The $25k Sports Car

[onewhippedpuppy]

Tired of talking about depressing stuff, let’s talk cars! This is a frequent discussion between my 14 year old and I, because he’s my biggest car kid and will probably have about $25k to spend in a year or so. He’s learning to drive stick on my RX8 so that’s not an issue, the only constraint is he’s 6’1” and still growing, and he doesn’t want anything with a rag top. So Miata Is Always The Answer may not work here. Here’s our list, what would you suggest?

GR86/BRZ - newer, reliable, need to drive one
C63 coupe - one of my all time favorites, on the short list
SL55 - a little scared by first gen ABC reliability, on the short list
C43 - “not a real AMG” but a damn good driving car
SLK55 - more reliable than the SL, short list
Jaguar F-Type - “dad Jaguars are for gay people now”
Cayman - 987 on the short list
C5 Corvette Z06 - future classic, won’t depreciate, never breaks, interior is garbage, on the short list
RX8 R3 - he likes mine, if we go this route we would likely turbo the Renesis or do a 13BREW swap
M235i - worried by BMW reliability
E46 M3 - getting hard to find a nice one
Z32 300ZX - this is when my wife starts yelling at me because it’s “too old”
951/968 - getting too expensive

Side note, it’s really sad to see how much cars have gone up in price.

[Tobra]

Left the answer for everything off the list

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Tobra

Left the answer for everything off the list

It’s in my intro paragraph, he’s 6’1” and still growing. About to pass me up.

[masraum]

I would say Miata RF, but not sure what sort of space the ND has inside. I'm a bit over 6'1" and had an NA and NB. The NC was built on the RX8 platform. But the ND is supposed to be a complete redesign and back to basics like a more modern NA. I don't know if they still make RFs or what sort of headroom they had compared to the soft top.

Funny note, I don't really want or care for a drop top, and due to being a pasty white guy living in the HOT, humid south, almost never put a top down. With all that said, since 1999, I've owned a '88 911 targa, '97 miata, 04 miata, and an '08 Boxster. My first miata did come with a hard top which we repainted and put on my wife's miata when she bought one, and my boxster also came with a hard top which was in storage for the first 7 years, but has been on the car now for the last ~4 years.

[Alan A]

OP: Check what they’ll cost to insure first.

Full disclosure - my kids 17 and he wanted something fun.
I wanted to get him a Subaru…
We got him a pre owned 330 for about the # you stated.

My. Insurance. Has. Doubled.
Went from 450 a month for two cars to $950 for three.
$180 of the bump was the car, the rest was a 17 year old male.

My umbrella policy has also doubled.

My agent also told me they are finding it harder to write coverage on cars > 15 years old.
#1 really wanted an XK8 - despite not being gay - which is why he’s ended up with something newer.

Side note - was never a BMW fan, but for the $ (3 years old, not new) it’s hard to argue the value of his car. I’m thinking about getting one myself now.

[masraum]

If miata is off the list, are the BRZ/86 and SLK that much bigger?

Corvette seems like it would be inexpensive to get into and maintain. I know folks talk about the corvette tax, but I have to assume that other than tires, the corvette tax pales next to the Porsche, BMW, Merc taxes.

I have to assume the 300Z in decent shape is getting very hard to find. I occasionally see one, but when I say occasionally, I mean maybe once a year or once every 2-3 years.

If Cayman is on the list, maybe also consider boxster with a hard top. They are great looking cars if I do say so myself.

What about Nissan 350/370/400Z? I don't know much about them. I have heard good and bad. I remember when Leland Pate got one and then got rid of it, but then I think he got one when they were brand new and having teething issues. They've been around long enough now to work that stuff out, I assume.

What about some year of mustang? Tons of them out there, tons of aftermarket support, should be (I assume) cheap and easy to work on (compared to Porsche, BMW, etc...). And the newer they get the better they handle as long as you know how to keep them from going crowd surfing.

[Gus Berges]

your list is quite comprehensive (especially the C5...), perhaps consider:

Subaru WRX STi
VW GTi
Audi TT RS (not sure about price..)
Audi S3
Mini Cooper (would he fit?)
Honda Type R (not sure about price)

100% agree how ridiculous the prices are. Hell, I remember when 911 SCs were $15K cars and 930s were $30K!

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Alan A

OP: Check what they’ll cost to insure first.

Full disclosure - my kids 17 and he wanted something fun.
I wanted to get him a Subaru…
We got him a pre owned 330 for about the # you stated.

My. Insurance. Has. Doubled.
Went from 450 a month for two cars to $950 for three.
$180 of the bump was the car, the rest was a 17 year old male.

My umbrella policy has also doubled.

My agent also told me they are finding it harder to write coverage on cars > 15 years old.
#1 really wanted an XK8 - despite not being gay - which is why he’s ended up with something newer.

Side note - was never a BMW fan, but for the $ (3 years old, not new) it’s hard to argue the value of his car. I’m thinking about getting one myself now.

My old boss recently got in an accident in his old Lexus after he retired. He replaced it with a CPO BMW 330i that had been a loaner for the dealer where he got it. I think he was in the budget mentioned.

It's been 20+ years since I was insuring a teen, but yes, they do cost a fortune compared to "old" folks.

[Rot 911]

Mini Cooper S. My friend is 6’4” and easily fits in his. Fairly reliable and won’t break the bank to fix. My wife is on her fourth one. They are a hoot to drive

[javadog]

I don't see anything on the list that I would have let either of my kids drive when they were 16.

They will wreck whatever they drive, so keep that in mind.

[KFC911]

LOL .... we got our first speeding tickets driving Pintos and CJ5s

[astrochex]

Originally Posted by KC911

LOL .... we got our first speeding tickets driving Pintos and CJ5s

Yesterday, I saw a Pinto in the first time in forever. It was a lovely rattle can gray primer.

[wildthing]

No Sports Sedans? Let his friends ride with him? There are nice E63s out there.

[rfuerst911sc]

Yesterday on FB marketplace there was an AMC Pacer in great shape for sale . Remember those ?

[ryans65]

Yeah no kidding!

I dont have kids nor will I ever have kids but I do have experience being a kid wanting my first car and my dad would have laughed hysterically at me if my list included anything like the ones listed above.

I had about $800 of my own money and the local valley trader to look for cars in and parents that wanted me in something auto, boring, slow and disposable.

Originally Posted by javadog

I don't see anything on the list that I would have let either of my kids drive when they were 16.

They will wreck whatever they drive, so keep that in mind.

[id10t]

My son is 6'4" and fits in his e36 328 fine...

[yellowline]

Cayenne diesel may be doable for $25k. Plenty of torque, wont be run over if a reckless driver in a pickup hits him, just enough issues to work on to keep life interesting.

Or a Touareg TDI (V6) for half the price, and bank the other half of your budget.

Enthusiast diesel vehicles will only continue to become pieces of history. Might be something to think about before you can’t really get one anymore.

[LWJ]

My 01 Boxster S is spectacular. Also cheap. Has been flawless for me. Well below the 25K price- like 1/2!

[fintstone]

A Lexus RC350 is pretty sporty and safe...and a very nice one can be had for less than your price range.

[Alan A]

Originally Posted by yellowline

Cayenne diesel may be doable for $25k. Plenty of torque, wont be run over if a reckless driver in a pickup hits him, just enough issues to work on to keep life interesting.

Or a Touareg TDI (V6) for half the price, and bank the other half of your budget.

Enthusiast diesel vehicles will only continue to become pieces of history. Might be something to think about before you can’t really get one anymore.

The kid wants a toy.
If he’s anything like mine he’ll recoil in horror at the thought of an SUV. Boomer wagon or I’m not a soccer mom is my guess at the response, regardless of how -practical- they are. (And I had a TDI Touareg. It towed better than my Ram 1500 and got 30+ mpg on the highway)