These cars are built for very specific people. Those who want a light, great handling, basic car for simply enjoying driving for what it is. I wouldn't recommend them for anyone other than someone looking for exactly that.
The build quality is crap, the paint is crap, and they have no power at all. Just enough to get out of it's own way, barely. Off the showroom, they handle well enough to be fun, but the tires and brakes are junk if you want any real performance. Everything was done to minimize weight at the expense of comfort. The cabin is super loud. There's practically no sound deadening so you always hear other cars, tire noise, wind noise, etc.
These cars shine when you find that remote, twisty, country backroad or canyon. The car literally dances between corner transitions, and they change direction lightning quick with decent tires and a mediocre peformance alignment. It begs to be abused, and honestly...you really have to run them hard to see what they're about. I'm not talking about just revving it to the moon like some people claim is all the rage, because it will NEVER be fast...I don't care what RPM it's at. But...finding that ultra curvy road and just pounding through the corners...that's where these cars need to be.
If you can't see yourself doing that, these cars would probably be boring. I wouldn't own one otherwise. It would just be another boring Honda Civic going to and from work and the grocery store.
The track, backroads, and autocross is where they shine...
