What's the best sports car to buy for $25k?

"JasonStern911" (JasonStern911) 05/02/2020 at 00:25 • Filed to: None

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Some solid choices, but also some bat-ish crazy choices.

“WITH A MERE $50k IN MAINTENANCE AND REPAIRS, YOU CAN BE THE PROUD OWNER OF A $50k CAR FOR $25k PLUS REPAIRS!”

“MY CHOICE IS A TOYOTA SEDAN!”

So what you got, Oppo?

Personally, it comes down to three choices:

If you just want a cheap driver that you won’t have to dump much cash into, find the nicest, low mileage C6 Corvette private party from some senior that bought it as a reward to himself but has grown tired with it because it’s too hard to get in and out of. Z06 or other packages are nice, but probably not worth the premium. On public streets, the difference between 400 and 500hp is pretty trivial.

Completely biased, but if you can wrench a little and afford it, get a less than 50k Porsche 996, ideally an early 3.4L model without all of the tech gadgets, for $20k and spend $5k up front in preventative maintenance. I’m 7 years into 996 ownership and am amazed by how reliable it has been for a car that is old enough to drink with me at a bar (if they were open) . Doesn’t mean I don’t have a huge maintenance bill coming up at 50k, but given the price of a new car these days...

If you want a weekend toy that you aren’t going to put a lot of miles, don’t want to deal with maintenance, and want to get as much money back as possible when you are done, Honda S2000. ~20k mileage examples continually pop up for around $20k. Pair that with a nice Toyota FJ Cruiser and you can probably drive for nearly free depreciation-wise if you aren’t a heavy commuter and take care of your cars.

Again biased as an owner - I’d rather take a BMW Z4 for 1/3 the price of the S2000, care less about its paint/interior/etc. (but NOT mechanicals/maintenance! ) , and have 2/3 the budget left for everything else - repairs, life, etc. But that, and a 986 Boxster S plus cash over a 996 kind of defeat the point of a $25k challenge.

Tons of cool options, but in real life I can’t stress enough avoiding the “coolest” option if it’s some high mileage, possibly salvage title, neglected car with high repair costs and questionable reliability. The tiny boost in one’s ego isn’t worth the countless hours working a job to cover the cost of repairs.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > JasonStern911 05/02/2020 at 00:54

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Used Cadillac CTS-v from an old guy who lives on a golf course and only drove it to church.

interstate366, now In The Industry > JasonStern911 05/02/2020 at 00:59

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MY CHOICE IS A TOYOTA SEDAN!

Just one that was sold in Japan with a Supra engine.

Nom De Plume > JasonStern911 05/02/2020 at 01:10

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No need to overthink it. Just pick the first one that looks fun and make it the best.

pip bip - choose Corrour > JasonStern911 05/02/2020 at 01:25

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used  MX5

WRXforScience > JasonStern911 05/02/2020 at 02:21

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I got my BRZ new for just under $25k in 2014, and if I had $25k to spend on a sportscar, that’s what I’d get.

I’d go with a 2015-2016, which can be had for $15k-$17k with reasonable mileage and in great condition (you can go cheaper, depending on your end goals).

Option 1: Autox, track, and daily (my current setup) - $6k in brakes, suspension, and track prep mods and the rest to fund the trackdays.

Option 2: Supercharger kit (FI, the only replacement for displacement) - Jackson Racing, Edelbrock, and Harrop all have kits for $5k-$7k that’ll add more than an extra 50% horsepower (250-300whp is about as far as you want to go for reliability, with the higher end using E85). The chassis can handle the gains and you can run the same upgrades as Option 1 (or as many as you want). Tires and brakes are still cheap, so consumable costs don’t go up much (still half or less than what it’d cost to run a C5 Z06, C6 GS, or similar option while putting down the same or better times) .

Options 3: Full racecar (starts out reasonable then gets ridiculous ) - get a salvage, rebuilt, or someone else’s project car for $6k - $14k and throw $10k-$15k at it to build it to whichever class you want to run. You’ll spend more on it but you end up with an incredibly well sorted track car that sits between a Spec Boxster and a Spec 996 in performance (closer in performance to the 996 but at the cost or less of the Boxster).

The 86 has a couple of benefits over the Miata: 1) coupe so you more easily meet safety requirements for all orga niz ations (looking at you BMW club), 2) it’s got more room so if you’re taller or wider than the average Japanese man you can easily fit, if you don’t have a cage you can fold down the back seats and get a full set of tires and tools in the car so you don’t need a little tire trailer. 3) it’s faster and better behaved on track than even the ND (not by much though). If you just want a weekend car, or a convertible, the Miata is a great choice. At the track, unless you’re going for a spec series, buy someone else’s cheap track Miata, or have some sort of hookup then the 86 just edges out the Miata.

Could you make a great track ready NC for less than an 86, yes (they’re a little older and under appreciated, so they’ve depreciated a bit more). I wouldn’t go that route, but I wouldn’t fault anyone who does. I’m friends with a fair number of Miata drivers and we can appreciate the other’s cars but almost universally prefer our own. I do know a couple who might’ve chosen differently had the 86's been available and/or proven when they got their NC’s but it’s not worth it to them to make the trade now (the cars are very close).

S2k’s have gone up too much in value to make sense anymore. They were great deals at under $15k, but now with the same cars closer or above $20k they just don’t make sense (plus they’re getting old). A Cayman S , Boxster S , or 996/997 would be a great option but at $25k you’re not looking at the cream of the crop and there will be repair/maintenance costs.

The Corvettes, Mustangs, and Camaros all have consumable costs that will limit what you can do with them. I’ve got a friend with a 2014 Mustang GT with similar upgrades, tires, and usage (we’ve got similar skill levels too, both instructors with multiple groups). He’s about a second a lap faster than I am at the tracks we run (on the same tire compounds), but his consumable costs are 1.5-2x mine. A C6 Z06 is another 1.5-2x more expensive to run than the Mustang (3 -4x my BRZ), there’s a significant jump in performance but not experience/fun.

If you’re not going to the track, you’re missing out on one of the best sportscar experiences you can have. It transforms how you look at driving and gives you an entirely different perspective on cars, motorsports, and driving.

WRXforScience > JasonStern911 05/02/2020 at 02:21

1

I got my BRZ new for just under $25k in 2014, and if I had $25k to spend on a sportscar, that’s what I’d get.

I’d go with a 2015-2016, which can be had for $15k-$17k with reasonable mileage and in great condition (you can go cheaper, depending on your end goals).

Option 1: Autox, track, and daily (my current setup) - $6k in brakes, suspension, and track prep mods and the rest to fund the trackdays.

Option 2: Supercharger kit (FI, the only replacement for displacement) - Jackson Racing, Edelbrock, and Harrop all have kits for $5k-$7k that’ll add more than an extra 50% horsepower (250-300whp is about as far as you want to go for reliability, with the higher end using E85). The chassis can handle the gains and you can run the same upgrades as Option 1 (or as many as you want). Tires and brakes are still cheap, so consumable costs don’t go up much (still half or less than what it’d cost to run a C5 Z06, C6 GS, or similar option while putting down the same or better times) .

Options 3: Full racecar (starts out reasonable then gets ridiculous ) - get a salvage, rebuilt, or someone else’s project car for $6k - $14k and throw $10k-$15k at it to build it to whichever class you want to run. You’ll spend more on it but you end up with an incredibly well sorted track car that sits between a Spec Boxster and a Spec 996 in performance (closer in performance to the 996 but at the cost or less of the Boxster).

The 86 has a couple of benefits over the Miata: 1) coupe so you more easily meet safety requirements for all orga niz ations (looking at you BMW club), 2) it’s got more room so if you’re taller or wider than the average Japanese man you can easily fit, if you don’t have a cage you can fold down the back seats and get a full set of tires and tools in the car so you don’t need a little tire trailer. 3) it’s faster and better behaved on track than even the ND (not by much though). If you just want a weekend car, or a convertible, the Miata is a great choice. At the track, unless you’re going for a spec series, buy someone else’s cheap track Miata, or have some sort of hookup then the 86 just edges out the Miata.

Could you make a great track ready NC for less than an 86, yes (they’re a little older and under appreciated, so they’ve depreciated a bit more). I wouldn’t go that route, but I wouldn’t fault anyone who does. I’m friends with a fair number of Miata drivers and we can appreciate the other’s cars but almost universally prefer our own. I do know a couple who might’ve chosen differently had the 86's been available and/or proven when they got their NC’s but it’s not worth it to them to make the trade now (the cars are very close).

S2k’s have gone up too much in value to make sense anymore. They were great deals at under $15k, but now with the same cars closer or above $20k they just don’t make sense (plus they’re getting old). A Cayman S , Boxster S , or 996/997 would be a great option but at $25k you’re not looking at the cream of the crop and there will be repair/maintenance costs.

The Corvettes, Mustangs, and Camaros all have consumable costs that will limit what you can do with them. I’ve got a friend with a 2014 Mustang GT with similar upgrades, tires, and usage (we’ve got similar skill levels too, both instructors with multiple groups). He’s about a second a lap faster than I am at the tracks we run (on the same tire compounds), but his consumable costs are 1.5-2x mine. A C6 Z06 is another 1.5-2x more expensive to run than the Mustang (3 -4x my BRZ), there’s a significant jump in performance but not experience/fun.

If you’re not going to the track, you’re missing out on one of the best sportscar experiences you can have. It transforms how you look at driving and gives you an entirely different perspective on cars, motorsports, and driving.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > interstate366, now In The Industry 05/02/2020 at 08:39

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That’s a good option can get a pretty sweet JZX with a manual trans for that. This one leave you with plenty of cash left over for maintenance and mods.  https://www.japaneseclassics.com/vehicle/1994-toyota-tourer-v-jzx90/

Or  a GTST Skyline.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > JasonStern911 05/02/2020 at 08:40

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Maybe an Evo3? This one sold already, but there should be more. 

https://www.japaneseclassics.com/vehicle/1995-mitsubishi-evo-3/

The Ghost of Oppo > JasonStern911 05/02/2020 at 08:48

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All of this talk about $200k+ sports cars depreciating sounds pretty contrary to Ed’s normal schtick. 

interstate366, now In The Industry > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 05/02/2020 at 23:41

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Huh, they’ve lowered their prices since the economy started to tank. If only I weren’t already stuck in a loan for the next 4 years.