Fancy Five-Grand Coupes: 2005 Mazda RX-8 vs 2010 Lexus IS250C

Welcome back! Today we’re looking at a couple of rear-wheel-drive coupes for the same price. Well, actually, I say coupes, but one of them has rear doors, and the other has a retractable hardtop. But apparently you can call anything a coupe these days, so that’s what I’m going with for these two.

Yesterday’s choices were both definitely coupes, not a rear door or a hatchback to be found. And as far as hopped-up economy cars go, they were both pretty cool choices. I’m surprised the Cobalt had such a strong fan section in the comments; I didn’t think those cars were that popular. It was a really close vote, basically a tie, but as of this writing, the Neon is winning by a few votes.

Besides, as you all know, ties around here go to the author, and while I’m intrigued by the idea of the Cobalt SS, I just don’t like that particular one very much. Make it blue or yellow, and closer to stock, and I might have picked it. But I had a Neon coupe that I just loved, even though it was an SOHC engine and an automatic. I couldn’t pass up the chance at a DOHC manual version.

All right. Let’s move the drive wheels to the back, switch the country of manufacture to Japan, and bump up the price just a little, and see what we can find. Five thousand is as high as I like to go for most Showdowns; it seems like a lot, but “cheap” cars aren’t two grand anymore. Then again, fifteen or twenty-year-old cars are a hell of a lot nicer than they used to be, too; I’m constantly surprised by what I can find. I would have thought these would both be more. Let’s see which one is a better value for the price.

2005 Mazda RX-8 – $5,000

Engine/drivetrain: 1.3-liter two-rotor Wankel rotary, six-speed manual, RWD

Location: Hopkins, MN

Odometer reading: 67,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives great

Mazda wasn’t the first manufacturer to use rotary engines in its cars, of course, but I bet it will be the last. Rotary engines just don’t work all that well, but they are fascinating, and nothing feels or sounds quite like them. This latest iteration of Mazda rotary-powered sports car, the RX-8, has a terrible reputation for unreliability, so much so that RX-8s are common subjects for engine swaps. But to me, that just isn’t right. I mean, you can make an “apple pie” from Ritz crackers, but it just isn’t the same.

This RX-8 still proudly sports its Renesis rotary engine, its two triangular rotors spinning a six-speed manual gearbox just like it should. It has 67,000 miles on the odometer, which would seem low for most other cars, but for an RX-8, that’s getting up there. It runs great, according to the seller, and has been well-maintained. It has a few minor modifications, namely a short-throw shifter and some thicker sway bars. The stock parts are included if you want to put them back.

It is very clean, inside and out, which isn’t surprising given the low mileage. It’s a Minnesota car, which raises some questions about rust, but the seller says it has been “barely driven” during the winter. Probably a good idea anyway; RWD sports coupes like this aren’t great winter cars.

It looks black in the photos, but the seller says it’s actually a very dark green. Also, note the little triangle shape below the rear bumper; Mazda included triangular shapes all over the RX-8. I’m surprised Mazda never had a tie-in deal with Doritos. It seems like a marketing match made in heaven.

2010 Lexus IS250C – $5,000

Engine/drivetrain: 2.5-liter dual overhead cam V6, six-speed automatic, RWD

Location: Irving, TX

Odometer reading: 218,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives great

When it comes to two-door cars built for pleasure, you usually have to choose between a hardtop and a convertible. Some convertibles offer a removable hardtop for the winter months, but then you have to find a place to store it in the summer and figure out a way to get it on and off in the first place. A retractable hardtop that folds into the trunk is a better solution. Peugeot was the first to do it, back in the 1930s, but Ford was the first to mass-produce such a car, in 1957. The idea fell out of fashion for a long time after that, but in the 2000s and 2010s, it seemed like everybody offered a retractable hardtop convertible, including Lexus.

The IS series is Lexus’s entry-level platform, a rear-wheel-drive compact that is typically seen as a four-door sedan. But from 2010-2015, Lexus offered the IS as a two-door convertible coupe, with a couple of different powertrain options. This IS250C is powered by a 2.5 liter DOHC V6 and a six-speed automatic, with flappy-paddle shifters on the steering wheel so you can shift it manually if you so choose. It runs and drives well, though it does have quite a lot of miles on it. It’s for sale by a dealer, so don’t expect any service records, either. You’ll have to rely on an inspection and assume that a bunch of maintenance has been deferred.

It definitely shows some signs of wear inside. It doesn’t look abused; it just looks like a car with over 200,000 miles on it. The seller says the air conditioning works, and the top goes up and down; as long as the stereo works, what more do you need?

It looks pretty good outside, but again, a little worn. The tires look like they need replacing, and I don’t understand why they didn’t wash it before taking the photos. Yeah, it’s a reasonably cheap car, but a run through the carwash is like ten bucks.

So there you have it: a nice clean example of a potential heartbreaker, or a threadbare but probably indestructible luxury convertible coupe. They’re both a lot of car for five grand. The choice is yours.

(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)