Feels thread

What entry level car on the market today has the best 'feels'?
For the purposes of this thread I consider entry level to be anything you can buy lightly used under 16k

>most enjoyable sound with a proper exhaust
>best shifter feel, ie heavy and direct
>best throttle response (no bullshit rev hang)
>best pedal feel (clutch isnt too light, or isnt extremely heavy like an sti)
>brakes arent spongy but also dont bite like an on/off switch

I could care less how fast a car is from a stop light. If it pleases my ears and is a pleasure to interact with. Ive sat in and driven in plenty of fast street cars, and if they dont meet these criteria i get turned off.

Porsche Boxster

No such car exists

Of course it does. We're speaking in relative terms here.

Oh wow an actual answer

Miata
Is
Always
The
Answer

Scion FRS dropping to 15k and under around my local. NC miata could even get a PRHT. Boxster might be too much.

Get a $5k NB miata and 10k in mods.

E36 M3

...

Lightly used under 16k?
The 2013-2015 Civic Si cars are really nice
>inb4 FWD
They're comfy, and provide a great balance between luxury and sportiness.

You also have the Toyobaru twins, you can grab a clean lightly used non-riced one for the top end of your budget. They will also handle well, but I think the seats are much too tight and the cabin much too small for daily driving.

>lightly used

a motorbike.

Anything with the majority of these boxes ticked is going to be
>""""lightly"""" used

Is it worth going to a stealership to try a recent Miata or is the true only answer to buy an old CUTE little one?

And if you really have no more than ~5k to spend, Miata or MR2.

For Boxsters, 15k is 986 S or base 987 territory.

350z

driver oriented cabin. Gear shifter vibrates and you can feel the engine rotate through it. VQ35DE/HR engines are built for best response and love to rev all the way out because muh NA torque curve (just a line at 320nm on these cars really). Essentially a skyline suspension and braking system underneath. And dat exhaust note

Fiesta ST?

BRZ misses the mark bigly on those feels. It's easy to like it and have fun anyway, especially if you're driving like a madman, but other than pleasant brakes it can be a real let down for simple car+driver for DD unless it really just speaks to you.

It's the one thing about it right from the test drive that continues to bother me long term.

986 Boxsters (non S) are around MR2 prices now (unless you get an AW11)

ZZW30s are like 5k where I live, where non-S 986s start around 7k, so that's what I went by.

Pre-90's 300zx. The 90's and later are ugly.
>light
>rwd
>come in manual
>can be bought with turbo engine
>great handling
>under 5k
Just bought this for 2k with only 118k miles. Runs like a champ

This thread isnt about configuration of layout, its about driver feedback. I doubt a 30 year old car would exceed in any of those categories without refreshing every bushing in the car

>but I think the seats are much too tight and the cabin much too small for daily driving.
im a manlet so thats fine

Ive heard 8th gen civic si's to be the ones to get, due to the engine. Ill keep those in mind.

came here to post this

Mine matches all those except the clutch.
It's pretty light so it will probably need replacing after this summer. Just have to find one not run to shit.
Even then. 5k for a car then 11k to hit the 16k budget and it will be almost better than new

>I could care less
WRONG

2014 Mustang GT Cali Special
6 speed transmission
CAN TURN
dat 5.0 Coyote veeahte
those retro looks with modern touches

Great Feels

If its your first fun car go with NA/NB generations, you can't go wrong, anything breaks you can fix it yourself easy.

I drive an 8th gen civic si coupe and it is incredibly responsive and everything about it feels just right.

The suspension is hard but the seats are really comfy so you can feel the road but it doesn't feel uncomfortable. The braking and throttle is perfectly linear. The handling is great and the car always does what you want it to do. The transmission is great and the shifter feels great. The throw is just long and short enough to feel good and notchiness is just right. The engine sounds incredible and very loud when you rev over 4k and it gets even better the higher you go, it also doesn't get annoying or bothersome during regular driving since you won't go above 4k rpm with regular driving.
The only time the car feels slow or unmaneuverable is when you're racing against someone with a real performance who knows how to drive it


Visibility out the rear windows sucks though but you'll get used to it