Buying a proper sports car - are they really worth it?

Andrewf20

James Hunt admitted that the most fun car he ever drove was not his 1976 Mclaren but in fact an old Austin A35 van.

And so ive always wondered - what are peoples experiences with going mad with the budget and trading up for an e46 M3 or a Porsche Cayman for example? Did they really offer much more fun than an MX5 or an E30 325i?

What about everything else - the cost of parts, lousy mpgs, fear of it getting stolen or the fear of throwing it off the road and doing eye water damage to it (visually and financially). Did all these dilemmas get outweighed by the sheer thrill of owning something special?

Ill probably be stuck in humbleville forever financially but am I really missing out by not being able to afford a porsche or lotus etc? Thankfully as I get older my jealousy of mean machines in going down. Well most of the time anyway.

Eric Cartman

is an e46 M3 more fun than a 325i - absolutely fúcking yes it is.

sports / high performance cars are expensive, loud, inefficient, hard to handle and make no financial sense on paper

and I wouldn't dare change that for anything.

JC01

Totally worth it, they make 0 sense 97% of the time but the other 3% of the time more than makes up for it.

Honestly if your a petrol head I don't think you'll ever look back and say god I shouldn't of bought that sports car it had terrible mpg, you'll tell anyone who'll listen about how much fun it was.

Cee-Jay-Cee

I’ve owned several DC2 ITR’s and bang for buck they’re hard to beat, they’re getting scarce now and most have had the life ragged out of them by **** who think doing burn outs and sitting with the engine bouncing of the limiter is impressive but there are still a few good ones popping up now and then.

Teddington Cuddlesworth

Been in car sales I get plenty of time behind the wheel of all sorts of cars. We specialise in the higher end stuff, Maserati, Porsche etc, and we have a lot of the more unique cars made factory-made sleepers.

Little light hatchbacks can offer just as much fun as the expensive stuff can provide. Obviously you're missing out on the top end speed and blistering acceleration but the real fun in driving is whipping a car around corners (on a private road) and the engine screaming. Not necessarily something you can also do in a super/sports car without bringing a load of attention to yourself.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

A proper sports car is more than simply the acceleration or the speed. Its also the brakes, the differential, the gearbox, the looks, the noise, the technology, the perception of you on the road, the achievement of having it, a hobby and interest and often a membership requirement to clubs and events full of interesting people with similar interests and things to do.

Often the knowledge of the untapped performance your not using is as much fun. Knowing that every time your overtaken its because you are gracious enough to allowing it.

You are either into that or you are not. I am much to the detriment to my finances. I have a lot more fun in sports cars than regular cars because driving is an occasion in them. I get stuck behind a lot of regular cars "whipping around corners" with drivers that think they are having as much fun as me.

galwaytt

With a 1990 MX-5 in the stable alongside 2 German sporty cars I can tell you that the '5 is very much a 'real' sports car. In many ways, it's the best - and the cheapest. A span new one is €27k.......

Jimmy Bottlehead

I have nothing but loving memories of my time in my S2000.
Still have the little ride, but she's been in storage for over three years now and it's likely I'll have to sell her.

Not a shred of regret to buying her though. You only live once and a special car FEELS special to drive.

Gravelly

I've owned numerous sports cars, including a couple of Porsches, a Beams Celica, and an Audi TT, along with several 70's and 80's classic sports cars. I never regretted owning any of them, and I enjoyed driving them all. However, unless you are very young, and a real petrolhead, the impracticality of them can be a bit of a pain. These days I keep a classic sportscar for sunny weekends, but a nice comfy German saloon for my old bones the rest of the time!

q85dw7osi4lebg

Jimmy Bottlehead wrote: »

I have nothing but loving memories of my time in my S2000.
Still have the little ride, but she's been in storage for over three years now and it's likely I'll have to sell her.

Not a shred of regret to buying her though. You only live once and a special car FEELS special to drive.

Have 285,000 km on my S now, afraid of trying to ever replace it. Nothing quite like it.

Rowley Birkin QC

I've never owned a "proper" / top of the range / ultra premium sports car but I have just spent a week in a class leading, exceptionally comfortable, diesel economy model and I am ready to get back into something low, petrol, RWD, 200BHP+, with 2 doors and that does not make sense on paper.

I had something like that until last week and baulked at a big repair bill so I sold it. Now completely consumed with regret and looking for something similar!

M5

Depends on how much you value cars and performance really.

I owned a e39 M5 for about a year about 10 years ago. I still talk about it and sometimes it still brings a smile to my face.

The clutch/flywheel replacement, rediculous price or tyres and servicing, the 20 euro a liter oil and their general running costs fade away

My advice to anyone who has a passion for cars. Do it once even if only for a short time and do it well. You wont regret it!

Tuco88

1.9l 205 gti. Small car with a big heart.

Dartz

I amn't sure if an Rx8 counts as a proper sports car...

... but it's so worth it.

Drop 3 gears and let the noise out. Followed by smoke. Then fire.

wouldn't mind an s2k, but be ****ed if I can fit in one.

Supergurrier

I loved my 350z, however it was too much of a pain to live with day to day at 6ft 2 with how low it was and how massive the doors were. In a carpark space for a normal car i literally couldn't get out half the time :P

Now im back in a hot hatch again im alot happier, i still miss the hunkered down feeling and 7500rpm redline with the V6 screaming though, if i had the money and our tax system and insurance system was like uk it would be a great weekend car.