So I never really watched much Top Gear...

But I found the "Budget Supercar" segments on YouTube.

Right here

Now I'm wondering about Mondials, Urracos and Meraks.   I even did a bit of CL cruising.  

So what's the "affordable" Italian Supercar that doesn't require extravagant maintenance?

Probably a Pantera, but those are getting less affordable. 

I think the ship sailed on Panteras some years ago.

Mereks are getting up there as well.

The Lotus Esprit may be one of the last budget supercars, though I haven't checked the prices on those lately, so they may be increasing as well.

-chris r.

In reply to intrepid :

Lol.. good luck.

Fiat X1/9.  All the pain and personality of midengined Italian ownership without the expense.

An NSX is probably within reach of more of us.

Though I suspect a Kitcar repop of one of those Italian Supercars on a Fiero or custom chassis is probably closer to what many of us could afford and could make quick enough to enjoy.

I’d second the Esprit as a contender, though the styling isn’t quite as pretty as some of the Italian offerings, it’s pretty DIY friendly.

Depends on your definitions of “affordable” and “extravagant maintenance.”

The Ferrari 348 is undervalued. Basically a 355 with crappier suspension geometry and cheeseball ‘80s side strakes. Can be modified to handle very well. You can find solid examples for as low as $40k.

I recently saw a low-mileage (around 9k) 456M for sale and the asking price was around $45k. Considering How many people spend more than that in a tarted-up Ford F-150, that seems like a steal.

The 360 Modena is easy to find and higher mileage examples aren’t any more expensive than a new BMW M3. They also sold a bunch in cool colors, like various shades of blue ... so you don’t have to be that douche in a bright red Ferrari.

308s, 328s, and Mondials are the totally overpriced for how lousy they are to drive ... not to mention slow as E36 M3. I wouldn’t go there. I don’t see how anyone would spend more for a 308 GTS than an f355. That’s just crazy. 

If you get up into the $100k range (+/- $10k) you can get a Testarossa, which is a car that’s sure to explode in value soon. Or the 575 Maranello, which is generally considered one of the best Ferrari GT cars ever made. 

The trouble with most Italian Supercars that would be considered affordable, say $45 - $50K, is that a $20k Z06 will outperform them in every respect.  

Best bet in that price range is to snag a Maserati Granturismo.  Even 10 years old, they still look and sound amazing, and most owners only drove them on Sundays so miles are pretty low.  The drivetrain is all Ferrari but seem to be pretty robust. 

In reply to pinchvalve :

There's an older one of those on a BHPH lot not 2 miles from where I sit typing this.  If anyone is seriously interested, I'll give it a once-over.

$18k Maserati GT - what could possibly go wrong

$10k Quattroporte. Ferrari V8, red leather/suede interior. Questionable aesthetics. Gold Chain sold separately.

Autotrader shows 25 Maseratis under $20k (and only 1 of them is a Biturbo)

Duke said:

In reply to pinchvalve :

There's an older one of those on a BHPH lot not 2 miles from where I sit typing this.  If anyone is seriously interested, I'll give it a once-over.

$18k Maserati GT - what could possibly go wrong

I remember many times that I had to teach the salesmen and customers how to get into reverse with that early SMG transmission. I never understood it either, but at least I could easily move it around the lot. 

I also remember the sales guys cooked the clutches on the Quattroporte SMG moving it around the lot. Had to wait until the next day to move it again. Man... that dealer in college was fun.

stuart in mn said:

I think the ship sailed on Panteras some years ago.

True, but they still sell for far less than most Italian exotics and will be far easier/cheaper to keep running.

I'm bummed about missing the Maranello market.  The 550 and 575 are by far my favorite Ferraris.  Unfortunately, when they were $40K cars they were out of reach in the same way they are now at $100K (and climbing).

Has anyone done an analysis of rising prices on "undesirable" exotic/supercars (e.g. people buying for speculative purposes) and the economy overall?  Could those rising prices be used to forecast  potential bubbles in the available money supply?  Or is it too complicated with the various objective qualities of "low end" Italian cars to draw any conclusions on that?  

I mean, let's face it--in that video segment I linked The Stig ran a lap of 1:34 (?) in a contemporary turbo diesel something (Ford Mondeo?) and all three of the cars in question were bog slow by comparison.   Given the costs of insurance, maintenance support, fragility, etc. all you're really paying for is the prestige of the name badge ending with "i" and an Italian design.   

So let's change gears, so to speak.  Their goal was "supercar" for 10,000 pounds--after adjusting for inflation and doing the pound/dollar conversion that works out to roughly $17,000 in today's exchange rate.   Somehow I doubt the availability of those three cars is the same in the US as it would be in Yurp, so what's the most "exotic" four seater you can find in the US for $17K?

In reply to stroker :

Jaguar XK8 is the first car that comes to mind.  You might even find an "R" version in that price range.

In reply to stroker :

BiTurbo, likely the best one available for that much money. 

Ian F said:

In reply to stroker :

Jaguar XK8 is the first car that comes to mind.  You might even find an "R" version in that price range.

Yep, Jag or Maserati.

The ones that everyone thinks have the most lousy reliability will be the ones to shoot for.

Ian F said:

In reply to stroker :

Jaguar XK8 is the first car that comes to mind.  You might even find an "R" version in that price range.

Nailed it! $16.5 ask, 63k miles

https://chicago.craigslist.org/nch/cto/d/2005-jaguar-xkr-supercharged/6686700372.html

390 hp, 0-60 in 5.2, 155 mph electronically limited. So not exactly a rocket.

In reply to Robbie :

Damn... that one is even a convertible... the only downside to any of these more modern cars is the general lack of a manual transmission.  A 5.2 0-60 is plenty fast enough for the kind of use this car would get and the 155 limiter would not be a problem for me.

Volvo S60R?

In reply to racerfink :

No.  Part of the whole "budget supercar" thing is it has to look like a sports car.  Just having "sports car performance" isn't enough.

Ian F said:

In reply to racerfink :

No.  Part of the whole "budget supercar" thing is it has to look like a sports car.  Just having "sports car performance" isn't enough.

I think you'd almost have to argue that a manual transmission is essential, too, but these days...

A customer of mine has a Granturismo. Probably one of the most underrated cars out there. It's fantastic and makes an incredible sound.

Reality is, the Corvette has really become a supercar killer for what they cost. If anything goes wrong, the dealer is only a few minutes away.

What about this?

Or this?

In reply to stroker :

This bit is a tad scary:

(Same engine that's used for the Ferrari F-430)

I believe part of the problem with a late model Maserati is you get Ferrari maintenance and parts costs without the Ferrari badge.  Although I would imagine there is a DIY community for these (maybe on F-chat?). 

I don't disagree with you about having a manual transmission, but unfortunately the choices are getting slim. 

Anything Japanese fall under the "exotic" category for less than $17K?  I'd think not but I'm hardly knowledgeable about it.