Help me find "fun" car.

carbidetooth said:

In reply to KyAllroad :

I looked but no joy. Can you link to ad?

https://www.grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/cars-sale/2010-acura-tl-sh-awd-stick/272297/page1/

And while it's not a dedicated sports car, at 1/3rd of your budget you can spend more on track days, autocrosses, vacations with the significant other, etc, etc.

In reply to John Welsh :

That would certainly interest me but, there's always a but, it's in Pittsburgh and I'm in Idaho. Shipping would sour the deal and driving it home would probably do the same. Maybe not that car, but it does fulfill much of the wish list.

theruleslawyer said:

Hard to beat a c5, c6 in performance per dollar. $30k would get you a c6 gs, which has great bones as a track car. (dry sump, etc) If you don't plan on doing much to it, a c5z would be a nice choice in the low $20's, sometimes high teens. If you are open to mods the base c5's are a tremendous value. You'll have plenty to exorcise any of the cruiser genes out of it. See my project thread. Base c6's need most of the same stuff as base c5's but you might be happier with the interior. Plenty of small reasons to pick up one. ECBMs, better PCM, better parts availability. Avoid 2005. Get the z51. I'd personally opt for a 2008+ with the ls3 in it if I were looking for one. C7s are starting to get down there too, it would be a stretch, but a c7 z51 would be a good buy.

a stick shift GS (the one /w the dry sump) would be a pretty tall order for $30k.  Maybe but they are probably pretty clapped.  A clean narrow body LS3 car still commands low 20's and the GS's are usually a $10k premium (and deservingly so; wide body = more tire, Z06 brakes, dry sump, etc.)  

ClearWaterMS said:

a stick shift GS (the one /w the dry sump) would be a pretty tall order for $30k.  Maybe but they are probably pretty clapped.  A clean narrow body LS3 car still commands low 20's and the GS's are usually a $10k premium (and deservingly so; wide body = more tire, Z06 brakes, dry sump, etc.)  

 

They're out there. People asking 40k for them are in denial. Especially when c7's are starting to get near $30k. The ones you see sitting listed for months on end are the delusional 1 of 1 'I know what I have' type sellers.

Here's a couple in my region manual under $30k

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/311666698547842/?ref=search&referral_code=null&referral_story_type=post&tracking=browse_serp%3A2ae592ea-2bd0-43bc-b17d-a94282951cf4

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/860649145963676/?ref=search&referral_code=null&referral_story_type=post&tracking=browse_serp%3A2ae592ea-2bd0-43bc-b17d-a94282951cf4

Obviously you won't be getting a low mileage car for that. but I see them in the upper 20's often enough. If you keep an eye on track groups on FB you see some screaming deals come through.

I've driven all the things, some of which I drove before I started writing poorly-written reviews. This is my short (medium) list of the cars that put the biggest smile on my face: 

-AP2 S2000

-ND Miata (if only I fit...)

-NC3 Club Miata (aka the Miata I fit in)

-987 Boxster/Cayman S (almost bought 1, more than once)

-Nismo 370Z (the base/lower model 370Z's did nothing for me, but the Nismo was a hoot on a canyon road!) 

-C6 Corvette Z06 (lightly modded) 

-C7 Corvette Grand Sport w/Z07 package 6MT

-Jaguar F-Type R

-F87 BMW M2 6MT

-Oddly enough, my lowly E82 128i 6MT E36 M3box after throwing a few thousand dollars into suspension & the 3SIM + tune. 

-FK8 Civic Type R (I would have kept that car if it didn't hurt my knee) 

-Tastefully modded Evo X GSR (I don't know what all was done to it, but it was fast and loved to be pitched around corners!) 

My advice: pick a few cars you're interested in and go drive them all. Buy the one that puts the biggest smile on your face. 
 

Hey y'all. Original poster here. I've narrowed my search to Miata RF and Toyobaru. Looking at used GR86 and BRZ made me wonder why 1-2 year old cars with average mileage were advertised so close to MSRP for NEW. I'd expect bigger spread, but maybe I'm behind the times. As a result, I'm shopping new GR86 with a Toyota dealer that had  a used one  on their lot, but l rejectied. If I go new, I'll specify equipment and color, then wait till they can fulfill. It may stretch into '25 model year, which I'm fine with.

Having never bought new, I'm wondering what good pricing looks like vs MSRP. They're offering $400 below for sure and but I'm thinking more like $1000. What would y'all expect to see? No trade, I'll finance long enough for them to get their spiff from lender and then pay off.

John Welsh said:

carbidetooth said:

I'm pretty simplistic in my tastes... Quirky is good, exotic not-so-much. Practicality not so important, 

Mostly a buzz around town car...something to make me smile when I drive it and not be a work-in-progress. 

Simplistic
Quirky
Not Practical (near zero storage space)
Buzz and Smile!
Reliable

$7,400 sample

I had one. Fun. At 6' you should just fit. I am 6'2 and did a race bucket baiscally boltes to the floor. 

But IMO It needed another 100hp :)

OP here, I thought I should finish the story. Maybe finish isn't the right word. Update the saga, perhaps, because I'm pretty certain I'm not finished. 

I got very close to buying a used GR86. Then got dazzled by new Hakone Edition. Which I did purchase. Wonderful automobile. Auction goes live tomorrow. Lesson learned...again!

The Story

I fell for car but I’m not a new car guy. Let me explain.

I was on the hunt for a “fun” car to add to my little fleet. I had some requirements. It had to handle well, be relatively potent and not be black. And I suppose it needed to be affordable too because, well, I’m not Jay Leno.  I considered everything from pony cars to semi exotics but really started to like the GR86 or its sister, the BRZ. Everything I wanted, it seems.

As I nosed around for used ones, one thing struck me as odd. The price for low mile, used and not abused cars was strikingly close to new cars. This led me to investigate new ones which, in my 68 years on this earth, I’ve never done. The Hakone Edition had just been announced, and I was smitten when I eyeballed photos and read about equipment. On a lark, I called the local dealer and inquired as to availability. “We can get you one”.  “Really, with the equipment I want?” “Yes”.

Needless to say, I was excited! In the past, I’d made my used cars into what I wanted. Here was an opportunity for me to purchase my first new car, equipped to my specifications, and, and, and, I did!

Months later, I got the call that my car was in port and would soon be on transport to dealer. Gettin’ real now, but it was nearing Christmas and weather not what I deemed “go for a drive” friendly.  So I put it in the garage and fawned over it. Ceramic polish, added the Mud guards and detailed what I thought the dealership missed…you get the idea. Did I tell you I’m a fussy old buzzard?

Now the final chapter. As much as I don’t like to admit it, I’m not a new car guy. The idea of getting the first door ding or curb rash is kind of sickening to me. When I imagine mowing down a cone on an autocross course or hammering it around a track it’s even worse.

I’ve been here before. Years ago, I rebuilt an RX7 beyond what I should have and simply made it “too nice”. Despite all who tried to convince me otherwise, I sold it. And here I am again. Too nice. I don’t have the space or inclination to be a collector of cars that don’t get driven like they were intended. Sad but true, this needs to be someone else’s baby and not my garage queen.

Maybe look for an ordinary used 2.0L model? You can bring them half-way to the power of the 2.4L engine with some basic mods. None of the special editions are mechanically very special, I think the biggest difference is bigger and far more expensive brakes, so don't fret about what factory options they came with.

They're still newish cars in cost though. A replacement headlight can easily cost more than a replacement gearbox and they have lots of costly safety gear that can be set off.

Also consider a Porsche 944. They've been appreciating for a while but can be had for costs in the same ballpark as a used Toyobaru, they're pretty similar performance-wise, a lot of the parts are cheaper and they should be a helluva lot cheaper to insure. The only things they really fall short on vs. a Toyobaru are fuel efficiency, and at this point you can expect reliability to be worse just due to age.

In reply to GameboyRMH :

Currently hot for an NC2-3 PRHT Miata. The FM turbo looks pretty dang fun. That and a little suspension work and I get to do the mods and not worry about new-ness. 

I tapped out bidding on this one yesterday on BAT, so still on the hunt.

If anyone is interested, Hakone is now live on Cars and Bids.