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. So i've recently sold the G.. Didnt get as much as i wanted to out of it. But now im in the market for another car.. Been wanting to stick to a manual just because i love the driver feeling. Im lookin to start in the 30-45kish range. Im looking at a few options..
(1)-Porsche 911 (997.1/2) 6mt -- Love the feel and always wanted a porsche as my dream car.. Powerful,fun, light drivers car that you dont see everyday just a little scared of potential maintenance issues arising with a 05-09 10 year old car.. And its a Porsche..
(2) - Infiniti Q60RS -- Test drove one hard and well... it felt like home. coming from a 09 6mt. FAST more refined that the 37 of course. Few friends have kinda warned me if i get this and i start modding then all **** breaks loose with alot of issues will arise...nervous about that part... anyone mind chiming in on this? basic bolt ons
Intake/Header/Exhaust/Downpipes/Tunes?? I love the car just know im gonna mod it like the g37 lol, needing something reliable..
(3) - Lexus RC-F -- Havent test drove one yet, but i am planning to.. Powerful v8 nice interior andreliability of a NA japanese car.. few are in the low 44k price ranges with low mileage decent aftermarket support also..
(4) - Honda S2000CR -- Always loved these cars since middle school.. Fun car to drive it like
you stole it hard. If anything breaks its easy replacement and parts are readilyavailable.. Reliable, only downside would be the size. No trunk space no back seat..
Kind of want some support and just a general feeling if anyone has any options / suggestions or opinions.
-Deciding factors of the RCF i ended up going this route other than the 1. Porsche 911 carrera s (997.1/2) , S2000 CR, Infiniti Q60RS, Shelby GT350. --- I felt like the RCF would be the best daily sports car. Lexus reliability, a comfortable back seat, plenty of power and decent aftermarket support. Ended up on the higher end of the budget but I feel it was well worth it.
Factors that ruled out the competitors: 06-09 Porsche 911 Carrera S:
Maintenance if something breaks itll break the bank, also the dated creature comforts especially sound/interior is what scared me away, but the driving experience is bar none out of the group.. Classic look, 6mt, engine response and overall feel.
S2000
-Fun FUN FUN FREAKING blast to drive car.. Best transmission.. and its a street legal go cart... - Main reason to rule out - Downgrade from the G and no back seats.
Q60 Red Sport
-Probably the most competitive out of the bunch, newer car, plenty of power, twin turbo, same price range.Ruled out - "im going to mod this thing like i did the G.... Daily it.. its going to break.. especially all of the horror stories everyone is having with them with turbos etc..." They respond well to upgrades but for how long is the question. Reliability.
GT350
-Didnt bother test driving one once i saw the interior... Old switch board looking and dated. I love the way they look and supposedly perform though.
RCF is the winner! -Initial Thoughts- Coming from a pretty modded G37 6mt. I really wanted a manual car but I there were not enough options while still stepping up the G whereas a s2k would be a step down other than the rare Club racer editiosn. The exterior of the RCF is aggressive and its a big heavy car, with some big characteristics. The styling breaks necks and i've gotten plenty of thumbs up from drivers. Carbon Fiber. And its JDM V8 power. Its fun being able to blast around slamming the gas pedal, even missing a third pedal.
The First Drive - "This is a BIG car" - you feel the weight, but the engine rolls through the RPM's fairly quick. The Faux noise you get from the tunnel noise setup that lexus provides is pretty enticing for the driver feel. But you dont hear any exhaust whats so ever. Just a llittle rumble and the car is blasted off wherever you smashed the pedal down. Even on regular/normal mode, the car rides as a Sports car should. The Seats are fairly comfortable, they hug you and look amazing. I had to test out the mark levinson sound system to the fullest. I've had alot of compliments on the G's sound system with tech / bose in there with a aux cord. People always ask if i have any aftermarket additions... Imagine that, except 1/2x louder and more crisp with enough bass to match. a MUST HAVE.
2 Week Check in
-The car is TOO DAMN QUIET. I know its a luxury sports car. But i feel like a stock G37 is louder when it shouldnt be. I did a resonator delete and it added a little bit of volume. I had some friends visit and had them in the back seat and surprisingly they fit comfortably. Had more room than the G (headroom). 2 guys about 5'7 /5'8 170/200lb Sat okay in the back seat no problems. I've been enjoying driving the car in sport mode majority of the time. Very Very Daily-able. Im not sure on the MPG as i've been punching it quite a bit just for the sheer joy of seeing the RPM's fly through and the car get a little squirmy on MPSS's. Fit's everyone comfortably. Overall I am very pleased with the car, no buyers remorse settling in. The interior **** pit is a nice kind of semi cluttered but not feeling once you get use to it i assume. I feel like its alot of car for the money, considering reliability and performance at a 45k price point. (you can find some RCF's with Mark levinson and fairly low milage 35-40kish Miles for $40-43k)
Future Plans: Eventually lower it and put my SSR SP3's on.. but first thing will be a Borla Catback.. (BTW, theres a premium on RCF aftermarket parts lol.. i guess its in the "higher end" of sports cars now) so parts will be coming slow for me lol.
I hope this helps for anyone who was looking for an RCF. I will be on here and there. See you guys later! :thewave:
Last edited by Ratedg; 04-27-18 at 03:57 PM.
Reason: updated 4/27 for 2 week buyers review.
I have been wanting to stay with a manual as im not sure ill have buyers remorse going from a manual DD of 10 years to an auto. I have a test drive for a USB RCF for tonight setup afterwork.
I have been wanting to stay with a manual as im not sure ill have buyers remorse going from a manual DD of 10 years to an auto. I have a test drive for a USB RCF for tonight setup afterwork.
For the full performance experience.
1. Warm up the car entirely. Both temp gauges near middle. Or preferably middle. Drive slowly at first in normal to get a sense of the car. When up to temp.
2 . Switch to sport +.
3. Move to manual shifting and use the paddles .
If you don't drive in the sport + or sport mode. The car feels very sluggish .It's refined and comfortable in the other modes .
1. Warm up the car entirely. Both temp gauges near middle. Or preferably middle. Drive slowly at first in normal to get a sense of the car. When up to temp.
2 . Switch to sport +.
3. Move to manual shifting and use the paddles .
If you don't drive in the sport + or sport mode. The car feels very sluggish .It's refined and comfortable in the other modes .
Thank you for the heads up. I will be going to the dealer in the next hour or so.
I have been wanting to stay with a manual as im not sure ill have buyers remorse going from a manual DD of 10 years to an auto. I have a test drive for a USB RCF for tonight setup afterwork.
I have been driving 6 speed manual for 15 years with 8000+ rpm revs. Still, my daily driver is a manual. I do heel-toe downshifts, rev-matches etc. My original car of choice was a '13 E90 M3 sedan since it had the 6 speed manual and a high-revving V8 as I wanted a high-revving V8. Once I drove the RCF, it became obvious to me it was well worth spending the extra 15 grand.
RCF is a lot of fun to drive in manual mode with sport+ (and TVD in 'track' mode). Transmission is very responsive when you push the car hard. Downshifts have crisp rev-matches that sound incredible. Like every high-revving engine, despite having 5.0 Liters 390 ft-lbs, it is no torque monster a la turbo engines and needs to be revved hard to get the best acceleration and frequently downshifted for maximum engine response. It is a free-revving engine with very little internal inertia so revs drop and climb very quickly. It is a rewarding car to drive and the engine at high revs sounds while being velvety smooth at the same time. Chassis and suspension are very well matched as the car shrinks around you as you push it hard (especially, if it is TVD equipped where it rotates through the back end as well making the front end very 'snappy'). Throttle response is best experienced in sport+ mode (as does the VGRS steering in sport+). If you are test driving a '17+ then you will have adaptive variable suspension that stiffens up in Sport+.
Though, I still drive a manual every day, I don't wish the RCF was a manual whenever I drive it. The transmission functions well as it is and is very engaging despite lacking a third pedal.
I have been driving 6 speed manual for 15 years with 8000+ rpm revs. Still, my daily driver is a manual. I do heel-toe downshifts, rev-matches etc. My original car of choice was a '13 E90 M3 sedan since it had the 6 speed manual and a high-revving V8 as I wanted a high-revving V8. Once I drove the RCF, it became obvious to me it was well worth spending the extra 15 grand.
RCF is a lot of fun to drive in manual mode with sport+ (and TVD in 'track' mode). Transmission is very responsive when you push the car hard. Downshifts have crisp rev-matches that sound incredible. Like every high-revving engine, despite having 5.0 Liters 390 ft-lbs, it is no torque monster a la turbo engines and needs to be revved hard to get the best acceleration and frequently downshifted for maximum engine response. It is a free-revving engine with very little internal inertia so revs drop and climb very quickly. It is a rewarding car to drive and the engine at high revs sounds while being velvety smooth at the same time. Chassis and suspension are very well matched as the car shrinks around you as you push it hard (especially, if it is TVD equipped where it rotates through the back end as well making the front end very 'snappy'). Throttle response is best experienced in sport+ mode (as does the VGRS steering in sport+). If you are test driving a '17+ then you will have adaptive variable suspension that stiffens up in Sport+.
Though, I still drive a manual every day, I don't wish the RCF was a manual whenever I drive it. The transmission functions well as it is and is very engaging despite lacking a third pedal.
So My initial thoughts of the car.." wow these seats hug you like hell". Performance just as you stated, comparing to the q60rs400 i feel this may be a little bit slower or just a very linear v8. The car is FAST, but i can feel the weight of it somewhat. felt like it was a SOLID solid solid car, no sight of lost grip. Maybe an exhaust would wake it up some to what im used to. I test drove the Carbon roof one with the TVD.. I will most likely join the Lexus Family unless-----> Decides other wise.. forgot there is ONE more car that just recently came within grasping range..... Ford GT350.... I will be tossing that into the pot as well.
So My initial thoughts of the car.." wow these seats hug you like hell". Performance just as you stated, comparing to the q60rs400 i feel this may be a little bit slower or just a very linear v8. The car is FAST, but i can feel the weight of it somewhat. felt like it was a SOLID solid solid car, no sight of lost grip. Maybe an exhaust would wake it up some to what im used to. I test drove the Carbon roof one with the TVD.. I will most likely join the Lexus Family unless-----> Decides other wise.. forgot there is ONE more car that just recently came within grasping range..... Ford GT350.... I will be tossing that into the pot as well.
If build quality matters to you DO NOT GET the GT350
So My initial thoughts of the car.." wow these seats hug you like hell". Performance just as you stated, comparing to the q60rs400 i feel this may be a little bit slower or just a very linear v8. The car is FAST, but i can feel the weight of it somewhat. felt like it was a SOLID solid solid car, no sight of lost grip. Maybe an exhaust would wake it up some to what im used to. I test drove the Carbon roof one with the TVD.. I will most likely join the Lexus Family unless-----> Decides other wise.. forgot there is ONE more car that just recently came within grasping range..... Ford GT350.... I will be tossing that into the pot as well.
Yes, I mentioned it is not a midrange torque monster. Just needs to be revved hard. Turbo cars have surge in the midrange of torque especially part-throttle, which is the sudden rate of change of acceleration. The mind registers how the acceleration changes. Linear torque curve does not have surges and dips so it makes acceleration deceptive. However, at high rpm it will not run out of steam till you hit the rev limiter.
BTW, the Q50 also weighs around 3900 lbs in tests. GT350 is around 3810 lbs. Weight difference would be very little. Overall, it should be a step above the Q50 both in handling and acceleration. Good luck with your GT350 test drive. Amazing car, for sure.
Yes, I mentioned it is not a midrange torque monster. Just needs to be revved hard. Turbo cars have surge in the midrange of torque especially part-throttle, which is the sudden rate of change of acceleration. The mind registers how the acceleration changes. Linear torque curve does not have surges and dips so it makes acceleration deceptive. However, at high rpm it will not run out of steam till you hit the rev limiter.
BTW, the Q50 also weighs around 3900 lbs in tests. GT350 is around 3810 lbs. Weight difference would be very little. Overall, it should be a step above the Q50 both in handling and acceleration. Good luck with your GT350 test drive. Amazing car, for sure.
I did the Q60 RedSport 400. wanting to stick with coupes. I may go check out the GT350 tonight and report back. I am glad to see how active the CL family is in comparison to the others.
No contest get the 911. If you're buying an early 997 make sure the IMS and RMS have been replaced. It's a fantastic car.
Unfortunately I will have to pass on the 997. As this will be my daily, I cant risk DD'ing the 911 and run into potential issues for a 10+ y/o car. When i am able to have 2 cars then maybe i will get a 911..
04-04-18, 01:05 PM
G37 --> 911/RCF/Q60RS/2kCR - UPDATED 2wks Buyer REVIEW!
