Six great supercars for BMW M3 money
Can you afford not to buy one these great £50k supercars?
Of course supercars have higher running and servicing costs and will cost more to insure but supercar ownership, if done right, can also be one of the most rewarding experiences any car enthusiast could ever treat themselves to.
Here are the six best BMW M3 alternatives from the PistonHeads classifieds - each cost less than £50,000.
BMW M4 races its rivals here.
Video: Porsche Cayman GT4 Vs Lexus RC-F Vs BMW M4 Vs BMW I8 Drag Race
Picking up where the Honda's NSX (more on that later) left off, Audi created something truly special with the Audi R8 - a supercar that is totally and utterly useable and one that, if pushed, won't kill you.
Even more impressive is its Quattro four-wheel drive that actually adds to the experience. It magically maximises traction when you need it providing blistering cross-country pace, but when you just want to have fun you'd swear the R8 was rear-wheel drive, with none of the built-in understeer that blights other fast Audis.
According to our buyers guide R8s are tougher than you might imagine too, but neglect (like failing to keep an eye on the oil level in between the long 20,000-mile services) can lunch the engine.
Audi R8s for less than £50,000 in the PistonHeads classifieds
It's a Ferrari for BMW M3 money - still need persuading? If you do the good news is £50,000 gets you a good one that lives up to some of the best in the breed. OK, it's not as conventionally pretty as the F355, but we've picked the 360 because it is without doubt the better, built around a more modern lightweight aluminium spaceframe that is significantly stiffer and tougher than the car it replaced.
Against the clock it might not be as quick as the M3 or M4, 'only' managing a 4.5-second sprint to 62mph. But it's the way it extracts its performance is what makes the Ferrari so special. Forget the BMW's turbos - the Ferrari's 400bhp 3.6-litre V8 is an absolute joy as it screams all the way to its 8,500rpm redline.
You will always have to be on the top of your game to drive it very quickly as it has a nasty snappy nature at maximum attack. But at road speeds it's a rich, involving experience.
The more so if you find one with the classic open-gated manual gearbox; most original buyers preferred the F1 automated version and its ability to keep up with the power delivery. Check out our buying guide here.
Ferrari 360s for less than £50,000 in the PistonHeads classifieds
Watch a Ferrari 360 drive through a tunnel here.
Video: Through A Tunnel In A Ferrari 360 Spider
As reliable as a Civic, faster than a Ferrari - the shockwaves of the first NSX are still being felt today and, for the price of a BMW M3 or M4, you could have your choice of some of the very last cars ever made.
Remember, this was the car that shook the supercar establishment to its very core and set the template for what a supercar should or shouldn't be.
Pre-NSX supercars were wonderful but only for the briefest of drives where at all times they felt like they were trying to kill you. If you were foolish enough to then actually buy they broke down, caught fire, fell apart and crippled you with backache on the short drive down to the yacht club.
Honda decided that wasn't cool. That's why its NSX had a rear window you could see out of, air conditioning that actually worked and a comfortable interior you didn't mind spending time in.
Boring then? Far from it, and even today the depth of engineering Honda invested in its first ever supercar still shines, from its aluminium monococque, all-round double wishbone suspension to its screaming V6 VTEC engine.
The fact that it was so easy to drive fast was the icing on the cake and today you can actually own one of the best out there.
We won't lie that NSX's are now getting a bit old in the tooth with some even suffering the indignity of automotive incontinence -leaking out vital fluids here and there. And remember, they've always been crushingly expensive to service and eat tyres. But without any depreciation to worry about, plus classic car insurance, it's easy to bend the figures and make a Honda NSX the logical choice. Full PistonHeads buying guide here.
Honda NSXs for less than £50,000 in the PistonHeads classifieds
With prices for the M12 almost £20,000 less than a well-option'd BMW M4 you could own something that looks like it should be travelling 200mph on the Mulsanne straight. Not that you buy the Noble for its looks. Nor it's interior quality, or ability to swallow a weekend's luggage. No, you buy a Noble M400 for the brilliance of its drive.
Feeling more like a grown-up Elise, the Noble highlights everything that's wrong with modern performance cars in a short drive.
Its steering that fizzes with feel, for example, while its ride is almost supple, flowing with a difficult road and things only get better the faster you go. That Roush-reengineered Ford lump also feels far more exotic than it has any right to - and the way the 3.0-litre V6 twin-turbo gathers boost makes it feel very Porsche 911 GT2.
Of course it's not perfect, or practical, or even vaguely comfortable and the lack of ABS is a real problem on our roads. But the fact the Noble is still made under licence in the US means you can upgrade your car and make it even faster.
Ownership should be cost effective too but check for crash damage and chassis corrosion before buying. Full M12 buying guide here.
Noble M12s for less than £50,000 in the PistonHeads classifieds
Watch a Noble drive-by here.
Another reason to not buy a BMW M3 or M4 is the Porsche 911. You could have the super focused GT3 (if you're quick) but we've instead chosen one of the most complete supercars ever made - the Porsche 911 Turbo.
Instead of falling head-over-heels in love after the very instant you first drive one the first encounter may leave you feeling a little cold. That's because they need time to appreciate and then, only then, will it worm its way into your affections.
It's almost too comfortable, too easy to drive, too normal initially. But use it - and keep using it - and a transformation will occur.
Traction, for example is simply not an issue thanks to its four-wheel drive and that means you start finding yourself using more power than you ever thought possible. Then there's the cabin; it's comfortable, useable and, apart from a spiteful sat-nav, is somewhere you'll begin to love spending time.
We say buy a manual for the best investment potential, as in the future more and more supercar buyers will miss the interaction only a gearshift can offer. Actually, scratch that, buy whatever you want because you'll end up keeping your 911 Turbo too long, racking up far too many miles for it to actually be worth anything in the future. You won't mind, they'll be little or no reason to sell it. You'll be bored of the BMW in 12 months.
Porsche 911 Turbos for less than £50,000 in the PistonHeads classifieds
Watch the video here.
Video: Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet Review
Lotus Esprit Sport 300/GT3: The criminally undervalued ones
Here's where you'll have to trust us and take a leap of faith. The Lotus Esprit Sport 300 was the car Hethel had to make to compete in the GT1 class that raced at Le Mans. And that's why it feels so special, from its race-spec AP brakes, wide OZ alloys and tacked on wheelarch extensions. Its engine, meanwhile, was also a work-of-art, producing 302bhp from its 2.2-litre turbo. With a kerbweight of just 1,200kg you can understand why it is a paid up member of the supercar club and, despite just 64 being made Sport 300s can still be bought for less than £50,000.
Perhaps a wiser bet still is the much later GT3 that sell for a ludicrously cheap £20K. For that Lotus carved 150kg off its kerbweight to make it faster and more focused. OK, it also only had to make do with a laggy 243hp from just 2.0-litres, but it still capable of a 0-60mph time of just 4.8 seconds and is one of the finest balanced Lotus ever.
Sure, the Renault-sourced five-speed 'box is terrible, but once you work around that this and the fact that all Esprits look, feel (and sometimes act) like they've been thrown you'll begin to relish is character and the quality of its drive, ride and feelsome steering.
You might actually begin to enjoy the odd squeaks and rattle too.
Lotus Esprits for less than £50,000 in the PistonHeads classifieds
Ignore the fact that the GT-R is a big, heavy coupe, has four seats (notionally - it's a 2+2 really), a large boot and has a badge as exotic as a pint of milk because the Nissan is one of the greatest and fastest supercars in modern history. And from £35,000 will annihilate not just the BMW on road and track but just about all the cars on our list.
Better still, at this money you'll have money to either boost the already mighty 473bhp 3.8-litre twin-turbo V6 and create something that could humble a Veyron.
We'd keep it standard and spend the money on brakes and tyres for track days. But wherever you drive it the big Nissan is not only significantly faster than the BMW - it's far more involving and exciting. At this price looks like a steal.
All this from the same people who have just given us the Pulsar.
Nissan GT-Rs for less than £50,000 in the PistonHeads classifieds
Watch the video here.
Video: Nissan GT-R Nismo Vs Nissan Juke-R 2.0 - Drag Race
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