I just could never bring myself to buy a brand new car like that and drive it the way it's meant to be driven. Happy to thrash the daylights out of a 20 year old car anyday.

Dudeman

I saw a site last night that showed the comparisons in size and profile, the 86 is only a couple of inches longer than the mx5.
I had no idea it was that small, counts me out. 
The golf gti looks like a nice car to me!

 
coming form a background in classic mini's i wish it was even smaller.
 
i could never see my self buying a brand new car period, as i don't ever see my self having the desired amount of cash flow to justify the horrendous depreciation that comes with buying brand new.
 
but i would like to own one, well test drive first.......

and the golf comes in at 4213mm in length....

^ yes but its a four seater, not 2 + 2.

just_ace

 i think you crossed the line here, that rules out any modern rally homoligation car since the 80's as not being a true "sports car" along with many other cars sold commercially as "sports" cars.

what does "equipped for racing", encompass? 4 wheels brakes and a steering wheel? you can race any car.

so much speculation surrounding the 86, and so much hype. which is generally a bad thing. hype talks it up to much and then it fails to meet expectations. now everyone buying one thinks it makes them a "driving enthusiast/race car driver"

You said it yourself - rally car.
A 'sports' car and 'rally car' are two different cars, so yes I'm ruling out 'rally cars' in this, which includes the WRX.
IMO the 86 fits the above definition of a sports car, better than the WRX. 
 
The MX5 may have a bad image but I never said they were ****e and from all accounts I've heard they handle brilliantly and are so much fun despite not having 500 kW, which the 86 doesnt have either.
 
if you've ever been in or driven the old AE86 sprinter with a 4AGE driven hard, the 86 is the successor, so I think the hype is perfectly justified. 
 
 
 


 
"NOT" a sports car

rally isn't racing? nor are AWD cars "equipped for racing"?
 
i think someone should tell HKS that their CT30R is doing it wrong.
 
"sports car" is a like the "family", rally car being a "genus" of said family and wrx being a "species" of said genus....that's how i see it.

I used to think like that once upon a time...then I realised that it's a bloody sports car screaming to be driven hard and you only live once! :D
There's a fine line between driving hard and abuse. I choose to heel toe when I don't need to come to a stop or like a downhill etc
On the contrary, it's the old classic car that I'm afraid to thrash due to fear of it falling apart lol. The new car = easier to find parts imo

just_ace

rally isn't racing? nor are AWD cars "equipped for racing"?

i think someone should tell HKS that their CT30R is doing it wrong.

"sports car" is a like the "family", rally car being a "genus" of said family and wrx being a "species" of said genus....that's how i see it.

What has AWD or the CT30R got to do with it? I never said all AWD cars cannot be sports cars.
Some rally cars are not AWD and the CT30R isnt a 'rally' car but a time attack track car, so you're just confusing things.
 
The point I'm trying to make is:  IMO the 86 fits the definition of a sports car, better than the WRX.
1. Ultra-low CoG (rivaling supercars);
2. 2 seater(+2);
3. Almost 50/50 F/R balance;
4. Low drag, 0.27 Cd.


 
 

as i see it, you said the wrx and any rally based production (wrx, evo, gt4 etc) vehicle is not a "real" sports car.
 
rally is an automotive sport, the basic definition of sports car "equipped for racing" includes the aformentioned cars, which in their road going guise is what makes them a "sports" car.
 
when they're modified for the sole purpose of rally/curcuit/drift then you would no longer call them a sports car. heck even integra's are called "sports" cars, depends on how "purist" you want to go. some will say even the 86 isn't a true sports car.
 
i've driven an ol NA 4A ae86, and until the 86/bzr is released i can't say if the hype can be justified. I sure hope it is but as everyones seen, the original hype was over it being a successor to the ae86, cheap and fun. but by all acounts it's not going to be relatively cheap anymore.......*sigh*