No... I don't have my RL for sale... but I am thinking of getting something different.. and the RX8 is one car I am thinking of.

I'll tell you why... and feel free to give me your thoughts, alternative suggestions, etc...

When I bought my RL, I had a Porsche Boxster as a "toy car". I liked the RL for all it's luxury, but knew it wasn't really "my" kind of car.. my wife liked it and made the compelling point - why get a sporty sedan when you have a true sports car... I had thought of a CPO TL-S..... but opted for the RL as it was more luxurious. for the past two years, it worked out great. I had a quiet, comfy, luxurious RL to cruise in.. and on weekends, I had a drop top Porsche to terrorize twities in...

Fast forward to now.. the bad economy, pay cuts at work, and realizing how $$ it has been to maintain my boxster... so I sold it. so now I have JUST the RL as myh car. My wife drives a 2007 MDX.

the RL is a great car, I like it, and I find times where I really am glad I have it... and times when I hate it. When I'm tired.... and just want a quiet ride.. I enjoy it. it is very comfortable. but most of the time, I wish it was more fun to drive.

i've thought of doing wheels, tires, lowering it... eetc etc.. but I always come back to the same conclusion - the RL is not a sporty car.. yes.. it's "sort of" sporty.. but that's as much as it's going to be. it's not going to be a sports car, and even with shocks/sprigns/18"/summer tires..it's not going to be "fun" in teh twisites.. maybe it would do alright..but it will never be a true "fun" car. at least not to me.

so I've thought of what I could sell the RL for and replace it with. Here is the next problem. there really isn't much out there that I like, that would be substantially different or better than my RL,, without spending a PILE of money. and right now, I am NOT going to drop a lot of money o a car. I'm not going to buy a new TL, honestly.. I'd like to spend as little as possible.

I owe maybe $15k or so on my RL. it's a 2006 with 52k miles in flawless condition. if I sold it privately.. maybe id' pocket a few thousand.. if I trade it in, I'll get what I owe..I'll walk away from it with no money in hand..... but honestly, if I were used car shopping for a "family sedan".. I'd be lucky to get a decent HOnda Accord for $15-20k... a used TL woudl cost FAR more than my RL.. and honestly, I think my RL is way more car.... and a TL wouldn't be enough different to justify spending the money / paying sales tax all over again, etc etc.

Back before I bought my boxster, when I was shopping for my "toy" car.. I test drove a lot of stuff. I drove several S2ks, an EVO X, the RX8, boxsters, and a few other cars... I hated the EVO... the S2k was ok but was VERY small.

of all teh cars I drove, hoenstly, the RX8 was a blast. no torque, not THAT fast... but handling was great, I loved the feel/sound of the rotary engine, and the overall "feel" / fun factor of the RX8 was amazing. reading car reviews, or looking at specs doesn't do the car any justice... driving it sold me on it. i ALMOST bought one... and then held off.. and opted for teh boxster as I got a smokin deal on the one I ende dup with through a relative...

I also used to have an RX7 back in high school / college... maybe there's some nostalgia there too. the RX8, while a newer designed rotary engine, rear seats, etc is not an RX7.. but it drives and feels a lot like my old car...

now that I have kids, a car wiht back seats is important. so cars like a 350 or 370Z are out. boxsters, etc... can't be my car... an RX8 however, with rear seats.. Would work. it would never be as practical or as luxurious as the RL, but it woudl be a lot of fun.

as the rotary is not super popular,, and they get horrid gas mileage... resale is poor on them, like the RL. you can get a 2009 or 2010 R3, top of the line model, with super low miles.. for maybe low 20s max. so I'd be not going further in debt. the transaciton woudl essentionally be a change of car, but no change of payment.

gas mileage is not a huge deal for me. I commute 10 miles to work each day.

only real downside to the RX8 is that it seats 4. my house hold is me, wife, 3 small kids. so the RX8 would NEVER fit the entire family. there are times now where we alternate between my wife's MDX or my RL. upside of having the RL is that for many around town trips, we take my car and it has slowed down how fast mileage goes onto her car... so her car will last longer before htting high mileage... but for 75% of our family trips we take her car b/c stuff jus tdoens't fit into the RL... strollers, shopping, kids stuff... it's easier to take the SUV...

so for taking kids to school, soccer practice, etc.. most of the stuff that I drive my car for - I don't always have the whole family.. i usuall have 1 or 2 people... usually kids... so an RX8 would work for my needs.. i'd have room for every kid... and if I ever went out with just the wife, I'd have a fun sports car to zip around with her on date night.

I've considered other cars... used 3 series, I considered a used muscle car like the Pontiac G8 (tons of power, lots of space), and nothign grabs me the way the 8 does. if you read the car magazines... most of them always criticize it for poor torque and bad gas mileage, but all rave about it's handling and drving feel... i've test driven several of them - the car is a total blast. maybe not as much fun as a new Cayman or Boxster woudl be.. but a new Pcar is a 50k+ toy... out of my league at the moment.. given my income, if I had no kids.. I"d be in a 911.... but i'm paying the mortgage, studen loans, and support wife/three kids... wife is home with kids 100%... so I can't go nuts on cars... that will be in 30 years when the last kid is out fo college..

anyway... am I crazy to thinkm an RX8 would be a good second car for my hosuehold when it won't fit everyone? my wife has basically said she'd be ok with an RX8, or some other 4 seater - since we use her car most of the time anyway....

any of you guys have other suggestions of stuff I"m overlooking?

my other thought - is just go ahead and get H&R springs, 18" aspecs, summer tires... and keep the luxury/practicalituy/reliability of the RL and be content with what I get.

90% of my driivng it commuting .. not track days... but at the same time.. if you knew ME.. I"m a car guy... and since I was in high school, I've usually driven a sports car. I had an RX7 in high school, then a Miata, than a turbo RX7, a Prelude SH (tricked out), a Volvo S60R modded like NUTS very fast, and a boxster.... now I"m in an RL.. it's not me.

an M3 or M5 is too much $$ for me at the moment. the one I coudl afford woudl kill me in repairs. I want somethign under warranty, low miles... fun to drive, fit 4+ people, relatively safe... that I can buhy for around $20-25k MAX.

RX8 fits all those things and I like it. but i'm not sold on anything at the moment...

fire awy with thoughts, comments, suggestions, etc. thanks.

 

this is gonna sound crazy and totally unexpected coming from me...but get your self a Genesis 4.6L and go sideways

the only major complaints between 2009 and 2011 is the suspension is rough, so if you like that stuff, you win. Test drive one anyway but 385hp with better gas mileage than the RL...and you get 5 seats and a huge trunk. It also eats regular gas and still gives you 370+ hp.

or you can finance the 2012 3.8 with 333hp, I got 31.4mpg highway the other day and that was with A/C full blast and 2 ppl in car. SUHWEET!

yes...I think RX-8 is a fun car for one person but not for 4. If kids are small you can't put em in front seat anyway.

 

I didn't read all that up there ^ but I would also rather get a Genesis over an RX8. Just my two cents.

 

A rotary is like no other, that's for sure. It will be slow but won't feel like it. It's a quirky car that eats oil by design. Handles like it's on rails and has an amazing shifter.

The only other real downside is the fuel economy which doesn't bother you. I say hold off for another month and if you still really want it, then do it.

 

I'd personally keep the RL and just buy a cheaper sports car you can buy with cash and fix it up. If your wife's car needs service or breaks down, all you will have left is the RX-8 which wouldn't be very practical.

Genesis is a good buy, but again its not really a sports car. It might give you that fun factor you're craving though

 

Inifinity G35 or G37 coupe. Holds 4, 0-60 in 5.7, and 13.9 sec 1/4 mi at 101.4 mph (from insideline.com)...

 

I have a 1st Gen TL and also a jeep wrangler. We mostly drive the tl. We have one small child. My hubs idolizes the rx8 and would give up my jeep in a heart beat. We have both almost bought an rx8 twice. His boss owned one that had many aftermarket parts. His boss unfortunately let my hubs drive it and now he has the fever again. Honestly for your situation I would go for a G35 or something larger that is better on gas. I would just try to spend time test driving what may be your options. My brother has three small children as well, they have a new Honda pilot and a new Nissan Altima hybrid. The seem to drive the pilot A LOT, BC they have three children. I know some suv's may not seem sexy or sporty but there are a few. Just look around, test drive and don't give up!

 

If you don't mind the rough ride of the RX-8, why not just upgrade to the aspec suspension on the RL? The only time I notice a significant change in ride quality is on some of the farm roads near my house. The freeway and most city streets keep the ride virtually identical. The RL has a faster 0-60 time, faster 1/4 mile time, and the SH-AWD is going to help you handle quite well in conjunction with the suspension. The RX-8 has the rotary engine that is good up to about 100k miles, and is FWD. I know they're fun but you lose the safety, comfort, capacity, and tech from the RL for much less car IMO. I think that's a crazy idea. If you really want to upgrade, drop the cash. Otherwise, make minor modifications to the RL and enjoy it. The RL does have a "boring" factor, but I promise it drops considerably with the aspec. It also comes with reliability and peace of mind.

 

here's a crazy idea...buy my car

already got the H&R, already got 2 sets of wheels...and I'll give you a deal just so I don't have to bother selling...I hate the waiting game

120k warranty also don't hurt...plus it doesn't come with any of the annoyances I found in the Genesis which I'm still keeping btw...and the 3.8 spanks G's on the highway...you should see how surprised they look

 

tonobori - I have SERIOUSLY thought exactly what you are saying. upgrade suspension, upsize wheels... and get maybe not a track ready car like the RX8 is, but I'd get close enough and keep all the pros of the Acura and the luxury and sophistication of the RL....

if I did get an RX8, I'd only get the top of theline 09-10 R3 model.

this is what it looks like.



0-60 is similar. I think an RX8 is rated in the low to mid 6s. but it's not a drag car at all. the car has zero low end torque... so off the line it will get ripped by everything.. the car is a high revving track car. if you watch a lot of the track videos of RX8s... they lose to higher powered cars in teh straights, but then blow by them in teh turns... the RX8 can carry tons of speed into and through turns and result in far faster lap times than it's "specs" woudl suggest.

if you drive one..it's a blast. I test drove an EVO X and an RX8 back to back. the EVO X was PILES faster.. but it was no contest - I hated the EVO.. it felt like a fast civic.. .the RX8 felt like a true sports car...

if I sell and get a sporty / sports car, I'm partial to the 8.. i just like them. it's not as ricey looking as an EVO or Sti to me... but sure, it's not upscale like a 911 or IS-F or some other $$$ sports car or uber sedan. heck, an RS4 woudl be fun, or an IS-F.. but I really don't want to, nor can I drop that kind of money right now.

I"m goign to test drive one again and see what I think.

I could do H&Rs on my RL for $500 including install probably. then spend about $600 on some remanufactured Aspecs and buy new tires... then sell my nice OEM with Pilot Sport A/S for $500+ on craigslist.... total investment would not be that bad... the SH-AWD could make it still handle nicely...

my take is this - a nicely setup RL could negotiation ONE turn reallly well..but it's heavy and the SH-AWD does not do so well in zig zag, twisties... plus the 4000 lbs just hurts in twisties.. an RX8 lacks the AWD sophistication but the chassis is perfect... so you can blast trhough a section of tight roads with ease....

for ONE 90 degree turn.. the RL will probably run with the RX8 and who knows.. maybe pull on it in the straight.. I have to admit.. my RL pulls prettyh ard when it's over 5500 rpm!

but on a back road with lots of twisties, teh Rx8 would wipe teh floor with an RL... and many other "faster" sports cars...

ther's also the nasty gas mileage..

oh BTW.. RX8 is not FWD. it's RWD. it's a true sports car with 2+2 setup, lke a 911 only the rear seats are more usable. of course it's not a 911...

i'd get a 911 ina hearbeat, but know a used one would be a maintenance nightmare..

the RX8 is actually pretty relaiable in the newer years. mazda also put an 8 yr, 100k mile warranty on ALL Rx8 engines..all of them. fully tranferrable.. it's not only to the original pruchaser..they just warranty the motors no matter who owns it... so if they blow, you ge ta free replacmenet.. nice.

i'll keep you posted.

both options have their pros/cons.

 

23109VC......I have two words for you:

Honda S2000. I keep mine in part because it is DIRT CHEAP to maintain. Obviously cheaper than a Porsche, and I suspect it's cheaper to maintain than the RX-8 with its oil-burning (in earlier models) rotary engine. Just saying. It's a way for you to keep your RL.

If you want one car that does both sporty and luxury, yeah, the Genesis would have to be the way to go unless you want a used BMW 5-er, etc. All depends on your pocketbook in these dismal times.

You may want to repost this in Car Talk, where you will get a wider variety of opinions.

 

None of the cars mentioned here yet are similar to the RX-8, aside from the S2000, sorta.

 

When you "race" someone who isn't racing, it doesn't quite count.

23109VC, what are your thoughts on the g35/37?

 

S2k is a neat car, but totally out for me. I am married with three kids. While I don't normally use "my" car to shuttle the whole family - there are many times where I need to shuttle one or more kids with me... so a 2 seater is out. if I could have kept a two seater, I would have just kept my boxster....

A sports sedan is probably the ideal car - as it would fit the whole family AND be sporty..but the ones I really like/want are just more than I really want to spend. I don't want nor do I need something as kick a$$ as Neuronbob's CTS-V... a used Audi S4 or RS4, or an IS-F or used M3 would be a fun car.. BUT my fear is that a used, higher mileage "uber-sedan" is going to kill me in repairs.

a BMW off warranty is going to be just as bad as my used boxster... a 335i would work...and I've seen some nice ones with relatively low miles in teh mid to high 20s... and those are plenty fast, lots of torque.. and they "could" fit everyone in the car.. all three kids and my wife for short trips... but I am afraid once it went off warranty, it would cost me an arm and a leg to maintain.

a japanese car, even a rotary, would not be as $$ to upkeep.

I've never been a fan of the G's. I hate how the Z and the G35 sound.. don't care for the Nissan/Infiniti interior either. I think I'd rather just lower/stiffen/wheels my RL before I boiught a G35 or G37.

I know the G is a good car specwise... and honesty, I"ve never driven one.. I have driven a 350Z once.. totally hated it. I thought it was a pile of $hit. totally unimpressed with it. faster than an RX8, but not nearlyh as fun. I'm almost 40... and one thing I have learned, is that fun to drive does not mean fast. I have had fast cars.. my S60R was mkaing 300 hp to the GROUND. yes, there are many cars that are piles faster... but it was darn fast to me. I took it to a track event and outran stock E46 M3s in the straights...... that car was f un. My boxster... with only 215 hp, was 10x as much fun as the faster S60R. so.. I"m looking for something that is reliable, practical, safe, and a lot of FUN.

life is short. I am the kidn of person who gets a lot of enjoyment from driving... I"m the guy rubbernecking everytime a cool sports car goes by... my idea of a fun weekend would be a track day.... and it drives me nuts to not have something fun in my garage. I don't have to have a 911...althouhgh it would be fun... but while my RL is a GREAT car.. and if I had the $$ for two cars.. I'd totally keep it...

but in my current situation, keeping the RL and adding a cheap fun car is out. I need ONE car and that's it.

my wife has the MDX for family hauling..and I know I may wan to upgrade it soon to a newer one... I have about 60k on her car..so while it's in no way "old"... I don't necessarily stillw ant it at 100k m iles...

i'll go test drive one and update you all.

 

Dude, you are all over the map. A few weeks ago your ride was "sold" to your mom for your brother...

 

OP, my bad about the FWD/RWD thing. I guess I had bad info. There's a nice windy road that connects Brentwood to Concord that is just a blast to drive in the RL. I can't speak to the differences between the RX-8 and the RL, but believe me when I tell you that it is not just a one-turn car.

As for reliability, I know Mazda makes a good car now. The rotary still just can't compete. Reliability isn't everything; but I just like the range of conveniences that the RL offers as a family car with a bit of a performance side.

 

23109VC, I know how you feel about Nissan interiors; my mom bought a 350Z the first year they came out. Once I was in it, I thought to my self she should have got the G35 b/c this interior sucks. I just assumed the G would be better. The exhaust IS unique and can easily rub someone the wrong way. I just know that those cars feel the same going 40 or 100 and can be fun as hell to drive so I wanted to make sure it was considered. The G37 is supposed to have a first-of-its-kind tranny and maybe that would add to the fun, but I understand your position.

If you are thinking about a Beemer, think about this. The only difference between a BMW and a porcupine is the porcupine's prick is on the outside.

 

I'd like a BMW if I had the money to afford the one I want. an M3 or M5. a 335i would be nice... but I have already "been there, done that" with a non warrantied German car... my boxster was a BLASt.... but when it went in for service, it was NEVER cheap. My RL is a rock solid reliable compared to that car..

I also have the CPO extended warranty still in effect on my RL.. it's good for the 6 years or 100k. My car was titled mid 2006 and has about 52k miles on it. So until mid 2012 it's under warranty... so about one more full year of warranty left. i'm hoping if I keep the RL, that over the next few years it won't have a pile of problems.. so far it's been relatively trouble free. nothing serious ahs ever gone wrong... only thing $$ that was repalced was one of my catalytic converters.. I know that was a $$$ item.. about $1500 according to my service rep... I did for sure notice my car had more power once I got it back with the new cat..

the RX8 is not a powerful car, just fun.. but clearly less reliable and less practical than an RL.

I found one for sale very close to where I live... a nice one. I'll go test drive it, see wht I think.

I"m also very seriously just thinking of doing H&R springs,, and then some nice wheels/tires.

I don't know if I woudl want to go as big as 19s... maybe just aspec 18s, and drop it on H&Rs and call it a day. no way would it be as much of a handler as an RX8,, but it would still be a rock solid reliable family car and it would have a bit more handling ability ... i would probably put PS2s or some other nice summer tire on it.. to try and get really good bite in the twisties.. I think acura put the regular Pilot sport summer tires (NOT all seasons) on the aspec cars from the factory...

i have not seem many aftermarket wheels I like for the RL. ther are a few,, but most just don't work on the car. they look ok..but also look weird. I really olilke the BMW knock offs that guss90 and poppintec and also the M5 style ones that another guy here put on, but they are heavy and I think they are probalby cheap crappy chinese made wheels... the aspecs are solid quality OEM wheels... and you can get refurbished ones for about $600 shipped.. not bad.

i'll test drive the RX8 and see if I blows my mind and makes me part with reality and want it so bad I can't think about anything else.. then I'll wait a while and see how I feel after some time goes by...

i'm also worired i'll mod the RL, and still not be happy with it, and feel like I wasted a big pile of money... tonobori - too bad you don't live around the corner, i'd go for a ride with you!

my RL is anice car,, but the cornering is just soft and squishy. this past weekend I took my family camping in big beat. we had our MDX loaded to the hilt with camping stuff, and even in our fat SUV, loaded with stuff, I swear it handled the turns up there better thanm y RL would.. .the whole time I was thinking how much of a rush it would have been to be up there in a sports car..

 

yea...until her new husband decided that $40 oil changes were too expensive for maintenance. nuff said

 

as far as summer tires + h&R combo...I am using Continental Extreme DW and the speeds you can take turns at scares me. Had a little incident where I took a 35 turn at 90...didn't exactly pay attention to the speedometer at the time and the rear was shifting a bit after I let off the gas, had to kick it again to straighten it out.

Either way...summer tires make a huge handling difference but you gotta remember you're still hauling 4000lb+

if that's what you want to do I suggest upgraded rotors/brake pads as well and SS lines to improve pedal to foot communication.

 

Having a midlife crisis? lol

 

I had mine 3 weeks ago and now I got a black car...think everyone should have one every once in awhile.

 

a torqueless pos, but the rev capablilty, with it's smoothness , you don't really notice you are revving it though


but yes indeed very quirky motor at times

 

Huyndai 8 speed is pretty smooth, it's hard to notice acceleration until you look down at that small gauge they call speedometer. I imagine it's worse in the 429hp r-spec.

 

Well, that sucks! Good luck finding the next buyer.

 

No midlife crisis....I've just always had a fun car...and the RL, in current form, while a great car, doesn't get me excited. I don't see a ar as a way to get from point A to B...it's a lot more than that....I'm not into street racing or driving crazy...but there is a night and day difference between driving a prius or some other tree bugger boring car and a sports car.

I'd rather be shot than drive a prius, volt, or some other high mpg car. I don't care about mileage really..yes, no one wants bad mileage, and if they made a 500 hp motor that also got 100 mpg, I'd be all over it...but it is a fun car with poor mileage or a boring car with good mileag, I'll happily pay more at the pump.

maybe I'm having a midlife crisis....if I am it started when I wad 16 and got an rx7 as my first car....it was old with a lot of miles, but I was a lucky kid to het a sports car as my first real car....

Now at almost 40, I still want a fun car.

Am I nuts to have a four searer as the households second car? Even though we have an MDX as the main family car?

You think an RL with h&r springs 18s and summer tires would satisfy my need for a fun car?

Would a 40 year old guy look weird driving an rx8? . I know it's a sports car, but it always seemed a bit more mature looking than stuff like evos, etc. It's not a high end classy sports car like a Porsche, but I don't think my coworkers will think I'm a boy racer if I pull up in it! Another coworker just sold his TL and got a camaro Ss..... Maybe he's having a midlife crisis too??

 

Nuts? Probably not...
RL on new suspension to fill your "sports car" void? Probably (definitely) not..
40 year old looking weird driving an RX8? Probably not...

My great grandmother had an old Firebird at 70+. All of the grocery boys who would take her food out would ogle at the fact a little old lady was driving a sports car. If you care what someone thinks about what car you drive, you have issues. My car makes me happy when I drive it. I could give a flying rat's ass what anyone else thinks.

 

when my kids are grown up / out of college - I'll be that 60-70 year old guy driving a 911 turbo... assuming that over the next 30 years they don't outlaw cars...

maybe by then it will be some bad a$$ electric... whatever is fast and killer - i'll be the old guy driving it.

i'm going to try and look at that RX8 today...

i know i'll like hte sportiness...but not sure if I'll miss the luxury of the RL... I have grown to appreciate a lot of the RL's niceties.... it's one of those things that I'll only answer by trying it out.

 

the RL could be made more fun by simply installing an intake on it. The extra "roar" gets people to jump out of the way which to me was fun for a good while!

 

Which is it? Roar to make people jump, or silence that tricks you into thinking you aren't accelerating? You're all over the place... Haha!

 

ok...let's set the record straight here

RL was getting no respect on the road, so roar helped. Genny...well, she's pushing 280whp so it's a lot easier to push it's weight around which btw is almost 4,000lb.

 

enough about me, let's get back to the guy with the midlife crises...

 

Car Talk....go to Car Talk.....lots of us car guys to guide you along the path to automotive zen.....

 

he obviously wants biased opinions of RL drivers...

 

I would keep the RL just because of the Acura ride and car quality, but maybe you could look into a Mitsubishi Evo (awd, manual trans) if a fun car is what you're looking for. They're a bit pricey of course but a good option if you want a little more excitement.

 

With the highest respect let me ask you this: are you nuts???
Mazda for Acura? I understand your sportiness but if you see the difference between RL and TL and how sporty / lux one or the other car is - RX8 will be disappointing you.

I think for the money you got the best that fits your needs at the moment. Get extended warranty for $2500 (4yr/48k miles; GE 4 star plus) and cool down on selling such a great car ...

Now when it comes to Hyundai - I cannot agree here either... I think you should test drive more and research more as I feel you will regret the decision to let RL go with that low miles and replace it with the japanese fakers (mazda, hyundai, daewoo, etc)...

I'll read more about some models so I may come back and suggest something nice but at this moment roughly I would suggest you go with BMW M3 if you really want to change RL - btw no warranty on BMW...

Note: If you insist on warranty, don't expect any type of luxury out of any car you have.

 

you do not sound like an expert on the subject...so excuse us for dismissing your dismissals.

Recommending a BMW...that's a tough sell on this forum as many people here already tried that route.

Making fun of Hyundai...I'd like to see you back that up. And they're copying German styling with Japanese reliability in case you missed it.

 

how about getting an older rx8 and dropping in LSx. the price would be the same as a new one and you'll be driving a beast..
http://www.hinsonsupercars.com/s-942...3-present.aspx

that's my idea after i'm done with grad school.. maybe g35 coupe though

 

Read the main post and see the question the guy is asking - he is looking for sporty four seat car to have fun with. If I was him I would keep RL but anyway from his post I recommended what my opinion is if he really wants to change the car he currently drives.
Driving Porsche, than RL and then talking about RX8 and Hyundai as the next cars to me does not sound like having much taste - but that's just my opinion... and now that "great" hyundai... I do not have to back anything up, it is a HYUNDAI brand... remember, HYUNDAI... if you like Hyundai and feel offended I think you have the right to feel that way as our taste is quite different. Dismissal wise - I did not expect a Hyundai fan to give me thanks for my post - I am trying to help the guy as he asked for suggestions... Mine stands and again it is not Hyundai for 1000% sure...

 

OK let me say something heretical in an Acura forum. What about a mid 2000's Lexus SC430 ?

First, I love both our Acuras and I am the biggest fan of SH AWD. Both our MDX and RL will be with us a LONG time.

But I too wanted a fun car and so for me, after having an older model Benz SL500 voted down by the wife a few years ago, we settled on a used SC430. Something like mine (2005) with my miles ( 44K ) would probably be low $20Ks. Reliability has been solid and you don't have to spend a ton on it if you get on the right forums - the guys at Club Lexus are great and share maintenance and money saving tips. It doesn't handle like a Porsche (or maybe even RX8) for sure; I think maybe our RL handles a little better in turns. But V8 torque in a straight line is kinda nice. And there are some fun mods that other SC430 owners have done to keep their older SC430s running great. And I do get compliments on the car after all this time - not bad for a 6 year old.


Just in case you're deciding whether to flame me on this one - remember I have more Acuras in my garage than the other brand !