Waiting to see the new mustang could very likely prove to be the best decision.

The 135i might fit your bill. The only way to know is to start going for test drives.

Get a toyota or a honda. They got the reputation to be reliable as hell. Usually higher performance vehicles will need more TLC than others. Especially when you have a turbo involved. You just have to weigh what you're needs are versus what you want.

My rx8 has run its course to almost 100k with the original motor and a shit load of track days and spirited driving. I got a mazdaspeed6 as a daily because i wanted an AWD turbo that get better MPG than the 8 which the MS6 fulfills but i know it still needs a decent amount of TLC for being an AWD turbo vehicle. And i'm now getting a FD rx7. I'm a gluten for punishment but i just know my risks when getting vehicles and what needs to be done to make them reliable.

My parents had a 92 Toyota 4runner which was built like a rock and lasted over 200k miles before trading it in for an 03 4runner which is at 100k and still going strong. And my mom doesn't really get the maintenance done on either of the 4runners which amazes me till this day how well they lasted.

Not true, word is, it is likely to come here in the next generation due out in 2015. So maybe if your info came a year or 2 ago then it applied then..

Rubbish, raced VW's for years and they were without question one of the most durable and reliable cars on the track, Porsche (VW) has an unmatched record for durability, your post is so much nonsense I can't believe I even took the time to respond to it.

Exactly..... My current VW GTI is a 99 VR6 and has 210,000 miles and still running strong, my 2004 8 not so much it's parked and I bought the GTI because I needed a car quickly and the 8 needs an engine and tranny work or a new one it has half the milage. Outside of regular maintenance over the last year of ownership all I've needed to fix was the starter when I first purchased it and that was due to a monkey mechanic putting the hot lead on backwards and causing it to dead short on the top of the solenoid and replace the coils which are notoriously bad on this model and one integrated piece..

I will concede that these years later the quality of the interior trim pieces leave a lot to be desired..

How likely will the new stang loose 400 lbs? Probably closer to 200 lbs if lucky.

Better luck with the new mazda/alfa miata, new cuda, or even new z35.

If I had to loose the rx8 now, I would lease something short term and see what's coming in the next few years.

So about the reliability... German cars 'among worst for engine failures' | Auto Express , not the first or last review with the same results...

As for your choice, I would maybe go for that ST, but you should probably take some test drives from that list to see what actually suits you.

Too bad you don't have Megane RS out there, and that's a beast compared to other fwd cars (ST, GTI etc...), as well as for many awd and rwd ones that are way more expensive than it. It's like a mini GT-R :D:

One I missed: a used Porsche Cayman S
A good one is around the $30k mark, they are phenomenally reliable, build quality and materials are excellent. I've driven them with 30k miles and with 110k miles, they age very well. Fantastic driver's car.
I've been doing a lot of sports-car-shopping myself recently. The Cayman S is the best driver's car I've found. If you like the RX8, you'll love the Porsche. Chassis feel is actually quite similar: you can tell the weight is very centralized, the cars change direction fast, very responsive, both have excellent steering. And the Porsche is truly quick vs. the RX8 being barely acceptable.

key words ^^^^

If that's true, I'm excited. It was this month's issue of either Car and Driver or Motortrend.

Can't help but through in my 2 cents here but I'll suggest you take a look at an EVO X. Sounds like the OP is looking for the best of both worlds, performance and practicality. I owned one for 3 years. I challenge anyone to find more power and exquisite handling from a $30k car. This is a car you will drive just for the hell of it, no destination required, its that fun. You get 4 doors, a useable trunk, and AWD. Downsides, its pretty heavy 3600lbs, gas mileage is a joke, as is the interior, and when you finally sell it it'll take around 50-60k to find anything near as fun to drive!

The thing is, they go for a lot more than 30 new, and I don't know if i'd trust a used one. I hear they require lots of maintenance as well. I respect them alot, and WRX's, but they aren't packaged as sophisticatedly as I want. I was trying to wait and see what the new WRX becomes but I'm just tired of dealing with my car. I saw a used R3 at the Mazda dealer the other day and the thought crossed my mind. I asked my wife, "what if I came home with another RX8", and she said that I'd do something that stupid. She's seen me whining about repairs on my car too much, and we had way too many arguments regarding the 8. I think she thought I loved my car more than her. I guess she didn't like me taking wedding money to fix my car.

Idk what they go for now, I got a 2010 Evo X GSR for 33k brand new. Agree with avoiding a used one over a year old at least. Traded it in for a 2013 MS3 (long story), and miss it everyday. Everything is a trade off when it comes to picking cars. Best case is to buy a cheap DD and winter duty, and drive what you really want the rest of the time.

I get it.

I can't find another new car for even twice what I paid for my '05 new that I like 1/2 as much.

Mine only has 88,000 miles, though, with NO problems thus far, and I plan on just religiously maintaining it and seeing how many miles I can go.

I can afford to buy a new car, but so many of them seem to be worse than their predecessors (this goes for Acuras, Lexi, Infinity - which is sad because the G37 was WAY better than the new Q50 which is a POS).

I am letting my 04 8 go now at 95k original miles. Still runs great but I want something newer. So I searched and searched and nothing excited me in my price range, style and mileage requirements. Until I found some 10 and 11 8s! They lack the leather and sun roof my Grand Touring has, but if I get anything else, I will not be satisfied and will feel like I "settled." Nothing looks or feels as good for the price as an 8 imo. I'm buying myself another six years of bliss and the new rotaries will be out by the time I am done with this one.

A late model IS250/350 is a great choice IMO. Reliable, luxury and still sporty. They come AWD and also 6speed manual or tiptronic. Pretty good daily.

if you think the 8 is "high maintenance", you should really avoid ALL KINDS OF GERMAN CARS

if you think 8 kills you, German car will make you wanna commit suicide

and I mean it. wanna DIY? forget it, they designed their crap from ground up to prevent that as much as possible, oil change? sure. anything else? Dealer please.

car is aging, but it's gonna be hard to find a replacement that's under 80K

I can't tell you what you will like, but I will say that after becoming depressed with the amount of money I'm spending on my 8, I was looking at Fox Body Mustangs and how frikking cheap they are to mod and replace parts.

Also 240z.

If I was gonna sell up id buy a silvia s15 turbo. Not sure if you have them in the states though

Do an acura nsx, parts are expensive as shit but the car is pretty damn reliable and a lot of fun :)

you can still buy new Mazdaspeed 3's here for 24k brand new, if you can live with one that is a couple years old they are under 15k, which is a lot of HP/$

the IS350 sounds good too, as does the evo

After selling my RX-8 (attending university in Chicago city limits so never drove it) I had a brief stop in an '04 Santa Fe (wife's car that we shared until I could replace it). After that I upgraded us to an '09 Infiniti G37x Sedan. It's not the fastest or most engaging car to drive but it easily gets 28 MPG on the open highway and the torque is DELICIOUS! We got a base model and it's still pretty well appointed. The tranny is pretty good for an automagic (in "manual" mode it actually shifts reasonably quickly and it doesn't upshift until you tell it to) and if you want to row your own it isn't hard to find manual coupes starting around $20k. I've had it at a couple of autocrosses and I can verify that the stability control is completely off with one press of the button (I spun it twice).

Do I regret selling my '8? Oh hell yes, I do (admittedly, I had very few problems with mine). I sold it to a buddy in my old autocross club and I watch his progress with the car on our forums. I yearn to drive it again.

Do I regret buying the G37x? Oh hell no, I don't.