Recommendations for playtoy/weekend sports car under $30k?

I'm in the market for a weekend/playtoy car and trying to keep my budget under $30k. I have a daily driver (2016 VW Golf R 6MT) to handle all of my normal car duties, this would solely be a playtoy, with no practical purpose, other than putting a smile on my face.

EDIT- Just for reference, I'm about 6'2", 210 lbs with a 33" waist & 34" inseam. That might be a concern for some smaller cars, so I figured I would mention it.

Criteria:

1. It must be fun. For reference, I prefer "sports cars" over "muscle cars".

2. Must come with a manual transmission.

3. Must be RWD.

4. Convertibles are preferred. Not a necessity, but I've always preferred dropping the top on a nice day, or warm evening night.

5. While acceleration is nice, I value a tight chassis/solid handling and smiles-per-hour over straight line speed.

The car will be used for the following:

-Occasional fair weather commute to work (maybe 1-2 times a week, when it's nice, if that).

-Date nights with the little lady.

-Weekend canyon carving (we have some great mountain roads out here and I try to put them to good use!).

-It might occasionally get tinkered with/modified; it's an old itch of mine that sometimes needs scratching.

-It will see some autoX duty. Not trying to win a Nationals title, but I would like to get back into dodging some cones! Hopefully a half a dozen autoX events a year, my schedule permitting.

-The occasional HPDE track day. Again, nothing crazy, just some fun on one of our local tracks, maybe a couple times a year.

-Maybe even a bit of Hard Parking at the local Cars and Coffee.

Cars I currently have in mind:

***AP2 Honda S2000. Driven a few of them, always a pleasure!

***987 Porsche Boxster S. Went on an extensive test drive- Loved it! However, there is some concern about ownership costs, especially in the unfortunate event that something breaks.

***Lotus Elise. Still haven't been able to find one locally to drive. Also not sure if I can find one for under my budget. Concerned about potential for minor damage to total car, as well as using it for any minor commuting/date nights.

***ND Miata Club. Test drove a few of them. Fun car, but had far more fun in AP2 S2000 and 987 Boxster S. However, I can see lots of potential in the ND with normal bolt-ons. Concerned about transmission issues.

I've also driven a long list of other cars, but the 4 listed above are my current front runners.

Anything else I should be considering?

Thoughts? Recommendations? Experiences?

Thanks in advance!

-Brandon

Late gen Corvettes maybe? They pretty much tick all your boxes. Lot of bang for the buck I think.

Boxster or c6 vette. There are also z06 c6 vettes very close to that price range. That would be a hard car to beat for fun:dollars!

Elise, Elise and Elise. Contact Hays Harris at www.wirewheel.com He's an honest guy and a longterm friend of GRM. Out of your choices, nothing will be more fun to drive, or special to own than the Elise--- prices are headed up, so now is a good time to buy. The others will be more comfortable, but this is a toy right? The Elise will make the others feel like marshmallows in comparison.

Caveat---- if you are over 6', or 200 lbs or so, you may have a tough time getting in and out of one, or just fitting in one.

Z4M or E92 M3 convertible would fit the bill too.

NC Miata PRHT with an LS3.

Desmond wrote: Late gen Corvettes maybe? They pretty much tick all your boxes. Lot of bang for the buck I think.

I've driven a C5 Z06, and it was fun to drive, but felt a good bit sloppier than the cars listed above. Seems silly, but the lack of a removable roof was a mark against the C5Z.

I'll have to take a C6 for a spin sometime. My understanding is that the convertible version is noticeably less stiff than the hardtop; I'm assuming the targa would be a reasonable compromise?

Joe Gearin wrote: Elise, Elise and Elise. Contact Hays Harris at www.wirewheel.com He's an honest guy and a longterm friend of GRM. Out of your choices, nothing will be more fun to drive, or special to own than the Elise--- prices are headed up, so now is a good time to buy. The others will be more comfortable, but this is a toy right? The Elise will make the others feel like marshmallows in comparison. Caveat---- if you are over 6', or 200 lbs or so, you may have a tough time getting in and out of one, or just fitting in one.

If I decide to buy an Elise, I'll be sure to give him a ring! Although I would like to find one in the Denver area to take for a spin before then.

Unfortunately, I'm about 6'2", 210 lbs, so the size of the Elise has always been a concern.

Boxster S

/thread

Sonic wrote: Z4M or E92 M3 convertible would fit the bill too.

I've driven a Z4 M Coupe a while back and wasn't terribly impressed. Loved the engine, but the shifter felt vague, the clutch was odd (seemed hard to drive smooth), and it felt fairly isolated overall. I would like to re-test the car in the roadster version, but I haven't seen one pop up locally at a dealership in quite a while.

E92 M3 is a bit too heavy/GT-ish for what I'm looking for.

KyAllroad wrote: NC Miata PRHT with an LS3.

When you factor in the cost of the swap, I think that's a bit over my budget!

FRS or BRZ?

Caterham/Westfield/Stalker?

Repli-Cobra?

NOHOME wrote: FRS or BRZ?

I've test driven the Frisbee twins a few times, and at my elevation (5200 ft), they feel pretty lethargic. I've taken the BRZ to one of my favorite canyon roads, and it didn't come close to matching the fun factor of the S2000, ND Miata or Boxster for me. The lack of a removable roof certainly doesn't help it's case.

Driven5 wrote: Caterham/Westfield/Stalker? Repli-Cobra?

Are they road legal? I was always under the impression that they were "off road use only" track cars. I do live in a county that requires emissions, inspections, ect- not sure if that matters or not.

ND + Wheels/Suspension/Exhaust tune

That would be my choice.

Gen III Viper. Most amazing car and does all of the above

roninsoldier83 wrote:

Driven5 wrote: Caterham/Westfield/Stalker? Repli-Cobra?

Are they road legal? I was always under the impression that they were "off road use only" track cars. I do live in a county that requires emissions, inspections, ect- not sure if that matters or not.

I believe CO is a SEMA model legislation state. So "replicas" of road legal emissions exempt cars should be road legal and emissions exempt.

Fair number of road legal Caterhams about, although fitting in one might be an issue.

roninsoldier83 wrote:

Sonic wrote: Z4M or E92 M3 convertible would fit the bill too.

I've driven a Z4 M Coupe a while back and wasn't terribly impressed. Loved the engine, but the shifter felt vague, the clutch was odd (seemed hard to drive smooth), and it felt fairly isolated overall. I would like to re-test the car in the roadster version, but I haven't seen one pop up locally at a dealership in quite a while. E92 M3 is a bit too heavy/GT-ish for what I'm looking for.

The clutch is odd and can make 1-2 shifts kind of janky until you get used to it. There's a lock/delay valve in the line that once modded or removed addresses the issue.

https://www.zeckhausen.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=6562

I've got a Rogue Engineering short shift kit in mine that tightened up the shifter quite a bit. Of course some of that may just have been it being worn after 90,000 miles.

Buy my 911!!!!!

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/open-classifieds/1999-porsche-911-c2-coupe-20k/121414/page1/

roninsoldier83 wrote:

Desmond wrote: Late gen Corvettes maybe? They pretty much tick all your boxes. Lot of bang for the buck I think.

I've driven a C5 Z06, and it was fun to drive, but felt a good bit sloppier than the cars listed above. Seems silly, but the lack of a removable roof was a mark against the C5Z. I'll have to take a C6 for a spin sometime. My understanding is that the convertible version is noticeably less stiff than the hardtop; I'm assuming the targa would be a reasonable compromise?

My dad has a C5 which I have driven many times. Never driven a C5Z, but I have driven a C6. I hate the C5 but love the C6. Much tighter and nimbler feeling. It would be worth your while to take a look at one.

You mentioned that an e92 M3 is a bit too heavy/GT-ish, but what about an e46 M3 convertible? You could have a MINT example for $15k by this weekend, leaving plenty of money to make it your own. They are fantastic cars and that motor is incredible. I really enjoyed mine.

For that matter, you could reach back to an e36 M3 convertible as well. I've owned 2 e36 M3s and LOVED them. Simply amazing cars. Fairly light, very nimble, great mod potential. $10k would buy a really nice one.

roninsoldier83 wrote:

KyAllroad wrote: NC Miata PRHT with an LS3.

When you factor in the cost of the swap, I think that's a bit over my budget!

What about starting with an NA/NB?

I say stick with the S2000. It ticks all your boxes... and fits easily inside your budget. So far inside that you can get spares, and extra bits and still be inside your budget.

And you already like it...

wearymicrobe wrote: Gen III Viper. Most amazing car and does all of the above

Most of the later Vipers in my area look to be going for $40k+.... Occasionally, the 1st Gen cars pop up for under $30k, but for the most part, it seems to be out of my budget.