Photo: autoevolution
It's easy to base all your decisions on the latest car reviews, most of which suggest the Germans make the best all-round sportscar. But the reality of buying a truly special car is that your money needs to be stretched to the absolute limit to get something really special.
$100,000 sports coupes and sedans are terribly exciting, but for most people spending that much on the Sunday best is out of the question. With a trade in and a long lease plan, most common folk can put down no more than $50,000. Which raises a very interesting question: If you had $50,000 to drop on a brand new sportscar, what would be the one to turn the most heads?
There are very few cool German cars that are sold that cheaply and most of them aren't that impressive. For example, the new BMW 435i is $46,000, but will you get a second glance? Probably not, especially two years from now. Maybe the Z4 is better in this respect but even then you're pulling at hairs.
To get a cheap, cool car in America, you've got to buy American. The Corvette would have fit that description perfectly, but even before you add cool wheels and paint, it's $53,000, maybe more if your dealer is feeling greedy.
f your idea of a sportscar comes with 2-doors, RWD, a manual transmission and telepathic handling, the Lotus Elise could be your thing. It retails for about $46,000 and looks like an exotic and handles to match. The oddball from Britain would have to be the Morgan 3 Wheeler, looking like nothing else on the road for around $45,000.
What about the Japanese? Well, they've all but given up on making sportscars, but Nissan still has the 370Z. It's not going to grab anybody's attention, that is unless you go for the $43,020 Nismo model. It's pretty much a factory-tuned street racer with a brilliant engine sound, 350 hp and a body kit to match.
Those are the ones we could think of, but if you know something we don't let us know in the comments section below.
There are very few cool German cars that are sold that cheaply and most of them aren't that impressive. For example, the new BMW 435i is $46,000, but will you get a second glance? Probably not, especially two years from now. Maybe the Z4 is better in this respect but even then you're pulling at hairs.
To get a cheap, cool car in America, you've got to buy American. The Corvette would have fit that description perfectly, but even before you add cool wheels and paint, it's $53,000, maybe more if your dealer is feeling greedy.
f your idea of a sportscar comes with 2-doors, RWD, a manual transmission and telepathic handling, the Lotus Elise could be your thing. It retails for about $46,000 and looks like an exotic and handles to match. The oddball from Britain would have to be the Morgan 3 Wheeler, looking like nothing else on the road for around $45,000.
What about the Japanese? Well, they've all but given up on making sportscars, but Nissan still has the 370Z. It's not going to grab anybody's attention, that is unless you go for the $43,020 Nismo model. It's pretty much a factory-tuned street racer with a brilliant engine sound, 350 hp and a body kit to match.
Those are the ones we could think of, but if you know something we don't let us know in the comments section below.
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