Mitsubishi's no Tesla

[Zopperoni]

The one you want is the 911 Carrera S Coupe which is ~90K.

Thanks for the TCO clarification. I did only mention the M3 because it's top-of-mind as THE benchmark automobile in that specific class. I just had a look on Yahoo Cars, and they also have some very nifty TCO calculations (based on state, mileage, etc.).

[Jon Miller]

I don't expect to ever think it is a reasonable purchase.

I might think that the Mini Cooper or something similar is a reasonable purchase... but since I have a car now I don't really intend to replace it for another 6 years.

JM

[Zopperoni]

I guess that still sits in the sports car region though.

I mean, I think once you are paying more than ~50k for a car... your first inclination is to buy what you like and not what is a good value. I mean, if you like two cars about equal and one is ~20k less than the other, you will ge tthe cheaper one. But if you are buying a luxury item you are going to get what you want.

You could work around that by going second-hand. Personally, I prefer the Aston Martin V8 Vantage over the 911 Carrera S. It's more expensive as a new car, but I've seen it at 40% of its new price on the second hand market.

In fact, you can get a Lotus Elise for about 25% of its new price on the second hand market. That's one of the best light sports cars on the market for less than 15K!

[Jon Miller]

The Aston Martin V8 Vantage is also good. However, my understanding (looking at new prices) is that they were more expensive and I really like the Porsche so hadn't considered it.

A lot of sports cars develope issues... is this not a big deal for the 2nd hand market?

JM
(I don't know about any new lotus, but the older ones I didn't like so much)

[Zopperoni]

There is quite a gap (15-20%) between the Porsche and the Aston. The Aston goes head-to-head with the BMW M6. The second-hand V8 Vantage also drops in price considerably because they've now launched the V12 Vantage and Jaguar's come with the XKR.

Sports cars do require a bit more service, but still, we're not talking 60's and 70's sports cars that have all kinds of electrical faults or considerable HP loss. These are cars of this decade. You'd also be shocked by the mileage. Some of them haven't even done 10,000 miles!

The Lotus is pretty good value. It runs on a supercharged 1.8l engine lifted from a Toyota Celica so still has very good MPG (21 city / 27 hwy). In the long run, it might not be as reliable as a Honda S2000 or a Mazda Miata but that depends on how often you'll use it.

[Jon Miller]

I just don't like it's looks as much. At least the ones I remember seeing.

As I said, I think people pick luxury items based on what they like... not on value. It is the case in other areas, and the case in cars as well.

I know a lot of people like the BMWs. I don't.

JM

[Zopperoni]

I hear ya and I agree. Personally, I think the Lotus looks stunning:



But I can understand why some wouldn't

[Krill]

nm

[Zopperoni]

nm

I see you're staying true to your sig

[Arrian]

A car that looks like that simply cannot be priced at $47k. FAIL.

-Arrian

[Ben Kenobi]

You've left out the cost of battery replacements.

Even if it costs 1/10 the cost to drive it, you are still making up another 30k.

That's 100,000 miles, before you get your money back on it. Not worth it.

[DanS]

Who told you that the battery replacement would cost $30K?

[RGBVideo]

new technology is evil, remember

why haven't they burned those electricity-talking, kite-carrying, newspaper-reading people talking about themselves as schientists as witches yet? no way you could harness the power of lightning, it is simply a message from god that he has seen our sins and we should repent

[Krill]

I see you're staying true to your sig

I missed out a part of the conversation before posting. Mea culpa. The figures for the consumption of the elise are nice though.

I'd consider getting one, but I think I'll make do with a Fiat Punto

[Ben Kenobi]

Who told you that the battery replacement would cost $30K?

47k car vs a 17k car.

The car prices are just not worth the difference between the two.