Many Porsches are actually extremely reliable.

However, if something does go south, like the PDK Trannie, watch out (15K).

I have three kids myself I have to get through college, but it's fun to daydream.

 

Everything you said is so true. My calculation is that by buying a sub $30k relatively new 2009+ Porsche I just roll the dice hoping nothing major happens. As a 3rd car it won't accumulate many miles each year and if I'm reasonably lucky with no major breakdown then I should be able to sell the thing few years later with less than $10k depreciation, no more than any of the cars we have today.

A brand new $80k-100k? I can daydream too ...

 

Not that "certain" Porsches actually hold their value really well.

I still want a GTR, so I'm not quite as "refined" as a Porsche dreamer :-)

You know, later model Mustangs are pretty fun third cars as well. I know that there are 'opinions' on Mustangs, along with Stereotypes of all sorts....however, at the end of the day, they are reliable as hell and have a low cost aftermarket available the size of a small galaxy. You can make these cars dangerously fast for cheap....

If the back seat were even remotely usable, I would consider one.

 

^^^
That right there is the Bullet, right? The homage to the Steve McQueen movie.

Always liked that specialty model. Very minimalist, clean and unique. It's a much more well-thought out movie tie-in model than, say, the 3rd Gen Firebird Bandit. And infinitely more respectable than Bumblebee, which was just the worst.

 

Not sure how I feel about the third gen bandit Transam. Most cars from that late 80s/early 90s era are not my cup of tea, but this one seems ok by the standards at the time. I agree that Ford did a good job on the modern rendition of the Bullet Mustang. Simple. The movie itself remains on my top-10 list as well.

GM really got alot of use out of the F-Body, didn't they....

 

NSX or S2000 imo. It's hard to belive those could be comparable options but the years and milage will vary with each. Both are extremely reliable, extremely tuner friendly and both are convertible-esq'.

 

Anyone mention Lotus, never drove one but sounds like good candidate, look at that barely used Evora for $42K, you have the lightly used Elise around $30K, even have lots of Esprit V8s on the market for $25-40K.

All that said, never knew much about them, but figured worth a mention

2011 Lotus Evora Base, $42,500 - Cars.com

2005 Lotus Elise , $30,950 - Cars.com

 

Someone I know used to own Esirit in late 90s. He bought it brand new car and as far as I remember he had a lot of problems with it. He couldn't wait to get rid of this car.
He drove like a maniac so perhaps that's why he had a lot of problems with that car.

 

I always thought that my G was fast enough, but now that I have a G I really realize how fast some of these other cars are. I came from an si, so G's felt so fast compared to it. One car I seen today that impressed me was the cts-v coupe 6 speed. I'm sure the power is amazing. Well as far as fun to drive: RX-8, SI, S2000, M3, FR-S, STI...... Speed: corvette, any srt8, is-f, m3, STI. If your open to it, you could get a car that's been tuned with FI. My friend bought an RSX-s for 7-8000 and someone modified suspension brakes and turbo'd the engine to produce 400whp and that thing is a rush! Although it is fwd so that takes away from what it could be. I'd look into finding a modified RWD car with at least 300whp+ such as FI s2000, rx-8, or miata, for true enjoyment with driving for speed and handling better than a stock G.

 

I know I'm necro posting but had to put in my $.02


I'd consider a 2006-09 Mazda RX8. You don't need reliable and are fine with a couple grand in maintenance per year. This fits both of those but when it's running, wow is it fun. Rotary engine allows for 9k RPM redline and rear drive. 240hp stock out of 1.3L (I think?) is begging for a Turbo. and they look awesome with rear suicide doors and big fender arches. Decent examples can be had for $10k with 60--80k Miles.


Or a 2004+ M3 is always a winner.

 

German made performance cars....here is my opinion owning a 2011 BMW M3 and my friend a Porsche...Everyone want to try them because lets face it they have prestige and the mag rags glorify them. Then when you own them you find out the real truth...they are mechanically garbage, high maintenance and high cost.
You dont need three cars ...ever. I did this and it was a waste of money and time and I love working on cars....but you can only devote so much time to each car and it becomes a burden...
Did everything the OP wants to do in the past....maybe you wont have my experience but the above comments sums up my personal experience ...

Cheap cars to work on and have fun with that i considered while looking for the G: 2006 Pontiac GTO 18k..400 HP, 2010 or 2009 Cobalt SS , Mustangs, Subaru BRZ not fast but its a corner carver, Mazda Speed 3...if you have to buy a German made car buy a 135i 2012 didnt have the issues of the older models and can be had for mid 20's.

 

The Elise is due to become a classic car, but Lotus is an acronym for Lots Of Trouble, Usually Serious

I've thought about this too, but it seems like their engines need to be swapped under 100k miles. I'm not too big a fan of topping off oil every time the car is driven either...

 

I have 3 cars, each with its own purpose. A 2000 Honda Accord with 220K miles on it, is my DD. A Honda S2000, which I trash around the back roads with some of my S2K buddies several times a year, and the G37, which is my cruiser for long trips. I have taken the G on some of the S2K drives and every time I do, I receive many compliments, even from those who own BMW's.

 

Yes, they do burn oil and and engines below 100k miles with some frequency. but it's your 3rd car right and you don't mind a couple grand per year of work? could always do an LS swap like some. or you can find one with a factory engine swap that was done under warranty. they aren't terribly comfortable or roomy for big guys (I'm 6'4) but with different seats I bet it would be a lot of fun.