RonCT

I've never liked the 6 series - too big, too heavy. I had an E46 M3 and drove a few of the newer ones including a student's on the track. I always felt my M3 was the "do everything" car. Hauled 4 people in comfort, large trunk, snows made it a 4-season car, fold down rear seats for long items, etc. If I could only have 1 car right now it would probably be an M3.

Maybe the thing to do is find a great CPO M3 in either 2 or 4 door. Practical yet sporty.

Otherwise, 997 is hard to beat as an all around great car. Forget the whole "collector value" concept. Want value, then find a great slightly used car and let somebody else take the depreciation hit.

skicoach

For a 2 seated., consider an R8. There are a lot on the market and I think you might be able to steal one for the money you're talking about. I would consider an S4 or S5 if 4 seats are preferable.

cmd4

RS4-Great all around performance........yet very nice driver with some amneties,relatively rare,and are holding their value pretty good but major depreciation hit already done.plus the sound is Almost unbeatable!

deadhead1960

2008 Audi RS4; much lower production numbers than the S4 and with a sticker of $75k (as compared to the $55k of the S4) will retain it's value nicely; lower mileage examples can be bought for mid 40's, and are still under warranty. Manuals seem to sell at a premium over the automatics. 08's are the last and best year of the B7 platform/8 cylinder. Here's an example of one...and there are not many out there! Truly a "wolf in sheep's clothing."

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Porsc...item1c2241c485

goofballdeluxe

They made the RS4 with an automatic? I've never seen/heard of one.

deadhead1960

Oops...my bad. I was thinking of the S4

TRINITONY

And a red one, only about 10 made.

NC TRACKRAT

People, he said $40-$60k, maybe stretch it a bit. An R8 for that kinda money? Point me in the right direction and get outa my way! IMHO, there are very few vehicles on the planet in the price range given that are relatively new yet have collectibility. Just about all of them depreciate with time and mileage. Give it 20-30 years and then we'll see what was "collectible". For holding their value and collectibility, our 993's are about as good as you get these days but they're not relatively "new". Just look at what's happened to Ferrari 360's and 355's. The only "exotic" really hanging in there with good upside potential is the Ford GT. Personally, I don't think anyone should buy a car as an "investment". Buy it because you want it for what it is, not what it may be in the future.

LimeyBoy

E60 BMW M5 V10 - a potential Q-Car classic. Not exactly a featherweight but I bet it would be good for a laugh on the track. And what an engine. I reckon your dad would be very comfortable in an E60 M5
I hope you enjoy this experience, the last time I helped my dad buy a car he chose a 10 year old Ford Fiesta Van

doberdog

The M5 10-cylinder will never be collectible, it is an overweight pig and forget the SMG tranny.
The Audi S cars are a time bomb waiting to happen in the maintenance department, have a look at Audi forums.
As for the best re-sale value, you might be surprised to know that the Jaguar has one of the highest resale values due to low numbers sold and the aluminum chassis etc. Jag also rates at the very top of the three-year dependability study from JD Power...
A Porsche is always a good choice.

cmd4

after owning 2 S cars...I can attest they are no time bombs.The horror stories you here of usually are from neglect and lack of owner love.the RS though does have the carbon issue,but thats still hit or miss,and the cleaning cost is peanuts compared to what you get from that sweet v8 with a 7k+ redline

P-track

My dad retired 5 years ago and after a test drive in 997 an XKR and an Aston Vanquish he decided to buy a Jaguar XKR. The Aston was just to small and the Porsche to sporty.

I must admit I'd rather see him driving the Aston but the XKR is a beast when you want but a also very comfortable GT. So far no issues at all with maintenance and a very reliable daily driver. The only thing you don;t want to think about is depreciation. He payed 160.000 Euro, 4 years later he's lucky to get 60K...

CamsPorsche

I'd go:

1. Cadillac CTS-V - either 4-door or the coupe version
2. Jaguar XK-R
3. Audi S5 or RS4 if he wants a 4-door
4. Porsche Panamera S
5. BMW M5

All Grand Touring cars that your dad can take clients in and do the "odd" track day...if your dad was going to do a lot more track days then I'd suggest something more 2-door-ish like:

1. Porsche 997
2. BMW M3

Brief note after the cars mentioned above...he might want to wait for the 2014 Acura NSX. Mid-engined GT that will have AWD, dual clutch transmission and other nice things...

Cams

poorb0yw

What about a Lotus Evora?
Light and enough power/handling to be a blast on the track.
Relatively simple compared to some of these other cars along with a Camry engine for cheaper long term maintenance.
It is also pretty classy looking and has two small rear seats for hauling stuff.

Otherwise a Panamera or M3 seem to fit the bill quite well aside from holding resale.

Ed Hughes

If he would pop to the $70's, he could get an Aston Martin Vantage V8....I'd say that qualifies for a GT Coupe he could be proud of. Although, I guess it may not fit the track bill. But, we've got tons of roads to enjoy it on in these parts...