Sports Car - Audi or BMW

[RetiredAt49]

Disclaimer: The fanciest car I’ve ever driven in the past 3 decades was a top-of-the-line Honda Accord. I currently drive a Subaru.

My wife/kids think I need to take a small portion of our NW (~5 M) and purchase a fast and good looking sports car.

I live in a colder climate area so want all-wheel drive which throws out many rear wheel drive cars.

I really like the looks of the Audi e-tron GT but not sure I’m crazy about an all electric vehicle. I also like the BMW M series 5 or 8 competition cars. I do want a sedan or coupe as it’s just me and the spouse.

Open to recommendations

 

[HawkeyeNFO]

My wife/kids think I need to take a small portion of our NW (~5 M) and purchase a fast and good looking sports car...

Uhhh, ok.

 

[38Chevy454]

Both make good performance cars, BMW not so much in the awd variety. There's an old saying, "don't own a German car out of warranty". Any of the German cars have a lot of (IMHO) not needed complexity which makes service work cost more from extra labor req'd; and typically quite high shop labor rate cost. Plus add expensive parts cost, and you have the basis for the old saying. If you do your own work, then not as bad, especially if you can buy the parts from a cheaper source than the dealer.

In some defense, many new cars are very complex and it seems none are built for easy service.

I think your idea to BTD a bit on a nice fun car is a good thing since it seems you have the finances to cover without issue. But then I have many old vehicles, so not a good example of no fun cars.

 

[tfudtuckerpucker]

Scotty has an opinion on this. He's a very experienced car mechanic.

 

[Jerry1]

I live in a colder climate area so want all-wheel drive which throws out many rear wheel drive cars.

So you’re going to be driving your sports car in the winter? I don’t think I’d limit myself to an AWD car unless I was going to use it year round. Is this your fun, part time car or a replacement for your daily driver?

 

[freedomatlast]

Before you buy a BMW M series competition car, be sure you take it for a long test drive and make sure you are willing to make a big compromise on ride quality for the sake of better handling. The stiff suspension combined with the very low profile run flat tires makes for a ride where you will feel every imperfection in the road surface every mile you drive it. On the broken up roads in the northeast, this becomes very unpleasant very quickly. Also make sure you are good with buying an expensive car that doesn't include a spare tire.

 

[Car-Guy]

If I were to get a foreign made ultra high performance car (well foreign to me in the US) and plan to "drive it hard occasionally" I'd look really hard at the BMW M8 competition. I've run up on a couple in the past year on the highway while I was driving one of my Hellcat powered vehicles... PM me for the details/results if interested in such things...

 

[mystang52]

Purely anecdotal: 25+ years ago I bought a rear-wheel drive Mustang and had no problem driving it in winter (I kept 2 sandbags in the trunk). I replaced it with a rear-wheel drive Infiniti. Sandbags in trunk, that car had a mind of its own in bad weather. After 2 separate spin-out, I never drove it again in snow or heavy rain. AWD on a sports car may be different, but I'd do some research before considering one for winter driving.

 

[RetiredAt55.5]

Not what you asked, but if you're open to other suggestions, a Mazda Miata might be worth a look.

Very reliable, little complexity, open top driving, and reasonable insurance rates. Very cheap to keep. Some say a "Miata Is Always The Answer" (MIATA). They even have a retractable hardtop option

 

[brett]

You should also consider the type of dealer support you have in your area and their respective reputations.

 

[Midpack]

While young and foolish, we owned a BMW 5 Series (not an M) and an Audi TT 225, both were great cars. Audi’s Quattro systems are legendary, I can attest as we had the TT in Chicago (albeit with snow tires in winter), but I am sure BMW’s X-Drive is more than adequate. [I also had an Outback in Chicago and the TT Quattro is better than Subaru] I wouldn’t pony up for a German car and the associated $$$$ maintenance again - but everyone is entitled to the experience at least once. And going against your wife’s recommendation is not recommended, so happy car hunting.

 

[RetiredAt49]

So you’re going to be driving your sports car in the winter? I don’t think I’d limit myself to an AWD car unless I was going to use it year round. Is this your fun, part time car or a replacement for your daily driver?

Yeah I would trade in my Subaru and drive the sports car year round so would like an AWD

 

[freedomatlast]

Yeah I would trade in my Subaru and drive the sports car year round so would like an AWD

In that case, be prepared to buy an extra set of wheels and tires for winter driving.

 

[Car-Guy]

In that case, be prepared to buy an extra set of wheels and tires for winter driving.

Just need to swap the tires, wheels won't matter unless you just like the convenience of not having to break down and swap the tires.

 

[OldShooter]

+1 on a Miata if you don't need to haul stuff or to carry more than one passenger. They are fun cars.

I have had more sports cars than I can easily count as well as racing them for 15 years. On the street there is a practical limit to the amount of power that is truly useful, but it is fun to squirt around situations where you might otherwise have had to brake.

Now into old fart-hood, I suggest two criteria that the youngsters won't care about: ease of getting in and out, and harshness of the suspension. The ride in my Soob WRX is like a goat cart, something I didn't fully appreciate until after I had owned it for a while. Getting in and out is OK, mostly because it's really a grocery-getter aka wannabe sports car. My previous car, a Mazda RX-8 had a much more competent suspension but was low enough to the ground that getting in and out was not optimum for an old guy.

I used to enjoy RWD in the winter as I generally like oversteer setups anyway. But now I appreciate the Soob's AWD though I am not unhappy driving my old Nissan Frontier truck when it's needed. It is RWD with a 4WD mode so I have the best of both worlds.

You say "colder climate." If that includes regular snow and ice, plan to put winter tires on the car when the season comes and performance tires otherwise. "All Season" is code for not-very-good-at-any-time.

IF you want fun and uniqueness, take a look at Honda S2000s. I drove one when they were on the market new and it was an amazing car with an amazing engine. Too small for my needs, though.

Edit: I have never considered Audi or BMW to be sports car companies. "Sporty car" yes, but not sports cars in the sense of the Miata, the S2000, or my old Austin Healy 3000 or my old Lotus Elan. We had a TT for a while and it was a workmanlike little 2-door but not a sports car. I came close to buying a BMW 2002tii once, but had the wisdom to avoid buying a car that I couldn't afford to pay cash for.

 

[OldShooter]

Just need to swap the tires, wheels won't matter unless you just like the convenience of not having to break down and swap the tires.

I bought wheels and tires at Discount Tire and they swap them on and off the car for free. I have saved far more than the cost of the wheels and have substantially cut time wasted waiting at the tire store.

 

[Car-Guy]

I bought wheels and tires at Discount Tire and they swap them on and off the car for free. I have saved far more than the cost of the wheels and have substantially cut time wasted waiting at the tire store.

For me it's an ~hour drive to the nearest Discount Tire (or equivalent) store, each way, so I just do it myself. I've sold a lot of my automotive tools in the past few years but so far I've kept the old tire changer... Sold my spin balancer but a good bubble balancer works well. Admittedly, not for everyone.

 

[corn18]

Disclaimer: The fanciest car I’ve ever driven in the past 3 decades was a top-of-the-line Honda Accord. I currently drive a Subaru.

My wife/kids think I need to take a small portion of our NW (~5 M) and purchase a fast and good looking sports car.

I live in a colder climate area so want all-wheel drive which throws out many rear wheel drive cars.

I really like the looks of the Audi e-tron GT but not sure I’m crazy about an all electric vehicle. I also like the BMW M series 5 or 8 competition cars. I do want a sedan or coupe as it’s just me and the spouse.

Open to recommendations

I have come to dislike sports cars of that caliber. I never get to use even 1/3 of the capability these cars have. Heck, my wife's BMW X3M is a sub 4 sec 0-60 and 11 sec 1/4 miler and I leave it in comfort mode all the time. That's faster than the super cars of my day. A lot faster.

So think about that. We currently have a BMW Z4 with the little 2.5L engine for our fun car. Can almost use all it has to offer sometimes. Now that we are older, it is too low and not easy to get into and especially out of. We can fall into it. We have to groan our way out of it.

I like the SUbarus. They are fun to drive, AWD, lots of room and not too pricey. Maybe not good looking enough for some folks, but a hoot to drive.

The Miata is a blast. Little tires, perfect setup = a blast to drive most of the time. Same with the S2000. But rear wheel drive.

If you get that Audi Etron GT, I think you will love it. I think it is great looking. But again, all that performance will go unused unless you track it.

Keep us up to date on what you are thinking. I like following these threads.

 

[Jerry1]

This is so true. I see the corvette stingray’s around town and just think how pathetic it must be to drive one. Can’t come close to legally experiencing the power they have and with the potholes here in Michigan, that ground clearance and low profile tires must be a joy to experience. At least with the great handling they must have you might be able to avoid some of the potholes. Can’t imagine what one would be like in the winter.

Fun on the track, not on the road.

 

[Car-Guy]

Some of these comments make me think of this country song. Sums up my feelings pretty well.

 

[Sunset]

Sports car = Summer

Get a Miata and enjoy it Spring, Summer, Fall. They are great, and low cost and truly sporty fun.

Use your other car for Winter. In Winter all cars become sport cars, the slipping and sliding types of sport.

 

[Koolau]

I guess if I were sitting on a $5mil stash, I'd buy the sports car I really want (probably a C-8 Corvette) AND a nice 4WD sedan. During good weather, I'd take the Vette, during snow/ice, I'd take the 4WD. YMMV as always - especially when it comes to cars.

 

[Gumby]

Yeah I would trade in my Subaru and drive the sports car year round so would like an AWD

I have a 2001 BMW Z-3, and I only ever drive it between April and October on warm sunny days. In fact, the only time I've ever put the top up was to wash it. I've never driven it that way. Why? Because it is solely for fun, to enjoy the drive itself, not to go to the store or accomplish anything else useful. I have other cars for that.

 

[freedomatlast]

Just need to swap the tires, wheels won't matter unless you just like the convenience of not having to break down and swap the tires.

It may be extremely difficult to find winter tires in the exact same size as the low profile performance tires that come stock on an M series BMW. With different wheels, it opens up more possibilities of a wider selection of winter tires. As long as the total diameter, offset and bolt pattern are the same, there should be no issues.

Also, some dealers may refuse to install winter tires on the stock rims or on the vehicle at all, if the speed rating on the winter tires is less than what the vehicle came out of the factory with and what the top speed of the vehicle is restricted to due to liability issues.

 

[Car-Guy]

^^^^^I can't speak to that since we don't get enough snow around here to consider winter tires. As far as speed ratings, I've never heard of anyone having an issue at places like Discount Tires or NTB and certainly not at Tire Rack.