Best Sports Car Under $100K

basaltguy · Sep 29, 2010

Hey guys, I just joined this forum and think your discussion is very interesting, and also very pertinent to my current dilemma. I am currently shopping for a weekend fun car, not an everyday driver and have 45 to 50 K to spend. The two leading contenders are the 2006 or 2007 Carrera S or a 2008 or 2009 Cayman S. At similar mileages they are roughly comparable in price. I have driven both and have found advantages and disadvantages to both. The Cayman is very "seat of your pants" and the go-kart like qualities really appeal to me. On the other hand the bit more speed, extra room (I am a big guy) and the overall refinement of the 911 are hard to pass up.

What do you think. I am also open to other suggestions. The Lotus is not my cup of tea. Thanks.

Steve Williams · Sep 29, 2010

I've driven both and loved them both however my preference is the Carrera S. There are many Porsche owners here who will give their opinions I am sure.

Welcome to WBF

flez007 · Sep 29, 2010

Porsche is not a sensible choice down here, too low and attracts a lot of eyes..... I have always been an BMW fan, my vote goes for the fantastic M3.

mimesis · Sep 29, 2010

Car I'd want for now - Nissan GT-R. Car I'd want going forward, 2009 Carrera 4S or 2008 Turbo. M3 is a great ride as well, loud and bumpy and fun as heck to drive. Plus you actually do stuff with it. I managed to fit an Epson panorama printer in it (one that prints photos 24" wide by whatever long). Still don't know how I did it and how I got the darn thing out myself. The M3 convertible is also appealing although the steel collapsible roof may change the handling (it's basically a boat anchor when lowered).

Cayman is a nice car - haven't driven the S version. I found it small, as did even a petite woman friend.

As for supercar, just read about the new 911 GT2 RS...incredible car, 4.9 pounds/HP ratio, the best in a production car. Probably near $200k?

Steve Williams · Sep 29, 2010

In that price range my vote goes to the 2011 Mercedes SLS AMG 6.3..

So fast it can drive upside down in a tunnel but we are $150K OT

basaltguy · Sep 29, 2010

What about when you need to turn?

basaltguy · Sep 29, 2010

That was referring to the Mustang.

slowGEEZR · Sep 29, 2010

I love my Cayman, so I'd have to say the Cayman S.

JackD201 · Sep 29, 2010

basaltguy said:
Hey guys, I just joined this forum and think your discussion is very interesting, and also very pertinent to my current dilemma. I am currently shopping for a weekend fun car, not an everyday driver and have 45 to 50 K to spend. The two leading contenders are the 2006 or 2007 Carrera S or a 2008 or 2009 Cayman S. At similar mileages they are roughly comparable in price. I have driven both and have found advantages and disadvantages to both. The Cayman is very "seat of your pants" and the go-kart like qualities really appeal to me. On the other hand the bit more speed, extra room (I am a big guy) and the overall refinement of the 911 are hard to pass up.

What do you think. I am also open to other suggestions. The Lotus is not my cup of tea. Thanks.

From my limited experience, it's hard to drive hard if I'm not comfortable and secured. I'd personally go with the Carrera. On the other hand, the mid engined layout of the Cayman makes for a fun drive indeed. If your Sunday drive is comprised of short runs through twisty roads I'd go with the Cayman.

Personally I use my C63 for longer trips (3 or more hours) where I'm likely to hit traffic between towns and my trusty old e46 M3 for the shorter trips comprised of mountain runs.

flez007 · Sep 30, 2010

I enjoyed the video of the GT, it called to my attention the very minor adjustments that the driver was performing on the brief shots in the cabin thou....the engine sounds cool!

Gregadd · Oct 1, 2010

We all know the best

JackD201 · Oct 1, 2010

The Italia is one of the most beautiful cars ever to roll out of Ferrari's doors. Unfortunately it seems this car is literally in the middle of a firestorm. At last count, 10 Italias around the world have caught fire. Ferrari is investigating this.

Bruce B · Oct 1, 2010

devert said:
$50K buys a 550HP Mustang Cobra.

Hell... for $15k my Honda CBR1000rr will beat ANY street-legal car 0-100mph-0

Gregadd · Oct 1, 2010

Bruce B said:
Hell... for $15k my Honda CBR1000rr will beat ANY street-legal car 0-100mph-0

I chased a Honda with my Mazda Rx-7 with twin turbo and twin rotary engines. A humbling experiencce. Like most cars it was no match in thecurves.

owen lawlor · Nov 8, 2010

Gregadd said:
We all know the best

Awesome video

! Our local New England Ferrari dealer had one of these on display at a live F1 viewing event. A great day yesterday watching Brazilian F1 with a lot of fun folks, my son even got to sit in the 430 Spider which is no slouch either, but the Italia is the first Ferrari to hit my radar after owning a number of Porsches.

Orb · Nov 9, 2010

Bruce B said:
Hell... for $15k my Honda CBR1000rr will beat ANY street-legal car 0-100mph-0

Staying with your theme Bruce.
IMO one of the best sports cars was the Honda Integra Type R (not the current model) because it was one of the few cars I have owned and driven that actually "speaks" to you in terms of handling and a good way to learn about balance/handling/braking.
Was this car that taught me best about changing gear and balance setup for corner-braking being so critically related, I have owned and driven other sports cars that have far better performance but then they were never as satisfying in what they gave back to me in terms of experience, or driving on normal roads while having fun.
In fact I found owning a car with 600bhp and 500torque held me back from many overtaking manouvers here in the UK as I would carry way too much speed into next blind corner (British roads are rather short and twisty in most cases) and it would be dangerous to overtake and suddenly break even with a gap as it may surprise drivers.

Still the 4wd Porche is one of my favourite day to day cars when considering all aspects of a quality performance sports car.
Also I have to say I nearly cashed in some of my shares to buy the Audi R8, it is far better visually than pictures can ever do justice, simpling stunning engineering and looks.
2nd hand I would say its possible be under $100k for the right model/spec.

Cheers
Orb

rhopkins · Dec 9, 2010

I would have done the Audi RS4 but it came out the year after I bought my S4. It's a really fun family car.

Next year we are looking into the RS7 with the twin turbo V10. I think it's rated at 600 hp and should be even more fun for the whole family. My guess is it's going to be a tad north of $100k though. Gives you the R8 engine in a four door family car.

DaveyF · Dec 9, 2010

Gregadd, I rode in a RX7 yesterday. I must say it is one helluva fast car

I was mildly surprised at just how fast it is... IMHO it could keep up easily with most
Porsche's and even most Vette's!
Like you said, not as quick as a Honda bike, BUT then what street car is

Orb · Dec 13, 2010

rhopkins said:
I would have done the Audi RS4 but it came out the year after I bought my S4. It's a really fun family car.

Next year we are looking into the RS7 with the twin turbo V10. I think it's rated at 600 hp and should be even more fun for the whole family. My guess is it's going to be a tad north of $100k though. Gives you the R8 engine in a four door family car.

It does look interesting (nearly identical to the 2 seater it seems) and it is surprising just how great those two top Audis are (never knew about the RS7).
For me I would call them the sensible super cars, and a great drive although servicing costs are a nightmare, but then that applies to them all even Porsche

It sort of reminds me of the Honda NSX in some ways, in terms of being a sensible/more practical supercar, yeah it was the V10 I was going to order when it came out as well

I still find it strange how ordinary it can look on photo/film but when you see/drive one it looks so much better, if I had not gone to see one the photos would had put me off.

Let us know how if you do end up purchasing one

Thanks
Orb

JackD201 · Dec 13, 2010

C63 AMG joined my e46 M3. I'm loving it. Easy to drive around town but go manual sequential and hang on for dear life.

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