Best sporty-fun convertible for $20 k ????

Neil, I don't know where you're looking at cars but I see a totally different market. You can get '02 Z06's with <20k miles for around $30k.

This is probably the worst time of year to buy a convertible, but good deals are still out there.

 

I have both.

My Boxster has over 160k miles on the clock and I would put it up against any new convertible in its class. To date, I have had ZERO PROBLEMS. Of course the same is true for my Vette...

 

He only has $20,000 to spend. You'll never find a 2002 with less than 100,000 miles for that.

Still a 2002 with 20,000 ish miles for $30,000 is a good deal where I come from. Canadian cars are 20k above the US price and there's only 8 cents difference in our dollars so someone is making a killing.

 

True, but why does it have to be '02 or newer? He could probably find a nice early C5 in the price range with well under 100k miles.

Yeah, I've never really understood why Canadian cars cost so much more than US cars. Is it just supply and demand or is there more to it?

 

on pre-2000 cars, why not an E36 M3 ??.....nice looking car, reliable, tons of fun, cheap to maintain, etc.... and it can definately be had for less than $20k
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Again, please don't take my comments as a Solstice/SKY fanboy, as I am not. But the naturally aspirated 177hp versions are just as 'quick' as its competitors (i.e. Miata) and the direct-inject turbo versions ($2K more) put down 260 hp and 260 lb-ft for 0-60 times in the low 5 second range. A Boxster is about as quick.

 

Ginetta G20. 1400 pounds, Miata engine and transmission (so easy maintenance and mods), hand built tube frame with fully adjustable independant suspension, limited slip differential, cool looking. There are very few around, but there is still one at www.wirewheel.com . Here is a picture of mine. Right around $20k.
BT
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Chase, just a warning:

- Everyone knows your car is for sale on Ebay, stop posting closet spam links to it.

 

Now that is a cool car.

 

Provided you get the manual, they are good cars.

 

Thanks! It is really fun to drive. Loud (for a 4 cylinder) and kind of crude, but it has the feel of earleir British sports cars but with more oomph, and much more reliable drivetrain components. It is really small (about 38" to the top of the windshield, 11'-4" end to end) but surprisingly lots of leg room because the seats are set back so far. Not practical at all, but you cannot stop smiling when you drive it.
BT

 

Lotus Elan?

no personal experience here,...perhaps just fodder for Chase18303.

 

Could you post more pictures?

 

Here are some from the dealer website where I purchased the car in November. I haven't met anyone yet that does not like the car.

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I wouldnt even consider anything other than a Z3 M Roadster... while there might be a perception that the regular Z3 is a 'hairdressers' car .. the M is NOT at all.

Throw in a couple Dinan mods ( mine was a full Stage 3 ) and you've got a car that can keep up with virtually anything on the road for $25k.

 

Again, not clear enough. The car doesn't have to be 2002+ just the one in the ad was.

Also I don't know how I would feel buying a 90's Vette with over 50,000 miles on a limited income/ budget. I'm not saying they cost a ton in repairs but any car could.

Also back when the Canadian dollar was in the toilet, dealers had to charge more Canadian dollars to equal the selling price of the same car in the US. Now that the dollars are only a few cents apart, the prices are still 20-30% higher in Canada. The next high end car I buy will be from the US and I'm buying a fleet of them. I'll keep the best one and sell the others here for 30% profit.

 

My '02 BMW coupe was expensive to maintain. (Not by Ferrari standards, but it actually had more issues than I've had with my 328.)

Great car, just not what I'd go for with a $20K budget.

 

Wasn't sure you could get one for $20K, but if so then I agree. Great looks. The maintenance costs seem like they'll be more than the S2000 or Miata, though. Still, that's the direction I'd go.

 

The 2001 model year brought a few improvements. Peak power climbed from 345 to 350. Peak torque got an even bigger boost from 350 to 375. The second generation Active Handling system was also introduced in 2001.

 

I like those. Lotus builds good cars. I am just not a big fan of most any asian cars.... although I do love asian women.

Really though to the OP, I think the best car to get in this class would either be a C5 Vette or a Porsche Boxster, both great cars, but you can fit your golf clubs in the back of a Vette.

 

Sorry sorry.

But I do think my car (or one like it) is the perfect solution to the original post.

 

really??......until now(e34 daily), i've had nothing but M cars, and they never gave me problems or left me stranded, not even once......so long as maintenance is up to date, and done regularly they shouldn't be any trouble.........the most expensive to maintain up to now was my E30 M3, but man was it worth it.....not the fastest or prettiest car out there, but i sure did love driving it!.....

also define expensive maintenance, yearly?....$1k? $2k? $3k+.....??(not including tires)

 

I was thinking of the $600+ brake job (fronts only) on my 325Ci. It also had two broken power windows (different occasions) and the sunroof mechanism had to be replaced, thankfully under warranty. The steptronic gearbox issue was also covered under warranty. Later it stalled in the street (about 20K miles on the car) for some reason that was never diagnosed - only happened once.

I loved driving it, but I could see it swallowing $2K yearly (excluding tires). It's a BMW, so I guess that just comes with the territory. It looked and drove sensationally.