[RocktimusPryme]

Im waiting on a wire transfer to go through, but it looks like I have sold my 1964 Galaxie. I looked around my garage and just kinda felt I had multiple cars that did the same thing. So the Galaxie got put on the market.

Now Im looking at adding something a little different to the stable. I want AC and overdrive for sure. Im such a fair weather drive with my current cars, I would like something a bit more versatile. Which I could add those to a muscle car, but its a PITA so Im kinda looking at buying something newer. Im even leaning.........European. Ill pause for everyone to finish their gasps.

Budget is going to be about 25-32k. I could maybe stretch that to 40 if some things break right, but Im definitely more comfortable at $28k than I am at 38k.

Ive found that there are a shocking number of what are sorta borderline supercars from the 2000-2015 year range that fall in that price range. Cars that cost well over 100k and have just hit bottom. I like the idea that like buying a classic Pontiac, you might have an appreciation over time with these as opposed to me buying a 2017 Challenger and watching it further depreciate.

What I am afraid of is getting into something and not being able to afford to fix it if it breaks. My dad's buddy owns a shop and says that some of the independent warranties actually pay out and arent scams. So I may look into that. Buying used cars is always a gamble but I would like to try and mitigate it.

My leader in the clubhouse is a 1999-2008 Porsche 911. They have the IMS issue but most on the used market have it documented as replaced. And compared to other models I'll list Porsche seems to have a reputation as being reliable. There are more independent shops for them, and while parts are cheap. They arent brutal. Porsche people also tend to keep pretty good service records. There also seem to be more places that do Professional Porsche Inspections than other brands.

2009ish Maseratti Granturismo. Shockingly affordable. Ferrari built engine which is cool. But calls for a $2000 service per year. Even assuming you dont break anything. Do you REALLY need to replace belts every year or is that just Maseratti bilking the idle rich?

Jaguar F type. This would be the newest one I could afford. Ive seen them in my price range as new as 2015.

Early Dodge Viper. I havent looked hard at this yet. The first couple of years seem affordable, but I would probably want a second gen as they had standard AC and airbbags. There seems to be a price jump there that might not be affordable to me.

Porsche Panamera Turbo. I actually really like these and would probably easily be the fastest of the bunch. The problem I have with these if they are only available in the PDK automatic. The Galaxie was my last manual ride. While Im not a 4 speed elitist, I struggle with the idea of being a car guy who doesnt own a single standard shift transmission.

Several Mercedes Benz AMG models. I like the V12 Bi Turbo cars the best, but it doesnt seem they have the best reputation for affordable maintenance or reliability. Also not often found in manual trans.


I had a c6 before, so Im also considering a Z06 C6 or maybe an early C7. CTS-V too would be on the list. I trust the repair costs on these more, but Im kinda looking for something I havent owned before. The other corvette issue I have is I take my dog for rides all the time. Im not sure if she would ride in the hatch area and my GF wouldnt enjoy being told she couldnt come. This is partially why the 911 is a leader. Fold down the back seat and its a perfect dog pad.

Im open to realistic opinions on ownership, driving, maintenance cost of some of the models because I have ZERO real world experience with any of them sans the Corvette. Also open to other considerations.

[nashcar]

My all time favorite is the 1999 Corvette 6spd. I sold it 8 years ago and still miss it.

[David Jones]

Given the cash and a spot in the garage, I'd be searching for a 911 of some kind. I'm a BIG fan and would like one myself one day.
I'm not sure 40K would get you much though.

[RocktimusPryme]

Originally Posted by David Jones

Given the cash and a spot in the garage, I'd be searching for a 911 of some kind. I'm a BIG fan and would like one myself one day.
I'm not sure 40K would get you much though.

Ive been looking at those the most. You for sure have options from 20-30k for 996 cars and from 28-40 for 997.1 cars. The 997.2 cars from 2009+ are where they jump way up over my budget.

The 996 headlights are very divisive still. While those cars have begun to climb, they are still behind the round headlight 997 cars.

Like many cars, they have jumped a ton over the last two years. If I would have been in the same market 2 years ago I probably would have saved 5-8k across the board.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/20...11-carrera-85/

This ends in two days, should be a fun gauge to watch. Im betting this guy lands around 32K. Nice car, IMS done. Lots and Lots of silver cars from that generation. I really dont want a silver one.

Also fun fact ive noticed when corvette shopping. Reguardless of generation, if you dont mind the color yellow, you can save money on a Corvette. Yellow cars are consistently cheaper than other colors. Especially with C3s. I wouldnt mind an LS swapped overdrive C3 so Ive been looking at those too.

[jhein]

My wife had a 2004 Boxster S Special edition. Needed more power but fun to drive. High quality. She got tired of the manual trans and got a 2006 C55 AMG. That was a good car (had balls) also high quality. Never had either one long enough to deal with repairs though.

[66sprint6]

Strange, I've had a few Porche 911's, including the 2012 Targa 4S that I sold earlier. I've never heard of the IMS bearing issue on anything outside of the Boxster engine.
But if you do get a 911, I'm sure that you will be pleased with the driving experience.

[RocktimusPryme]

Originally Posted by 66sprint6

Strange, I've had a few Porche 911's, including the 2012 Targa 4S that I sold earlier. I've never heard of the IMS bearing issue on anything outside of the Boxster engine.
But if you do get a 911, I'm sure that you will be pleased with the driving experience.

The boxters, Cayman, and 911s through 2008 all had the same general engine architecture. Except for the Turbo cars which I sadly cant afford. So the IMS and bore scoring are a potential issue on all of them, but its likely overblown. Real numbers seems to indicate it probably affects 1-5% of them. The IMS as a mentioned is often taken care of already, Bore Scoring I think is actually the potentially scarier issue. 2009 alleviated those issues, which is part of the reason for the price jump.

That and making sure I avoid a car optioned with the carbon fiber brakes that cost like 15k to replace. Thats on the Panameras too.

I like the 2014 Cayman S cars, but similar to the 2009 911 price jump, the next gen Caymans jump to mostly over 40k. Also no place for the pup to ride.

[jerry455]

We just traded my wifes 2013 Camaro SS in for a 2017 Camaro SS. The dealer where we bought the 2013 from 4 years ago, offered us $2,000 more than we paid for it. We bought the 2017 for $41,000. It only has 12,000 miles. The old car ran and handled really well but the 2017 6th gen is even better. I can't comment on the foreign stuff. All of my friends who keep there fancier stuff after the warranty is up, usually complain about the costs when it goes to the dealer.

[Mr_GTO]

Originally Posted by jerry455

We just traded my wifes 2013 Camaro SS in for a 2017 Camaro SS. The dealer where we bought the 2013 from 4 years ago, offered us $2,000 more than we paid for it. We bought the 2017 for $41,000. It only has 12,000 miles. The old car ran and handled really well but the 2017 6th gen is even better. I can't comment on the foreign stuff. All of my friends who keep there fancier stuff after the warranty is up, usually complain about the costs when it goes to the dealer.

Yea, I wouldn't buy a european luxury car. The 6th Gen Camaro is an excellent choice.

[keith k]

Originally Posted by RocktimusPryme

The boxters, Cayman, and 911s through 2008 all had the same general engine architecture. Except for the Turbo cars which I sadly cant afford. So the IMS and bore scoring are a potential issue on all of them, but its likely overblown. Real numbers seems to indicate it probably affects 1-5% of them. The IMS as a mentioned is often taken care of already, Bore Scoring I think is actually the potentially scarier issue. 2009 alleviated those issues, which is part of the reason for the price jump.

That and making sure I avoid a car optioned with the carbon fiber brakes that cost like 15k to replace. Thats on the Panameras too.

I like the 2014 Cayman S cars, but similar to the 2009 911 price jump, the next gen Caymans jump to mostly over 40k. Also no place for the pup to ride.

I've owned a couple 997s and highly recommend them. Wonderful and bulletproof cars, other than a few well known weaknesses. Obviously you know about the IMS concerns. Many cars have already had it addressed, and of course the newer they are the less an issue it is. I personally got frustrated at how often I had to replace the TPMS sensors in the wheels. About every two years... although it didn't help that mine were driven infrequently in the winter and stored in a relatively cold garage.

Don't worry about the PCCBs if you're only planning to drive on the street. I had them on one of mine and loved them. Beyond the benefit of the substantial reduction in rotating/sprung mass, they will last 100K miles easily, and produce zero dust on the wheels. The standard iron rotors / pads are the opposite -- wheels covered with brake dust within 20 miles of washing them. It's likely most of the cars fitted with PCCBs will be outside your target price range right now, unless they are high mile cars (and then you might be getting close to that big service bill).

[TAKerry]

Having owned a Mercedes, all I can say if you buy a european be prepared to pay the bill. All of those kind of cars are great for the original owner. The guy that can afford $100g on a toy, drive it sparingly for 2 or 3 years then sell it. That is when they are at their best. Second hand of course but I have heard that Maseratis are trouble prone. All of these cars you speak of now are highly electronic dependent (but what car isnt these days), we all know what happens when those kind of problems start. It wasnt too long ago one could get a later model Ferrari for 60k, but like you mentioned they come with an $15k oil change/timing belt service!!
I had a friend with a fairly new Z06, I think he said the back tires were something like $1k a piece! Getting an exotic car sounds like a lot of fun, but there is a lot more to the cost than the buy in. From what I understand Porsche may be the best built. I know BMW and probably MB have a lot of that tends to go bad after a few years.

I have always been a benz kinda guy and not crazy about Porsches, but I think for the kind of money you want to spend I would get the oldest, lowest mile model available. Hopefully one that is independent of all the electronic crap. Then it may go up in value.
More touring than sport I think the 500sl's are also a car in their best buy category at the moment. Good ones are starting to go up in value.

[RocktimusPryme]

I had a 2019 camaro ss as a rental. I couldn’t fit a set of golf clubs in the trunk. That irritated the crap out of me and soured me on them. If I were buying something like that it would be a challenger.

I thought my corvette was way more comfortable and honestly even more practical than the Camaro. I actually put an entire Christmas tree in my c6

To be clear here, I completely understand that the service cost is going to be more. I’m trying to figure out what the ones that are above average, vs ridiculous are. At this point I think a 911 with a spin on oil filter adapter that has already had its clutch and brakes replaced is likely to probably be good for years with just oil changes.

I should also point out I’m not looking for a daily driver. I want to drive it more than I do my other hot rods, but not everyday. 3-4000 miles a year probably.

[Mr_GTO]

Originally Posted by RocktimusPryme

I had a 2019 camaro ss as a rental. I couldn’t fit a set of golf clubs in the trunk. That irritated the crap out of me and soured me on them. If I were buying something like that it would be a challenger.

Look at a corvette convertible then. I've put clubs in them personally.

[1funride]

Best bang for the buck would the latest model corvette you can afford, and likely a lot less work than a European car.

[1965gp]

Is the luxury or performance more important? I love our Hellcat, but it doesn’t scream luxury. Same with a viper- I like them but not too cush inside. I totally get your goal here- something different, fun and you won’t smell like Gas when you get out of it.

I like the 2003-2008 Viper (hardtop preferred ). Not luxurious but badass
F type Jag- again the hardtop is a beautiful car and from what I understand the new ones are reliable
Any Porsche is going to be fun to drive- I would look for a wild color to keep it from blending in
What about an Aston Martin? They should have some cool options
Maserati’s look good and sound even better- but aren’t that fast and maintenance is a killer

What about the new Supra? I did a drift ride along in one and it was pretty amazing and actually roomy inside
Mazda MX-5 hardtop Miata?
An older skyline? Different, would most certainly go up in value but doesn’t really fit the luxury request.

Going to enjoy this thread and what people come up with.

[RocktimusPryme]

Originally Posted by 1965gp

Is the luxury or performance more important? I love our Hellcat, but it doesn’t scream luxury. Same with a viper- I like them but not too cush inside. I totally get your goal here- something different, fun and you won’t smell like Gas when you get out of it.

.

Interesting question, and I dont have an exact answer. I would probably order it

1. Exotic
2. Performance
3. Luxury

If I could afford a Hellcat, that would be the choice. I dont think I can. Especially when I would prefer to keep it more like 30k than 40k. As I mentioned I owned a corvette when I lived out west. Great car. Huge bang for the buck. Corvette people wave to each other which is cool, but honestly they are sorta normal. Whereas when I drive my old cars I get attention everywhere.

So I definitely wants something that stands out. A racecar red 911 in rural Indiana fits that bill, and Porsche also has a pretty cool driver club feel from my limited experience. Even here there are people that get together with them. At the same time, I would target a 2002+ because they got 315 HP instead of 295. So the performance is still important to me. Luxury takes a back seat as long as it has AC, nice radio, and all that. I really dont care if it has imported Italian calf leather.

If I were to buy domestic a 2nd gen CTS-V is probably my first choice, with the Corvette second. But if I bought one of those I would probably go out of my way to get one that was all black, lowered, black wheels. The ones that look really evil and standout. I dont just want a standard white stock corvette like I had before.

A mercedes would be same category. Big difference in the attitude between a bone stock AMG and one with a little razzle dazzle thrown at it.

I considered a v8 Vantage, but I felt they probably fall into the Maserati too
expensive to maintain category.

I dont know much about them but an XLR-V wouldnt be out of the picture either.

This falls more into the classic car, which Im trying to avoid in general, but Ive always wanted a late C4 ZR-1 as well. I really think thats one of the cars that could explode if you hold onto one.

[goatless]

Originally Posted by RocktimusPryme

Interesting question, and I dont have an exact answer. I would probably order it

1. Exotic
2. Performance
3. Luxury

I'm confused- OP posts this, saying Exotic is first priority, that he wants something that's going to get noticed... and then everyone goes on about the most mundane cars? M3s, CTS-Vs, late model GTOs and such are fantastic cars, but they aren't gonna get a second glance driving down the street. Camaros, and Challengers, really??? Even the 911 in the link is the most boring 911 in the most boring color ever... not to mention that 911s, while fine cars, aren't the slightest bit "exotic". I dunno, maybe they are in Indiana, but certainly not around here.

If you want to make people stop and look, you need to step away from the norm. The only cars that OP and others have mentioned- Maserati, Aston, maybe the Jag. Something with sexy lines. No sedan is gonna cut it... well, maybe a Bentley. Some will meet OP's criteria and fit his budget. The downside is that pretty much anything that I would consider "exotic" is going to be more expensive to maintain than a regular car.

[RocktimusPryme]

Originally Posted by goatless

I'm confused- OP posts this, saying Exotic is first priority, that he wants something that's going to get noticed... and then everyone goes on about the most mundane cars? M3s, CTS-Vs, late model GTOs and such are fantastic cars, but th*ey aren't gonna get a second glance driving down the street. Camaros, and Challengers, really??? Even the 911 in the link is the most boring 911 in the most boring color ever... not to mention that 911s, while fine cars, aren't the slightest bit "exotic". I dunno, maybe they are in Indiana, but certainly not around here.

If you want to make people stop and look, you need to step away from the norm. The only cars that OP and others have mentioned- Maserati, Aston, maybe the Jag. Something with sexy lines. No sedan is gonna cut it... well, maybe a Bentley. Some will meet OP's criteria and fit his budget. The downside is that pretty much anything that I would consider "exotic" is going to be more expensive to maintain than a regular car.

Yeah. We are mostly on the same page. Though to be fair, exotic here in rural southern Indiana is probably a wider target than the many other areas. I mean having a rust free truck around here is kinda exotic. A Merc SL550 back when I was in So Cal wouldnt even be noticeable. It would VERY much stick out in my work parking lot here. So that helps me out some.

But yeah, this sentiment is probably why I dont ultimately get the CTSV or a Corvette. Plus I already had one. This is as much about something new for me as anything.

If Im being honest a 2nd gen V car is probably easily the best bang for buck on the list. But it would have to be perfect for me to consider it. Right color, right options etc. Maybe lowered a little bit.

The Porsche in my research seems to be the happy middle. New to me, should be rare around here. Enough of an aftermarket following to keep costs reasonable. Plus they kept the same general architecture for a while so that helps to with parts availability. But yeah I agree. No artic silver. There is a metallic steel color that I like.

This is the first one I think Im actually going to inquire about. More miles than I want, but it says its a rebuilt engine. Its also at an exotic car shop with good reviews on autotrader. So maybe they will have someone there capable of actually doing a professional Porsche inspection. And best of all, that standout color.

https://www.responsemotors.com/used-...carrera-c-731/

[padgett]

OK cheap eyetalian: Fiat 124 Spyder. One hand top. five speed, DOHC. Pre bumper cars are nice. Make sure to clean out the oil slinger.

[Simple Man]

If you buy a Porsche, make sure you have a good mechanic who knows them. We had a relatively low mile 944 several years ago. A blast to drive, but that car always needed something done to it. And not every shop had the knowhow to look at it.