# Luxury and Exotic Car Ideas!!



## LuxuryRevolution (Sep 7, 2018)

I'm looking into getting into a luxury or exotic car in the coming year and I do have a few ideas. However, I'd love to hear everyone's opinion on what the "starter" luxury/exotic should or could be. Comment your ideas below please!


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## marcmc (Mar 26, 2013)

Probably a little modest for what you’re talking about, but when the Maserati Ghibli came out I went to drive it. Wasn’t overly impressed and on a whim test drove the Jag XF. Ended up loving it and picked up a fully loaded one in Sport trim. Best all around car I’ve had so far, and got a lot of compliments on it.


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## LuxuryRevolution (Sep 7, 2018)

The newer ones look amazing, none I can find with the sport trim though.


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## marcmc (Mar 26, 2013)

The sport trim was replaced by I think, S. It was a blackout appearance package with big wheels, body kit, amazing heavily bolstered but soft seats, Alcantara headliner, and updated brakes. Very good looking modern Jag.


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## City74 (Apr 20, 2015)

I’m not even sure there is such a thing as a “starter” exotic car


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## TheWalrus (Mar 16, 2009)

City74 said:


> I'm not even sure there is such a thing as a "starter" exotic car
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I suspect that there is such a thing... or maybe it would be better labeled an 'entry-level' exotic car.

Something that meets the criteria of an exotic (stupidly impractical, ridiculously fast, dramatically styled, etc.), but is a quarter, or a tenth the price of the high end exotic stuff. Still horrifyingly expensive, but perhaps accessible to the top 0.1%, instead of the top 0.01%

I think McLaren makes the 540 to fill that role (bargain basement price under $200 k!). Same thing with the lowest priced Lamborghinis and Ferraris.

Anyway, for me, the idea of an 'entry level' exotic would probably be something like a 1980 Alfa Romeo Spyder. Or if I'm feeling really cavalier about money - an early 80s Ferrari Mondial. I'm thinking that's not what the OP had in mind.


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## GrouchoM (Jul 11, 2013)

How about a Lotus? 

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## City74 (Apr 20, 2015)

TheWalrus said:


> I suspect that there is such a thing... or maybe it would be better labeled an 'entry-level' exotic car.
> 
> Something that meets the criteria of an exotic (stupidly impractical, ridiculously fast, dramatically styled, etc.), but is a quarter, or a tenth the price of the high end exotic stuff. Still horrifyingly expensive, but perhaps accessible to the top 0.1%, instead of the top 0.01%
> 
> ...


That idea just makes no sense to me


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## TheWalrus (Mar 16, 2009)

City74 said:


> That idea just makes no sense to me


I hear you. But by the same toke, the idea of an 'entry level Rolex' would probably stump a lot of people outside of this forum as well.


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## tmnc (Jan 3, 2018)

I think it all depends on what you're willing to pay. I love the Aston Martin Vanquish, the looks, performance, everything. There are faster, cheaper cars available but I dont think they compare to the fit and finish of the Vanquish. 

Or go nuts and get a 911 GT2 RS

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## Royal68 (Dec 1, 2018)

I would consider a Lotus an exotic car but not a luxury car by far. Its not luxurious at all


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## Royal68 (Dec 1, 2018)

Performance variation of BMW/Mercedes/Audi/Lexus is a pretty good blend of sport and luxury


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## ZIPPER79 (Jan 23, 2008)

Probably the starter would be the first exotic car purchase.....



City74 said:


> I'm not even sure there is such a thing as a "starter" exotic car
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Wound Up (Dec 1, 2011)

I have an NSX.

The NSX and the R8 are pretty much the luxury exotic starter cars


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## jpoehler (Jan 26, 2019)

R8 is a good starting point.


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## sandjunkie (Nov 19, 2018)

I have a C63s Coupe. Not exotic but a good blend of luxury and sport. Mercedes luxury and safety with 600 hp and twin turbo V8 sound in a rear wheel drive package. 
View attachment 3446C104-65D3-4A5D-B49E-4D1F50A5B39C.jpg


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## riff raff (Dec 28, 2015)

Where does the new Supra slot in?


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## Animal Mother (Feb 29, 2012)

Is it to be your daily or frequent use car, or is it a weekend car, or something to look at and stroke/smell?

Daily - Porsche 911 Carrera 4S

Weekend - Alpine A110

Special - Any group B rally car.


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## Animal Mother (Feb 29, 2012)

Deleted duplicate.


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## tmnc (Jan 3, 2018)

riff raff said:


> Where does the new Supra slot in?


Somewhere between disappointing and a-used-M2-would-be-better

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## riff raff (Dec 28, 2015)

Does it have to be "Luxury & Exotic"? If so, that narrows the field and eliminates pseudo race cars!


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## NateViolin (Oct 13, 2018)

Go for it!!









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## Gunnar_917 (Feb 24, 2015)

Budget may help


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## yankeexpress (Apr 7, 2013)

Hard tobelieve the McLaren F1 is 25 years old and each is due for an extensive rebuild. Jay Leno is doing his.


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## Royal68 (Dec 1, 2018)

sandjunkie said:


> I have a C63s Coupe. Not exotic but a good blend of luxury and sport. Mercedes luxury and safety with 600 hp and twin turbo V8 sound in a rear wheel drive package.
> View attachment 13960881


That's one nice looking car. Do you ever put people in the back?


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## sandjunkie (Nov 19, 2018)

Occasionally. Easier to do one in the back behind the passenger than it is to have two in the back given that I am 6'1" with long legs. Most of the time its just me and wife.


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## Henry Miller (Jan 31, 2019)

Wound Up said:


> I have an NSX.
> 
> The NSX and the R8 are pretty much the luxury exotic starter cars


Do you see price of a manual R8 going up?

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## ZisguyZaphod (Feb 20, 2019)

My 'exotic' only has two wheels.
Lots easier on the budget that way. :-d


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## Royal68 (Dec 1, 2018)

sandjunkie said:


> Occasionally. Easier to do one in the back behind the passenger than it is to have two in the back given that I am 6'1" with long legs. Most of the time its just me and wife.


I've been wanting a coupe for the longest time but I often need to carry 2-3 extra people so I went with a sedan instead. Was considering a Maserati granturismo. Do you have a bigger car or are you in a one car only situation?


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## CallMeJarob (May 14, 2014)

McLaren 570 if you want an easy to live with exotic or Lamborghini Hurrican for a little more soul


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## francorx (Feb 19, 2016)

My exotic


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## Jhchr2 (May 25, 2019)

I think Porsche would be a good option for a “starter exotic car.” Exotic and luxury should be separated into different categories. 


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## Vibroverb (Dec 29, 2018)

CallMeJarob said:


> McLaren 570 if you want an easy to live with exotic or Lamborghini Hurrican for a little more soul


If you can live with the gearbox failures!!!


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## Vibroverb (Dec 29, 2018)

Royal68 said:


> I would consider a Lotus an exotic car but not a luxury car by far. Its not luxurious at all


You know what Lotus stands for right???


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## tmnc (Jan 3, 2018)

Vibroverb said:


> You know what Lotus stands for right???


Lots
Of
Trouble
Usually
Serious

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## imaCoolRobot (Jan 1, 2014)

I'll be happy with a VW Golf R with all the boxes checked...I'm simple like that.
Hmmm entry level exotic. Audi R8


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## Fredette (Jun 11, 2019)

You can get huracons pretty modestly priced if you're into Lamborghinis. Not sure what price point you're looking at. Ever check out CarGurus? If you like something that isn't super popular with the general population you can get some pretty steep discounts. I believe I saw a 360 Ferrari for something like 50k under market value

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## krndxs (Jul 20, 2019)

Depending on your price range, there's several that can be had.

Ferrari F430's have reached the absolute bottom of their market, expect to grab a coupe for as low as 80k and a Spider for high 90's to lower 100's.

Also agree with previous posters. Porsche is definitely the way to go if you play on daily driving the car. I'd recommend a 997.1 Turbo with the 6 Speed Transmission. The Block in that car is solid and will last lifetime.


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## wristplug (Feb 1, 2017)

I am selling my '09 Aston Martin V8V if you are interested.


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## kip595 (Jul 11, 2019)

I concur with the Porsche being the best option for daily driving, unless you refer to a luxury/exotic sedan. 

Strangely, about a year ago I encountered a very strange version of a relatively common car: a Ford Taurus. Now, this may not seem to fit, but bear with me. It turns out the owner and daily driver, a business acquaintance, had an in with a guy at his local dealership and had it delivered as such: gloss black exterior with white side stripes, highest end trim available on the interior, a 5.0 GT type engine, mated to a manual transmission with a modified rear end gearing. I forget what else, but it came to about a 70k Ford sedan. I'm more for Audi if I want a high end fast sedan, but that thing could fly and with the paint, man did people get out of the way quickly.


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## ShortOnTime (Dec 22, 2013)

kip595 said:


> Strangely, about a year ago I encountered a very strange version of a relatively common car: a Ford Taurus. Now, this may not seem to fit, but bear with me. It turns out the owner and daily driver, a business acquaintance, had an in with a guy at his local dealership and had it delivered as such: gloss black exterior with white side stripes, highest end trim available on the interior, a 5.0 GT type engine, mated to a manual transmission with a modified rear end gearing. I forget what else, but it came to about a 70k Ford sedan. I'm more for Audi if I want a high end fast sedan, but that thing could fly and with the paint, man did people get out of the way quickly.


None of this is actually available from the factory for a current gen Taurus---not the V8, nor the manual. Not to mention has or is in the process of ending production on the Taurus. There were manual transmission tauruses as well as a V8 taurus, but the current SHO versions have a V6 ecoboost and traditional automatic (along with AWD). There are lots of much better options for a nice car than any generation of Taurus.


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## ShortOnTime (Dec 22, 2013)

Wowza...


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## theFOXza (Apr 15, 2020)

Bentley Continental GT gets my vote


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## andriusb (Apr 15, 2020)

Not sure if you'd consider this an exotic but I have a gtr actually my second one cause I love it so much. Great all around car for an amazing value 









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## Atom_99 (Feb 3, 2014)

What did you end up getting? 

I saw one ref for group B rally car...would be fun and unique but not luxury


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## drlagares (Jul 13, 2020)

2017 GTR FTW!


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## flynnstone (Jan 2, 2011)

You could get into a v10 R8 for < $100k


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## took (Jul 26, 2013)

While not necessarily an exotic, the Cadillac CTS-V (V3) are awesome. Guess a lot depends on the checklist you have set. 

Time is a gift...


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## Familyman310 (Dec 19, 2017)

Just a word of caution. It gets addictive once you start.










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## capitalEU (May 3, 2019)

Wow, beautiful collection! Which one is your favourite?


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## EyeDoubleYouSee (Aug 22, 2020)

Porsche or Alfa Romeo.


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## SolarPower (May 14, 2012)

To me the 911s are addictive


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## Familyman310 (Dec 19, 2017)

capitalEU said:


> Wow, beautiful collection! Which one is your favourite?


My white Vanquish for sure. Top down driving in that car is heaven.

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## drlagares (Jul 13, 2020)

good thing there's a thread for this as I'm fond of luxury cars..


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## Bulldog72 (Aug 18, 2014)

Porsche 911 997 is a great starter if the IMS bearing has been changed. This will give you the classic Porsche experience. If you are looking for a daily driver try the 911 991. You can drive this all day as the drivability and tech advances were great. I think the most common starter exotic right now if the Audi R8. Great deals to be had and lots of people new to the exotic world driving them. One of my exotic insurance reps recently told me that the highest claim incidence for the last 2 years were on R8s. Drivers that haven't worked their way up to the ability to drive and control this kind of car. That being said no matter what you decide be sure to get a solid PPI before laying down your cash.


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## jamnesiac34 (Apr 19, 2012)

Porsche 911


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## leathers (Aug 14, 2011)

Bulldog72 said:


> Porsche 911 997 is a great starter if the IMS bearing has been changed. This will give you the classic Porsche experience. If you are looking for a daily driver try the 911 991. You can drive this all day as the drivability and tech advances were great. I think the most common starter exotic right now if the Audi R8. Great deals to be had and lots of people new to the exotic world driving them. One of my exotic insurance reps recently told me that the highest claim incidence for the last 2 years were on R8s. Drivers that haven't worked their way up to the ability to drive and control this kind of car. That being said no matter what you decide be sure to get a solid PPI before laying down your cash.


Oh no...we're on a watch forum and the IMS bearing gets a mention. You may be referring to the 996, as only the 2005 997 has a replaceable IMS. All other years 2006 - 2008 had the larger non-replaceable bearing and the 2009+ 997 had a totally different engine which doesn't have an IMS bearing.

Needless to say, my vote for this thread has got to be the Porsche 911.


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## SolarPower (May 14, 2012)

leathers said:


> Oh no...we're on a watch forum and the IMS bearing gets a mention. You may be referring to the 996, as only the 2005 997 has a replaceable IMS. All other years 2006 - 2008 had the larger non-replaceable bearing and the 2009+ 997 had a totally different engine which doesn't have an IMS bearing.
> 
> Needless to say, my vote for this thread has got to be the Porsche 911.


+1. I had a late 2005 production 997 C2S with larger IMS bearing and drove it till 60K+ on the odo with no issues.


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## leathers (Aug 14, 2011)

SolarPower said:


> +1. I had a late 2005 production 997 C2S with larger IMS bearing and drove it till 60K+ on the odo with no issues.


Beautiful car...at 60K miles it was just getting going.


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## SolarPower (May 14, 2012)

leathers said:


> Beautiful car...at 60K miles it was just getting going.


Yes it was. It drove like new as it should. I just got a 991 itch and traded it in. According to my dealer the new owner is quite happy and still drives it today, while I am on my 4th 911 
Now with 992 which I am not warmed up to this 991.1 TTS is here to stay.


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## The Watch Ho (Aug 16, 2019)

yes, very addictive! First 3 are the only ones I have now.


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## SolarPower (May 14, 2012)

The Watch Ho said:


> yes, very addictive! First 3 are the only ones I have now.
> View attachment 15714959
> 
> View attachment 15714960
> ...


What a great stable!


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## leathers (Aug 14, 2011)

SolarPower said:


> Yes it was. It drove like new as it should. I just got a 991 itch and traded it in. According to my dealer the new owner is quite happy and still drives it today, while I am on my 4th 911
> Now with 992 which I am not warmed up to this 991.1 TTS is here to stay.


Very nice...my current drive is a 2008 997S which has just clocked 68K miles. I did get tempted to swap it for a 991 but I just love the 997 experience. Here's a pic of mine keeping dry until the snow melts!!


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## SolarPower (May 14, 2012)

Very nice! 997s are great and 997.2s imo will hold the value well or perhaps appreciate.


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## ShortOnTime (Dec 22, 2013)

Nice to see some other 997 owners here. I bought my first 911 a couple of months ago---a 2007 911 turbo. It's been a great experience so far. Now that it's winter it's time to address some maintenance items. The car has 18k miles, but time become the issue. I had a hell of a time replacing the serpentine belt last weekend, but I'm glad I did it. The original belt had some sections of ribbing missing so I was on borrowed time. Next up will be my first oil change with the car. Hopefully, this weekend. 

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## Viper41086 (Dec 22, 2020)

There absolutely is such a thing as a starter exotic. I plan my first exotic to be an Aston Martin Vantage V8. I consider this to be a starter because you can get one of these used for less than a BMW or MB.


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## ChrisQP09 (Jan 16, 2021)

My lovely Maserati GranTurismo S F1


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## Ghost410 (May 14, 2014)

This thread is dangerous to look at! Seeing all these beautiful cars has me perusing autotrader.


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## Gary123 (Oct 12, 2009)

OP what did you get?

I like a car with edginess, some roughness around the edges. After my Maserati Gransport I bought a 2019 Porsche 911 GTS. Definitely not an exotic, but a great car and the lowest maintenance for a sports car anywhere at that performance level. But too refined, and with no attitude. So perfect I found it boring so I sold it and got another exotic.

The Gransport is a great choice, a true exotic experience. The roar on downshift, the visceral thunk when gears are changed and one of the all time great exhaust notes. Remarkable that it will comfortably seat 4 adults as long as 2 are not terribly tall. The Achilles heel of the car however is a new clutch every 25k miles for $5,500. Only get the 05 or 06. $25k will get you a nice one.

The Vantage V8 is nice but avoid the V12, that engine is a dog, sorry. The other Astons are not really drivers cars. And Maserati Granturismo is wonderful and eliminates the clutch issue with a ZF transmission and also has a fantastic exhaust note


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## ChrisQP09 (Jan 16, 2021)

You see I have an MC-Shift Gran Turismo which has a clutch


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## WaleedE (Apr 4, 2021)

I'd probably say an Audi R8 would be a good starter car.


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## Gary123 (Oct 12, 2009)

ChrisQP09 said:


> You see I have an MC-Shift Gran Turismo which has a clutch


An automated/manual clutch was available but the ZF was standard. The automated/manual is a weakness of this car, as it was for the Gransport because clutch must be replaced around 20 - 25,000 miles at a cost of around $5,500 - ymmv. Much less expensive to maintain with the ZF. The Grantourismo is more luxury anyway and the engine sits higher without dry sump lubrication so the auto/manual is really not necessary.


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## Oleg1987 (Feb 12, 2019)

Depends on the budget you planning to spend but you can’t go wrong with Porsche 911, new or used


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## Jim Addy (Feb 20, 2006)

Any car that has doors that open upwards. 

Lamborghini comes to mind.
Any car named after bulls has to be good. 

Jim


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## Jim Addy (Feb 20, 2006)

Any car that has doors that open upwards. 

Labrgini comes to mind. 

Jim


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## mediasapiens (Jul 18, 2019)

I second Mercedes 12 Cylinder recommendation. It is exotic enough and luxury. You can spend 20-30K to make it into a beast.
Personally,. I would always go for rare vintage sports car rather than modern plastic tubs full of synthetic suede.


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## IanDetert (Apr 21, 2021)

I just bought a macan turbo to go along with my g63 Amg and I love them both in completely different ways, before that a c63s is great too if you love burning through a set of tires every month 


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## BHP940 (Mar 10, 2019)

I’m on my second M550i in 3 years (2021 model). 523 hp and 550 lb/ft torque. Luxury and sporty in one. Prefer it over my previous Audi’s and Jags.


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## Animal90 (Jun 7, 2021)

you might not believe it ....but that car is a pussy magnet in Greece


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## Eilif2k (Jun 4, 2021)

Ferrari 360 in red with black interior and a manual transmission. They are not the absolute cheapest, but they still look great, they sound awesome and I believe that they will increase in value.

Also, they are relatively cheap to maintain. At least compared to many of the other car suggestions here.


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