Help me beat depreciation and pick a fun car for up to $30k

Adrian_Thompson said:

What about a PDK Boxster/Cayman. They are  far better cars than similar year 911’s other than a turbo or GT3.  Yes they are still depreciating, but they are easily 50-60% below MSRP and will never depreciate to zero like an XKR. Also now they’ve gone to the (relatively unpopular) flat 4 they’ve probably hastened their future uptick in value of the six cyl cars. Not that you keep your cars long enough for that to factor into your decision. 

I hear you, I'm just not a big fan of them - I actually tried a nice one with a PDK at CarMax when I sold them my MX-5.

BoxheadTim said:

In reply to rothwem :

Not looking for a DD, this is supposed to be a quirky fun car

Ah, I definitely read your OP wrong.  I was thinking you wanted something that you COULD DD, but WOULDN'T.  The E90 isn't quirky enough. 

I vote Citroen DS.  The linked suspension is just too cool to ignore.  

In reply to BoxheadTim :

Sorry,  I misunderstood.  I had it in my head it was a combination of clutch and cramped quarters.

In reply to Cotton :

No worries. The main issue is actually the angle of the clutch pedal as it is depressed. If that results in having to stretch the tendon a bit too far back (ie, tip of the toes starting to angle towards me), painful memory of the drive ensues.

The funny side effect of this is that I have an easier time driving cars with bottom hinged pedals (like a 911 or my race car) than cars with "normal" pedals.

I really hope the XKR depreciates to zero like y'all say they will 

Well, if the XJS is any indication it'll get pretty close to zero.

Oh.  I get to be the wet blanket again.

you want a quirky, fun car.  Your past history has shown that you don’t really have the time to work on cars as well as having substantial ergonomic issues fitting into and being able to drive cars.

neither of those align, at all, with a “quirky, fun” car.  Those tend to require substantial attention, either from you, or a specialist shop.  They also tend to not be particularly comfortable to drive.

you have the Miata and the E34 and the truck.  Those are all vintage, quirky machines.  You just moved to a new area and don’t know what sort of indy shop support you have, if any, for a quirky car.

you need to buy something a few years old so you avoid the initial depreciation hit but is still covered under a certified warranty.  That way anything that goes wrong over the next several years is fixed for free and you don’t have to work on it.

you also need to get a dual clutch or flat out automatic car.  Stop faffing about with 3 pedal cars, you end up not being able to drive them.

sorry to be the voice of reason, but while all the above suggestions are awesome cars, you’re not going to be able to drive them.

then they’ll sit there and you’ll sell them, just like all your other past cars

In reply to docwyte :

Now you're just being mean. (mostly because much of that criticism applies to me as well... )

In reply to Ian F :

In all fairness docwyte got hard news today.  The easy way to get Miata wheels to him didn’t materialize.  Now he has to look into shipping which person to person is never a great deal.

In reply to AnthonyGS :

Greyhound them!

docwyte said:

you also need to get a dual clutch or flat out automatic car.  Stop faffing about with 3 pedal cars, you end up not being able to drive them.

 

Quoted for truth.

AnthonyGS said:

In reply to Ian F :

In all fairness docwyte got hard news today.  The easy way to get Miata wheels to him didn’t materialize.  Now he has to look into shipping which person to person is never a great deal.

Look into a fastenal store.  I heard they ship freight/pallet type stuff, store to store, for a pretty reasonable flat rate

Buy my 135i.

Add downpipe + tune for a legit 375/420 hp/tq car. 

Enjoy DCT, Harmon Kardon stereo. 

Win?

Sounds like you need a Jensen Interceptor

3 rotor cosmo is the obvious answer 

Esprit Turbo, the 4 cylinder one.  Quirky and not a real "tuner" car like the 930.

Not sure how this works with your ankle equation though.

AnthonyGS said:

In reply to Ian F :

In all fairness docwyte got hard news today.  The easy way to get Miata wheels to him didn’t materialize.  Now he has to look into shipping which person to person is never a great deal.

LOL!  Paying shipping isn't the worst thing to have to do.  Never knew about Fastenal, there's a store 10 minutes from my house.  Hmm, how's all that work?

In reply to Knurled. :

You won't have to worry about ergonomics on a Lotus Esprit either cause it's always gonna be sitting in the garage broken!

In reply to docwyte :

Well, it took a while for the Lots Of Trouble Usually Serious jokes to arrive .

And in other news, there has been a car related development that may make this thread obsolete. I may know more tomorrow afternoon.

I had somewhat of the same question, I spent a touch over 30, but not much.  I went with a C63 AMG (mines a 2013, no headbolt issues)

Any updates?

The deal's not done yet but should be in another week as I'm about to go out of town again. Nevertheless it looks like the answer to the question in the headline - please note, not The Answer - appears to be a German, aircooled ragtop.

More details when I actually know the deal is going to come through, but the rough story is that this came together through a lead via some local friends. A lady was looking for a new caretaker for her late husband's dream car and somehow I was the only person who a) knew a lot about this specific car model as I've owned one before down to the exact model year, and b) wasn't giving off the vibe that I was looking for a quick flip.

It's a West Coast car that's only been around here for a short amount of time and not driven in winter, but it needs a visit to the upholstery shop (typical CA sun damage on the leather seats) and some model year correct OEM wheels, plus some catch up maintenance. And the steering wheel that is in my NA Miata.

clutchsmoke said:

Any updates?

Oddly enough I was just typing up the update when you asked .

Awesome,  hard to beat an ac 911.

In reply to Cotton :

My wallet is already hiding in fear .

The gear knob also wants new leather. Replacement is still available from Porsche. I've bought whole gearboxes for less money.