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Old 25th April 2020, 01:42   #1
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Sports car, something fun and reliable - Budget 40 lakhs

Hello everyone,

My family and I are looking to get a new car for myself, I will be going into college this year, come June. But I have time till end of 2020 to decide on the car and get one. I've shortlisted a few, and would love it if you guys could help be decide/close in on one.

The Requirements:

Budget- 40, and that's the max.
Mileage on car- Under 25-30k.
Expected running- 7500 kms a year.
Vehicle age- Nothing below 2015.

What I'm looking for:
A well capable sedan/coupe which will serve me well for the next 4-5 years. It will mostly be my daily driver to and from college which a mere 5km round trip. Weekly trips to the farm 45kms away. Occasional drives with friends on weekends. The car will be used by solely me.

Shortlisted ones:

VW Polo GTI: Very well within the budget, can't seem to find any in my state for sale with low mileage. Plus my parents are not too keen on buying me a car which looks exactly the same as my old one. (they say)

Skoda Octavia RS230: This car is bang for the buck, I like everything about it. So do my parents. Highly tunable, decently efficient and very practical. This is the car which first sparked in my mind.

2015+ Mercedes Benz CLA/GLA45 AMG: A lot of good examples for sale with low mileage within our budget. I like the GLA more than the CLA, due to the practicality it offers. The high ground clearance and more headroom in the rear than the CLA.

2012-2014 W203 C63 AMG: I may sound crazy but this car caught my eye when I was looking in the used car market. I mean who's wouldn't it. There are a few cars for sale at the moment. What I'm worried about is the maintenance and running costs being a big 6.2L V8. I'd be hit in the face with huge petrol and tire change bills I guess. Someone please enlighten me on the maintenance costs of a 63AMG. Perhaps BHPian @Akshay1234 could help me. This car is my favourite of the list easily, because of it's mean looks and the M156 engine.

- I'm very open to other options as well. I would consider a diesel, but
nothing other than the 530d (Either a F10 or G30) I don't think I can find a G30 within our budget though.

- I'm looking for a fairly reliable car, something that wouldn't be always sitting at the shop.

Fuel economy:

Not very important, but have to keep in mind that I'll be in college and would drive the car a lot more than initially intended. I'm okay with something that at-least yields 6km/pl in the city. I know you don't think about these numbers when shopping for a sports car. But unfortunately for me, I want something that won't require filling up every other day.

I have a lot of time to decide, and would like to by interacting with this amazing community. Do drop in your thoughts and opinions/options I should look out for.

Thank you.
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Old 25th April 2020, 12:37   #2
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re: Sports car, something fun and reliable - Budget 40 lakhs

Hey in this stage of a possible recession it definitely is a good time to have the funds to buy a supercar as you might get some great deals.

My suggestion would be an M2 or any of the AMG cars but these cars will be high to maintain; the most practical would be to find an used 330i or 530d, 530d would be great if you plan to do some long highway drives.

All the best!
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Old 25th April 2020, 12:50   #3
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re: Sports car, something fun and reliable - Budget 40 lakhs

If the car is solely going to be used by you, I would suggest the following cars that you'll find in your budget (in order of preference) -
1. Lightly Used or New BMW 330i - RWD, 250hp
2. Mini Cooper S or JCW - Go kart like handling + Fast 2.0 Petrol
3. Used Mercedes GLA 45 AMG - Would be more usable than the CLA even though a little less fun.
4. Audi TT - Love the looks and the 2.0 Petrol in a compact size should be fun.
5. 530d or any other large fun car - Even though the 530d is extremely fun, if the car is just going to be used by you, you should go in for a 3 series. The 3 series is extremely nimble in traffic and would be lovely to drive too.
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Old 25th April 2020, 15:28   #4
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re: Sports car, something fun and reliable - Budget 40 lakhs

Quote:
Originally Posted by xtremeshock View Post
My suggestion would be an M2 or any of the AMG cars but these cars will be high to maintain; the most practical would be to find an used 330i or 530d, 530d would be great if you plan to do some long highway drives.
I don't think there are and will be any M2's for sale in my price range as they're pretty new to the market. I like the AMG's but I'm a bit skeptical on out of warranty AMGs. That's the only problem. Maybe I'll keep my eye out for a G20 330i. In the mean while do let me know if you sell your Magic Black vRS in the near future

Thank you!
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Old 25th April 2020, 16:43   #5
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re: Sports car, something fun and reliable - Budget 40 lakhs

Quote:
Originally Posted by harish View Post
I don't think there are and will be any M2's for sale in my price range as they're pretty new to the market. I like the AMG's but I'm a bit skeptical on out of warranty AMGs. That's the only problem. Maybe I'll keep my eye out for a G20 330i. In the mean while do let me know if you sell your Magic Black vRS in the near future

Thank you!

Ha ha ha ha, I would have suggested a VRS but to truly enjoy this car I feel it definitely needs to do a remap (atleast a Stage 1), because in the regular D mode its too keen to upshift, in S mode it does give you a push but it in regular driving in S mode it still keeps the gear till the redline even though you are giving partial throttle. Will reserve my comments on this car till I do a Re-map.

As Dealer mentioned a Mini-Cooper JCW would also be a great car it definitely would be great for a college goer like yourself.
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Old 25th April 2020, 16:52   #6
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re: Sports car, something fun and reliable - Budget 40 lakhs

Great suggestions here but I have a point to add, I have always found powerful front wheel drive cars plagued by torque steer and understeer.
I guess e-diffs/traction control have reduced this a bit but when going in for big BHP, its better to go RWD or AWD.
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Old 25th April 2020, 18:28   #7
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re: Sports car, something fun and reliable - Budget 40 lakhs

Look for a used Evo X?
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Old 25th April 2020, 18:45   #8
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re: Sports car, something fun and reliable - Budget 40 lakhs

BMW 530 would be my pic. It's fast, efficient, practical and can be remapped to make it even more fun to drive.
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Old 25th April 2020, 19:11   #9
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re: Sports car, something fun and reliable - Budget 40 lakhs

Lets leave out the new cars, since in 40l you won't get a VRS nor a 330i. Once you move to the used market, there are a lot of options. If you are looking for something practical, with sporty pretensions then you should look at

- The vRS - Nothing much to be said about it, but you will need to do basic mods like a tune, exhaust, etc to really enjoy it.
- The 330i - My preference because its RWD, but still needs a tune and an exhaust to feel properly sporty. You will certainly get a F30, and should get a G20 by the time you are looking to purchase.

If you are open to diesels, then I think only the 530d will fit the bill. None of the other diesel sedans in this price range will give you a more sporty feeling. And by the time you are looking to purchase, I think the G30 530d will be available in your budget. It will feel larger than the others, and not be as exclusive.

The above cars, will be relatively easier to manage in terms of maintenance, and wear and tear parts, and even mods will be cheaper.

If you are looking for an all out sporty car, with some more exclusivity, and with less practicality then you can consider -

CLA/GLA 45 - The GLA is my pick, being more practical than the low CLA. Both are pretty quick, and will give you good sounds and a nice driving experience on the whole. But they will blend in a fair bit with regular CLAs and GLAs.

M3 - I think by the end of the year, you may get F80 M3s a tad bit above your budget. Will definitely be worth stretching for, purely for the driving experience coupled with a decent amount of practicality.

Audi S5 - There should be enough of the earlier gen B8 cars well below your budget. This is quite good in terms of practicality, and gives you bang for the buck with the mods available. You may also be able to get the newer B9 with the new 3.0 turbo engine by the year end.

Porsche Cayman/Boxster 981 - This will give you a proper sportscar feeling, and Porsches feel special. Practicality is lost, but exclusivity is what you get. Also Porsches are reasonably reliable, but parts are on the expensive side.

With regards to the W204 C63, the M156 engine does have a couple of known issues, but nothing too major. I've seen enough examples running good after doing even 40-50k kms, so reliability wouldn't be of prime concern to me. The 6.3 V8 is definitely special, and the sound is like none other.

Keep in mind with all the above cars, you will be spending about double of what the earlier category cars would cost you for maintenance. A good independant shop to help you out will make your life much easier. Also keep in mind, with these cars you will need high octane fuel to actually let them run to their potential.
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Old 25th April 2020, 20:16   #10
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re: Sports car, something fun and reliable - Budget 40 lakhs

Quote:
Originally Posted by giri1.8 View Post
BMW 530 would be my pic. It's fast, efficient, practical and can be remapped to make it even more fun to drive.
That's the reason the 530d is the only diesel in the list, super torquey car. Can do wonders with a downpipe and a remap If I feel the need for a diesel at time of purchase, then the 5 it is!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Akshay1234 View Post
Lets leave out the new cars, since in 40l you won't get a VRS nor a 330i. Once you move to the used market, there are a lot of options. If you are looking for something practical, with sporty pretensions then you should look at...
Thank you for taking the time to put down your ideas! The only reason I was looking at the vRS is it's reliable, considerably cheap to maintain and it's easy to make power. I won't be running anything less than Stage2 if I plan on the vRS. Which is really fun to drive I've heard.

I love the new 330i, and as you say if I'm able to find a newer 330 by the time of purchase, I'm pretty convinced I may jump on one.

-The M3 is something I like to bits, I'd love myself an M3 but 40L is the max we're willing to spend. Right now, they're selling in the 55-60 range. So I think I'd have to drop the idea of this.

The Porsches are great handling cars and I fell in love with the Cayman after test driving one, but as you said they're not really all that practicality and this point of life I'm not certainly ready to lose out on practicality for exclusivity :(

The other options I'm willing to consider which you mentioned are:
-The S5 (Newer one)
-GLA45 AMG

What are your thoughts on the Volvo S60 Polestar, are they worth looking for?

Filling the cars with high octane petrol isn't a problem if it's a necessity. The highest Octane petrol we get in Coimbatore is Speed97 and I'll have the car serviced and maintained at an Individual German Garage here, where already my dad's Merc is going for maintenance as the warranty on it just ended.
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Old 25th April 2020, 22:29   #11
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re: Sports car, something fun and reliable - Budget 40 lakhs

The C43 AMG may be the perfect mix of daily driver + exotic. Should fit in your 40L budget, just about. Or how about a BMW Z4? Again, it may test the upper end of your budget, but the performance and exclusivity are both going to be pretty great. Much cheaper options are available if you can relax your 2015 year limit. You can get an older model with very few kms on the clock, which should still be plenty reliable.
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Old 25th April 2020, 23:55   #12
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re: Sports car, something fun and reliable - Budget 40 lakhs

Try sticking to the newest example you can find in your budget.

Every part on these cars are expensive and while you may find some cars which have depreciated close to 60% of their original price, the parts replacement on these will more or less negate a substantial part of the depreciation.
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Old 26th April 2020, 07:46   #13
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Re: Sports car, something fun and reliable - Budget 40 lakhs

Some great suggestions already. I would also strongly recommend the Ford Mustang. Not only is it fast, but its also reliable + practical enough. Remember, in the USA, it is a daily-driven model. 40 lakhs will get you a very nice example. Just take a bit of care as the rear end can slide if you don't know what you are doing.

The vRS & 330i would also be my top choices if I were in your shoes, but I'd strongly consider a coupe as your profile shows you already have enough 4-doors.

Since this is your first sporty car, don't go for any expensive models that are 5 - 10 years old. The repair bills can put you off for good. Else I would've recommended older F10 M5s and the like.

Quote:
Originally Posted by v1p3r View Post
Look for a used Evo X?
No man, not at all. We got it for a review and it was quite an underwhelming experience.
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Old 26th April 2020, 10:34   #14
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Re: Sports car, something fun and reliable - Budget 40 lakhs

I've to disagree with everyone else here and suggest that harish get an suv. There's a few years in college when you have time and company for adventure, you need a go anywhere vehicle. It'll be good for daily usage, quick trips to the hills near Coimbatore, (plenty of options there) try trails and shortcuts without the danger of being stuck in the middle of nowhere.

Get the performance car later on when you are settled, for weekend fun on the Kari speedway.
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Old 26th April 2020, 12:06   #15
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Re: Sports car, something fun and reliable - Budget 40 lakhs

I'd suggest the BMW 330i Sport. Current ex-showroom is 41.7L but hold on for the inevitable 6L.discounts in a couple of months.

You get:
1. 258 bhp + 400 Nm
2. Rock solid engineering and safety
3. Excellent ride and comfort with the 17" wheels
4. Convince parents that you'll use it for college after which it'll stay in the family or can be sold. Take BRI/ BSI with that excuse!
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