Considering a CTR

[optronix]

This will be a second car for me. I want it to be awesome today, and awesome in 20 years at cars and coffee. I want to enjoy it. For me, I stop enjoying a car at around the $80k mark and begin stressing. I also don't want something like an AMG car that costs $20k to do rotors on.

Other than that, Im wide open to things, as long as they are new. I ppf cars from day 1.

Would a CTR be "selling my budget short" vs say, an M2, or a nismo z manual, or a Darkhorse?

Initially...I thought it would. After driving it, Im not so sure, so looking for more input.

So, if you don't need the rear doors, there's plenty of argument to be made you are selling your budget short. It also depends on what you actually want out of a car, what your intended use is, etc. All of what you mention are great cars. All also something that will very likely be looked at in 20 years as "I wish they still made them like they used to". It really just depends on what your personal tastes are.

For me, I've gotten into it a bit but I think the very important element that makes the FL5/DE5 virtually perfect for me is that it is the perfect formula of 4-door, manual, good track survivability (even vs ze Germans), and fun to drive on a back road. I even love the way it looks (for me, equally true for both the FL5 and DE5). I genuinely love this car.

But seriously, if I didn't have the 4 door requirement, I would almost certainly have something else. I've mentioned M2 CS (prior gen F87, new gen is too heavy and expensive and subjectively don't look as good), manual Supra, Cayman/Boxster (any generation), 911 (each generation has it's pros/cons worth another thread). There are probably others worth considering- Dark Horse absolutely being one but I'm just not a Mustang guy but it is definitely a great car. Camaro too if you can see out of it, CT5V BW, F8x M3/4 if you can find a clean one, they've proven pretty reliable over the years but values reflect that... I mean, list goes on. Your choices are really pretty wide open.

I will however agree though- compared to what you've owned thus far, even your updated list, the FL5 feels like it crushes them all. I don't see how you'd be disappointed unless you just continue to live in "what if" land, infinitely pontificating. I used to do that, would not recommend.

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[J35W2]

I am considering a CTR for my next fun car. Some background on this...


I drove an ev6 GT for a few years. It was fast as hell and boringly reliable. I crushed almost every car that had a go at me. Roll or dig. But it lacked soul. It wasnt engaging. After a few wot blasts, it was very mundane. It also is going obsolete. The work to keep it on the road in 20 years is literally impossible or impossibly stupid to pay for. Its a consumable.

I want the opposite of that. I first came to that realization when I bought a 2011 CVPI for a beater 1.5 years ago. I put 30k miles on it by the time I added another 4k to the GT. Something about being able to work on it, the rack and pinion steering, the gutless but opinionated 4.6L v8. Vibes, man.

I want a fun car like that, but with higher limits. I want a car that in 20 years will still have a place in my garage.

Cars Ive considered: nismo z manual, m2x drive, rc-f.

But everyone keeps glazing the CTR. So I went to drive one. It absolutely demolished my expectations and I couldnt stop grinning. My only concern is...Will I miss the power? Will fwd become a burden? Is it special enough?

Id like to hear from some of you who kay also have or have cross shopped similar cars to my list.

My humble opinion. But if you want a car that pastes a smile on your face every time you drive it, for the price point, reliability & maintenance costs, it’s really hard to beat a CTR. With $10k in mods (more detail if you want it), this car is a brilliant DD or track car, if you have the cash for tires, breaks, etc. I am a Honda guy, but a 4 door, turbo hatch that is great off the floor or a demon with some investment that will endure as long as you maintain it is hard to beat.
You’re going to get biased opinions here, stock or with with $5-$10k invested, you will want to drive it ALL the time. Perhaps the best hot hatch ever & it looks the part.

If you have a beater to put miles on, this is a “lifetime” car that is a blast to mod/drive & ruins cars that cost WAY more. Aftermarket part availability is also basically endless. For a car that does everything exceptionally well, it’s hard to beat the CTR. Just get a good lawyer if you drive it at the limits on public roads.

 

[thatonedaveguy]

This will be a second car for me. I want it to be awesome today, and awesome in 20 years at cars and coffee. I want to enjoy it. For me, I stop enjoying a car at around the $80k mark and begin stressing. I also don't want something like an AMG car that costs $20k to do rotors on.

Other than that, Im wide open to things, as long as they are new. I ppf cars from day 1.

Would a CTR be "selling my budget short" vs say, an M2, or a nismo z manual, or a Darkhorse?

Initially...I thought it would. After driving it, Im not so sure, so looking for more input.

I'll keep it short and simple. If you care about the driving experience, the FL5 Type R is a superior car to the M2, Nismo Z, and Darkhorse and it's not even close. The CTR is a light weight direct handling car with a shifting experience that BMW, Nissan, and Ford have never in their history come close to matching. BMW's last good car was the first gen M2. The new Z is a grand tourer, not a driver's car. The new Mustang is a step back from the old one.

Front wheel drive means you don't launch very fast. It also means your car is lighter, you have less drivetrain power loss than RWD or AWD, and you have more trunk space lol.

Without a tune, the FL5 beats all of those cars on the track. With a completely stock car + a tune you can buy online, the FL5 walks 480HP Mustang GTs in a roll race.

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