What are AWD sports cars?

What sports car should i get?

• ok, so i'm an 18 yr. old guy from canada, and i'm looking for a first car, which im planning to get a sports car one. I think i am mature enough to handle one, and I have up to $15k budget, also looking to upgrade it in the future and maybe put on a turbo or something cars that i'm looking at(preferance is the order) 5th gen prelude(get a good one @ $10k and maybe put $5k worth of mods on it) mazda rx8(i like the looks, but the i'm scared of the horror stories behind it) 2g mitsubishi eclipse(I personally dont like the looks but it's got potential plus its AWD) mitsubishi 3000gt(i like the looks, but it's a rare find) nissan 300zx(i like it but im not sure if i can maintain such an old car) 1g acura rsx(too average?) i really prefer japanese sports cars, so anybody can give me an opinion?

• Answer:

  First off, none of those are sports cars. A sports car is a small displacement, lightweight, rear wheel drive roadster. Secondly, nobody suggested a Pontiac. I don't like most Pontiacs, but that doesn't mean they "suck". That's where you aren't educated. Saying you know half of what you're talking about indicates that you know just enough to get in trouble, and not listen when good advice is given, or at least that's my personal experience with people who think they know what they are talking about. Now, with that said, here's some background on your choices. Front wheel drive is the worst possible performance option, this is why sports cars are rear wheel drive. So, that will eliminate most Eclipses (all but the GS-X), most 3000GTs (all but the VR4), the Prelude and the RSX. The RSX is a decent car, but remember...it's a re-bodied Civic. Nothing special about it. All wheel drive is decent, if you get the right one. Mitsubishi, at least prior to the EVO VII, is not the right one. In all honesty, the DSM (Eclipse/Talon/Laser) AWD is better than the 3000GT VR4 system. As for those go, the 2g DSMs, specifically the turbo cars (all GS-X's are turbo, AWD), the engines are complete garbage. Crankwalk is inevitable. 1G cars are far more robust, and lighter too. So, that leaves 2 cars, the 300ZX and the RX-8. The 90-96 300ZX is a good looking car, still looks modern even by todays standards. However, even best-case scenario, it's still 16 years old, and the only good 300ZX to buy is the twin turbo model. The caveat of that, is that after 16 years, and with how tightly packed the engine bay is, there are a lot of rubber hoses and connectors down around the turbochargers that would be very brittle and probably cracked by now. It's best to replace all these with silicone hoses from the likes of Samco, but it's hard to do this without removing the engine. And these hoses WILL need to be replaced. The RX-8 is much newer, and should be more reliable and quicker...But it's not. It does handle magnificent, far better then the 300ZX, but it is grossly underpowered, and being a rotary, notoriously unreliable without very demanding maintenance. You can't be late on oil changes, have to change the oil often, cannot, under any circumstances, use synthetic oil, have to drive it hard and hit redline fairly often to remove any carbon buildup on the rotors/housing...In a straight line, it will get absolutely walloped by the ZX, but in corners, I'd give the nod to the RX-8. Now, if you want a Japanese sports car, you really only have two options. Mazda Miata MX-5 and Honda S2000. Those are the only sports cars the Japanese have made in the last 20 years. However, for the price, and considering where you live and what you're looking for, I would honestly look for a Subaru WRX. Though slightly slower in 1/4 mile than the 300ZX, it's faster than all the other cars. It's the best AWD system available from Japan, you can get one for your price range from an 02-03 model year, which is much newer than the ZX, eclipse, 3000GT, and you can comfortably carry 3 passengers with you. Plus, they respond fantastically to modifications.