I put some thought into this, I think my list is all over the place because I have a conflict with being sensible and an (boring) adult or do I continue my car passion and goals which is to be faster at the track. Hell most of my network is because I'm a car person.

I think an ideal fun daily would be RWD, manual, and preferably can seat people in the back. This would probably be German tbh. I don't really have a preference for engine, but if it's German (probably a BMW) it would likely be some kind of six cylinder.

A sensible economical car would be FWD, manual/auto, reliable, probably a sedan and will likely be able to seat people. This is likely to be Japanese. This would probably be a 4cyl tbh.

Budget is closer to under 25K (as that's basically E46 M3 budget). I won't consider financing until after I buy a place and the mortgage is set in stone. And if I am considering financing it'd probably be for a low 30 to mid 30s car (around 10K financing).

Yeah I think the FRS/BRZ/86 checks all the boxes in what I want for a driver's car, EXCEPT for having no rear seats (biggest concern), comfort of seats (in the BRZ), it's a little slow (would slap on a supercharger), and I guess the stigma.

It would be great to find a 4 seater (can be coupe too) that is as good as the FRS/BRZ/86. Which leads me to my next point.

I looked into getting a M/T 128i/135i and there's nothing on market right now. However, in the 20-25K range, there is the 228i and M235i.

The 228i is powered by an N20 which Road & Track says drives more fun than the M235i. They did say it's because you can just wring it out. Reminds me of the FRS/BRZ/86. A 2Addicts forum member who has Z4M, F80 M3, E46 M3, and the 228i mentioned that the ZHP handles better, but it's quicker than the ZHP.

The M235i is powered by an N55 which is tried and trued. Tuning potential is already tested with the previous 35i's. 335HP/TQ i believe, so plenty quick. It's kind of a chick car, but I definitely think it would be a fun car. Plus comes with modern features. Just not sure if it comes with a LSD. R&T and other forum members did mention that the steering is pretty numb though. But BMW does have the M235i R for a racing out of the box car. It's said around 8-10K USD to be track ready.

Plus I can run my ZE40s on the 1/2 series LOL

If all goes well, my commute would be about 97KM total and about 140mins at worst normal conditions.

Last we talked, you said no more to Audi's HAHAHA. From what I remember it was an absolute nightmare, except for coming in 1st in class for your first time at AutoX.

On another note, I found a cool GV (sedan) STI in Kelowna. It's plasma blue pearl (aka midnight pearl), my favorite color. Probably unreliable as hell, but this exact spec was one of my other dream cars when I was in high school. I think there was a guy locally with this spec.

https://tdrpmimages.azureedge.net/pr....jpeg-1024x786

You're driving one of my fav DD cars.

I think everyone at some point in their lives are going to question and punish themselves on whether they are trying to be a sensible adult. And to be quite frank, I'm not even sure what that even means.

There are going to be people who drive a 1992 champagne beige Toyota Corolla their whole lives, while there will be some who daily drive their supercharged M5 just to get milk for their kids, or drive a Honda Odyssey to do a grocery run. If you're a car guy, you're a car guy. Ask this question on a different forum or to a friend who doesn't care about cars, you'll get a very different answer. You're young, so enjoy it while you can, but your car doesn't, and shouldn't define whether you are irresponsible or not. Only you know your situation better than anyone else. As the saying goes, haters are always gonna hate. And if there's anything you should pick up from 2020 so far, life is short.

If you want to be faster, think about the crowd you're driving with. Are you just driving with a bunch of friends to blow some steam off, and improving some lap times here and there? Or are you thinking of getting more serious and doing some club racing? Or take it even further and do full-on spec racing like Spec Miata, or SCCA time trials? You'll have to figure that out for yourself.

I went through the same dilemma when I sold my E36 M3. The most logical move was to get an E46 or E90. But instead, the opportunity called and I picked up a 996. Not exactly the best for having passengers (some people here on RS can attest to that haha) but it was German, and a 6-cylinder, albeit a flat-six. I really liked this car, and sold it due to circumstances (I moved and bought a place.) I wished that I didn't, and regret every day of it. For what it's worth, before I landed on the 996, my initial choice was a Mercedes Benz C300 in manual transmission (rare) but it was a total piece of shit. The Lexus IS250/350 was my next choice, but quickly learned they are just so boring.

FWD and 4-cylinders have improved a lot over the years (Think VW Golf, Mazda 3, current Corolla hatchback etc.) The Civic Type-R is a really good but extreme example of that because that thing is just a monster. My Toyota Corolla iM is slow as fuck (the FR-S is super fast in comparison) but an excellent handling car. Great on gas, roomy, reliable, made in Japan, multi-link suspension - I love it. But for the love of God, don't get one. :lol

You'll need to really factor in your timing on buying your place vs. buying your car. Consider your cash flow and your potential expenses (i.e. gas, taxes, strata fees, repairs, groceries, insurance and more insurance etc.) Speak to your financial advisor or mortgage specialist to understand what your options are because your down payment, or free cash flow can make or break your options and dramatically change, or rather, limit your options.

By no means am I trying to persuade you towards an FR-S/BRZ/86, but as I mentioned in my previous post, you'll get used to the seat, and you really need to think about the rear seat situation. Are you driving friends/family all the time? Are you expecting a child we don't know about? Are you even the father? (lol) I'm not sure what your definition of slow is, but if it's getting to the next red light in bumper to bumper traffic during rush hours on West Georgia Street, I can almost assure you that it's no slower than a supercharged M5. I'm also not sure what this stigma is you speak of (please educate me.)

If you are interested, I have a lead on a track-ready E46 M3 in your budget and meets MOST of your requirements, except it's in Toronto. Other than that, you should just get another BMW. Good luck! :D

if you want more GT for your long commutes than chase lap times
996 targa manual?

https://cdn.bringatrailer.com/wp-con...ge-940x579.jpg

Driving a slow car fast > driving a fast car slow

Don't forget that going fast is 90% skill and 10% the car so if you're wanting to be faster on track (as far as driving skills go) you're going about it the wrong way IMO if you're wanting to get a car that's fast on track right off the bat

Also don't forget to take into account if you're gonna be doing a lot of motorsport (track, auto x, time attack, etc) consider the cost of consumables like oil changes, brakes, tires, etc

Sounds like you need a hot hatch. Perfect blend of responsible adult and canyon carver / track day car

Don't how how patient you are but once every half year, you'll find a 128i that's well sorted out.

I saw a 2013 model last year, black on black stick shift m sport trim with a manual transmission. It was asking for 12 grand at the time.

And some times there's the odd 2008 to 2010 model years going for about roughly 6 to 8 grand. Sport interior trim is a must, otherwise the stock seats are junk.

I was kind of thinking the same thing. I test drove a Focus ST up in Comox last week. That would be decent as a commuting car, good for auto-x and with a little change decent for the track.

Guy wanted $19.5k

Fiesta ST is a lot of fun and well under the budget. I highly recommend everyone try driving one at some point. Recaro seats are nice.

Doing a quick search on Vancouver Craigslist on the Fiesta ST, they seem to range between $12K - $16K with an oddball one at $19K, so the gap is close. Like TouringTeg said, well within budget, relatively new, seems to be reliable (unless you want it to break) and should leave you enough with money for some maintenance, mods, track days, and be able to drive your unborn child and baby mama hahaha

Damn, I'd probably consider one over the FRS I posted a wanted ad for! You jerks.

I’ve offered a test drive of my RS many times, never took me up on it so I don’t think Ford is his style

Personally, I'd say away from the 996 generation unless you really like the car for one reason or another. The 997 is a far superior car in many different ways, esp when it comes to being "reliable".

More or less I was salty because of Audi's customer service and them denying warranty on a federal warranty item. But thats another story lol. Overall though no regrets owning that car even if it was scary to keep at times.

Up your budget or get a used Kia Stinger. Fast back, AWD, v6, 0-60 in 4.6s, under 40k and incredibly cheap Kia maintenance.
Cons: platform is a bit new, not much aftermarket options. Also, shitty Kia dealership service

^^ also it will depreciate fast

I haven't seen 6k yet.. but they're about 8-10 all day.

What is the time frame you have right now to buy a car? Couldn't find any locally. Guess they're all tucked away on the island... These aren't unicorn status but beggars can't be choosers hah - if you're needing to buy soon these could work if you get it at the right price.

6spd 128i with sport package
https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/u...129677_614.jpg
https://www.usedvictoria.com/classif...ANUAL_35792689

6spd 128i but don't think it has sport - doesn't really matter if you're going to be upgrading suspension anyways. With asking at $9500 you'll have a lot of room to source seats.
https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/u...728564_934.jpg
https://www.usedvictoria.com/classif...coupe_35726342

Yes, but they are twice the price. Also, a 997.1 isn't that much more reliable.

how about a used SS camaro? reasonably reliable 4 seats
v8 rumble, manual, track capable if you can find a 1LE but may push the price out of your range.

You are right, I would wish them a Ford Focus with a PowerShift transmission.

I could see the V10 M5's depreciate sub 20K but the F10 M5's with the TT V8 not anytime soon.

Anyways BiC Baws good luck with your search and I hope you keep it in the BMW family.

I think given the trend of where this thread is going, OP isn't interested in domestic probably because Asian.

Has anyone here flaunting the idea of a 1 series (1M excluded) ever sat in one? Or driven one?

They’re kind of shit. Questionable build quality/materials, leaks, typical BMW problems, cramped... there’s a reason they’re all cheap used.

Like... step down from E46 3-series bigtime.

Oh that's interesting, because in that R&T article I linked, they mentioned how much they DIDN'T like the 1M LOL. I actually thought the 1 series would be the next E46. This changes things.

Tho isn't there a member here with a 128i who auto-x's a lot?

The lifecycle of the 1-series was cut short, and there's likely a reason for that. And probably because it was such a POS.

Maybe I’m a curmudgeon, try one for yourself... a friend of mine tracks a 135 (tho with endless problems — computer goes into limp mode constantly for overheating, blew his diff) and his is pretty beat looking. Maybe ok as a track weapon if cooling issues are addressed.

Endless problems
Computer going into limp mode
Overheating
Blew a diff
Cooling system problems

you're getting all the BMW fanbois hot and heavy