Why go for an RX8 when you can get an RX7? :D

One of my close friends just picked up an '04 RX-8 GT over this past summer, fully optioned and it does have the downsides previously mentioned aka flooding and having to let it warm up during the winter. HOWEVER, I have never ridden in a bone stock car that is as much fun with that little amount of power the car handles insane and the sound of a high revving rotary is just pure music to your ears. Plus the cockpit is comfortable and spacious and you can actually fit two regular sized adults in the back seats with plenty of room. I'm 6'0" and about 180 pounds and the backseat was way better than any coupe i've ridden in.

P.S. He picked his up with low miles for between $14-15k

Because the 13B scares me. My buddy has one, it was smoking when he got it. The old owner thought it was a turbo seal.... It wasn't. He bought a rebuilt engine, and that had problems.

Thanks for your input. Usable back seats are a big win for me! The interior is gorgeous, too. I've come to accept that compared to my 500hp Supra, most of the cars I drive will feel slow, so I might as well get one that's fun. The RX8 seems to fit the bill quite nicely. High maintenance is not big deal for me because that's the way I keep my cars anyways :)

sounds like you made your decision:)

I basically have. I'm planning to have the Supra out by March so I can finally officially post it for sale.

just get a c5 corvette. their prices have dropped so much you can pick up a 97-00ish for just over 10k...decent power, will out handle just about any car on the road with stock suspension. will turn heads everywhere. 20+ mpg. you can't go wrong

I say an Rx-8. And this was already said but bugeye wrx! haha i'm biased

i cant find any for under 13k

on the topic of driving MR2T in rain... it can get a little hairy if you're not aware of the power band. When I first got my car I use to get a little tail happy around corners and merging because I'd try to give it some juice a little too soon... but other than that the car did fine.

yep.
i'm partial to mr2s obviously, but they really are fun cars. they meet all of your criteria also :)

x2 on being fun cars... now just to get mine fixed... and also as dpancoast said if you do get an mr2, the closer to stock the better, i learned this the hard way

you may want to look in to an 04 or newer GTO my friend has a bone stock one and it hauls A** plus the sound is amazing

there is no way you will find an 04 or newer gto for under 10k

04 for 10-11 is doable.

idk if this is posted or not but what about an mkIII supra. i got mine for 6k in mint condition and the rarest color and interior. its a blast to drive even for how old it is that turbo still kicks my ass. and with the money you save you can make that car into a 400+ rwhp car easy. only downside is its not the best in the snow but its manageable

ive seen a coupe 04's for around 9.5 up to 10.5 there out their you just gotta look hard

id stay away from the rx-8. it has the flooding problem and if you do flood it you have to change your spark plugs. doesnt sound like a big deal but i wor kat napa and even with my discount all 4 plugs would cost me about $100 i dont think youd want to spend that much on plugs. I just bought a s2000 and have ahd it for about 2 weeks now and i can say its worth every penny i paid for it and i got it for under 10k. But id def say go get a mkIII supra 1jz swapped of course go for about 5k? last time i checked and then you have some money to play around with for some mods or whatever else youd want to spend it on.

as a mk3 owner/seller(lol) i would advise against this. unless of course it is a 2jz or 1jz swapped one which can be had for under 10k. supras are heavy and get bad gas mileage. the 7m is a finicky motor. they do make a lot of power easily, but i dont think that is what he is going for.

The flooding issue scares me a little. So... I just have to make sure it is well warmed up lol. The s2K is awesome, but if I'm gonna spend ~$10-11K, I want to make sure that I can at least haul some people around..

As a Supra owner I love all of them, even MKIIIs. They are most certainly not off the table. I guess I just want a modern car. This is the same reason I'm not sure about the MR2s. It seems like people are asking way too much for them and they don't have any of the modern conveniences I would like in a DD.

1 more month and I'll be selling the SRT.

3000GT VR4? Although, reliability isn't really a strong point.... LOL

Sorry, I got nothing else to offer. :)