rx-8 vs cooper s w/ works

I am looking at getting a fun fast car. Right now I am debating between the RX-8 and cooper S w/ the works. Rx-8 has 238 hp and 159 ft-lb fo torque while the cooper has 200 hp and 177ft-lb of torque. Im looking for a car that is fast, fun, affordable (under 30k), and has the potential to seat four if needed. Any suggestions??

The new Mini can seat 4 in reasonable comfort unless your back seat passengers are 6ft+. It's a fun car to drive, handles really beautifully, and has a pretty cool interior. However I would get the RX8 purely because it's RWD.

I agree take the RX8. Its chassis is just a work of art beatifully sorted. And a handling ballance to match. They do awesome even on autox courses were the worse traits of a car show up.

Its very drivable day to day(read soft&comfy clutch), and the engine is very responsive even though it pales in comparison to the chassis.

I feel that its almost unfair to this car that the engine is so talked about being rotary and all that when its true brilliance is in the handling balance. true the engine plays a part being so light but its mainly the chasis.

The only two complaints I have about the car are:lack of kick in the pants torque, and the shifter is soft and a bit too mushy to my tastes(i pefer a raw mechanical feel shifter)

BTW those impressions are from direct experience both of driving the snot out of one and seing them in local autox courses.

the mini is a cool car, but i wouldnt want to live with one. plus, like jay said, the rx-8 is rwd and that is a huge plus in my book. so i say get the rx-8. i think the shifter is awesome in the rx-8. the biggest reason is it feels really good in my hand and the throws are so short.

dodge neon srt-4

no...

Lets not make this into an srt4 or not tread. :nono:

i know it wasn't one of your choices...but a 1999-2002 ram air trans am WS6 can seat four is a hell of alot of fun to drive, shifts wonderfully and is under 30k. and with 325hp it can run mid 13s. but i mean..if it HAS to be one of those I'd go with the RX-8 just because I think it looks good.

I will start this with a story. I was driving on the highway in my friends 1999 Trans Am, then a car crammed with 5 chics came up and wanted to race us. Then we proceded to destroy their car in a race of monumentaly average speeds reaching into the 120's. Then the girls gave up and took their exit. This story has no point, but it includes two of the four cars mentioned above.