Genuine performance with affordable maintenance costs
Discussion
Reading the other thread about the Conti GT made me wonder, what second hand genuine performance cars (ie not hot hatch) can be bought which don't break the bank when it comes to minatenance and servicing. In other words, what is the opposite to the Conti GT, Ferarri 456, Maser 3200, Cerbera etc? I'm looking here for cars more than 5 years old so not in warranty and which are looking good value in the current second hand market.
Though they depreciate slowly in general, any American muscle car - Mustang, Camaro, Firebird. The GM cars from 1993 offer 275hp up to 325hp in 2002, the Mustangs had various models ranging from 215 - 400hp and any of these can be home-maintained by anyone. They are also reasonably solid in terms of body durability.
Yep.
Monaro, Corvette, Camaro, Challenger, Mustang etc etc.
Bit of a theme there.
Basically, any unstressed, big engined car with a yank V8.
Take the Corvette for example, its LS1/2/3/7/9 engine is designed for maximum durability and minimum maintenance costs. At least 250,000 miles before any kind of top or bottom end rebuild.
Can you imagine anything Italian being that durable?
(BTW, I am in no way a hater of Italian sportcars, I love 'em)
Monaro, Corvette, Camaro, Challenger, Mustang etc etc.
Bit of a theme there.
Basically, any unstressed, big engined car with a yank V8.
Take the Corvette for example, its LS1/2/3/7/9 engine is designed for maximum durability and minimum maintenance costs. At least 250,000 miles before any kind of top or bottom end rebuild.
Can you imagine anything Italian being that durable?
(BTW, I am in no way a hater of Italian sportcars, I love 'em)
You want simplicity that gives you cheap servicing and cheap parts.
Simplicity can be found in a couple of obvious ways:
Simplicity can be found in a couple of obvious ways:
- Classics - so RV8 TVRs, Americana, British Classics etc. The important thing to consider here is the number available - avoid the rare ones as they'll be harder to find parts for, and avoid "experimental" electrics.
- Kits - For the purposes of this "kits" includes Ginetta and Caterham as well as the more obvious ones. They are designed to be owner-maintained and tend to be light so you get great performance (as long as they are set up correctly) with low maintenance and running costs.
Porkie said:
NoelWatson said:
ex vtskid said:
135i/335i, I drove a 135i and was very impressed with the performance, easily tunable too.
I think you missed this bit"which don't break the bank when it comes to minatenance and servicing"
If you count it as a "genuine performance car", Elises are dirt cheap to maintain. If the standard models aren't fast enough, a Honda powered one will show most things a clean pair of heels, especially if it has a supercharger fitted, and shouldn't cost much more to maintain than a standard car. Or of course, a VX220 turbo.
Anything with a big lazy American style V8 would probably fit the bill too, so everything from Mustangs to Monaros (just don't buy genuine Vauxhall parts if you get a Monaro, they are stupidly expensive). 911s aren't too bad for the performance if you find a good specialist. Same with BMW M-cars.
In fact, I wouldn't go near a main dealer for any oldish performance car. In my experience specialists tend to be cheaper and better.
Anything with a big lazy American style V8 would probably fit the bill too, so everything from Mustangs to Monaros (just don't buy genuine Vauxhall parts if you get a Monaro, they are stupidly expensive). 911s aren't too bad for the performance if you find a good specialist. Same with BMW M-cars.
In fact, I wouldn't go near a main dealer for any oldish performance car. In my experience specialists tend to be cheaper and better.
Edited by kambites on Wednesday 6th July 09:36
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