what would you buy for 80-90K?

[TURBO2GO]

Please give me an opinion. If you had 80-90K to spend on a car (your second car, not your primary car), what would you buy? I just sold my Mercedes CL600. I loved the car, supremely comfortable, quick, utterly luxurious, but... its my second car and sometimes I was just bored. I want something with an open top. I would like a stick... I am constantly fidgeting with my manu-matic pretending I am shifting...

I have considered these other cars...

Porsche 02-04 996T, or 05 997 carrera... can't stand the interior... not in love with the exterior either... they are a dime a dozen. But it holds it value second only to the NSX and they are fast.

Mercedes Benz SL55/SL600 2003-2004. Convertible, 500+ HP, very comfortable. Automatic only... fairly common.

02-04 Maserati coupe. Comes in convertible, stick, 400 HP. Rare, Decent looking, but questionable build quality. Questionable reliability. Questionable resale value.

02-05 NSX. Stick, T-top. Reliable. Great resale value. 15 year old design, no nav, a bit weak, I wouldn't consider it luxurious.

Ferrai F355 or 2000 Modena. Exotic. Holds its value well. Maintenance is crazy. Insurance is way up there. Forget a spyder in my price range.

New Jag XK. S/C model to come out in September. Good looking car. Questionable resale and reliability, no stick.

I did also consider a Z06, but the few girls I know and have mentioned it to, have pretty much ruled that one out. A Vette just has a very low cache factor in the northeast.

I am single, in my mid 30's. I have a honda element daily driver work vehicle.

I have thought about buying an 05 NSX. Sending it to Comptech and getting the SC. Then sending the car to a shop and having a stereo/nav installed. Not sure what that will do to my warranty and resale.

Really I just want the new NSX. But its not here.

What are your thoughts? I live in Boston. We have crappy roads and not much place to "run". But I refuse to drive a boring car.

 

[Cincinnati Scott]

I understand your predicament. I just sold my 2002 911 Turbo (996TT), and bought a 1991 NSX (yes, a '91 not an '01). I was tired of driving of something that I was worried about all the time, and I think I can get as much fun out of the NSX as I got in the Turbo.

If you're mechanically inclined, don't just look at the 2005's. Buy something cheap(er) and then modify it to suit your tastes. One of the beauties of the NSX is that they really are pretty similar through the years.

The only thing I don't like about the NSX is that every dork in a Civic with a loud muffler wants to race you

Cheers,
Scott

 

[Doc C]

Your plan of a late model NSX with Comptech SC and NAV sounds like a good plan. You didn't mention Z06 in your list. I'm not recommending it, but it does have some amazing numbers and might deserve some consideration. I doubt an M6 is in that price range, but would be a nice one on the list as well. The NSX definitely is more rare and reliability is very solid. You have a very nice dilemma!!! Have fun doing your "research"!!:smile:

 

[TURBO2GO]

If you're mechanically inclined, don't just look at the 2005's. Buy something cheap(er) and then modify it to suit your tastes. One of the beauties of the NSX is that they really are pretty similar through the years.

Scott

Scott one reason I am considering a newer one is the warranty. I just don't want to spend any money on repairs... although it may be a totally different story on a Honda than my out of control V12 CL600. Plus this car depreciates so damn little, I am shocked at how little price difference there is between older ones and newer ones. 05's are being discounted 10K off MSRP. Just seems like a good deal. I just wish a supercharger and nav were standard. Honestly I can see myself changing the wheel/tires, brakes, suspension and radio right away and adding a SC with the clear engine cover. That to me is a correct NSX. I have to do what the factory should have done on this ignored car. Question is, would you buy any of the others I have mentioned?

 

[my1stnsx]

I would buy a porsche GT3, I love the look of it and you can be sure it's gonna be quick and a fun car to drive. If I could buy a new NSX, it would be either the Alex Zanardi or the 02 and up NSX. It's really up to your perference on what you want. You have to ask yourself first if you want a Luxury or Sports car??? Second you have to think about if you want a car that has lots of power or a car that handles well. You have to make a list on what you want frist and think about the pros and cons to each car you choose.

 

[khappucino]

noble M400 :biggrin:

 

[Osiris_x11]

1........2 & 3

Please give me an opinion. If you had 80-90K to spend on a car (your second car, not your primary car), what would you buy?

1.) '99/'00 Ferrari 360 Modena F1 coupe / Grigio alloy & red
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2.) '05 NSX-T 6spd. Silverstone Silver / Blue Leather Int. (ie. Special-Order/Dealer) & NSX-R style -> vented-hood, CF spoiler/LED, CF rear-valance diffuser, and re-finish '02-'05 OEM wheels in black-chrome (hyper-black/pearl)

3.) '03 Aston Martin DB7 V12 Vantage / Solway Grey & navy

 

[91 X]

If you can find a 2000 Modena at that price, buy it!!!:biggrin:

cheapest I've seen for a '99 is like $110K:frown:


no real difference between an 02 and 05 NSX, so save your money and get an 02 if you like the look, or save even more money and get the better looking 91-01:biggrin:

good luck

 

[TURBO2GO]

Re: 1........2 & 3

'03 Aston Martin DB7 V12 Vantage[/U] / Solway Grey & navy

I considered this. There are two DB7 GT's on ebay now that are V12 6 speed. I called my local Aston dealer about warranty. This was his exact reply to me, mind you he is the only Aston dealer within 300 miles of me. "If you buy the car elswhere, have it serviced elsewhere".

 

[TURBO2GO]

If you can find a 2000 Modena at that price, buy it!!!:biggrin:

cheapest I've seen for a '99 is like $110K:frown:


no real difference between an 02 and 05 NSX, so save your money and get an 02 if you like the look, or save even more money and get the better looking 91-01:biggrin:

good luck

Yes, a Modena can be had in the 90K range. Not sure of the quality... yes, I do still wonder if the '02 "update" is better looking. The rear, yes... the front is very questionable.

 

[NSXLuvr]

What don't you like about the 997 cab? It seems like the best bet for what you are looking for - sportier, convert, and cache.

 

[Osiris_x11]

hidden-message?!?

I considered this. There are two DB7 GT's on ebay now that are V12 6 speed. I called my local Aston dealer about warranty. This was his exact reply to me, mind you he is the only Aston dealer within 300 miles of me. "If you buy the car elswhere, have it serviced elsewhere".

Wow, that sounds no good and I'm not sure of what he even was implying?!?

I presume he's alluding to building a relationship w/ them, "you buy from us and then in turn we'll take care of you..."

-or-

"These prissy Ford's in cloak are a P.I.T.A., if you get it from ye' yonder: let them deal w/ it!

Now w/ that said, GT's are uber-rare & a premium in the long-run w/o a doubt! I do hear of some transmission vulnerability w/ the GT, but addressed on the GTA... though I'm not too well versed w/ them to be honest. I'd think they'd be on par w/ Jaguar's Mark XK ('97-'06) & '95-'97 XJ12 in terms of quality/durability (former's) and power/drive-train (latter's).

In regards to 360 Modena F1 coupes, through an active broker in particular large-volume areas/hubs (ie. Houston is one I know of), $85k-$95k is not unusual... though I'm not sure of mileage or maint'/service histories!?! :redface:

 

[NRG]

Since a Ferrari is on the list. Get that!

 

[Aero]

i would buy two cars. A 97 NSX and another fun car with the rest. Could you get a 97 NSX and an older Carrera? But if I had to pick just one in that price range I'd go with the Ferraris.

 

[jorligan]

I know that you said that you wanted a convertible but since you did mention a Modena in the 80-90K range, I am assuming that you would be willing to go with a hardtop. If you are interested in a pure sports car, I would consider the Noble. There is an M12 available in CT, that owner is selling it because they already got an M400. Here is the link: http://www.nobleforums.com/showthread.php?t=764

You can see that this person also owns an NSX, and a supercharged M3, and a 6 series, and a Viper, and a Lotus TT. Sucks to be him:biggrin:

Tim

 

[Cincinnati Scott]

If you can find a 2000 Modena at that price, buy it!!!:biggrin:

cheapest I've seen for a '99 is like $110K:frown:

I'd stay away from any Modena that was $80-$90k. They are like the 911 Turbos, there will be so many ultra-low mileage ones available, you'll take a bath on it if you drive it and put any real miles on it.

As for the Aston Service guy's response, I guarantee he'd service it if you brought it to him. Tell him you just moved there or something. That's a *sweet* ride, and it's not something you see everyday either.

 

[kevs4]

Buy my 97 993TT will hold its value better then any 996TT and look better imo :biggrin: And its a great car.....

 

[nchopp]

You could do a hell of a lot to a '95 NSX with the leftover 60k. Just go nuts at SoS.

 

[Stick-e-rice]

Wait for the new NSX or the new Skyline GTR. Two of the most fun cars to drive IMO. Its all about the driving experience in theses two cars.

 

[Deltron Zero]

use this to help you decide-
http://wiki.ehow.com/Make-a-Decision-Using-a-Quantitative-Scoring-System

 

[NSX2XS]

For $90K I'll sell you all of my cars!

Other than that, I say go for good old fashioned american muscle car. You could build the crap out of a GTO or Stingray and still have enough left over to pay the speeding tix.

 

[0to60]

I agree with NSX2XS. Or go for new generation all american muscle, like the 2006 Dodge Viper SRT-10 RWD V10. Worth all the bang for your buck.

 

[TURBO2GO]

What don't you like about the 997 cab? It seems like the best bet for what you are looking for - sportier, convert, and cache.

Honestly I have tried hard to get myself to like the 911. It is an exceptional driver's car. But I just think the interior is very ugly. I still look at the NSX and I see real beauty... that side profile is beautiful. The interior, seats, what an awesome car. My opinion is validated everytime I ask a non-car person. I took my girlfriend to the Porsche dealer where I showed her a new 997S. Her comment.... "it looks 80's". I showed her a 95 NSX... her comment "its pretty. Is that a new model?"

Anyway, I would still consider the 997 cab. Despite its ugliness. After all I do own an Element.

 

[TURBO2GO]

Wait for the new NSX or the new Skyline GTR. Two of the most fun cars to drive IMO. Its all about the driving experience in theses two cars.

Believe me if either was available I would buy now. Any news on the new NSX at all? what are we looking at? a year? 2? 3?

 

[TURBO2GO]

Guys I want something comfortable, and reliable. I love muscle cars, but they are neither. I think a comfortable and reliable muscle car is the car no one here has said anything about. The Mercedes SL55 AMG. Its a big supercharged V8 that rumbles around and is really fast. Its also VERY comfortable.