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Sports Car

The other night I asked for input concerning a classic sports car. My new question: What is your opinion for the best choice in a sports car... one with character and reliability? I am not looking to buy a brand new car... wanting to spend under $15,000.

Posted by: smujeep

If your looking for a classic sports car you better be able to swing a wrench. British sports cars have great styling but they were never know for reliability. To answer your question I say you look for a Triumph TR6. The best looking of classic sports cars.

A Miata for sure! So much fun to drive plus it won't be in the shop every other day.

NB - Buy snowtires if you plan on driving it in the winter.

I second (third? fourth? Eh, whatever) the Miata idea, but I just love the Honda S2000. The S2000 was meant to compete with the Boxster (which I also love, but these have issues with the rear main seal that are extremely exasperating. Just google "Porsche Boxster rear main seal" and have your pick at HUNDREDS of web pages devoted to that single issue).

I don't think you'll get an S2000 for under $15,000, but you might come close. How flexible on pricing are you? If it came down to between $18k for an S2000 (which doesn't meet your price criteria) vs $12k for a Miata, I think I'd be pretty torn.

What a dilemma! To have $15K in one's pocket and the time to shop for a sports car with character - wow!
If it's to be a daily driver, I would make sure it was Japanese. The Toyota MR2 Mk1 is my first choice but one could not go wrong with an MR2 Mk2 or Mk3, a Miata or an S2000.
If the car is to be a Sunday afternoon love affair then the possibilities are boundless. Any of the aforementioned British cars from the 60's or a nice 240Z would keep my juices flowing. Hmm.. especially a 240Z.

I think if you looked around, you could buy a couple of 240Z cars for $15K.

The 240Z was a fun car, but a real rustbucket. I hope you live in a dry part of the country. They also had camshaft problems.

"The 240Z was a fun car, but a real rustbucket. I hope you live in a dry part of the country. They also had camshaft problems."

I also don't know what the parts situation is. IMO, the 240 was the only decent looking Z car, a pretty good cosmetic copy of the 275 GTB. The later versions were all pretty silly looking.

240Zs are pretty neat, but you better be under about 5'10".

That's the same problem with the Miata, though. I was on the waiting list for one when those first came out. I had plunked down $500, sight-unseen, as a deposit. I really wanted one. When it finally came in, I drove it 1 block, and realized it could not work for me. All I could see was the top of the windshield frame.

I'm 6'2", and I think 5'10" is a real stretch for a Miata (or a 240Z, for that matter).

I know how to fix this problem now, though. Racing shell. But now that I have 2 kids, well, if a car doesn't have 4 doors, I really don't want it. As luck would have it, that still leaves me with plenty of interesting options.

I always loved the late 60's early 70's corvettes with the steel bumpers. Very beautiful cars.

I think you are talking about the mid-60s (C2) cars, before that funky macco-shark body.

Me too, I still own one. A '69 coupe BB427 M21 w/factory sidepipes and no power anything. It's the only one I kept over the years. When you pull both tops and the rear window, it's really open to the breeze and sky. A nice compromise between the hard top and a vert. Mako shark and steel bumpers...

3000GT VR-4

How about an old fixer-up 1952 MGTD? Got one moldering in the driveway. Hasnt been driven in years make that decades. You'll have to pry the title our for my husband's cold dead fingers but I'm willing to assist.

Or try a middle aged porsche or honda S2000.

I just leased a Honda Civic Hybrid and almost died walking by the S2000 (soooo hot looking). Hybrid alas is very appropriate for Washington DC traffic although a true import (just couldn't wait for Saturn to get their act together).

Good luck in your hunt.

There is only one choice- the Mazda Miata. It has already established itself as a classic. A few years ago it passed the MGB as the best selling roadster in history. And unlike the MGB, it is reliable. See Consumer Reports.
My spouse and I both drive Miata's year round in Chicago (she - 1996 Montego Blue with 146 K; me - 2001 British Racing Green Special Edition with 33 K). If that's not a strong endorsement.....

I really think a car company has to be in existence for more than two weeks to produce a classic. In a couple more decades the original RX-7 may be considered a classic. The Miata is a perfectly good little car, maybe it will be considered a classic during our lifetimes, maybe.

Many would argue that a Caddy Allante is not a Sports Car, but where can you get an aluminum body 2-seater, V-8 power, two tops, original price $56K..for under $12 grand? The '88 and '89 models for under $8 grand. The '93's (last year) have Northstar engines.. Yes, you must shop carefully, but that is true with ANY special interest car...

1982 DeLorean DMC12
1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz
1975 Bricklin SV1

LOL, one of my neighbors occasionally drives his DeLorean around. I have no idea where he finds parts.

Maybe he can fab up some of his own or knows someone who does. Or he replaced everything with Chevy parts. :p

I don't know, I haven't seen it yet this spring. They used an off-the-shelf renault engine as I recall, so those parts should be easy. I don't know about other parts (body, interior, suspension, etc.). I guess you could always have parts fabricated. I always thought they were funny looking little cars.

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