In that case, my test drives would probably include a Lotus Evora, Jaguar F-Type, Lexus RC-F, Mustang GT350, whatever the newest Viper you can get with that $$$ is, and probably some sort of Porsche for comparison purposes.
In that case, my test drives would probably include a Lotus Evora, Jaguar F-Type, Lexus RC-F, Mustang GT350, whatever the newest Viper you can get with that $$$ is, and probably some sort of Porsche for comparison purposes.
Used Audi R8's have fallen into that price range.
At that price range, I think depreciation really matters, at least to me. For that reason, I'd lean away from brand new vehicles unless they were really special (maybe a GT350).
The 1 series M might be nice to try, but there are some potentially expensive repair concerns.
A Lotus swings everything to the more extreme end of the spectrum, including harshness and livability.
The Cadillac V Wagons would be very tempting if you can find one in your price range, but the shiny interior bits aren't for everybody, and neither is the fuel economy.
I can see a used Porsche working out well too. Either Cayman S, Carrera4S or 911 Turbo as long as you're ok with people thinking of you as a 'Porsche guy'.
Ultimately you're going to have to test drive a lot of stuff to figure out what suits you and your priorities the best. Then you have to watch the market and find one that you like and close the deal.
The0retical said:Used Audi R8's have fallen into that price range.
I don't think there is any way I could afford to maintain one though.
In reply to z31maniac :
It would be brutal to be honest if it had more then say 25K miles.
Personally I would get a 2013 911S PDK They are available at that price, they are indestructible and some will have 100K certified warranty on them.
The question I would be dying over with that kind of money would be this: do I build a wild project and do it RIGHT, or do I just buy something ready to go?
I've had weird recurring dreams of a Porsche-slaying early 90's Civic sedan with a built NA K24 and 8" wide rubber. 300+HP in a 2200lb sedan would be an absolute riot. For $50k you could have a sedan from California dropped off at King Motorsports and say "go for it!"
That being said if I was just going to spend the money, there's a lot of interesting hardware in that price range. I'm a weirdo so I would probably buy the nicest Renault Alpine GTA/A310 imaginable ($15-20k) and spend the rest on consumables, but there's also a strong argument for something more "ready to go" like a 'Stang, Lotus, etc.
What about a NSX?
wearymicrobe said:In reply to z31maniac :
It would be brutal to be honest if it had more then say 25K miles.
Personally I would get a 2013 911S PDK They are available at that price, they are indestructible and some will have 100K certified warranty on them.
Yeah, and all the R8s below 65k, all have north of 50k miles on them. I wouldn't even own an RS3 that didn't have a significant warranty on it either.
I lean toward the Cayman S (981), because I know Porsche's are one of the few cars left that are overbuilt. I'm not worried about handling routine maintenance on one.
Do the Cayman's share the same "overbuilt" nature as the 911?
pointofdeparture said:The question I would be dying over with that kind of money would be this: do I build a wild project and do it RIGHT, or do I just buy something ready to go?
I've had weird recurring dreams of a Porsche-slaying early 90's Civic sedan with a built NA K24 and 8" wide rubber. 300+HP in a 2200lb sedan would be an absolute riot. For $50k you could have a sedan from California dropped off at King Motorsports and say "go for it!"
That being said if I was just going to spend the money, there's a lot of interesting hardware in that price range. I'm a weirdo so I would probably buy the nicest Renault Alpine GTA/A310 imaginable ($15-20k) and spend the rest on consumables, but there's also a strong argument for something more "ready to go" like a 'Stang, Lotus, etc.
What about a NSX?
Not sure if you saw my post on the previous page, if I was going to build something, I'd build a ridiculous K-swapped Exocet. But that also means then having to have room for a trailer, DD a truck to tow it with, etc.
I'm more in the "get in and go" at the moment.
z31maniac said:Thanks for all the insight gents. To answer a few questions and help with your suggestions.
1. This will be my only car. So the occasional HPDE will mean track day insurance is a given. But I still wouldn't be throwing it around with reckless abandon like I did my previous Miata track rat.
2. Challenger, I don't hate that idea as I LOVE the way they look.
3. I only go in to the office 3 days per week and when I do, it's only 11 miles round trip. Girlfriend has a 2015 Honda Fit, so we have the practical car with a bit of space covered with hers.
4. Power/handling/comfort? Basically a blend of all, but as mentioned, that blend is different depending on the car. I would be more inclined to trade FLAT OUT track pace for more comfort on the street since that's where it will be used the vast majority of the time.
Based on this, the E9x M3 is probably a good option. I'd go for a proper manual, but that's me. P-cars appeal to me, but I don't know them well enough to make a suggestion. Of the BMW choices, I prefer the naturally aspirated options by a wide margin. Personally, I like straight sixes more than V8s, but I don't think that will get you to the power levels you're looking for.
Audis are great to ride in, but ownership is a whole different (and not good) thing. Domestic and exotic options would concern me in terms of interior quality and NVH control, but again, somewhat out of my recent experience, so I can't be sure how much of an issue it might be, or how much you care about it.
What is track day insurance these days? Last I heard it was like $300 per $10k of declared value. That puts your cost at $1650 per track weekend of insurance alone... is that going to deter you from doing track days?
Food for thought.
Having just driven one of these around Daytona...
ProDarwin said:What is track day insurance these days? Last I heard it was like $300 per $10k of declared value. That puts your cost at $1650 per track weekend of insurance alone... is that going to deter you from doing track days?
Food for thought.
My buddies 5 event trackday insurance on his 23k value WRX works out to like 150 an event and it covers co-drivers
ProDarwin said:What is track day insurance these days? Last I heard it was like $300 per $10k of declared value. That puts your cost at $1650 per track weekend of insurance alone... is that going to deter you from doing track days?
Food for thought.
I'll have to check with Lockton Affinity, the last time I remember looking at it (a few years ago) it was nowhere near that expensive.
But it also required a $5k deductible.
racerfink said:Having just driven one of these around Daytona...
Interesting option, going to look now.....
The only thing wrong with the ATS-V is the Camaro SS did the platform better by having the v8
I'd buy this. https://www.flyinmiata.com/V8/for_sale.php
I'm curious about the track day insurance. Maybe its come down a bunch. My only reference was a thread here about 5 years back. $150/event is certainly much more reasonable.
Lockton used to have a calculator on their site. I thought that's what I had used as a reference back in that thread.
Jaynen said:The only thing wrong with the Camaro SS is the ATS-V did the platform better by having 4 doors
Fixed 
z31maniac said:The0retical said:Used Audi R8's have fallen into that price range.
I don't think there is any way I could afford to maintain one though.
If I'm going to risk my soul with DIY maintenece, I'm going to grab the Lamborghini version. Might as well turn life up to 11.
I was in the exact same position as you two months ago. I had an FRS and I was bored of the power, so I began researching cars in the budget range you listed. I had the same parameters as well; it wasn't a daily, it needed to be relatively cheap to maintain (which meant parts had to be readily available). Whatever I bought, was going to be driven hard. Here's the list:
Dodge Viper: yes, it's an awesome car with a V10 and relatively light weight. It's also surprisingly reliable. But here's the thing people don't mention: parts are becoming really hard to come by. Go on the Viper forums and see for yourself the owners despairing that they can't find the right parts they need to get it running. Dodge has basically stranded these owners, as they are not going to build the old parts. Some aftermarket company promised to make molds as well, but they never followed through. There's honestly just not that many Vipers out there to make it worth it do so, I suspect.
NSX: parts availability is better than the Viper, but it'll eventually go the same way too. Besides, would you feel comfortable driving this on the track when parts aren't easy to get and the high cost of fixing the rare aluminum chassis is weighing on the back of your mind as you try not to snap-oversteer out of the apex? Hope you get it appraised recently or your purchase will quickly be totaled in the event of an accident.
Porsche 996 TT: fun to drive with good but expensive aftermarket support. However, are you going to enjoy AWD coming from a FRS? If you think you will, go for it.
Porsche Cayman S: can't go wrong here. Not sure of reliability issues right now.
Lotus cars: can't go wrong here, just be wary of the clamshell price to repair, and apparently the Elise/Exige had very weak tie rod ends I believe, which could lead to catastrophic failure when the toe got out of whack after the tie rod broke. Regarding the move from FRS to Elise, I feel like this car is kind of a FRS on steroids - I personally wanted something completely different in experience from the FRS... which led me to...
Corvette C6 Z06: this is what I ultimately ended up choosing. 505 HP and 3150 lbs of weight, with all the luxury amenities you could want. The power is intoxicating and completely addicting. The handling is great mechanically, but it's not gonna feel direct like the FRS does, and it won't be fun like the FRS in terms of hitting corners. The car isn't without it's faults though, the LS7 had an issue with the valves which resulted in the engine destroying itself. Expect to spend 2k to fix this at Katech or another shop. Other than that, the car handles well and has stupid amounts of power in a usable, good looking chassis that's relatively cheap and has an abundance of replacement parts available for it. Just make sure to get a 2008 or newer, as they got a upgraded steering rack and upgraded transmission. Regarding depreciation, I suspect they are nearing the end of their depreciation cycle within 5 years. This was the highest all-motor horsepower Corvette produced, and one of the highest all-motor horsepower V8's in the world. In addition, it's also one of the lightest Z06's. I believe this makes it rather unique among purists.
C7 Grand sport: they look cool but they're heavy at 3,450 lbs, though they do perform very well and won't suffer the heat issues of the C7 Z06. Traditionally, the Grand Sports never depreciated as much as the base models, and are actually somewhat on par with the Z06 in terms of the price they command (though not as high), though who knows what is going to happen to prices when the C8 mid engined car comes out.
C7 Z51: can be had in the low 40's, but they're gonna depreciate even further. Though, not a bad time to pick one up. I still prefer the C6 Z06 over this though, as the Z06 can be had for the same price, and is faster and lighter and will hold it's value better.
Camaro SS/ZL1 and Ford Mustang GT/GT350R: can't comment on these personally but the Camaro seems like a great deal. Apparently tracking it doesn't void the warranty either.
BMW E36: the head gaskets fail from heat I believe, making them not too reliable. Still a fun car.
BMW E92: it's got a nice V8 but it's also very heavy. I doubt you'd enjoy this coming from an FRS. Also, some of the models had a serious engine issue that you'd have to do more research into - it was eventually rectified, I just don't know when.
BMW M2: looks perfect on paper. Worth investigating. But it'll be more expensive than the C6 Z06/Porsche 996 without having the raw "racecar" performance of either. However, if you're dead set on an M2, look at the 135i.
BMW 135i: a hidden gem that not many people seem to know about. They're fun, cheap, turbo manual and well balanced. You can pick up a very nice one for $25k. A friend of mine had one, and I got to drive it a handful of times and really enjoyed the balanced feeling of the chassis. Honestly, if you were to consider the M2, you should seriously consider this car. They have very similar levels of performance (there is a YouTube video displaying this), except the 135i is half the price of the M2. Throw some KW V3's and an intake/exhaust/tune and you'll be faster than the M2 for much cheaper.
^Nice list, I too am looking for a different experience, hence the lean toward the M2/Cayman S (and maybe a Boxster S because droptop)
Previous fun cars include:
'06 350Z
'10 Speed3
'91 318is - coilovers, chipped, sticky tires, etc
'88 325is - S52 swapped, 240whp, coilovers, stickey tires, etc
'90 Miata track rat - XIDAs, Wilwoods at all 4 corners, etc
'06 Miata - all stock DD
'13 Mustang GT track pack - all stock DD
'15 BRZ Limited - exhaust, tune, coilovers - it was on sticky tires, but I'm slowly taking it back to stock.
mazdeuce said:z31maniac said:The0retical said:Used Audi R8's have fallen into that price range.
I don't think there is any way I could afford to maintain one though.
If I'm going to risk my soul with DIY maintenece, I'm going to grab the Lamborghini version. Might as well turn life up to 11.
How expensive could it be to maintain an German engineered vehicle with an Italian engine? 
Honestly, the FRS is very special. I have driven a decent amount of cars, and NONE of them have felt as responsive and tight as the FRS. The FRS steering is just on a different level, it's beautifully responsive and extremely precise. It makes carving up any car an absolute joy.
I don't regret my choice of buying the C6 Z06, but I also think I would have been happier with simply turbocharging the FRS. It would have been the perfect car at that point, as it would have had power and handling with a decent amount of cheap and abundant aftermarket at its disposal.
Cayman is the only one that even begins to attract me in this price range.
manual Chevy SS, supercharger, wheels/tires and lots of gas.
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