Finally moving on from the DE5

[optronix]

Congrats, I find myself wanting a ND at times. But eerie I'm going in reverse order of you

I went from: RS3 -> ND Miata -> ITS - > Porsche Cayman GTS

If I recall, you went came from GTS Boxster - > ITS -> ND Miata - > RS3 (give or take a few cars)

Haha, I think your order makes more sense. I had a couple kids' tuition to pay (and cars to buy...) in the middle of it all to influence purchasing decisions.

The intake noise of that 4.0 still haunts my dreams... but it's still wild to think that the MSRP of both the RS3 and ND still come in less than you could get a 5 year old used GTS4.0 right now!

(Dammit apparently I can't upload gifs anymore, this is a travesty. But you get the point lol)

To be an enthusiast is to want to experience everything. Some of us are blessed enough to be able to experience more and there’s nothing wrong with taking advantage of that

I myself have been taking hard looks at the c8 grandsport, emira v6 and 911 t. I just don’t feel ready to let the integra go yet. As if I’m not done having fun with it.

Those are great choices (although personally I've just never vibed with the C8 like I do with the C7...). I was leaning towards an Emira very hard for a while, until I started to pay attention to what was happening to Lotus as a whole. I think some of that has changed recently but still worth paying attention to... but it's not like Porsche's future is as bright and certain as it used to be either. And the T is amazing, possibly the best 911 ever, but it's too damn expensive.

I'll be looking in that upper end market again eventually but the ND at $40k keeps a smile on my face just fine for now. And I still need a sedan to get the dog in and put miles on.

Sponsored

 

[Unity Performance]

Thank you for your contributions to the forum! The RS3 is a little pocket rocket, you’ll love the symphony from the 5cyl turbo engine. A little less engaging chassis but it’s still a great point and shoot car.

The ND will deliver endless smiles as well. I’ve spent a good deal of time with an ND1 soft top, and then an ND2 RF. Both times I was left with the desire to own one but sadly it hasn’t happened yet. Similarly craving an S2000 for the same reasons as you described.

Let us know how you feel as time passes with the RS3

 

[SilverRocket]

Optronix in a few days???

 

[optronix]

Thank you for your contributions to the forum! The RS3 is a little pocket rocket, you’ll love the symphony from the 5cyl turbo engine. A little less engaging chassis but it’s still a great point and shoot car.

The ND will deliver endless smiles as well. I’ve spent a good deal of time with an ND1 soft top, and then an ND2 RF. Both times I was left with the desire to own one but sadly it hasn’t happened yet. Similarly craving an S2000 for the same reasons as you described.

Let us know how you feel as time passes with the RS3

Good insight! And yes... I can't deny that I don't literally think about asking anyone with a clean S2000 if they'd want to trade lol. What I said earlier about intake noise for the Porsche 4.0L... it's honestly probably outdone by the VTEC honk of that F series.

On a long enough timeline there might be a K swap in my ND's future... but it will have to actively outweigh the benefits of owning another P car (or Emira if they ever make a Spyder version).

Optronix in a few days???

That's genuinely funny lol... but also has me wondering wtf I'm doing wrong because I've tried and failed multiple times to post gifs the past couple days! I used to just be able to upload or even copy/paste... anyway. Not important enough to troubleshoot.

I'm not leavin though. I like you guys.

 

[UWU-mancer]

Good insight! And yes... I can't deny that I don't literally think about asking anyone with a clean S2000 if they'd want to trade lol. What I said earlier about intake noise for the Porsche 4.0L... it's honestly probably outdone by the VTEC honk of that F series.

On a long enough timeline there might be a K swap in my ND's future... but it will have to actively outweigh the benefits of owning another P car (or Emira if they ever make a Spyder version).



That's genuinely funny lol... but also has me wondering wtf I'm doing wrong because I've tried and failed multiple times to post gifs the past couple days! I used to just be able to upload or even copy/paste... anyway. Not important enough to troubleshoot.

I'm not leavin though. I like you guys.

There’s a ND1 or ND2 here with a built L15 swap out of a 10 gen si. Mf is putting down almost 300whp and about the same in tq on a w2 turbo swap. The nd Miata realistically doesn’t need more than maybe 220whp. That little shits a rocket tho

and it’s a RF! Non of that disgusting degenerate convertible bullshit

he did non of the work himself. Between the motor, parts and labor. He barely burned 6k to get there. Iirc the shop did get creative with the trans tho

 

[chopsuey34]

This actually came pretty suddenly. The psychology of a car enthusiast should be studied, and I'm so glad I'm not like this with women.

What do you think is the difference between how car enthusiasts choose which cars / women they drive / date and when the change them and why?

 

[optronix]

What do you think is the difference between how car enthusiasts choose which cars / women they drive / date and when the change them and why?

I won't pretend to act like I know how to interpret this, I just notice things anecdotally and I'm not the only one who hops from car to car and I was just making a comment and I don't even know where I was expecting to go with it. Personally, I also do NOT hop from woman to woman. That story has stayed the same for over 20 years and I have zero interest in changing it up.

 

[UWU-mancer]

wtf

 

[Victorofhavoc]

wtf

Adds are targeted... What have you been searching??

No joke though, I have a mouse that keeps coming back into my audi's underpan, and since the Q7 is my toy-hauler/driveway-bitch it gets a lot of sit time... Little dude nesting below the cabin fresh air intake water drain and causing a smell which the intake then sucks into the car . Now, I've poured peroxide down there, but bleach could be an interesting next step. Maybe mix in some mercury for any latent residents.

 

[UWU-mancer]

Adds are targeted... What have you been searching??

No joke though, I have a mouse that keeps coming back into my audi's underpan, and since the Q7 is my toy-hauler/driveway-bitch it gets a lot of sit time... Little dude nesting below the cabin fresh air intake water drain and causing a smell which the intake then sucks into the car . Now, I've poured peroxide down there, but bleach could be an interesting next step. Maybe mix in some mercury for any latent residents.

Bro chill. He’s just making sure the water pump doesn’t leak

 

[Victorofhavoc]

Bro chill. He’s just making sure the water pump doesn’t leak

Water pumps on VAG cars are just typical 40k consumables, like rear brakes on the Integra being an 8k thing

 

[Xelloss]

I'm probably on record somewhere suggesting that if I didn't need a manual I would almost surely have picked a different car. The ones I'd put at the top of that list are the Audi RS3 and the Alfa Giulia Q4. Only one of those is worth even thinking about owning as a primary vehicle. Probably a bit of timing too because Throttle House just recently did a review of the 2026 RS3 and some of the changes to the chassis tuning piqued my interest. So that's what I'm doing.

A year on from my last car shopping adventure (where I picked up my DE5) out of all the cars I looked at and considered, the only one I still think back on is the RS3. Space was one consideration for not buying the RS3, just because I'd wished I had a hatch instead of a trunk on multiple occasions with my WRX. That and I wasn't feeling ready to give up 6MT.

But that 5cyl. Yeah. I almost impulse bought it, except I hadn't yet checked out the CTR I was intending to look at (which I later did, and dealer was like "oh and we have some Type-S next door you should look at since you don't like the wing...")

If they offered the hatch version RS3 in US I definitely would have bought it.

And could 110% see myself getting one in a year or two, provided they're still around. Just like the ITS/CTR (and Miata TBH), the RS3 is part of a dying breed of mass-market cars that still have something special about them.

 

[optronix]

A year on from my last car shopping adventure (where I picked up my DE5) out of all the cars I looked at and considered, the only one I still think back on is the RS3. Space was one consideration for not buying the RS3, just because I'd wished I had a hatch instead of a trunk on multiple occasions with my WRX. That and I wasn't feeling ready to give up 6MT.

But that 5cyl. Yeah. I almost impulse bought it, except I hadn't yet checked out the CTR I was intending to look at (which I later did, and dealer was like "oh and we have some Type-S next door you should look at since you don't like the wing...")

If they offered the hatch version RS3 in US I definitely would have bought it.

And could 110% see myself getting one in a year or two, provided they're still around. Just like the ITS/CTR (and Miata TBH), the RS3 is part of a dying breed of mass-market cars that still have something special about them.

Yeah... the Integra storage space is legit CRAZY. It has not just a small amount more than my wife's Macan, but A LOT MORE. I can (and did on several occasions) fit 4 tires AND wheels IN BOXES in that car.

But on the flipside, the RS3 is smaller, and feels smaller. The S3 I had was legit perfectly sized, and I loved darting that thing around town and that's exactly what I want out of my "daily" right now. The 5 cylinder is just a bonus in the power and noise department.

That said it's not actually fair to pin my selection of the DE5 on the manual alone so I'll walk that back a bit. I haven't even driven an RS3 yet so I'll report back if anything changes after I've owned it for a while (a bit of a side story and sore subject... but I've had bad luck finding dealers who will let you test drive any RS car, and the one I have a deposit on has been getting tires and tint installed this entire week...)- but what makes the DE5 irreplaceable as an "only car" solution is its collective driving dynamics, not just the manual transmission. That for sure is part of it, but the overall experience of driving that car (which also extends to the track), is legit transcendent. It drives as well as any Porsche I've owned. Steering, chassis, braking, shifter. All 10/10.

But those scores also apply to the MX-5...

So now a dual-clutch is actually a benefit for its intended use case of just putting around town and the occasional spirited drive on the road when it isn't 74 and sunny... and I'm also excited to not have a buzzing sound from 2300-3650 rpm in any gear anymore.

 

[Victorofhavoc]

Yeah... the Integra storage space is legit CRAZY. It has not just a small amount more than my wife's Macan, but A LOT MORE. I can (and did on several occasions) fit 4 tires AND wheels IN BOXES in that car.

But on the flipside, the RS3 is smaller, and feels smaller. The S3 I had was legit perfectly sized, and I loved darting that thing around town and that's exactly what I want out of my "daily" right now. The 5 cylinder is just a bonus in the power and noise department.

That said it's not actually fair to pin my selection of the DE5 on the manual alone so I'll walk that back a bit. I haven't even driven an RS3 yet so I'll report back if anything changes after I've owned it for a while (a bit of a side story and sore subject... but I've had bad luck finding dealers who will let you test drive any RS car, and the one I have a deposit on has been getting tires and tint installed this entire week...)- but what makes the DE5 irreplaceable as an "only car" solution is its collective driving dynamics, not just the manual transmission. That for sure is part of it, but the overall experience of driving that car (which also extends to the track), is legit transcendent. It drives as well as any Porsche I've owned. Steering, chassis, braking, shifter. All 10/10.

But those scores also apply to the MX-5...

So now a dual-clutch is actually a benefit for its intended use case of just putting around town and the occasional spirited drive on the road when it isn't 74 and sunny... and I'm also excited to not have a buzzing sound from 2300-3650 rpm in any gear anymore.

I still maintain that hopping between the its and a Gt4rs on track, the its has better steering and braking. That's the majority of the feel you need for track use.

Not to say the Gt4rs is a bad car or anything less than the its, because objectively it's better in every single way except those two things. I'd take the its all day for zipping around town or for track use. I'd take the cayman on a cruise over the its any day, and with the flappy paddles my wife would enjoy it more too.

The mqb platform is incredibly good. You're absolutely right that it feels small and that it's more playful of a car.

 

[UWU-mancer]

Meanwhile. I’ve been taking hard looks at swapping a L15b7 into an rx8

I dunno wtf is wrong with me

Sponsored