best sports car under 30k

Wait for the new Corvette C7 to come out and buy a C6 Z-06 . It beats most supercars around the track. Best bang for the buck no questions asked. Completely destroys anything mentioned in this thread. Atleast performance wise.

 

Even when the C7 comes out it may be a long time until a low mileage non wrecked example can be found under 30k IMO. The cars value falls on its face purchased new, but then hovers around $40k-$55k for low mileage examples. I could be wrong, and I hope you are right (as I would buy one in a heartbeat), but I dont see nice examples at 30k any time soon.

by the time a POS falls under $30k, you probly wont want it.

is the fiat abarth worth getting?

what kind of power can they make with bolt ons?

is the fiat abarth worth getting?

what kind of power can they make with bolt ons?

 

I would love to hear FIKSE and TurboGallardo's feedback on this. I dont think I could own one as I wouldn't want it as a DD or a 3rd car, but might be a good weekend car for my wife.

by the time a POS falls under $30k, you probly wont want it.

I would love to hear FIKSE and TurboGallardo's feedback on this. I dont think I could own one as I wouldn't want it as a DD or a 3rd car, but might be a good weekend car for my wife.

 

 

I love my little Abarth. I bought it about six months ago because I wanted a tiny car with a stickshift, and now I find myself driving the car just about every day to and from work. It has a great sound to it, and is so much fun to drive. Driving it in Manhattan is a pleasure, and I always look for the tightest parking spaces to squeeze into, just because I can.

 

It's not really very quick, but it's quick enough to have some fun when you're thrashing it, without doing triple the speed limit. The car has a lot of body roll and doesn't handle all that great but it's very zippy if you use a point and shoot approach. I've been thinking about modding it but haven't done so yet. I think with a larger front mount intercooler, an ECU tune, and an exhaust you can probably gain 20-30 horsepower which should make a noticeable difference.

I'll stick with my used S2000 as the best sports car under 30k (used). Reliable as all get out, a joy to rev all day long, one of the best manual transmissions of all time and a ridiculous joy to drive. 13 years since they first debuted and 9 years since the last major refresh and the car could still pass for new if you saw one on a dealership lot.

if you were willing to open it up to used, a Lotus Elise provides many smiles per hour, i've had 2 of them and enjoyed both. surely in the US you'd be able to pick up a very tidy used one for $30k?

You could get an E46 M3.

 

Or an E39 M5...those things are still beasts!

Porsche Boxster...used, best bang for the buck.For that kind of money I don't think you can do better.

Some awesome cars approaching $30k....2007 E63AMG, 2005 CL65AMG and the S65 is getting close.

Some awesome cars approaching $30k....2007 E63AMG, 2005 CL65AMG and the S65 is getting close.

 

Those are awesome. Only thing that scares the fcuk out of me on those cars is the maintenance if you DD them.

Some awesome cars approaching $30k....2007 E63AMG, 2005 CL65AMG and the S65 is getting close.

 

The upkeep on those would break a budget! A V-12 engine from MB that is out of warranty? Doesn't get scarier then that! That being said those are some badass rides for sure. My guess is if you have a 30k budget on a sports car you are either A. trying to step up to something but can't break the bank and therefor need something that is relatively cheap to run or B. looking for some cheap thrills and don't want to be dealing with the headaches a car of that nature would bring.

 

You would be "ballin on a budget" in a 30k AMG!!!!

 

Those are awesome. Only thing that scares the fcuk out of me on those cars is the maintenance if you DD them.

 

Those are awesome. Only thing that scares the fcuk out of me on those cars is the maintenance if you DD them.

 

Same here. The E I wouldn't be too concerned about. They all have the same general A and B service costs but things like brakes and the air suspension...I dunno. Very tempting power wise though. A vetttte or viper would be cool but not for a DD. Crazy how much the Benz cars drop.

how about a mini S with works package? i had a blast with mine!

how about a mini S with works package? i had a blast with mine!

 

Funny you mention that. The wife and I have been looking at a Mini S from 2008. Guy had it on eBay but it didn't meet reserve. I am trying to go out and see it this weekend. Silver with Redwood interior, tech package and the owner has a nice set of aftermarket wheels on it as well as a tune, full exhaust, BOV and springs.

 

The only option missing is the sunroof which might be the deal killer. It would be our third car and would replace my commuter while at the same time serving as a fun vehicle for the wife to get out in. She has her heart set on a sunroof so she has to see the rest of the car to decide if all the options outweight the lack of a sunroof.

It's a fun car, while it looks really small and is, it doesn't drive like I thought a 'small' car would, I can cruise to work at 90 MPH and it's planted, rides great... it feels faster than it is, which makes it fun, you can go through the gears and have fun while not risking jail time.... I put the tune on mine, torque/boost comes on quicker, they claim 40HP, but I think it's more like 20HP....

 

on the Vbox I got 14.9 @ 93.5 MPH and 0-60 MPH in 6.3..... not terrible fast these days, but when I think back to my Turbo Eclipse days that I thought were fast, the Abarth is faster....

 

The 1.4L turbo sounds mean, from the factory it's pretty much straight pipes from the cats back....

 

I'll probably keep the Abarth until my Tesla Model S is here....

 

 

 

I would love to hear FIKSE and TurboGallardo's feedback on this. I dont think I could own one as I wouldn't want it as a DD or a 3rd car, but might be a good weekend car for my wife.

I hear good things about the Ford Focus ST.

 

The last car I bought under $30k was my 2011 VW Golf TDI.

So much fun to drive and the diesel got us 45mpg avg on the highway. Not quite a sports car, but the best value for fun and economy out there.

Same here. The E I wouldn't be too concerned about. They all have the same general A and B service costs but things like brakes and the air suspension...I dunno. Very tempting power wise though. A vetttte or viper would be cool but not for a DD. Crazy how much the Benz cars drop.

 

The E63 wouldnt be too bad until you have to do brakes or a major service. Then they can be somewhat costly depending on what you consider costly. I looked into a low mile 2005 E55, then my father who works at MB told me a new replacement motor was $27,000 or so (IIRC) if the motor was ever to go out.

 

You may be alright on the other cars too if you know a Benz mechanic, and you dont have to take it to a dealer to service. That is of course as long as you dont blow the motor or tranny. Then you are royally fucked.

 

The E63 wouldnt be too bad until you have to do brakes or a major service. Then they can be somewhat costly depending on what you consider costly. I looked into a low mile 2005 E55, then my father who works at MB told me a new replacement motor was $27,000 or so (IIRC) if the motor was ever to go out.

 

You may be alright on the other cars too if you know a Benz mechanic, and you dont have to take it to a dealer to service. That is of course as long as you dont blow the motor or tranny. Then you are royally fucked.

 

I think there are a lot of aftermarket options and the hype is kind of blown up like the GTR was when it came out. My maintenance cost threshold is pretty different after the lambo so a few $k a year wouldn't be too bad. Would be better to find warranty maybe. I'm tempted to bite on one of those but I think I'm gonna wait another year.

Used is only route to go. NSX, E46 M3, S2000, Lotus Elise/Exige, Miata.

 

2013 Mustang V6 base price w/ manual : $22,200

 

V6 Performance Package: $1,995

includes: Strut-tower brace

Larger front sway bar and SVT rear sway bar

"Unique" front springs

"Unique" front and rear calipers with performance friction pads

19" painted aluminum wheels

255/40R19 summer-only tires

"Unique" stability control

Gloss black side mirrors

3.31 rear axle

 

Recaro Cloth Sport Seats (same as in Boss 302 and Laguna Seca package) $1,595

 

Total Price (excluding taxes, dealer fees, etc.) - $26,585

 

Doing something like this would leave you enough money to buy some stickier tires and an exhaust. A lot of car for the money IMO.

2013 Mustang V6 base price w/ manual : $22,200

 

V6 Performance Package: $1,995

includes: Strut-tower brace

Larger front sway bar and SVT rear sway bar

"Unique" front springs

"Unique" front and rear calipers with performance friction pads

19" painted aluminum wheels

255/40R19 summer-only tires

"Unique" stability control

Gloss black side mirrors

3.31 rear axle

 

Recaro Cloth Sport Seats (same as in Boss 302 and Laguna Seca package) $1,595

 

Total Price (excluding taxes, dealer fees, etc.) - $26,585

 

Doing something like this would leave you enough money to buy some stickier tires and an exhaust. A lot of car for the money IMO.

 

Good call!

I think there are a lot of aftermarket options and the hype is kind of blown up like the GTR was when it came out. My maintenance cost threshold is pretty different after the lambo so a few $k a year wouldn't be too bad. Would be better to find warranty maybe. I'm tempted to bite on one of those but I think I'm gonna wait another year.

A mid-2000 model year AMG will have nasty maintenance costs. There is a reason for the steep depreciation.

I thought the V6 mustang drove like a box truck. I can think of lots of better ways to spend 20k+

 

FR-S for example...