OT: Fun Car

[evolusdv2]

Pretty quiet around here, so thought I’d bring up an OT as some of you are clearly car enthusiasts.

I inherited a 1968 Camaro from my dad who passed away in 2005. It sat in my mom’s garage in LA until a few years ago when I brought it down and got it cleaned up and running well.  It’s beautiful and gets lots of attention, but is a 45 year old car that is pretty much limited to cruising up and down the coast on the weekends (3 speed auto gets 10 mpg, wife won’t ride in it due to the exhaust smell, etc). While there’s definitely nostalgic value to the car, I’m considering selling it for roughly $40k and getting something more modern that I can enjoy more frequently and for longer distances (ideally with some money left over for future maintenance/repairs).  Here’s my current replacement list:

– 981 Cayman (likely base, would love an S but they’re a bit pricier)

– Jaguar F-Type 3.0 (nod to my dad’s British heritage; he migrated to the US at 20)

– Corvette C6 (so much car for the money, but I’m only 44 and don’t own jean shorts)

– BMW 430i (new style G22 with controversial grill; I find it beautiful, and this car checks a lot of boxes)

I have a feeling I’m going to be told to buy a Miata…

 

[Coronita]

*Just like real estate. I would keep the car, and just buy another car. never sell. keep the 68 camaro/. I regret my parents selling their original cars, I regret giving my 87 integra in high school to my cousin.

*Test drive all of what you listed and figure out what you want instead of asking internet armchair quarterbacks. Then come back and tell us what you ended up buying.

*Consider doing maintenance yourself, that gives you more options.

Of the cars you listed above, from the perspective of maintenance….

*C6 should be fairly reliable, easy to find parts, easy to service, and plenty of support groups. And fully built ones are very interesting weapons

*430i G22 with a B48 engine should be fairly reliable, since it’s the same motor used in the Supra that Toyota vetted along with the B58. And the 8 speed ZF transmission is pretty solid and used for a long time now.Maintenance costs after 4 years, look into what is considered “normal maintenance items”.

BMW’s tend to have annoying seals that leak starting around 50kmiles+, some claim these are normal service items. They aren’t that difficult to replace yourself, but they are pretty pricey to get others to replace.

*981 fairly reliable. Mid-engines by nature are just a little more difficult to service. You can still DIY it but you’ll need to get floor ramps or quickjacks.

* f-type 3.0: also one of the few jaguar products supposedly fairly reliable.
Double check though availability of parts. Jags belong to Tata motors, so they might not part share as well as other euro cars.

 

Availability of parts becomes a bigger issue post-covid. I have a Brit car, and while normal maintenance parts share a lot with recent  BMW M-series cars, a lot of things beyond basic maintenance comes from a limited number of UK distributors- which means there could be a parts availability issue down the road. Same could be said for Fiat/Alfa products. I do almost all maintenance myself these days, in order to guarantee the workmanship (or at least know where corners are cut)…Sometimes, especially when it comes to some BMWs, there’s nothing wrong with cutting corners- it’s a calculated tradeoff.

[evolusdv2]

Great insights, Coronita.  Have driven the 981 and 430i, but have yet to drive the C6 and F-Type. The Jag is at the top of the list at the moment but could suffer from the lack of parts availability you mentioned, will research typical stuff to see pricing/availability.  It’s just gorgeous, you don’t see many of them and it sounds amazing. The 430i is likely the most functional, reasonable, reliable but I’m afraid it’s not exciting enough compared to the others.

Appreciate your feedback.

[phaster]

I have a feeling I’m going to be told to buy a Miata…

 

If the next generation Miata is “electric” why not???

https://www.motortrend.com/news/2026-mazda-mx-5-miata-electrified-future-cars/

 

 
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[Coronita]

Bump… I’ll throw this out there Scardey and Evolsd2….

I know of a someone who is selling his 720s. If you’re interested, send me a PM. It’s red, I think it’s called “Volcano Red”….

Looks something like this.

 

[evolusdv2]

Beautiful car

[Coronita]

It’s a great car (the one above is not his, but same color)…. This is where I use the expression of GenZ…

YOLO….

[svelte]

If I were considering that type of car right now, I’d buy a Lotus Emira.  Hands down.

 

 

[Author]

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