A friend of mine sells Porsches for a living. He was all in over the winter on a Cayman S as his autocross ride for the year.......until he came across a Blue Devil C6 ZR-1 Corvette. It may be 10 years old and all but that thing got all the attention and positively RIPPED when he stuck his foot in it.
In reply to dps214 :
Any 997 Turbo for $50k is a basket case and will require a large cash infusion immediately. $65k will get you one if you're not being picky but it's definitely worth being picky!
These will auto-x fine, I used my 996 Turbo to auto-x and even on ancient Toyo R888R's isn't all that far behind my friends very well setup 996 GT3. Obviously it's because I am The Stig! Haha! Will they auto-x like a miata or a civic or a something small and light? Heck no! But they're a ton of fun...
Shelby GT350? I was surprised recently to find some 2016 models selling for less than $40K.
My takeaway from a weekend with an almost-new R8 rental:
It was CONSTANTLY berkeleying “bonging” about something. The one I remember distinctly was it screaming about the hood being open when it wasn’t.
It was eventually towed when it wouldn’t recognize the key fob and refused to start.
I know it had less than 10,000 miles on it. I want to say it was less than 5k.
That said, definitely a head-turner, and it made pretty noises when it wasn’t bonging.
noddaz said:Gen 1 or gen 2 Camaro with LSx and a 6 speed. Yep, I went there. An old performance car always gets looks and turns heads. For that matter go to the Factory website and build your own car. If I had the coin, I would. I will just leave this here...
Excellent suggestion. Next car is likely to be either an 80s IROC convertible or a C10 or similar pickup. Can't lose with the classics.
poopshovel again said:My takeaway from a weekend with an almost-new R8 rental:
Weird electrical issues on a car that isn't driven regularly? Sounds like the battery was weak. And like every Frerrari owner's experience 
All I can say is, if I was looking a spending NSX money on a car, I'd definitely come away with an NSX. Looks, Presence, Sound, Driving Pleasure, reliability and cheap cost of ownership (compared to any of the Astons, Jags, or Mercs on the list for sure)
By virtue of instructing at PCA track days I've driven almost every model Porsche from about 1965 through to 2018 and as much as I love them if I'm paying my money would be spent on a NSX. That goes double if it were primarily a street car.
If I were picking a Porsche I'd go with a Cayman. 65k will buy any Cayman model.
I also find a Pnoz intriguing but know little about them as far as what they are like to live with; they only two people I know who've owned one loved driving them.
Only skimmed the thread and didn't see it, but only one answer if it hasn't been mentioned - Supercharged e92 M3. (Only added the supercharger cause it'd be in your budget, if not, Same answer e92 M3)
What about a Factory Five Roadster?
In reply to dj06482 :
A Cobra is a neat car, but not a particularly good GT car, which is what most of the OP suggestions have been. I get the impression he's looking for something that could possibly do a weekend overnight trip with?
Honestly, the car I've wanted FFR to consider is the AC Frua Roadster. Which was basically the same chassis as a Cobra/Ace, but extended about 12" for more interior room. It's also more of a "car" than the Cobra, with roll-up windows and less origami top. I've wondered if there was a way to use the components from a Mustang convertible to make a kit similar to the FFR Roadster kit.
Plus, the Frua looks cool:
Ariel Atom?
Fast, neck snapping looks and Honda/GM Ecotec reliability.
You can find older Atom 2's and 3's for $50k in great shape and ROAD legal. Or build your own new one for a bit more than your budget, starting at $74,750.
I'm late to the thread but the only answer here is lotus esprit.
Or that factory five truck.
Or one of the "forgotten" Italians from the 80s/90s.
Oh heck I love everything in this thread.
nderwater said:poopshovel again said:My takeaway from a weekend with an almost-new R8 rental:
Weird electrical issues on a Volkswagen???
FTFY
dj06482 said:What about a Factory Five Roadster?
Ever drive one?
I would classify them as five minute cars. After five minutes they are more annoying than fun to drive. Something about the windshield bolted on to the bodywork so you are always looking through a reflection of the part that sits between the steering wheel and the glass, and hearing half a barely muffled V8 two feet from your left ear all the time.
If I had $30k to dump on a semi exotic, I'd go all-in and get an Esprit Turbo. Or a Turbo Esprit. The 4 cylinder model. It's the last of the 80s supercars to hit the major upswing on the appreciation curve.
Look at it this way: You can easily buy one in excellent condition for less than the going rate for a 951, and the car was more normally compared to 930s.
I'm going to say either a Maserati Granturismo or a Challenger Hellcat in a bright colour. Two cars that aren't great on track but are great as weekend road warriors and are almost universally loved.
so many good choices but one I’ve only seen briefly referenced are the c6 or c7 vettes.
If you can deal with the stigma (but really all of the cars here have some stigma to one degree or another) they check all the boxes.
My c6z06 gets looks, is comfortable, reliable and rips around a track.
They can be found in several not-monochrome colors and should be considered
I don’t know much about the c7s but they should be in your range as well
Anything with an Audi v8? Hard pass.. another upvote for a Viper here.
Viper or NSX. Corvette distant 3rd.
whalenut_precision said:So if you had $30k-$60k to burn and wanted a semi-exotic, what would you consider?
I'm looking for my next "fun" car. It will be a weekend warrior as I've got a decent daily driver right now, and probably not tracked.
My criteria in order of importance is:
> Looks / style - it's got to have presence, and got to *wow* when you pull up to the curb. I would put the most weight on curb presence over any of the other factors here - I want to still be thinking "now that's just gorgeous" when I see it in my driveway for the 300th time 6 months from now.
> Performance / fun to drive - I've always had at least one two-seater, typically a convertible, that's good for spirited driving and handles well in the twisties. This car is going to be the replacement for the last "fun" car, a Z4. I want this car to ideally be as fun to drive as say, a Z4 / Z3 or Miata.
> Self-maintenance ease / ownership costs - I do a lot of the work on my cars myself, and don't want a car where that's difficult or impossible. I'm also looking at "semi" exotics instead of stepping up another $10k or $20k and getting a used F-360 or Lambo or something, because I don't want to be spending $10k-$20k a year in maintenance and service on a car that will only be driven a couple thousand miles a year.
All that said, here's my contenders so far - I'm hoping you guys may know some that I should consider that aren't on here. I'm totally open to older cars as long as they tick the three boxes above, even though none are on this list. Alright, on to the cars!
......................................
.............
What car would YOU choose for $30k-$60k to optimize style, fun, and maintenance?
Dodge Viper fits all of these requirements.
1. Looks, check
2. Performance, check
3. Easy to maintain yourself, check
Choose the color you like and buy the best example you can find. The earlier cars are probably close to the bottom of the depreciation curve too, so you might even make some money when you decide to sell.
This is the one I'd choose:
Knurled. said:dj06482 said:What about a Factory Five Roadster?
Ever drive one?
I would classify them as five minute cars. After five minutes they are more annoying than fun to drive. Something about the windshield bolted on to the bodywork so you are always looking through a reflection of the part that sits between the steering wheel and the glass, and hearing half a barely muffled V8 two feet from your left ear all the time.
Haven't driven one, but I have ridden shotgun for 5+ hours in one and still smile thinking about that day, despite the wicked sunburn I ended up with coming back from the FFR Open House.
I was shocked at how well it rode, and how comfortable it was. We wore earplugs for the trip, but there are different exhaust options depending on your tolerance for noise.
It definitely stands out, it's a convertible, and they're easy to maintain. Everyone has a definition of what a semi-exotic is, this thread proves there are a lot of good options out there.
I was able to drive a 2003 Viper at Skip Barber, and that was a blast, but also felt like something I could daily drive for three seasons.
If you’re primarily concerned with impressing others (?) then get a plexi briefcase and carry $60,000 around with you. Trust me, you’ll turn heads that way.
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