Then I'd consider the 4 seater an excellent sedan, not a sport car......maybe sport sedan? Like the CTS-V? (which is on my replacement list)
F1? I'd toss that in the exotic bin.
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Daily sports car?
- Thread starter CriticalCore
- Start date
F1? I'd toss that in the exotic bin.
I really dig the modern Fiat 124 (re-skinned MX-5).
Looks like fun, looks good, top down, top up, manual transmission, decent looks. I think with tax and freight, less than $40k.
Will your face feel like a rocket on take off? Probably not but, I bet it could be fun bopping around and could be an everyday car for the right person.
Cargo space limited for sure but, keeps the Costco spending down.
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Looks like fun, looks good, top down, top up, manual transmission, decent looks. I think with tax and freight, less than $40k.
Will your face feel like a rocket on take off? Probably not but, I bet it could be fun bopping around and could be an everyday car for the right person.
Cargo space limited for sure but, keeps the Costco spending down.
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Knock on it because it looks like it was designed by a Japanese teenager that spends way too much time watching anime.
CriticalCore
Well-known member
I'll be flyin solo for a long time to come still, 3rd & 4th seats aren't a factor to be honest hence considering the 370z aswell, doesn't have rear seats and barely has trunk space lol.
Relax
Well-known member
So a 911 is a sedan? I'm not being argumentative - the lines are so blurred.
GreenPlane
Well-known member
In this case, I would say that the general common denominator is something what @YammieR616 said a few posts ago (if we will not go into the discussion about what is a sport car means):
- S-2000, Miata, 86/BRZ.
I personally wouldn't buy a 86/BRZ because they are too boring for me as a daily car but many people like them even in this role. Also, I wouldn't recommend to think that you can buy one and then modify it to get more power. Modding (for reliable power) is an expensive and time-consuming process. And you will need to deal e.g. with insurance if you will install something like a supercharger..
Miata's are awesome. I have no idea how it is possible but they are awesome. You can buy the new generation for ~30k and you might get even all the new tech like Android Auto (which makes daily driving better).
S-2000 are awesome too but they are older..
- S550 mustangs, newer gen camaros, BMW m3, m1, z3, z4, Porsche
All great cars. I think that camaros are a little bit quicker on a track but mustangs give more emotions. BMWs are BMWs..
370z is a nice car too.
If you want to go FWD or AWD route then there are more options. In general, all these cars are really good in something. Maybe just choose something and ask for a shotgun ride with someone who has such car to get a better idea of what you can get
Relax
Well-known member
OP, have you driven any of these? You really should try them all out, because as mentioned previously, the car could get glowing reviews, but still fall apart as soon as you sit in it. There were many more cars on my wish list that I had to cut because they just didn't feel right to me when I drove them.
So many exceptions. There's a whole segment of 2+2 sports coupes that I'd consider sports cars: 911, Evora, GT-R, i8, TT.
High horsepower doesn't even have to be a requisite, if it's lightweight and agile. Porsche's 550 Spyder was called a "giant-killer" because at only a few horses above 100hp, it was able to lap faster than cars with 3x its power.
I think the definition of a sports car falls into the "I'll know it if I see it" category.
Shaman
Well-known member
A sports car has two or less doors, two or less seats, is RWD, is relatively lightweight, is built low and specifically designed for nimble handling. Roof optional. A lot of cars being suggested don't meet the spec.
Now, for a performance car, I might consider the Mustang as it's more fun - but slower - than the Camaro in pretty much all comparable trims. The Camaro isn't very playful, it just wants to hunt and kill. C6 Corvettes are coming up for sale now - and are sports cars - and though they don't have some of the entertainment features, they handle well and are fun to drive. Boxsters and Caymans are sports cars and are good fun as well, though if they've been driven too gently, some small number of cars may have IMS bearing issues (the motor wants RPM, it builds oil pressure). All Miatas are fun, if not terribly fast. The M2 as others have pointed out is fun and pretty quick - but not a sports car, has 2+2 seating... if that matters to you.
A 911, a GTR, Evora, TT - all not sports cars. They have 2+2 seating. They're GT cars. I don't know why people insist on reclassifying them as if they aren't great cars because they're GT cars. GT cars are actually a higher spec car in terms of performance... better on road courses and open highways, sports cars often don't have high power - a Bugeye Sprite has maybe 60hp but is 100% sports car.
Now, for a performance car, I might consider the Mustang as it's more fun - but slower - than the Camaro in pretty much all comparable trims. The Camaro isn't very playful, it just wants to hunt and kill. C6 Corvettes are coming up for sale now - and are sports cars - and though they don't have some of the entertainment features, they handle well and are fun to drive. Boxsters and Caymans are sports cars and are good fun as well, though if they've been driven too gently, some small number of cars may have IMS bearing issues (the motor wants RPM, it builds oil pressure). All Miatas are fun, if not terribly fast. The M2 as others have pointed out is fun and pretty quick - but not a sports car, has 2+2 seating... if that matters to you.
A 911, a GTR, Evora, TT - all not sports cars. They have 2+2 seating. They're GT cars. I don't know why people insist on reclassifying them as if they aren't great cars because they're GT cars. GT cars are actually a higher spec car in terms of performance... better on road courses and open highways, sports cars often don't have high power - a Bugeye Sprite has maybe 60hp but is 100% sports car.
By your definition, a SmartCar ForTwo convertible is more of a sports car than an Audi R8, or a Mclaren F1.
Here's a good article on the definition of a sports car. Historically, Grand Touring cars were originally classed as sports cars with a hardtop, not 2+2 seating.
No One Knows What "Sports Car" Actually Means Anymore
Remember when names used to mean something?
www.roadandtrack.com
Everybody's definition is different.
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Shaman
Well-known member
The R8 has AWD, and that's the only reason you don't call it a sports car... it's probably a supercar, though. The McLaren F1 is a supercar as well, but it's a 1-seat car designed with optional seats to be crammed in beside and slightly behind it... novel idea but the reality is that most of them were sold with luggage to fit in the third bay, not a seat. As it's a one-off, call it what it is: unique.
RWD is a major staple of a sports car, because it gives the driver options. The driving experience is the main point of a sports car.
SmartCar ForTwo does handle quite well at low speeds, but falls apart at speeds higher than street pace, because its chassis is very short. If it did better on, say, a gymkana track it might just be a sports car.
RWD is a major staple of a sports car, because it gives the driver options. The driving experience is the main point of a sports car.
SmartCar ForTwo does handle quite well at low speeds, but falls apart at speeds higher than street pace, because its chassis is very short. If it did better on, say, a gymkana track it might just be a sports car.
Good to see you back Shaman. How is your GT/Sports car/ whatever you want to call it doing? I haven't seen videos since just after you picked it up.
Back on topic, yes cars like the BRZ and Miata are underpowered compared to "fast" cars, but very rarely do you get to use much power on the street. Driving through 90 degree corners confidently at 50+ km/h is its' own entertainment. I think for me, something like a miata with 250 hp would give me all I wanted for a street sports car. Muscle cars are very rarely sports cars in my mind. Sports car need to be light and nimble, muscle cars are normally neither. Supercars can get you light, nimble and powerful.
So why would 2+2, RWD, 2 door, excellent handling cars not qualify as sports cars then?
Shaman
Well-known member
> So why would 2+2, RWD, 2 door, excellent handling cars not qualify as sports cars then?
2+2 seating. Having a chassis designed to be longer for the extra seats adds weight and makes the car less nimble. It's a big step away from what a sports car should be. A high-speed GT car with good stability, sure. In some ways, GT cars are higher performance than sports cars.
> How is your GT/Sports car/ whatever you want to call it doing?
Great. Lovely GT car. About to turn 38K soon. I've had it to the track about a dozen times and on the drag strip about five times now. Best of 10.6@135.99 for a drag E.T. and some decent lap times, but I'm not really sharing the ones I have or keeping track, as I deliberately try to take it easy on my (very expensive) carbon ceramic rotors, etc. Great car for any purpose, really, and friends and family are enjoying it with me.
I'll share a pic I took Friday night at Shannonville. Best of the night was 10.816@130.31 as my P-Zeros are shot with multiple track session heat cycles and a bit over 10K of road driving including a recent, filthy country lane (look at the tires). Lots of spin, but still one of the fastest cars that showed up. I've done nothing to the car at all... didn't remove the manuals or toolkits, didn't lower tire pressures, and no mods whatsoever. Ali's Turbo ran roughly 10.46@134.x as it has 19" lightweight wheels, fresh Toyo R888R tires, lowering springs, exhaust, intake piping and tune.
2+2 seating. Having a chassis designed to be longer for the extra seats adds weight and makes the car less nimble. It's a big step away from what a sports car should be. A high-speed GT car with good stability, sure. In some ways, GT cars are higher performance than sports cars.
> How is your GT/Sports car/ whatever you want to call it doing?
Great. Lovely GT car. About to turn 38K soon. I've had it to the track about a dozen times and on the drag strip about five times now. Best of 10.6@135.99 for a drag E.T. and some decent lap times, but I'm not really sharing the ones I have or keeping track, as I deliberately try to take it easy on my (very expensive) carbon ceramic rotors, etc. Great car for any purpose, really, and friends and family are enjoying it with me.
I'll share a pic I took Friday night at Shannonville. Best of the night was 10.816@130.31 as my P-Zeros are shot with multiple track session heat cycles and a bit over 10K of road driving including a recent, filthy country lane (look at the tires). Lots of spin, but still one of the fastest cars that showed up. I've done nothing to the car at all... didn't remove the manuals or toolkits, didn't lower tire pressures, and no mods whatsoever. Ali's Turbo ran roughly 10.46@134.x as it has 19" lightweight wheels, fresh Toyo R888R tires, lowering springs, exhaust, intake piping and tune.
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So a 2+2 car by design cannot have excellent handling? I'll challenge you on that all day.
Are these things trapping 130s on regular 91 pump gas? I know that with the C7 Z06 they lose a lot of power on 91 vs the 93 they get in the eastern/southern states almost a 60 rwhp difference on dyno
I think what could be defined as a "sports car" is more of a spectrum than a hard definition, as seen in the many posts arguing over seat count or power numbers. As someone said above "I'll know it when I see it" in that it's a combination of various factors and a consideration of the whole package rather than specific ingredients. I would say, beyond engine size/position and seat numbers, I would say "sports cars" are designed more for enjoyment and/or performance rather than another function, such as towing or moving people.
Even if you ask a large group of people to pick a photo of a beautiful woman (or guy), you're going to get a variety of answers. You'll get some overlap in what features they have, but there will be a spectrum in the body types and general look they have based on tastes and what each person prioritizes.
Even if you ask a large group of people to pick a photo of a beautiful woman (or guy), you're going to get a variety of answers. You'll get some overlap in what features they have, but there will be a spectrum in the body types and general look they have based on tastes and what each person prioritizes.
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