What sports car do you think I should buy next?

[Hugh]

1. cost should be in the $100K ballpark
2. car should be exotic and exclusive to some degree
3. car should be a performance sport car, straight stickshift preferably, but I would tolerate SMG if the car was right
4. car won't be a daily driver and I will probably put about 3000-4000 miles on it per year. I would still like it to be fairly reliable, this will come more into play if I buy a car that is greater than 10 years old.
5. I will most likely only keep this car for 1-2 years, so I would prefer not to lose my shirt when it comes time for selling.

Wait a little while longer and get a Ford GT. I spoke to a couple of wholesalers last week and they both told me they've been "quietly" offered cars at $125K. Cars have been listed for sale on www.fordgtforum.com as low as $8400 off MSRP. Be patient and you'll be able to snag one in the near future for not much over $100K.

As of the end of March 2970 have been manufactured and of those 2302 have been sold. Meaning there are close to 700 cars in dealer inventory and they still have about 1200 yet to build.

Check out www.fordgtprices.com

 

[scorp965]

It's also *GAK* lavender! If cars could cry this one would have self-inflicted flood damage.

bleh, it's a special SE lavender, so people know without starring at the front bumper you are not just driving any Diablo.

I certainly wouldn't refuse it, lavender or not. :redface:

 

[Hugh]

bleh, it's a special SE lavender, so people know without starring at the front bumper you are not just driving any Diablo.

99.9% of the people in the world wouldn't know a Diablo from a Fiero. All they'd see is a snarling lavender monstrosity and wonder what kind of freak was driving it.

 

[91 X]

wish I had your dilemma :redface: :tongue:

but why not just go ahead and get an F430 :biggrin:

with a $100K down payment, your payments wouldn't be too bad:wink:

 

[|Adeel]

Porsche 996 GT3, please try one if you get the oppurtunity to do so, they are a real blast to fun... Real toys

 

[minervoflorida]

Ferrari 550, great value, I have been in most of the late Ferraris including and Enzo, the 550 is really nice in all areas.

 

[Klayton]

Porsche 996 GT3, please try one if you get the oppurtunity to do so, they are a real blast to fun... Real toys

The 997 GT3 is not sold in the US yet? It's 108 000€. I would go for this one.

 

[|Adeel]

The 997 GT3 is not sold in the US yet? It's 108 000€. I would go for this one.

I was thinking 996, but if he can get a 997 why not, it's even better I think...


I have driven 996 GT3, it's just pure fun...

 

[jeffrey]

Buy my bike in my signature and then a Viper GTS....:biggrin:

 

[rk-nsx]

bmw Z8 (i know there are issues)
ferrari f355
ferrari 512 tr
porsche 996 tt/gt-3

happy hunting:biggrin:

 

[docdan]

Wow! Great suggestions, a few I hadn't thought about. Thanks a lot.

Here are some of my thoughts on some of the cars mentioned so far:

1. Gallardo......I think this car is going to be too expensive for me for a while and I like the look of the Diablo better.

2. Diablo SE.....lavender or not, this car is awesome. For 1994 the side skirts look very modern. Does anyone know if that was the stock look for that year?

3. Audi R9.....Wow! That's a hot car. I haven't been able to find a price on this one yet. Anybody know what ballpark this car will be priced at?

4. Noble M12.....this is a car I hadn't previously considered. I'll need to do more research, check about where I can get it serviced, and ultimately see one in person and drive it before I can make a furthur opinion on it. I definitely need to do some reading on this car.

5. AMV8.....I love this car and would love to own it. I saw it a few weeks ago at the Atlanta Auto Show. It was much smaller than it looks in the pictures. Still very cool. I think MSRP is around 110K, and I believe they are charging a premium on this car still. This might be a good car to buy on the used market.

6. 996 Turbo.....I almost forgot about this car. Getting a used one in a Cabriolet would be a lot of fun.

7. M6....I sat in one of these at the car show. VERY cool car with a cool body. I'm sure it'll haul ass. It does have the SMG however.

8. Z8...the James Bond BMW. I had read or heard that a lot of these had bent? frames or something along that line. It was some sort of factory defect. I would be concerned with buying one of these cars and would fear having a hard time selling it. Aside from that, I love this car also.

9. Ford GT....I think it'll probably be 2 years or more before they drop as low as I need it to be. I don't think I can wait that long. This may be a good option for my next car after this one.

10. Ferrari F550....love this car. Can it be bought for 100K?

11. 02-05 NSX....this is an option to me. However, I would want to mod it with a body kit and rims at the least. I'm not sure I want to go through the trials and tribulations of car modding and the time lost enjoying it. If I found a nicely modded 02-05 I would consider it, but really, I want a different car for a change.


Other cars still not discussed:

13. Shelby Series 1
14. Ferrari F355



Have any of you owned any of the cars, or have reliable knowledge about the cars that I am considering still? If so, would you be so kind as to comment on the relability and the cost of ownership. People tend to claim the cost of ownership of a Lambo is very high...yet some threads on Lambo Power seem to indicate that some people with a 10 year Diablo still only spent around $500/ year in maintenence.

Are there any of the cars that I am considering that should be automatically black balled due to some inherent flaw that I am not aware of?

Are there any particular years of these cars, that fall within my price range, that I should gravitate towards or away from?

Once again, thanks for all the input. This is a very resourceful thread.

Dan

 

[NsSeX]

The 996 tt/Gt2/3's really don't have any issues with reliablity. I have personally driven a GT2 for a short period-thanks to a friend- and all i could say was WOW.
GT2:
The car's handling is crisp
plenty of power
Interior is very nice. EVERYTHING is leather
Reliable? Very. only issues the P's have, are when you add in a OILED air filter that blows your MAF sensor.

All i could say after driving the GT2 was: "I wish the NSX was built as well as this car." Everything felt right about the car.
Flame suit on:biggrin:

Ownership costs?

If you can afford to maintain a NSX, maintaing a P cost's about the same.
For example:
NSX oil change at dealership:60-70 every 3k miles
996 tt/Gt2/3: $200-220ish every 10k miles

plus insurance coverage for a P is cheaper than a NSX

 

[Cameron]

Honestly, the first car that comes to mind that matches your search criteria is a Noble. That car all said and done is just at or above 100K, very exclusive, not necessarily a daily driver, stick, very fast, very very track worthy. Noble GTO3-R gets my vote!

 

[scorp965]

2. Diablo SE.....lavender or not, this car is awesome. For 1994 the side skirts look very modern. Does anyone know if that was the stock look for that year?

The SE has a specially tweaked aero, more powerful engine, carbon fiber interior, reduced weight (sort of a 'nsx-r' diablo) and is limited production - when I posted it initially I didn't realize there was a reserve, this is certainly an exclusive sports car, but you will need to contact Las Vegas Lamborghini to determine if it is even practical given your budget - due to the limited nature of this 'special edition' diablo there could be a reasonable 1994 diablo-priced reserve, or there could be something astronomical if they are looking for a collector - also, note, the car only has 4k miles on it... It may be a steal, or it could be $200k+

 

[Matt_337]

If my budget was $100k and I knew I was only keeping it for 1-2 years (and didn't want to lose a lot on re-sale), then I would go for the following:

1. BMW Z8 - resale is high on these but just make sure to get one that has already been fixed (the frame problem). Also, I would get a 2002 model for that car since the 2003 were Alpinas and automatic. 2002's and prior also had the E39 M5 V8. These are exclusive enough cars with enough pep to satisfy your criteria.

2. 996 GT3 - Don't really need to comment on this car. We all know what it can do. That said, the 997 GT3 looks to be a lot better. It may affect your re-sale value.

3. 993 TT S - If all you cared about was re-sale, then find yourself one of these. These have been appreciating and most agree that they are the best 911s.

4. F360 - Don't really need to comment here since it fits all of your criteria.

 

[scorp965]

The Z8 frame issue has been greatly overblown, it is similar to an issue with Z3's - I had a heavily modified (supercharged) Z3, and never noticed any signs of the problem other cars were having - have a PPI done, ask them to look for the problem, but don't avoid the vehicle because of it.

_at_the_same_time_ Z8 values have tanked, and a number of them are automatic's - I would not be going for a Z8 unless you are a HUGE roadster enthusiast and have to have one.

Ownership costs on the cars you are considering are going to depend on how much you drive the car, how much the owner(s) before you drove the car, and how much importance prior owners placed on expensive maintinance items - a Lamborghini might only cost a few hundred a year to maintain, if all it sees are monthly low-speed dinner cruises. If you intend to flog the car every weekend, as is your right given the price of admission, expect to see your cost of ownership rise appreciably, along with your ownership experiance.

Cars that are going to be easier on your pocketbook, once purchased, are going to be cars like the Ford GT, NSX, 550, certainly the M6, etc. - either cars built by companies that know how to *gasp* make cars intended to be driven, eg Ford/BMW/Honda, or cars built to bridge the gap between exotic and use-friendly, such as the 550. Certain vehicles, eg the Ultima GTR or Noble, have the potential to be reliable, they have the potential to be a lot of things, depending on what you decide to put into them engine-wise, and who you get to build the car - I do not see any of these 'high performance kit' type cars as being a good place to hedge against depreciation.

 

[minervoflorida]

Yes you can get a nice 550 for $100k.

Very fast, many consider it a daily driver Ferrari and fairly reasonable to maintain.

Some on autotrader now.

 

[AutoVation]

 

[chumch]

Wow! Great suggestions, a few I hadn't thought about. Thanks a lot.

Here are some of my thoughts on some of the cars mentioned so far:

1. Gallardo......I think this car is going to be too expensive for me for a while and I like the look of the Diablo better.

2. Diablo SE.....lavender or not, this car is awesome. For 1994 the side skirts look very modern. Does anyone know if that was the stock look for that year?

3. Audi R9.....Wow! That's a hot car. I haven't been able to find a price on this one yet. Anybody know what ballpark this car will be priced at?

4. Noble M12.....this is a car I hadn't previously considered. I'll need to do more research, check about where I can get it serviced, and ultimately see one in person and drive it before I can make a furthur opinion on it. I definitely need to do some reading on this car.

5. AMV8.....I love this car and would love to own it. I saw it a few weeks ago at the Atlanta Auto Show. It was much smaller than it looks in the pictures. Still very cool. I think MSRP is around 110K, and I believe they are charging a premium on this car still. This might be a good car to buy on the used market.

6. 996 Turbo.....I almost forgot about this car. Getting a used one in a Cabriolet would be a lot of fun.

7. M6....I sat in one of these at the car show. VERY cool car with a cool body. I'm sure it'll haul ass. It does have the SMG however.

8. Z8...the James Bond BMW. I had read or heard that a lot of these had bent? frames or something along that line. It was some sort of factory defect. I would be concerned with buying one of these cars and would fear having a hard time selling it. Aside from that, I love this car also.

9. Ford GT....I think it'll probably be 2 years or more before they drop as low as I need it to be. I don't think I can wait that long. This may be a good option for my next car after this one.

10. Ferrari F550....love this car. Can it be bought for 100K?

11. 02-05 NSX....this is an option to me. However, I would want to mod it with a body kit and rims at the least. I'm not sure I want to go through the trials and tribulations of car modding and the time lost enjoying it. If I found a nicely modded 02-05 I would consider it, but really, I want a different car for a change.


Other cars still not discussed:

13. Shelby Series 1
14. Ferrari F355



Have any of you owned any of the cars, or have reliable knowledge about the cars that I am considering still? If so, would you be so kind as to comment on the relability and the cost of ownership. People tend to claim the cost of ownership of a Lambo is very high...yet some threads on Lambo Power seem to indicate that some people with a 10 year Diablo still only spent around $500/ year in maintenence.

Are there any of the cars that I am considering that should be automatically black balled due to some inherent flaw that I am not aware of?

Are there any particular years of these cars, that fall within my price range, that I should gravitate towards or away from?

Once again, thanks for all the input. This is a very resourceful thread.

Dan

I would strongly consider a Noble.

I think if you picked the M6 or Z8, you would be in the same place as you were with the AMG you just sold. Kind of big GT touring type cars with lots of HP but a bit too disconnected.

To answer a previous question:
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.j...007&start_year=1981&isp=y&lang=en&cardist=356