I noticed this thread when Brandon first posted it but I kind of stopped paying attention to it once the number of replies exceeding my ability to count them on the limited fingers I have. In any case, Brandon asked me to drop my $0.02 into the thread and considering that I've been in the lab working for the past week, I think a break is necessary
So here it goes, back to Brandon's original question: what is the best all-around sports car for $50K - $100K. I had the opportunity to talk to an experienced Formula 1 driver about this very topic not too long ago (his name will be kept out of the thread for privacy reasons) but his take on it was this:
If you take a car and put the engine where it is
supposed to be (that's in the middle guys, I love the 911 more than anything but the engine belongs in the center) and design the car properly around that engine, you'll have the time of your life driving it.
With that said, let's talk about what makes a sports car fun to drive. It needs to be fast, but not necessarily the fastest thing on the planet. Horsepower and torque is great but not if you have too much of it, especially if you're talking about a car you'll want to be able to pull out of the garage on a nice day and take it for a real drive. The track is a different situation, the rules change completely when you're on the track, but a good sports car works well both on the track and off.
Porsche is one of the only manufacturers that took a sports car that was designed for the track, and brought it down to the street level. That's part of why the Boxster and Brandon's fav, the Boxster S (that also happens to be the fav of the particular driver I mentioned above) would easily make the cut in this situation. The Boxster S has a decent amount of power, and with its mid engined design can often out-handle a 996 on the track. It's easy to say that the Boxster S' 252HP isn't enough, and a suped up Supra TT with 500HP+ is a much better option. But if you've ever driven a car like the Boxster S at its true limits, you'll realize that you can do a
lot with "only" 252HP.
So there's my vote for the Boxster/Boxster S.
The Acura NSX is another great example of a mid engined car that would be fun to drive, unfortunately I don't think it's worth the current price tag. Maybe if they do drop it to the sub $60K level they're planning to in 2003/2004 without hurting the performance of the car too much...we can only hope.
If you're really a track nut, then the S2000 is apparently incredible on the track but that's not something I'd say would be as fun of a car to drive on a daily basis, too high revving, can't enjoy it as much off the track. But I digress, since the S2000 doesn't meet the low end of our price range.
Since we're on the topic of roadsters, the BMW M Roadster is another option that, although quite doesn't make the $50K cut, is a lot of fun simply because it's a pretty powerful engine in a very small body. It's about 20" shorter than a Boxster and has similar power, that's fun. Too bad BMW's traction control is crap, you'd be amazed at what a good traction control system can do for ya...but I'll get to that later...
Ah, then there's the BMW M3/M5. This driver I mentioned at the start of the post picked the M5 as his favorite sedan. Now you have to realize that no matter how fast the car is, the M5 is still a sedan. It is probably the most you can have in a car that large (not like THAT guys
) but it will never be as fun as a Carrera, Boxster, NSX, S2000, etc... What annoys me about the M5 is that some dealers are charging $90 - $100K for the car, that's not right at all, MSRP is what it should sell at. If an owner is willing to part with it for more, that's fine, but not a dealer.
Then we have the M3, this is probably the best all-around car if you take into account price. The reason I say this is because the M3 handles beautifully, performs very well, and has the practicality that many of the cars I've mentioned thus far lack. The M3 also doesn't attract as much attention to itself as a Carrera, Boxster, NSX, Ferrari, etc... which is definitely a good thing, at least in my opinion. If cost wasn't a factor though, the M3 would most definitely take a backseat to something a little sportier. Also remember that although the M3 is a great car, it's not the best. The M3 weighs in somewhere close to the new 996 Turbo and doesn't have nearly as much power, not good for performance.
Mercedes...eh...I think Brandon already summed this one up, they are too heavy and they desperately
need a good manual transmission. I've talked to CLK430 owners that also happen to own Porsches that say their 430's are VERY fun to drive, while they do say that the CLK430 takes a backseat to the 996/Boxster that doesn't detract from the fact that it is a fun car to drive. Some even argue that its more fun than the E55 AMG. If you're not going to be tracking the car at all and aren't big on driving a stick (GASP!
), the CLK430 is probably one of the best options out there, especially since it is a good daily driver as well as fun.
I'm not going to even get into the hardcore mods for the CLK430, you can only replace so many parts in a car before you can't call it a Mercedes anymore. I can drop a turbocharged flat six in just about any car and make it one of the fastest things on the planet but that just opens up way too many possibilities for discussion.
Then we have the cars that the US isn't blessed with, let's take the Skyline GTR (ok I know you *can* get it here but you know what I mean) for example. If price weren't an issue at all, then it'll definitely have to get added to the list. But the car costs entirely too much to import and I haven't talked to anyone or had any first hand experience with driving one so I don't know exactly how much fun it would be. It's easy to say things like "car x is better than car y" etc... but unless you can base it on something, you're left with a statement that has very little meaning. That's why I'm not going to comment on the Skyline, the Subaru, etc... simply because I have no evidence to base any claims for or against them on. I will say that I probably wouldn't go with either of those options though, just not a big fan that's all.
Next up we have the mighty Ferrari. While this is bending the rules a bit (if you can get an F360 for $100K or less you're a lucky guy), the F360 Modena has got to be the most beautiful, well balanced and just damned exciting sports car out there. The F355 definitely had its moments, but from those I've talked to that have actually owned either one or both, the F360 is simply incredible. If it weren't for the fact that you have to wait for at least 2 years on the car, and if you don't want to wait you'll probably end up spending another $50 - $100K on the car, the F360 would be the best option out there. The Ferrari sound is incredible and without a doubt you'll have more fun in the Ferrari than in most of the cars I've mentioned in this thread. Too bad you can't get it insured if you plan on taking it to a grocery store
Now we get to my three favorites, I will say that I'm a bit biased in these three choices since I've been fans of them for a while: The 2001 Porsche 996 Twin Turbo, the 2000 996 Carrera 2 and the 2000 996 GT3. The 996 Carrera 2 wins my pick as best all-around simply because it can be used as a practical daily driver without sacrificing the fun of driving such a powerful car. Driving the 996 at its limits will truly show you what its "weak" 300HP can do ("weak" in comparison to some of the 400 - 500HP+ rockets). In my opinion, at least in the states where we can't really go 180MPH+ on our way to work (if you can, let me know, I'm moving in), the power of the Carrera as it stands is hovering in the range of where I'd say the best overall sports car would be. You don't want something too powerful, you then lose the ability to truly have fun with it on the streets, but then again you don't want something too weak either. The Carrera's 300HP/258 ft-lbs torque is just enough to differentiate it from the Boxster S, but not enough to make it not as fun to drive on the streets. But I will admit, the 996 could use a power upgrade...
This is where the GT3 comes in, 360HP, non-turbo, in a modified 996 body. If it weren't for the fact that you have to create fire out of water to get one in the US, it'd be the perfect option. And for you track nuts out there, the clubsport version is sort of like the Ferrari Challenge version of the GT3-stripped and made for the track.
The 996 Twin Turbo has an insane amount of power/torque, and most of its is available at a VERY low RPM. Imagine 415 ft-lbs of torque available at 2700RPM, scary huh? From those that I've seen posting online that happen to have the new Turbo, they can't wipe the grins off of their faces. Personally, I think the power is a bit much for something that you'll be driving off the track, but then again if you can truly feel the limits of the regular 996 then I guess the Turbo is perfect.
Oh, and I mentioned earlier that BMW's traction control was horrible....well Porsche probably has the best system available, and you basically have to ask someone that has experienced it before you understand truly what makes it so good.
There are some downsides to the Porsche, the 996 you can pretty much get for MSRP but for those of you that think you can pick up a 996 Twin Turbo for the $111K list price, you find me someone selling it at $111K and I'll be impressed. If you want to wait the 2 - 3 years to get one, you'll probably get it at MSRP, if you want it now you're going to be paying at least $140K, I've seen ads selling the car for up to $200K. Scary eh?
Final Words
Oh wait...sorry, thought I was writing a review
Sorry for the length guys, I needed a break.
There are faster cars out there than the ones I listed, but you'd be hard pressed to find cars that are as much fun as those that I talked about.
Specs on paper are nice to talk about, but when it comes to the real world it's just like the hardware we put in our systems, paper specs don't always tell the true story.
Take care,
Anand
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