The best cars to buy that are not the "best" car
While on a random car shopping-spree I came across a mildly tuned Supra TT with 100K+ miles that sold on eBay for $42,000. Embracing my feline-esque inquisitive nature, I decided to see what else was out there for the same price if not cheaper. After 2 liters of Mountain dew, a large pizza and 17 hours of my life were all gone this was the top 5 list I came up with.
5. 1999 Dodge Viper
Whether you like Vipers or not, the car deserves respect. Vipers have a legendary race history that backs up their simple formula and a driveline that when modded, can stroll away from most anything. It is without question the most attention hungry car on the list, but if you can handle the weight of all those eyes, the Viper can be a suitable substitute for a Supra.
4. 1997 Lotus Esprit V8 Twin Turbo
The Esprit hits a wonderful balance between looks, speed and value. If your goal is to grab as much attention as possible for under $40k, I’m not sure there are many better than the Lotus. A twin-turbo high revving V8 propelling a very light car, yeeeesh pleeease. Not to mention these cars can make some DIRTY noises. Tell me honestly you don’t want to be this guy.
3. 1990 Ferrari 348
Easily the slowest car on this list the 348 makes up for the lack of grunt with intoxicating amounts of character. As far as an investment goes the 348 is probably your safest bet. Jumping up 10+ thousand dollars within the last 365 days. I think you could own one of these ferrari’s for 3-5 years sell it and maybe buy a supra with the profits….or go on a crazy awesome vacation….OR get one of those iron man water propulsion thingys... why am I not doing this.
2. 2007 C6 Corvette Z06
For those (like me) who aren’t boost bros and like their power on demand, the Z06 is a very solid alternative to something like a Supra. 505hp, 3.6 sec 0-60, 29 mpg highway and enough trunk space to fit one and a half Jeff’s. If you are brave/ talented enough to wrestle this monster into submission, the rewards are bountiful.
1. 2002 Porsche 911 Turbo
Somewhere along the line I think the car world forgot that this car existed. If you are looking for pure acceleration I’m not sure why you wouldn’t seriously consider one of these. Not only is it very usable as an everyday car but it does a sub 4 second 0-60 out of the box with plenty of potential for ¼ miles in the 10s. Beyond performance numbers, you get to own a flippin’ PORSCHE. “What do you have parked outside Alex?” “Oh, I brought my Porsche.” Sounds a heck of a lot better than Toyota.
What Cars under $42,000 would you have instead of a Supra? What on my list did you hate the most? Let us know in the comments or tweet your complaints to @JeremyClarkson. If the answer was you hated all of it, watch this and be happier. :)
