it makes me very happy to hear that the RX8 was given the research it deserved. everything mentioned are things i would try and explain to people that asked me about My 8 when i had it. Knowing the issues and its unique running maintenance goes a long way into delaying that inevitable rebuild. I miss mine a lot. Its just unfortunate for me the money ran out...
You can get a tidy Megane RS250 or maybe even a 265 under $15k AUD. Definitaly an underrated performance car by anyone who has not driven one. One of those with a decent set of tyres and a decent driver will keep up with most things on a track or in the hills, they are well featured for the price, and the 2.0T is a relaible unit, if a bit maintenance heavy.
2007 to 2012 Toyota Blade Master G. 207kW / 344 Nm 2GR 3.5 litre V6 stuffed into a Corolla shell and trimmed up to Lexus level. Sure, it was only available new in Japan but there are examples for sale right now here in Australia. Twist the seller's arm and you'd easily have one in your driveway for $15k. That would blow the doors off any of the 5 in this list. And just slightly more reliable than an RX8.
Great list! I LOL'ed at the CVT reminder(s) about the Sentra. I absolutely loved the Prelude; for Part 2, the team should fold in the Legend Coupe as well.
Consider the ~2000-2006 sentras, those didn't come with CVTs. Five/six speed manuals or four speed automatics. That's if you want to go for a car that old. I'd stay away from the optional 2.5 four cylinder engine, those are generally unreliable.
@@MrBenHaynes haha 😄 yeah you are definitely right...I just remember seeing a RU-vid video of around 6 RX8's in like a Japanese carpark reving (at the time I thought it sounded so unique) but I probably wouldn't want to live with or next door to it...
All these cars were great choices. I personally have had a rx8 for 3 years and its been fantastic. reliable and cheap to maintain. would recommend .. if you can find the right one.
Great list! Must be hard to limit to 5, part 2 is really needed. Didn’t really think much about the cars mentioned, seems like they were overshadowed by other cars, particularly the Ralli Art and Pulsar.
Even if you find a dead cheap, Mazda rx8 with shot engine... You can swap an f22c, 1jz or K20 in this already amazing chassis, so you will get a great handling sports car with a good engine. My pick would be f22c because of its screaming 9000 rpm redline, which matches the spirit of rotary feel.
Mate, I'd re-edit and re-upload this Top5 List. Australia got the outgoing model of the Veloster Turbo, which had a multi-link rear suspension. It was, 1 up on the new i20N which only has a cheap and nasty rear beam axle!!! (I say "was" as the South Koreans, which are a LHD market, got tired of having to re-jig the suicide door on the other side for Australia, strictly only LHD now)
Part 2 should definitely have the Subaru Liberty 3.0R Spec.B. particularly with the STi close-ratio 6-speed manual. Oh and the Corolla Sportivo. It's no Type R but with the 2ZZ it's a nice little screamer and fairly sleeper-ish too.
Cars to consider for Pt2: Passat 3.6 AWD (and Skoda Superb). The R36 is remembered, but in later models they all got the R36 drive line including the nice CC coupes and are a bit of a bargain easy under this price point. Near Golf R times, more practical and a LOT cheaper. Last generation Celica with 140kw 1.8 NA (and the Corolla Sportivo) Audi A3 3.2 Quattro (Golf R32 without the price, sleeper) Alfa Giulietta QV, a bit like the Ralliart in that people forgot they existed. Opel Astra OPC, as above. GTC was decent as well and there was a point where you could buy demos with a handful of kms for not much more than your $15k cutoff. Citroen DS3 - cool little Cooper S competitor (and Pro_Ceed) that time forgot. 500 Abarth - Not forgotten exactly, but never part of any round ups for hot hatches. Nowhere near as sophisticated as a Polo GTI, but that’s what makes them awesome. Volvo C30 T5 - Basically a Focus ST without being for louts. A pretty quirky fast hatch with quite a nice soundtrack. Chrysler Crossfire - Polarising looks but a different take on Mercedes SLK and pretty cheap. MGF - Plagued with head gasket issues early on, but any surviving today have long been resolved. Later up spec ones and TFs are a pretty well sorted car. Not ‘forgotten’ but completely ignored. They were actually otherwise supposedly fairly reliable, fairly quick (in this company at least) and a bloody decent drive. BMW 130i - again quite forgotten about compared to more overt models by other brands and the coupes. There are probably others I’ve missed.
Thanks Team... I'm looking at a car for my teenager. The Nissan and Kia were on my list but I add the Mitsubishi if it doesn't hit my insurance too bad. I want sporty but not too crazy
Caveat on the mitsubishi, do not buy one if the gearbox has not been serviced ( or serviced on time) or serviced with a non-genuine fluid, these gearboxes ( like all mitsubishi automatics) do not like being neglected or being fed non genuine fluids.
Yes another would be good. Thanks for thinking outside the box and calling out the Brand Snobs. There are alot of fun enjoyable "Budget" cars out there. I enjoy squirting our 2018 Barina on suburban/ tight country roads as much as hauling my 2017 350KW SRT Core Chrysler in the open country. Real world fun. Also enjoyed the Kia Stinger vid
Would definitely put the Mitsubishi 380 either gt or vrx in this list surprisingly fast (can give a stock Ls a good run) handle well and insanely comfortable and even better in manual
The final Prelude was sold in Australia from 1997 and it was finished worldwide part-way through 2001. I owned a June 2001 ATTS and I’ve never heard of a later one here in Australia.
Love these videos. I just bought my first own car for 3.5k (barely running) which was a Mitsubishi FTO. Definitely not the fastest but it's not something to scoff at either. Would love to see your opinion about them since it's a Mitsubishi but somehow still reliable(ish)
part 2 YES! I love this kind of stuff... I did check out a prelude & the veloster before i got another car, but never heard of the pulsar... RWD fun to ride forgotten sleepers - that are fun driving legal speeds would be DA BOMB if something like that exists, not named miata or bmw
Agree on the Prelude but the headroom for the driver (I'm 175cm tall) is pretty tight (unless you drive with your seatback reclined in a fully sick fashion). I decided against it on this factor and would much rather a manual Honda Accord Euro CL9 (7th gen) for its four door practicality and fun at HALF the price of a 5th gen Prelude. P.S. I wouldn't touch an RX-8 with a bargepole (and I love Mazdas, currently owning an ND MX-5). It's just NOT worth the risk, hassle and expense for such a thirsty little beast.
The Veloster is just simply the modern hairdresser car. It's got all the looks and none of the performance, hence it's cheap. It's sliding into bogan territory now too, like the 86... Go get you a nice big Playboy bunny sticker for the rear window, you're sweet mate!!
The car I think should be at the top of this list isn't there, and I'm happy for it. I'm not gonna say the car cos they're a bargain for their performance and I own one and would buy another if prices stay low
All good choices and all ones I’ve considered. The Pulsar was a bit of a performance bargain. Same engine as the Clio Sport but with a proper manual. Also in the Juke ST-S for something a bit different. IIRC there’s even a weight advantage there.
