chaoscreature

My father is retiring in February and he is going to buy his first sports car! I am very excited about this because it means that he will hopefully be attending more track events with me.
Although my Dad is retired he will probably continue working as an advisor so he needs something that is classy enough to pick up clients in, but will still feel at home on the track and on fun backroads.
Here are some requirements I know he is looking for:
The car must be newer than 5 years old, coupe, performance oriented, classy, have a high resale value, and have relatively low maintenance. Priced between $40-60K but for the right car I am sure he would go a bit higher. I am thinking special edition cars will offer the best "minimization of losses" as far as future resale values.

Here are some cars I have picked out for test drives next month:
BMW M6
Mercedes SLK55 AMG (black edition?)
Porsche 997
Porsche 996 GT3 (probably too rough)
Porsche Cayman
Cadillac CTSV
Aston Marton Vantage (maintenance/cost?)
Jaguar XKR (maintenance/cost?)

Any other suggestions? I will be pushing for the Porsche's but ultimately I want my Dad to get something that he is excited about. I need to compile the list and find nearby dealerships that will have these cars because some of them are a little hard to find.

Thanks for the help!
- Peter

Van1

Corvette Z06?

goofballdeluxe

I think lots depends on what one's definition of a 'sports car' is. From your list above, the only one I think that is a sports car is the GT3, and maybe the Cayman, the rest are sporty, to be sure, but more luxury GT's.

I also think that none of the cars above are special or limited in number enough to mitigate depreciation to any great extent.

All that said, I think every car on your list will be more car than your Dad is driver, unless your father is an experienced race car driver/track junkie.

It really comes down to personal preference and taste, and subjective things like that. Good luck with the hunt

jimbo3

Most of those on your list are too heavy for the track. I'd say Caymen, but it might be too small and more difficult to get in and out of for clients. Trying to leave my Porsche bias aside, it still comes down to the 997 or Caymen. Get a good set of adjustable shocks for either and he'll be ready for clients and the track.

RonCT

First sports car and possibility of exploring the track, such as in DE? If so, don't worry about things like GT3, adjustable shocks, etc. You really can't beat a 997 C2 or C2S for an all-around performer / looker. Even if he takes the track thing very seriously it will be a long time before he has to worry about brakes, shocks, sways, etc. I pushed my stock 997 C2S to 1:02 around Lime Rock, which goes to show just how capable the 997 platform is around the track.

If this is his retirement car and he knows and loves Porsche, you can't go wrong with a "911" coupe.

Not sure why you are posting this 996/997 question here at the 993 forum. Is a 993 a possibility? Nothing like a classic air-cooled "collector" 993. I've owned a 987 Boxster S, 964, 997.1 C2S, 997.1 GT3, and 997.2 C2S and now have a 993 C2S. All great cars...

deadhead1960

Do a father and son ED (European Delivery) of a M3. The cost will be 10% cheaper and the memories will be...priceless

Spidey 993

nice idea from Deadhead

Also, 2 or 4 seater? I talk with clients and most often there is 3 of us. It might help out thin the herd.

I do love me a Z06 or Grand Sport Edition though....

NC TRACKRAT

Forget the BMW M6..Overweight and overpriced as are most of those listed. I suggest a good, low-mileage, still in warranty BMW 335i 4-door. Yes, better balanced than the 2-door and far less expensive than the M3; Available in manual or Steptronic. Good track manners in wet or dry, excellent brakes, lots of add-on goodies available. Still considered a "sports sedan".

Linnm

If you are serious about wanting something to haul clients around in you should forget the 2 seaters and go for four doors. Maybe an M5?

Quadcammer

As you all know I'm not a porsche apologist, but the 997 pretty much fits the bill exactly here doesn't it?

chaoscreature

Thank you all for the replies.
I know that many of the cars listed here are more Peformance GT cars, I would definitely classify them in that department. I am a track enthusiast. My dad just wants to spend time with me. We will test drive a GT3 for sure but I have a feeling he will not go for it. Same with a Cayman... he really doesn't like my car all that much but he was impressed with a BMW 650i that a friend of his owns. I figured the M6 would be slightly more "exclusive" than the standard 6 series.
Corvettes are out of the question for personal taste reasons (not that they aren't exceptional cars).

I am posting this here because I value everyones opinion on this board. I WISH I could get my Dad into a 993, sharing parts etc would be great but he doesn't really like my car all that much... I took him on two different PCA Tours and I could tell he was ready to get out of the car halfway through. Too stiff and small of an interior.

GoofballDeluxe,
Any suggestions for cars with more limited quantities (that aren't uber expensive) that might be better "investments?" I am not really familiar with most of these cars... since all of them are out of my price and taste range I don't really pay much attention to anything outside of Porsches.

Cactus

997
Cayman S
CTS V

goofballdeluxe

That's a very good question. The thing is, gone are the days of the smaller independent car maker, like Porsche used to be, that made hand-crafted cars in very limited numbers. That helps things like resale value, investment possibilities, etc.

Porsche, for example, is on target to sell 200,000 cars next year. That is at least a tenfold increase from the 993 era, if not more.

Most newer cars are not investment grade, unless they are super expensive, like a Zonda, Carrera GT, Bugatti etc. Most cars by the major car makers are all made in huge numbers, which kills any chance of it being an investment. One example I can think of, not that I think it's really investment grade material, is the new BMW 1M. They are only making 800, from what I've read. That alone should help maintain it's value. Possibly.

If investment is a concern, you're really better off with something that is older and has already taken all it's depreciation. It would help if it were produced in small numbers too. Kinda like the 993

My suggestion is your Dad should buy the car he really takes to. Of your list, I'd take the Vantage, as it's the best looking, relatively rare, and will wow him for sure.

In any case, this is a great quandry to have. Best of luck finding the right car for your Dad!

TRINITONY

goofballdeluxe

^^^ Yup. That's another rare car that's relatively new and made in small numbers.

Good catch, Tony. I like that idea a lot. From an investment standpoint, there's not a better newer car around for the price. Not so great looking, but other than that, it's got it all.