As many have said, the thing I find to be a terrific feature of a “sports car” is the responsiveness. You can feel, respond to and create much more minute movements and the reaction is swift and tight.
I used to take rental cars every weekend to drive home from and out-of-town assignment and every time I’d get back and hop into my car, the difference was immediately noticeable: the suspension is tighter, the steering is tighter the cornering is much more sure, etc. etc.
And this is in a '97 Dodge Avenger (though I up-ed the tires from the Goodyear Eagle 205/55VR16’s to Dunlop Assymetrical 225/50WR’s. Makes a world of difference.)
I forgot about this…if you are driving a Corvette, and see any other Corvettes on the road, you must wave to the other driver. It is an unwritten rule. Sometimes when I’m driving the 'Vette, I forget to wave, (“Hey, he’s waving at me! Do I know you?”) and I feel like I’m being rude.
“1985 FERRARI 308GTSI, 30M, red /tan leather, all records, factory maintained, polished rims, pp, (LAST308), $4899”
Johnny, that Ferrari is either a replica (like those hideous Fiero-based ones), or a complete wreck. There’s no way in hell that thing would go for anything less than $20.000 in any decent condition.
I think Fieras do the Testarossa thing, not the 308. There’s one for sale for $15,000. I’m pretty sure that '85 308GTSI is a POS. Still, $20,000 to $40,000 is “not that expensive to buy”. Heck, the '98 355 Spyder is under $90,000.
So you can get a Ferrari for a reasonable price. But the maintenance would be a killer.
Just the Testarossa, eh? It’s even worse, Johnny. Authorised Pontiac dealers sold the Fiero Mera, a 308 lookalike, prompting a lawsuit by Ferrari, after which it was dropped. Admittedly, Pontiac did not actually make the Mera (another company did), but they DID sell it just the same.
Having seen the potential of the Fiero as a basis for a poor man’s Ferrari, numerous kit car manufacturers stole the idea.
Hm. First I’ve heard of it. I’ve only seen the Testa. Still, the ad doesn’t say anything about it being a replicar. My guess is that it’s really a 308, but with something very, very wrong with it.
It’s in the 818 area code. Maybe *Heloise can check it out for you.
Since it’s red, I’m afraid she might buy it on the spot.
But yeah, for 5K, that’s gonna be one messed up little stallion. And as you said: these things are expensive to maintain, even in showroom condition. I seem to recall they need a new cam belt every 10,000 kilometers or so, and that repair alone is in the $1500 region. Hardly a daily driver, unless you can afford a lot more than $5000 for a car…
78 corvette here. What’s it like to drive it? Well … It’s bumpy, a bit rough on the kidneys (your back is next to the rear wheels), it’s noisey and rattles a lot.
After years of lusting, I eventually bought a 1994 TVR Griffith 500 in 2001. “What’s that?” I hear you non-Brits ask. It’s a British built two seat sports car, with a 5 litre V8 engine, 325 bhp, weighing just over a ton. The end result is 0-60 in 4.1 seconds, topping out at 165+.
It was claustrophobic with the roof on, noisy, bumpy, hard to park (no power steering), noisy, leaky, expensive and unreliable. It terrified my wife (or was it my driving…) Oh, and did I say it was noisy as well?
It looked stunning, handled like a dream, had the performance to leave motorcycles for dead and turned heads wherever I went.
I sold it last year because the good points never outweighed the bad. It was fun for a while but when I needed a car, I usually needed four seats, and I didn’t want to own two cars when I had no real need for one.
The reason I drove a high-performance sports car was the "fun to drive factor’ as has been mentioned. Taking off ramps at double the sugested speed. Hitting on Ramps at double the sugested speed. Zipping down hilly country roads. Slamming on your brakes when an idiot pulls out in front of you and actually stopping. Hearing the rotary engine buzz like a chain saw when you hit 9000rpm. The first time you downshift REALLY well entering a corner. Figuring out how to “heel and toe” (I still haven’t mastered that yet). Chirping the tires from 2nd to 3rd. Having your car blow up in the middle of BFE Iowa. Push starting your car every morning for 3 months. Installing a fuel cut off switch so you can start your car again after getting gas. When friends bring pieces of your rusted car into work to show you how shitty your car is. Well, I have gotten off track. Its a blast driving a light weight moderetly powered rear wheel drive 2 seater and thats the bottum line.
Trying to describe the joy of driving a sports car to someone who has not is like trying to describe sex to a virgin… It’s something you just have to try for yourself once you have the pre-requisite driving skills.
My fave was my friend’s Porsche 924 for which I had driving rights, actually… I was the only other person he allowed to get behind the wheel.
I drove it from Vancouver to Penticton in 2.5 hours once… and I didn’t drive on the bullet straight Coquihalla but rather, took the much more interwesting and windy Hwy 3 through the mountains. (Some people will understand this). I pretty much doubled whatever the posted speed was which is something you have to do turn a five hour trip into a 2.5 hour trip. At no time did I even come close to pushing the car to it’s handling limits. The acceleration was such that you could barely move through the first three gears fast enough and on the few straight sections of highway you could cruise comfortably at 180 kmh (150mph).
I passed a cop at this speed and thankfully, he was on the other side of the highway giving someone else a ticket.
Now I have to content myself with my Thunderbird Turbo Coupe which is no slouch in the performance department either. My Porsche driving friend took my Bird for a spin one day and swore that it accelerated and handled nearly as well as his 924 and was way more comfy. It is that.
I can’t wait for spring… the Bird will come out of storage and I’ll be working over the engine and the turbo charger so that I can get a few more hp from the old girl. Might have to take a trip to Vancouver to just to test things out…
And people say that I drive like an old woman… perhaps if that woman was Shirley Muldowney…
'96 300ZX Twin Turbo here. Totally impractical, yet I have no plans to give it up. Only take it out now when I have time to get out of the city and give it a good run. The car actually feels more tight, stable, and responsive as speed increases. Computer-assisted four wheel steering tempts you to accelerate into a turn just to test it.
I’ll enjoy it while I can, I may have to grow up someday
Agreeing with almost all of the above, I would be remiss not to mention some of the negatives. The farther a sports car is compromised in the performance side of the equation, the farther comfort takes a back seat (pun intended.) The '84 Corvette was downright painful to drive. Some owners pay extra to have the factory remove sound deadeaning material, air conditioning and a radio in an effort to shave a few pounds. The '94 Camaro 1LE was just like that. Options included body side moldings, a rear window defogger or an automatic trans (all incongrouous for its intended purpose).
Take a comparable performing sports sedan and a sports car on the same long trip at the same average speed and which driver arrives feeling pretty good and which driver is completely wiped out.
Ironically, most folks who can afford an expensive non-daily driver are older and don’t fold into sports cars like they once did. Add any back problems or a height in excess of 6’ and ingress and egress can be quite unpleasant.
Certainly no sports car, my '93 Saturn SC2 was quite difficult to enter and exit due to it’s close proximity to the ground relative to other “sporty” compacts. Then one day a 348 Ferrari that had at least 4" less ground clearance pulled up next to me at a stop light. Ouch.
Driving a sports car as it was intended in less than perfect conditions can be very tempting and dangerous in a sports car. Electronics, ABS, pitch, yaw, stability and traction control and tire technology have come a long way but cannot defy physics. Greater power/weight ratios and wider tires are more difficult to control in rain and (God forbid) snow. While driving a '97 Camaro SS from storage to the Chicago auto show, I learned the true meaning of undriveable. There was a light mist on the pavement but no current precipitation. With the wide, low profile stock tires wih very little tread, the car was a deathmobile on such a ridiculously slightly wet road. Every stop light or stop sign I would barely touch the gas and the tires would break traction while the rear end flew out dangerously to the left. Diesel Rabbits would beat me through an intersection. Very long frustrating drive.
Finally, I pity the man who lives in a four season climate who purchases a sports car for his one and only car. We see too much of this in Northern Illinois and it always ends in tears. Too impractical for a daily driver, he runs up the miles and gets killed a year or two later on excess depreciation caused by excess use and lack of maintenance. Sports cars need more than gas and oil?
All that said, would I turn down a free “perfect” '67 Porsche 911S? No, but I wouldn’t drive it much, either.
I agree with that (except that it’s good to have some torque up your sleeve for an emergency). Here in Sydney, with our Nazi Highway Patrol, speed cameras, radar, etc, it’s prudent to behave yourself behind the wheel. I have fun in my little 1.6 manual, bog-standard Corolla by practicing “chauffeur driving” (a practice recommended by a motoring writer as a way to have fun behind the wheel legally). Imagine you have an elderly head of state with a broken neck in the passenger seat, and drive accordingly (with the proviso that you don’t cheat by simply driving much more slowly than usual - the head of state is going to an urgent meeting). It’s fun trying to change gear so smoothly the passenger wouldn’t notice, making sure you brake in such a way that there isn’t even the tiniest rearward jerk when you stop, anticipating other drivers’ actions, and never having to take hard evasive measures.
I’ve driven a lot of different vehicles from little ones like I have now, to diesel vans, to huge V8s with roaring engines and fighter plane pick-up. One thing I’ve found that holds true with them all is that after a couple of days behind the wheel, whatever I’m driving just becomes “the car”. I have driving memories which are very vivid with the exception that I don’t remember what vehicle I was in at the time. This, combined with the fact that I’m getting older, suburban, and sensible, makes me reluctant to spend big bucks on a performance car. It would be wasted money for the most part. Also, I don’t particularly want to turn heads - especially policemen’s ones.
Oh! my 1979 Alfa Romeo GTV was a dream to drive. Never having to slow down for corners is great fun If you ignore the fact they tend to stay upright by virtue of the rust worms holding hands, and only dwarves, hobbits or small children fit in the back seat, they are the best!!
And they are pretty to look at and sound awesome. If there are any left still on four wheels they would be a good investment too I imagine. It’s the one at the bottom of the page
What’s it like to drive a sportscar? Humiliating. An old beau owned a gorgeous little Datsun Roadster 2000. We looked perfect together but she was a jealous, blonde bitch. I swear everytime I got behind the wheel that brat would act up on purpose. Of course it was always smooth riding for Mr. Gentlehands. I had much better luck tooling around in his '59 Chevy truck with the neckers-knob.
