I wonder if this (456) is closing in on the most affordable ferrari with prices of 308s and even mondials heading up. Looks like $50-60k
OTOH, Maseratis are impressive in their ability to depreciate with these and quattroportes easy to find in the low 20s
I just spotted a 308 parked at the Advance Auto. I almost stopped to see what he was buying.
Hmm. Punching "exotic" into CL came up with Porsche 911, Maserati Gran Coupe, Bentley Continental and a lot of Freightliners. I'd say the exotic/depreciation/coolness intersection lands on Maserati.
Assuming one doesn't mind Ferrari maintenance.
Guess it depends on how you define exotic. I think in terms of performance. 996s and c5/6 z06 corvettes are certainly affordable and will perform circles around most traditional exotics.
IT also depends on how you define affordable. 
For as long have been driving there have been expensive cars with amazing depreciation. The biggest trick to owning one seems to be figuring out what to budget for maintenance and normal repairs. It could be anywhere from 2x to 10x what similarly priced used Honda would be. The other trick seems to be finding one that isn't hacked up by someone who couldn't (or wouldn't) afford proper maintenance and repairs.
I would argue that the 2nd gen RX-7 Turbo fits the bill. Certainly in the "affordable" aspect. And mine has nice leather seats, and so that covers "exotic."
The key to happiness in life is to have reasonable expectations.
I feel the $22,000+ mint 240Z's on ebay are a lot of money.
NSX? They're certainly appreciating, but you pay up on the initial buy in, rather than years and years of ridiculous maintenance.
As far as "affordable" Ferraris go I've seen a few 348's in the high 20's. Mostly rough examples though.
The older body style Maserati GT's are definitely dropping into the scary-affordable region. The main thing that keeps me away is that 90% of them came with the cambiocorsa automatic. Service for that is supposedly $$$$$$$$$$.
The two affordable exotics I've owned were a series 1 Esprit and an Elise. Both have appreciated since I sold them, but both are still a good bang for the buck when it comes to budget exotics. I think the early Stevens Esprits are still pretty cheap and benefit from some nice reliability updates over the older cars.
From what I've read, 70's and 80's exotics are better when not treated as such. Changing over to something like Mega-Squirt and a stand alone crank fire ignition is often cheaper than repairing and maintaining OE systems (and often run better)
A friend had/has one of those cheap Maserati's. I had to move it out of the way when I was moving my Miata in or out of his garage-mahal. It was a nightmare. Sounds amazing, but the cloud of blue smoke that comes out when you turn it on surely can't be a good sign. And even the dealer couldn't figure out the electrical gremlins, so we resorted to using the in-trunk battery cut-off every time we parked it. Not just for long stays, every time. The smart, frameless windows that are supposed to roll down a smidge the instant you lift the door handles ... weren't reliable. Resulting in repeated tears in the phenomenally-expensive door gasket.
To be fair, I think my buddy got a couple good years of use as his "station car", he even had snow tires for it for winter driving. But it eventually exceeded his generous budget for dealer repairs and stopped being used.
I'll also say that the flappy-paddle gearbox was a jerky nightmare when moving around the driveway/garage, and the interior was unimpressive. I found the seats to be uncomfortably flat and unsupportive.
Another friend has/had one of those 456s. I don't recall if he got around to selling it, but he took a huge depreciation hit from new while suffering from the small little failures that de-value the car but aren't worth repairing. Example: the leather on the dash started peeling up despite being a New York car that was parked indoors 99% of the time. The price to fix it was, of course, ridiculous. It lived at his weekend house and was not used regularly. More than once it had to be towed out of his garage for a no-start situation. And it stranded him more than once.
Both owners liked their exotics and had money to spare, but weren't exactly throwing it around. If it were simply a matter of spending X dollars in maintenance and having a car they could count on, there would be no question they'd spend it. The problem was that they were repeatedly asked to spend X dollars and saw no improvement in reliability.
The sound of those engines is intoxicating, but the costs are staggering and endless.
E55 AMG. The want is so strong.
If I had to take on an exotic, it would either be an Esprit, a Noble or a LS powered kit car. I'd much rather have a scary fast classic like a Pantera or LS swapped sports car.
I've had a few bad experiences with cheap Maseratis at the dealership I used to work at.
They had a Spyder that would also expel big plumes of blue smoke at start up after sitting. I was also one of the few people that knew how to get it into reverse with the flappy paddle gearbox, as it was that temperamental. The A/C didn't work on it and it seemed to be a common problem that the rubber button font would melt away so you wouldn't know how to work all accessories or HVAC.
There was also a Quattroporte that drove well all day, but we left it running for a few hours idling and moving around the lot. Something in the transmission must have overheated and it wouldn't move under its own power. The next day, after cooling it off, it drove like nothing was wrong.
They still made glorious noises and everybody loved seeing them as we transported them to the mechanics to get fixed, even though it was torture driving one of them in 90 degree weather with no A/C.
I've always wanted an exotic. But that maintenance terrifies me. I'd take a Viper
Aston Martin V8 Vantage belongs in this conversation. That is all.
In reply to Mike:
Looks like a 2 door Ford Fusion.
I think the DB7 is probably a little more affordable. I've seen them in the mid 20's, so they are probably at the end of the depreciation curve by now for the late 90's versions.
The Ferrari F360 is almost in the affordable range too. I've seen them at the top end of 60k so I don't think they are at the bottom of the curve yet.
T.J. wrote: In reply to Mike: Looks like a 2 door Ford Fusion.
This. Ford cheapened that front end by stapling it on the Fusion and Focus.
I always find the word "Affordable" to be some sort of a puzzle.
Just what is or isn't and to whom does it apply ?
DrBoost wrote:T.J. wrote: In reply to Mike: Looks like a 2 door Ford Fusion.This. Ford cheapened that front end by stapling it on the Fusion and Focus.
I have to admit to the Fusion setting off my notable car radar for a few months after its release. "Wait... Is that... Uh. Nah. It's just a Fusion."
I reeeeeealy want a four seat Ferrari V12. Something on the 365-400 family tree. I know it would destroy my marriage and then bankrupt me. My backup plan is to wait for the FF to become 'affordable'.
4 cyl Stevens Esprit is about as affordable as it gets.
As long as you have fire insurance, right Hess? ;)
Too soon?
Well, at least you don't have to worry about what the next owner will do to your car.
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