toy2g

Of the vehicles I currently own..
2013 4Runner
2009 4Runner
2003 4Runner
1998 4Runner
19874Runner
1999 RX 300

I would have to say the RX is the most fun and comfortable to drive. All of the 4runners are highly modified lending to the lesser handling. I love having the car like (except the horrible turning radius of the RX) handling.

Best handling car I have ever owned...

1991 BMW 325iX. It amazed me time and time again.

fly2low

Mitsubishi Evo 8 - will keep this forever
Porsche 911SC- fun, light weight with adjustable height suspension from factory. Awesomeness.
BMW E36 M3 - miss thar chassis but not the non adjustable steering wheel
BMW E36 M Coupe - a fun little tail happy effer. Totaled this one
Lotus Esprit S4 - missing the car. Not a week goes without thinking to get another one but my ***** arent hard enough to dribble the maintenance costs

Honorable mentions:
Porsche 997 Carrera S - great but still a bit nervous when accidentally lift the gas mid corner because this model is noticeably heavier than 911 SC
Lexus 4G GS 350, especially F Sport. Quite impressive for the sport sedan category . People just wont believe it when I say this is the perfect BMW E39 5er.

Great ones I drove but never own:
Lotus Elise/Exige - almost bought one,already left a deposit. The on the 2nd test drive I stopped behind a Ford Explored at a traffic light and stared right at its rear bumper at my eye level. Didnt feel like a good idea at that time.

Porsche Cayman S - a great balances chassis but hating the potential IMS problem and cheap plastic buttons inside.

Toyobaru FT86 - a pretty fun chassis. Engine is not as bad as some people say : they just need to send the car from factory with a shorter gearing and lighter flywheel. Maybe a better clutch adjustment,too. Will probably pick one used when the price is at low-mid teens than install what I mentioned earlier.

mikez

I went with my friend to check out the cayman for him and the dealer saw my Lotus and tried to get me in a 997 turbo. That car--like you said, is too much of a monster for the road. The way it picks up speed is so unbelievable. The only way you can tell you are accelerating like mad is the blurry vision and scenery zipping by. And I was only in 2nd gear.

Hard to believe something as mundane as a 911 can be way too much for a public road.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

qft, except a 911 (esp in turbo or gt3 form) is anything but mundane. in 3rd you're at 100mph it's just so anti-climactic. there's no effort or drama (or skill!) at all in going fast. now at a track that would be a different story. truly amazing car.

Slash300zx

Nice to see people mention the 300zx... so I'll just mention it again. The best handling car I've owned is my 90 300zx followed by the 14 IS350 and then the 11 IS350 ( both F-Sports).

mmarshall

True, the Evo's handling is superlative by sedan standards, but at a major cost.....the rock-hard suspension, like on the original Lexus IS-F, simply beats you to death on rough roads. I could never have a car like that as my daily-driver.

mmarshall

Though not having had the chance to drive one, I'd have to agree that Skodas are far better now, simply from the comments of TOP GEAR magazine (I read the U.K. version of it regularly, as a British-American friend of mine gets copies from his daughter in London, and passes them on to me after he looks at them). That magazine's primary staff (Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond) are quite complimentary of most Skodas, and rank them highly in their class.

Also, it must feel strange to temporarily drive a right-hand-drive vehicle for two weeks when you are used to American left-hand-drive specs. I remember, when I was a pilot, there was a big difference in feel/perception in the cockpit between the left seat and the right. More or less the same as the time when I got to sample an old 50s-spec, right-hand-drive Rolls Royce some years ago (here in the U.S). It belonged to the owner of a limo firm that an old friend of mine drove for.

4doorscore

2000 Bmw 323ci
1990 240sx
1989 240sx
1992 240sx
1998 gs300

The best handling car I had was the last 240 I had as it had the most suspension and work done on it. As a stock car the BMW was really awesome to drive.

jimbosr1

my 86 mr2 is more fun to drive then my 04 corvette.

mmarshall

Do you find the MR2 somewhat twitchy and hard to keep pointed straight on a long freeway stretch? My experience with mid-engine cars in general (and the MR2 in particular), is that they're great on a winding road, where the mid-to-rear weight bias keeps the load off the front end and the two front steering wheels responsive. But that same mid-rear weight bias also means that the two front tires don't have a lot of bite to them on a straight road, lose the stabilizing gyroscopic effect, and tend to (slightly) wander left and right, even with proper wheel alignment. That can require a lot of small, annoying steering corrections to stay in your lane properly.

I also noticed that MR2s can run hot (particularly the turbo model, which creates even more engine heat), because, even with the air cooling-slots built into the rear side-panels, the engine still doesn't get as much cooling air across it as it does from a normal front-location under the hood where air comes in from the front.

JDR76

I used to have an 86 MR2. Sold it many years ago and have regretted that decision ever since.

jimbosr1

ive have 2 86mr2's over the years and i havent had any issues with the car staying on track on the highway,mine stays straight as a arrow.doesnt run hot either.if i open the engine bay after a drive it is pretty hot,if thats what you mean.
last week i was at lowes and the manager stops me to ask if i would sell my mr2 and i said i was offered $6k for it and i declined so he says i will offer you $7500 for it and i said no thank you.so i drive to ruby tuesday and a employee asks is your car for sale and my wife is giggling and i told her i get people asking me to sell my mr2 a lot.

JDR76

Well...if you do decide to sell it...you know where to find me!