Most entertaining street car?

I was reading the Miata love/hate over here: How can you guys love the miata ... When I started to wonder what the most entertaining street car might be...

I have an idea or two... I'm not thinking zillion-dollar supercars.

What does the GRM mind think the most entertaining street car is?

What sort of criteria are we grading on?

I think the most interesting ones I have driven have been ill handling trucks. You never know where they are going to go or how they are going to react to an expansion joint.

All the nice euro cars I have had are totally predictable... possibly making them less entertaining in regular daily driving?

and how streetable do you want? as in street legal, or something a nominally sane (by grm standards) person would actually drive everyday?

My old wagon is a true adventure. From rowing the gears on the column to it's ponderous cornering to it's complete lack of road feel while cruising, it keeps you on your toes. The 911 is arguably nicer in every way, but a bit off the drama is gone. I can drive the Mazda2 like I'm in a race and never break the speed limit, which is kind of fun, but it lacks a bit of soul.
What is fun to you?

Morgan 3 Wheeler with RAF livery or Gulf livery

If reliability is not being considered here, an MG midget. You can feel like your speeding when you are going 35!

Two for me. 911 and STi. Same formula though. Small size (mostly), lots of useable power and grip and a manual. Point and shoot. Oh ya and I really have a thing for boxers, preferably boosted. The engines that is, not the shorts. Love 'em.

For me, the criteria is fun in the bends, can be brought to the limit at non-insane speeds on the street.

My Miata is good, but I think my old MGB with skinny tires and 20 wt motor oil in the shocks (very stiff) was more fun.

This hurts me to admit a little bit...

But my MX6, so far. It's raw and brash, but still comfy enough to deal with a long trip.

It takes WORK to drive, and i like that. You're involved. It sounds hilarious, causes double takes constantly, handles well.

And if i want to get stupid, it's just a stab of the go pedal away.

I used to autocross a 470whp Integra that was road legal.

The owner drove it regularly and always had a big grin on his face if that was any sign of entertainment value.

icaneat50eggs wrote: and how streetable do you want? as in street legal, or something a nominally sane (by grm standards) person would actually drive everyday?

I'm up for semi-sane... street legal, If It needs a half cage to keep me from getting crushed by the Escalades and Hummers, I'm OK with that.

Swank Force One wrote: This hurts me to admit a little bit... But my MX6, so far. It's raw and brash, but still comfy enough to deal with a long trip.

First Gen or Second Gen?

Aside from my Miata, under your definition, my EG hatch was probably the best "street car" I've ever owned. Handled great, fun to drive, could easily hang with "better cars" in the twisties. As a side bonus, it was comfortable, even for long trips, and was very practical. (Fold the rear seat and you could move anything short of a couch)

Had I had the brains to keep it and do a B series swap, it could have been quite entertaining. The only thing it every really needed was more power and wheel arches that don't rot to oblivion.

LuxInterior wrote:

Swank Force One wrote: This hurts me to admit a little bit... But my MX6, so far. It's raw and brash, but still comfy enough to deal with a long trip.

First Gen or Second Gen?

First gen. Here it is at last year's GRM $2012 Challenge. I daily drive it exactly as you see here. Stickers, bumper dump exhaust and all.

It now has 208k miles on original motor and trans, and it's been totaled twice, so it's not like i can really ruin it further, which is pretty liberating.

I love this, it is a hoot

309hp at the wheels and 2600lb, it is quick

My old MKII GTI that was set up for auto-x. Still very drivable on the street, but a hell of a lot of fun in twisties and on/off ramps.

Cheap, reliable, and gave me 28mpgs of fun.

If talking four seasons, I'd have to go with WRX/STi. Other cars are more entertaining on dry roads, but when it snows your Miata/S2k/RX7/etc will all be sitting at home (or, if you do go out in the snow, you will be going very slow and boring).

Evos are TOO dialed-in to truly be fun, IMO. Newer Audis and other AWD cars aren't really all that fun at all since they're heavy.

Edit: WRX with a few key suspension upgrades but nothing crazy.

I loved my 2002 when it was running, and expect it to be even better when it's back. I liked my M52-swapped E30 a lot.

The WRX turns out to be remarkably "meh" for pure fun by comparison, despite being TONS faster than the 2002, and probably a fair bit quicker than the E30, though that would be a much closer match in terms of acceleration...

The 2002 is very physical by comparison. It's a light car, but with biggish tires for its size, so with no power steering. And though the brakes and clutch and shifting aren't heavy, they're very direct and mechanical.

Driving the 2002 is much more of an occasion than the E30 or WRX...

My old mk1 GTI was a ball, too...

former520 wrote: I think the most interesting ones I have driven have been ill handling trucks. You never know where they are going to go or how they are going to react to an expansion joint.

This is what makes a Samurai a good candidate, plus you can drive it flat out without breaking the speed limit!

But in a place with smooth roads I think it would be a small RWD car with lots of boost.

A coworker at a bike shop years ago said something to the effect of "Tri-Flow on the braking surfaces defines the difference between fun and excitement..."

The answer is Lotus Exige 260S only because anything more entertaining is not a street legal car.

Any cheap car that handles and stops well and that you can drive the everlovindogE36 M3 out of on a daily basis without worrying about going to jail.

Mk1 MR2 is a good example.

ransom wrote: I loved my 2002 when it was running, and expect it to be even better when it's back. I liked my M52-swapped E30 a lot. The WRX turns out to be remarkably "meh" for pure fun by comparison, despite being TONS faster than the 2002, and probably a fair bit quicker than the E30, though that would be a much closer match in terms of acceleration... The 2002 is very physical by comparison. It's a light car, but with biggish tires for its size, so with no power steering. And though the brakes and clutch and shifting aren't heavy, they're very direct and mechanical. Driving the 2002 is much more of an *occasion* than the E30 or WRX... My old mk1 GTI was a ball, too...

I think "which" of any model makes a difference too. I have a WRX and an E30. The WRX is easily faster in any kind of driving. But it's an 09 with the VF52, which is considerably faster and better-handling than the older WRXs in my experience. Drag, corners, whatever. It's simply faster. I have it set up balanced and I can oversteer it at will on wet/snow surfaces (but still recover it easily). And there is very little understeer except in the most extreme situations.

E30 is a great driver, especially with a 4-cyl that keeps it well-balanced. I woudln't want to drive it in the snow though. Would have to drive slowly and that's no fun :)

GT6 is the most "fun" but also the most "scary" ( by a mile) of my cars. It is work to drive it, and requires much more paying attention since the car is easy to get backwards.

A couple of years ago, I caught a ride in an Elise with ~275 hp, track suspension and a bit of aero. It was my most entertaining 20 minutes at a track day. Not sure how much of that translates to the street.