The best sports cars are wickedly fast, have razor-sharp handling and pretty much guarantee you’ll be smiling after every drive. Yet when it comes to resale value, many of these dream machines can turn into a money-losing nightmare due to huge depreciation.
However, some sports cars manage to buck the trend and hold onto their value year after year. Cars like the Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport and Porsche 911 Carrera have built enormous fan bases after many decades of production. Others, like the Jaguar XK and Audi S5, woo buyers by managing to balance driving thrills with elegant exteriors and a modicum of practicality.
Of course, there are also sports cars that are simply the hottest must-have machines of the moment. The Nissan GT-R manages to defy physics with its incredible grip on the road. And the electric-powered Tesla Roadster allows its lucky owner all the pleasures of driving a nimble sports car in one guilt-free, zero-emissions package.
2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport
When the first Corvette arrived back in 1953, it really wasn’t much of a sports car. The anemic “Blue Flame” inline-6 engine provided pilot light-levels of performance. Over the years, Chevrolet added a V-8 engine, independent rear suspension, and a near-constant updates to its flagship sports car.
Today’s Corvette, especially in Grand Sport trim, remains one of the best performance bargains on the market. No wonder Corvettes have some of the industry’s strongest resale values. The Grand Sport starts at $55,720, which is approximately $6,000 more than a base Corvette. Trust us, the extra money is worth it. A handbuilt 430-bhp V-8 engine, and the same brakes and tires as the fire-breathing (and vastly more expensive) Z06, conspire to make the Grand Sport the best deal in the value-packed Corvette lineup.
The 2010 Audi S5 is as understated and effortlessly cool as ad man extraordinaire Don Draper in the TV series “Mad Men.” Under the S5’s suave exterior beats the heart of a serious sports machine. A 354-bhp V-8 engine, coupled with either a 6-speed manual or optional 6-speed automatic transmission, combine to give the broad-shouldered, all-wheel-drive S5 amazing reflexes for a large and luxurious coupe.
Cocooned in the business-class comfort of the cabin—sublime interiors are a specialty of Audi—you might not realize just how fast you’re going. Pay attention, since this German über-coupe won’t stop accelerating until you hit its (electronically-limited) top speed of 155 mph.
Compared to the lithe lines of many sports cars, the 2010 Nissan GT-R looks like a cross between a brick and a bullet train. Then again, Godzilla wasn’t exactly much of a looker either, but that didn’t stop him from becoming a cult classic while munching his way through downtown Tokyo. No wonder this asphalt-chewing Nissan sports car has earned the “Godzilla” moniker.
On sale in the U.S. since 2009, the GT-R has established a long history in Japan, where its reigned as the king of sports cars. The spec sheet is as formidable what’s inside the car’s gaping grille: a 485-bhp twin-turbocharged V-6, all-wheel drive, mammoth disc brakes, 6-speed semi-automatic gearbox and Nissan’s Vehicle Dynamics Control (VDC-R) to keep things under, well, control.
The only criticism you can levy at the GT-R is how easy it is to drive the car insanely fast. Buy a GT-R and you’ve made an investment for life.
The 2010 Jaguar XK has all the rakish charm of past Jaguar sports coupes, along with the everyday livability of a modern luxury car. Under that seductively long hood lurks a new 5.0-liter V-8, providing 385 bhp in the standard XK and 510 bhp in the supercharged XKR. Available as a coupe or convertible, the current XK and XKR are equally at home blasting along a sinuous mountain road as they are parked in front of the coolest nightclub.
Okay, the tiny rear seats are best left to small children and petite pets. Yet the reasonably spacious 11.7 cu.-ft. luggage compartment means you won’t have to insist passengers ride with a suitcase on their lap during a weekend getaway. A smooth and well-controlled ride endows the XK with quick reflexes, minus the punishingly hard suspension you’d expect in a traditional sports car.
If Charles Darwin was going to park a high-performance car in his garage, chances are good he’d opt for a 2010 Porsche 911 Carrera. The German-built sports coupe has slowly evolved over many generations and innumerable variations since first appearing in 1963. Porsche 911s have included everything from all-wheel drive, to turbochargers and Targa tops.
The basic package of a 345-bhp horizontally opposed 6-cylinder (mounted in the rear, like all 911s) and 6-speed manual transmission is tough to beat. Slide behind the wheel and you’ll understand why racetracks all over the world are loaded with Porsche 911s. They’re incredible to drive, have timeless good looks, and can humble supercars costing twice the price.
The 2010 Tesla Roadster is the sports car darling of tech-savvy early-adopters everywhere. Electric-powered and with zero emissions, the 2-passenger Tesla is eerily quiet as it delivers all the performance of a traditional snarling sports car. Forget any preconceptions about electric cars being over-sized golf carts with slug-like performance. Built in Silicon Valley, the Tesla Roadster needs only 4 seconds to sprint from zero to 60 mph.
A base Tesla Roadster costs more than $110,000 and has a (theoretical) range of 244 miles before needing to be recharged. Tesla Roadster owners include Leonardo DiCaprio and George Clooney, so you’ll at least be amongst celebrities if you do happen to get stranded before finding a plug and outlet. Tesla is making constant improvements to the quality and convenience (i.e. range) of the Roadster. If you need more space, the company’s 4-door Model S is due later this year.
Post Source: http://autos.yahoo.com/
However, some sports cars manage to buck the trend and hold onto their value year after year. Cars like the Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport and Porsche 911 Carrera have built enormous fan bases after many decades of production. Others, like the Jaguar XK and Audi S5, woo buyers by managing to balance driving thrills with elegant exteriors and a modicum of practicality.
Of course, there are also sports cars that are simply the hottest must-have machines of the moment. The Nissan GT-R manages to defy physics with its incredible grip on the road. And the electric-powered Tesla Roadster allows its lucky owner all the pleasures of driving a nimble sports car in one guilt-free, zero-emissions package.
2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport
2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport
When the first Corvette arrived back in 1953, it really wasn’t much of a sports car. The anemic “Blue Flame” inline-6 engine provided pilot light-levels of performance. Over the years, Chevrolet added a V-8 engine, independent rear suspension, and a near-constant updates to its flagship sports car.
Today’s Corvette, especially in Grand Sport trim, remains one of the best performance bargains on the market. No wonder Corvettes have some of the industry’s strongest resale values. The Grand Sport starts at $55,720, which is approximately $6,000 more than a base Corvette. Trust us, the extra money is worth it. A handbuilt 430-bhp V-8 engine, and the same brakes and tires as the fire-breathing (and vastly more expensive) Z06, conspire to make the Grand Sport the best deal in the value-packed Corvette lineup.
2010 Audi S5 Coupe
2010 Audi S5 Coupe
Cocooned in the business-class comfort of the cabin—sublime interiors are a specialty of Audi—you might not realize just how fast you’re going. Pay attention, since this German über-coupe won’t stop accelerating until you hit its (electronically-limited) top speed of 155 mph.
2010 Nissan GT-R
2010 Nissan GT-R
On sale in the U.S. since 2009, the GT-R has established a long history in Japan, where its reigned as the king of sports cars. The spec sheet is as formidable what’s inside the car’s gaping grille: a 485-bhp twin-turbocharged V-6, all-wheel drive, mammoth disc brakes, 6-speed semi-automatic gearbox and Nissan’s Vehicle Dynamics Control (VDC-R) to keep things under, well, control.
The only criticism you can levy at the GT-R is how easy it is to drive the car insanely fast. Buy a GT-R and you’ve made an investment for life.
2010 Jaguar XK Coupe
2010 Jaguar XK Coupe
Okay, the tiny rear seats are best left to small children and petite pets. Yet the reasonably spacious 11.7 cu.-ft. luggage compartment means you won’t have to insist passengers ride with a suitcase on their lap during a weekend getaway. A smooth and well-controlled ride endows the XK with quick reflexes, minus the punishingly hard suspension you’d expect in a traditional sports car.
2010 Porsche 911 Carrera
2010 Porsche 911 Carrera
The basic package of a 345-bhp horizontally opposed 6-cylinder (mounted in the rear, like all 911s) and 6-speed manual transmission is tough to beat. Slide behind the wheel and you’ll understand why racetracks all over the world are loaded with Porsche 911s. They’re incredible to drive, have timeless good looks, and can humble supercars costing twice the price.
2010 Tesla Roadster
2010 Tesla Roadster
A base Tesla Roadster costs more than $110,000 and has a (theoretical) range of 244 miles before needing to be recharged. Tesla Roadster owners include Leonardo DiCaprio and George Clooney, so you’ll at least be amongst celebrities if you do happen to get stranded before finding a plug and outlet. Tesla is making constant improvements to the quality and convenience (i.e. range) of the Roadster. If you need more space, the company’s 4-door Model S is due later this year.
Post Source: http://autos.yahoo.com/
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