berry, I always see and hear about people saying they got some crazy C5 deal, but everything I've looked at is about $5k higher than what I think it should be and a lot of them have half the electronics not working and use a lot of oil. Between that and talking to a lot of C5 owners that street drive their cars, I feel like I need a lot more budget.

I like the E46 M3 idea. They look like ST cars in stock trim. I ultimately want a new Mustang, but want to wait a few years for teething problems to sort out, so that would be a nice transition. However, I've sworn off Euros.

[Scoob]

I've driven an RSX S-type and cannot recommend it. It was truly a bizarre car to drive and it already has 1200 lb springs on the rear and still wouldn't rotate. We tried lots of things in that car, from stiffer and stiffer springs to different tire sizes. My lasting memory of it was from Devens in 2008 when I could get it to move for the first third of the course on my first run, then never again. It ended up picking up about 1/2" of OPR and was generally a fun-sucking beast. It was not fun to drive on the street nor autox.