Buying a dream sports sedan: Have I missed the boat?

The world is going electric, and fast! As a self-proclaimed, born petrol-head and keen driver for the past four decades, I could not believe I did not prioritize buying a fun-to-drive car for myself.

BHPian Viju recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

So I am 40, happily married, with 2 beautiful kids. I bought the perfect vehicle for my family (a spacious 3 row SUV) just over a year ago, and it is really nice to drive - AWD, comfy, luxurious etc.

But this past Saturday night, I woke up from a terrible nightmare - all sweaty, scared and feeling really awful. I have had a few 'regular' cars until now, in multiple body styles - hatchback, wagon, minivan, and now, SUV.

But all of them have been Front Wheel Drive, at best, with part-time AWD. And the past three cars I have owned have been automatics - two of them were dreadful CVTs no less! I have never owned a car with more than 4 cylinders, or over 250 bhp.

The world is going electric, and fast! As a self-proclaimed, born petrol-head and keen driver for the past four decades, I could not believe I did not prioritize buying a fun-to-drive car for myself.

Sipping my coffee, looking at the sun rising over the Tokyo skyline, I wondered if I made a terrible mistake, and forever lost my chance of buying a 'real' fun-to-drive car brand new from the showroom - which in my definition goes like this:

• Low-lung, sporty, sedan - must be beautiful
• 6 cylinders
• Front engine
• Rear wheel drive
• 300 bhp+
• 450 N-m+
• 4 doors, 5 seats
• 6 speed Manual Transmission
• RHD

Before my family could even get out of their beds, I frantically started searching online for such a car.

After an hour or so, I could find only one car which met all criteria. But I am pretty sure the date of expiry on this five year old bottle of wine is not much longer (I cannot buy my next car before 2026 at least, unless I win the lotto, which is impossible, as I don't buy it!).

Pic courtesy: bcimracing

Am I missing something? Is this it? Did I miss my chance of ever owning my dream car, brand new from the factory?

And no, you cannot convince me to go for the ZF Auto, no matter how good it is! (Believe me I know it is good, ZF is my employer no less).

Help?

Here's what BHPian DicKy had to say on the matter:

Erm... I won't vouch for the beauty part. But all these do scream at that quintessential sports sedan. The M3.  Though am not sure of the manual transmission part in Japan. A decade ago, maybe could point towards Nissan or Toyota for the above mentioned criteria (except adjust power for the 2000s)

The Alfa Romeo while beautiful to look and hear, from the reviews it seems Italian enough. One look at that B pillar positioning, you know this won't be as well thought out as the Germans.

Assuming you would be coming back to India for good, why not use TR when you plan to come back to import a car that would not just be a keeper, but a heirloom too. ( I sound stupid saying that)

Here's what BHPian GForceEnjoyer had to say on the matter:

I'd say no, the dream sports sedan isn't dead for now. With a manual though? That is debatable.

The Cadillac CT-5 V Blackwing is currently my definition of a sports sedan (not luxury sports sedan, under which I'd classify cars like the M5). A purely rear-wheel drive sedan with a manual transmission paired to a 6.2 Litre 670 horsepower supercharged V8 engine is literally what dreams are made of!

But Japan unfortunately does not get it, so your best bet would indeed be an Alfa Romeo Giulia or an M3 (less the manual unfortunately). Truth be told, manuals in this segment are really rare nowadays. So unless you're happy with an automatic transmission, the options become rather limited. A BMW 540i came to mind too, but then again no manual available unfortunately. I can only wish you good luck with your search.

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.