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 :)