OK, Down to 4 choices. Help me choose
 

Choose one. All prices are before haggling. MINI price is, of course, non-negotiable.

Note: I test drove the Mazda 3 tonight, and was blown away at how good this car is for the money. On the highway, felt very much like the 3 series in every respect. A small amount of body lean in the corners, but very liveable.

Also drove the Mazdaspeed Miata, and liked it very much.

Did you drive an RX-8? They can be had for that MINI money.

I'll add that the MINI has stellar resale value, whereas the 3 will probably be pretty mediocre. Not sure about the Miata and S2000...

Used S2000. I have seen these perform at several SCAA autocrosses and I am impressed with how well they handle. I have not driven one, but I heard if you rev the hell out one it is a lot of fun.

BTW, If I had to had something 'new' out of those listed above it would be the MCS.

Tomorrow morning, if I decide to revisit the dealership. I'm glad you stopped in. How would you compare the acceleration and handling of the RX-8 as compared to the 330 SP?
Also, how much can I expect them to deal on the base RX-8?

The 330 has enough grunt off the line to make it a nearly unfair fight. If you wind them up far enough, like a 0-40+ run, they're about even in acceleration.

Handling? No contest. No joke. OTOH, it comes at a cost. It's not as cushy as an E46 either. That said, there is more body roll than you will probably expect, and there is some floatiness over mid corner bumps with the stock shocks. Neither of those things are close to being showstoppers, but they are very noticeable compared to everything else.

Current pricing is right around invoice +/- a couple hundred for sales (base 6MT invoice is $25,179, incl dest). Mazda did have a $1500 lease incentive to dealers, but I think that may have expired.

Mazdaspeed or new/gently used LS 6-speed Miata. Fun factor is high, reliable factor is high.

I think the guy said the lease incentive on the RX-8 is like $3000 now. However, I won't be financing the vehicle in any way. That would have sealed the deal, though. $25K - $3000 incentive. What a damn bargain!

Well, if this guy from the mini dealship doesn't call me back about my car (he's on a "Florida time schedule"), I'll drive the RX-8 tomorrow morning. Weird, you'd think he'd be motivated to get that MINI out the door before month-end?

Still, I might very well go with the Mazda 3, and pocket the extra 7 grand in cash. The 3 is very, very, very liveable.

We'll see what kind of mood I'm in tomorrow morning.

http://www.fergusonfinearts.com/waffle.jpg

Voted for the MINI b/c I know how much fun it is. The Miata might be as much or more fun though - and probably more dependable (although I have not had one single problem with my MINI).

If you buy a plane jane Mazda 3, you are going to hate it in 6 months and continue to hate for as long as you own it and probably end up spending more by selling it too soon and buying something else.

Mazda Miata.

Not as fun as the rx8 but better looking.

Just an opinion from someone who hasn't driven either.