The £10k Supercar

[WillCarter]

As is quite a regular occurrence for me, I had Top Gear on in the background this morning and it just so happened to be the episode where they buy three Italian 'Supercars' for £10k. The trio end up with a Ferrari 308 GT4, Lamborghini Urraco and a Maserati Merak, all thoroughbred names, even if their legs are getting a little weary. However, a quick scan of the classifieds these days reveal that any of those will now set you back nearer £20,000+ than £10,000, even for a rough one. So, is the £10,000 Supercar a myth, or is it still possible? Lets see what we can find. Remember, this isn't about going fast, there's a lot of cars that will do that job for under £10k, this is about having a car with proper Supercar styling and a name that will make women swoon and other men instantly jealous.

[dbizzle]

Here you go, £500 under budget.

[EmDee]

928S, cheap 911, Mondial maybe - BUT I'd have a...

Gah beaten to the punch by the Bizzle again

[Paul H]

Allegedly it is possible to find a Ferrari 400i for under £10K. However, like the ones in the first post, I suspect those days are past. Quite a few '80s / '90s Masers can be had for under £10K though, & not just Biturbos - there are 5 pre-facelift 3200GTs (the one with those wonderful boomerang rear lights) currently on autotrader for £10k or less.

[dbizzle]

'82 Mondial - current exchange rates bring this in at about £9,500.

[adam73bgt]

How about a BMW 850? it doesnt quite have 'the badge' to make an instant impact, but with a great big v12 up front and supercar looks all for a significant amount less than 10k (depending on how long you want it to work..) then its not too far off the mark





also this.

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fiat-130-Coupe-Dino-Rare-RHD-Manual-GUY-CROFT-TUNED-Spares-Project-/290906229352?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item43bb5cca68



and anyone who says 'its just a fiat' have you looked at it??

Or you could get a corvette, which i suppose was fairly super for its day



£8650 for a c4

or for italian styling with a nearly prestige badge, you could get a Lancia Monte Carlo for just shy of 8 grand

[WillCarter]

I think I would be hard pressed to ignore a Porsche 968. What it lacks in hard edged super car styling it makes up for in name value, performance and could even be used as a daily if that's what you really wanted. However, it doesn't really excel in any area, it's not stunningly pretty and although quick, doesn't make up for it's lack in looks department in stonking performance either. Although, with examples going for anywhere from £5,000 to way past the £10,000 limit, it might be the sensible choice.



Yours for £9,495.

However, if you're looking for spectacular styling, a proper supercar soundtrack and a touch of exclusivity then how about the TVR 390SE? Oh, and it's a soft top too. It won't take you over the 150 mph mark like the 968, but it may well have killed you before you ever got near there anyway, just like any Supercar should.



Yours for a cool £8,000.

[kens]

I've a mate who picked up a 'facelift' bumpered RHDrive Mondial QV for 10k less than a year ago though he has had to fix a whole host of electrical issues since he had it and part of the front suspension collapsed a few months back
Have a still of the Mondial being created in Weird Science:

[kens]

I'd travel to Italy for this and you can legitimately whack on Prancing Horse badges (unlike those re-bodied Pontiac Fieros!) :



www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C135557

and then there's this possible can of worms (or absolute bargain? ) :


www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1994-MASERATI-GHIBLI-AUTO-LOW-MILES-/251269137045

If my missus would let me I'd be all over the last one!

[EmDee]

May 2, 2013 15:10:21 GMT adam73bgt said:

this.
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fiat-130-Coupe-Dino-Rare-RHD-Manual-GUY-CROFT-TUNED-Spares-Project-/290906229352?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item43bb5cca68

*has crisis*

Does anyone have seven grand they could lend give me?

[adam73bgt]

May 2, 2013 15:49:39 GMT EmDee said:

*has crisis*

Does anyone have seven grand they could lend give me?

haha precisely my thoughts when i saw it too ;D

[ettorebugatti]

Like the Ghilbli



Tvr Cerbera
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TVR-CERBERA-V8-4-2-AJP-STARMIST-GREEN-/121100738910?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item1c322aa15e

Jaaaaaggggg Xkr
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2001-JAGUAR-XKR-AUTO-SILVER-/290907626999?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item43bb721df7

[sonus]

May 2, 2013 16:07:03 GMT adam73bgt said:

May 2, 2013 15:49:39 GMT EmDee said:

*has crisis*

Does anyone have seven grand they could lend give me?

haha precisely my thoughts when I saw it too ;D

Here's one LHD version for sale in Norway for Approx £5000
www.finn.no/finn/car/used/object?finnkode=41041136

For me it has to be a '96 Maserati Ghibli II with the 2 liter Bi turbo V6 and manual transmission.

[ChasR]

A 968 is not really a supercar though is it? .

I was going to suggest a Skyline GTR but even those are more sportscar than supercar IMO.

If to own a supercar is simply too much for us mere mortals why don't you go for a lawn ornament; a barbequue stand with seats maybe? .

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ferrari-330-/111052785170?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item19db430612


A track ready Mondial for £9.5k anyone?


Whilst it is a questionably good 456 it is interesting to see that these have crept down to these levels:

[dougie1142]

Not quite 10k, but this Maserati 3200GT was for sale for £11.5k on DW a while back. Instantly wanted it!

www.driftworks.com/forum/drift-cars-sale-private-sales/174079-maserati-3200gt-3-2-v8-twin-turbo-white.html

[Fiat Daft]

May 2, 2013 15:46:41 GMT kens said:

I'd travel to Italy for this and you can legitimately whack on Prancing Horse badges (unlike those re-bodied Pontiac Fieros!) :

Err The fiat 130 has nothing to do with ferrari .

[HoTWire]

Renault Alpine GTA?

[adam73bgt]

I'd forgotten about the Alpine

This could be a good shout if the bidding stays low

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aston-Martin-Virage-/181131347660?clk_rvr_id=475277880700







Much like the Maserati Biturbo i suppose, being the unloved Aston Martin. But its still the cheapest way into Aston ownership, though DB7's are now getting down to around £17,000 .... ;D

[PHUQ]

May 3, 2013 14:45:39 GMT HoTWire said:

Renault Alpine GTA?

No arguments on the car as a car, but I'm not sure dropping a set of Renault keys on the bar will have the same effect as dropping a set with, say, a prancing horse on- applies to quite a lot of cars in this thread though. We seem to have ended up with a lot of cars that have the required go, a number which have the required looks, but very few that have the name that will make the man on the street (or the pub) pay attention ;D To quote the OP- "this isn't about going fast, there's a lot of cars that will do that job for under £10k, this is about having a car with proper Supercar styling and a name that will make women swoon and other men instantly jealous"

[WillCarter]

May 3, 2013 10:24:35 GMT ChasR said:

A 968 is not really a supercar though is it? .

No, I agree to be honest, however it has the name value and looks like nothing else on the roads these days so it does kind of fit the mould, even if it is a little bit soft for a Porsche.

May 3, 2013 16:20:50 GMT adam73bgt said:

Virage.

That Virage seems almost too good to be true at that price. The cheapest I've seen is £20,000 but if they do start dropping around £10,000 then that is most certainly what this thread is about, real schoolboy's wall stuff for real world money.



You also mentioned DB7's. This seems like unbelievable value at under £14,000 and being as it's been price dropped from £17,000 recently I would imagine an offer of nearer the £10,000 mark would be very favourable despite his protestations about being in no rush to sell.



This 964 is For Sale minus it's running gear for £3,750. Now, if you were to consider the sacrilegious act of fitting the running gear from something along these lines...



Then you would be looking at a 276 BHP, Twin-Turbo, AWD, Porsche 911 Convertible for secondhand Ford Focus money.