What's the Most Sports Car for $55K

I have $55K that I would like to spend on a sports car. I currently own a 2002 BMW 330ci that I will be selling. I have always thought about getting a BMW M3 SMGII. However, I have to admit my eyes have strayed lately to some other options. The S4 seems like a cool car. Although it does not have the sophistication, the Z06 is an awful lot of car for the money.... for that matter, the regular corvette convertible tricked out would be pretty nice.

I would love to get this board's opinion on the M3 vs. the S4 vs. the Z06. Also if there are any others I should be looking at for my comparison. Anything under $55K is fair game.... I want something that is fast, has style, etc.

thanks for your opinions!!

the z06 is a lot of car for $55k. cheap and generic interior for a $55,000 car but the rest of the car makes up for it.

Yea...I mean if you just want straight fast/dont care about looks interior and exterior....you gotta look at the SVT Cobra and ZO6...

If you want great handling and speed...ZO6 and M3...but I suggest to get the manual not the SMG...I like it personally better

The M3 and Z06 are more sporty than the S4. Personally i'd go for an M3 followed by the Z06, followed by S4, but it has to be said the Z06 is great value.

Yea...I mean if you just want straight fast/dont care about looks interior and exterior....you gotta look at the SVT Cobra and ZO6...

If you want great handling and speed...ZO6 and M3...but I suggest to get the manual not the SMG...I like it personally better

I do care about looks/interior.... I just dont like the idea of having my doors blown off by other cars.... seems like in the Z06, you are competitive with pretty much anything on the road....not sure you can say that about the M3.... also, do share more about the manual versus SMG. what makes you like the manual better? I am a purist too, but have been told that the SMG truly is F1-like...

SMG is sh*t. The M3 is much better with a normal stick shift

None of the cars you listed will get their ‘doors blown off’ anymore then the other. If you come across a modded anything, you may win or lose. Stock vs stock, their numbers are within a few ticks of each other. I think you should evaluate what you really want out of the car. The vette will be faster then the rest, the M3 and S4 will get you there a bit slower, but with lots of comfort. Soon as you have your priorities in order, the cars will fall right in order for you.

On a personal note – I’d rather have the M3 out of the cars you listed.

SMG is sh*t. The M3 is much better with a normal stick shift

I am intrigued. I have heard a lot of press both ways for SMG vs. Manual... I dont want to pay $2400 for something that is sh*t. Can you be more specific? Is it just the driving experience? Because in terms of track times, I think the two are pretty dead-even in the hands of experienced drivers... except that the SMG is supposed to shift a little crisper and be a couple seconds faster.

I do worry about it being expensive if something goes wrong with it and/or collectability as a "classic" or "pure" M3....ie. that SMG is a little gimmicky....

the SMG is very good at shifting. however the problem is launching. its hard for the computer to know how much clutch to feather etc. that is best left for an experienced driver to do. so a 6 speed m3 with a decent driver can out launch a m3 with a smg.

Sorry but for anything in the world under 55K...nothing beats a Z06 in any aspect.

Sorry but for anything in the world under 55K...nothing beats a Z06 in any aspect.

What about reliability, quality, resale value? Oh...I guess you didnt think about those...

You :banghead:

Me :rofl:

The Z06 rapes all cars under 50K in stock performance(bar the EVO in some handling meaures.....).

The SMG can be jerky, and no matter how advanced the electronics are, doing it yourself will always yield better results, not to mention bring more satisfaction when you heel and toe etc..

Z06 Definetly wins this catagorie!

if you want a total package, why not wait a year and pick up a C6 Vette? Supposedly the interior will be world class (as well as the performance, of course). You can check out the exterior in Jan. By the way, est. base hp is 385-400 and weight should be around 3100lbs. If you have to have it now, go Z06.

Im all out ZO6... But the M3 is a pretty amazing car. If you find that you are consistantly driving other people around, I'd say the M3. But if its just basically you, the road, and maybe a woman. Hands down the Z06. Its just one hell of a car to be behind the wheel of. If you live somewhere thats almost always fairly warm, the convert is also a great idea. It'll be short 55 HP, but theres definately much to be told about driving with the wind in your hair. (Besides, how often do you get to truly peak your performance, when if you DO live in a sunny place, you could constantly cruise with the top down?) Just my three and a half cents.

On a side note, I've also heard 500 HP and 1.1G's on the C6 Vette rumor mill... So thats something you could look forward to. But with GM... who knows if the Price, OR the numbers will stick.

Just my three and a half cents.

Mr. Payne, the Z06 will beat the M3, but it won't just kill a cobra. The cobra and Z06 are pretty equal in straight line performance. The Z06 has better handling, but it costs 15k more. BOTH cars are excellent values! (not just the Z06)

Hpa R32 :)

Throw the S4 away if you want some performance. It doesn't match up to the M3 or Z06. The Z06 is stronger in performance than the M3 is. And to be honest I don't think the Z06 interior is all that bad, the M3 has the better interior, and its a 4 seater, not the most room in the back, but still a 4 seater. Now as far as you not wanting to get the doors blown off ya, sounds like you like to do a bit of street running am i right? Now if your like me, I don't like losing. You can run close to a second fast in the quarter (not quite but close) when you learn how to drive it, but if you just wanna cruise around town say with the top down, go for the M3. Although hell, i'd have no problem cruising around in a Z06. No problem at all

Throw the S4 away if you want some performance. It doesn't match up to the M3 or Z06.

The S4 will preform better in most real life driving conditions and situations. People buy these cars to drive on the road, not to race them on rubber-coated dragstrips.

mmmmm.... rubber-coated dragstrips :)

i know you probly want a new car, but i mself would go with a slightly used viper. maybe a '00 or an '01. it's a loittle more cramped than a vette but as far as performance i think it wuld be hard to beat for the price.

I honestly think your best choice is a slighty use Lotus. The other suggestions made couldn't hold a candle to a Lotus on the track and they are quick light cars in the straight line. They have great interior and look dead sexy. If I were you I would go Lotus all the way.

What exactly do you mean by real driving conditions and situations? Maybe im not interrpreting your reply right but exactly what do you mean? Real driving conditions such as for instance? Say its wet, I think it would be stupid to race any car in that situation, thats just being a illogical driver. Any driving condition that involves any type of weather other than dry pavement should be avoided at all cost to prevent somthing bad from happening. Or say your on a road with lots of irregular slopes, potholes, cracks, etc., why would you wanna race on these roads. The S4 does have AWD which will makes things remarkably easier off the get go and in say "weathered conditions", but you probably won't find many if any people wanting to race you in a condition such as that. And im sure if you buy a Z06, your not buying it for more than to drive on "rubber-coated dragstrips", (which were designed so you don't drag on public roads), or on the roadcoarse, once again another safer place to do your aggressive driving. If Z06's were designed to be driven on "rubber-coated dragstrips", then why is this "straight-line car forsay", pulling off 1g turns?, unless say theres a 90degree turn in the middle of the quarter. Their better road cars than straight line, though i am not saying a 340hp S4 (2003) with AWD at a normal 60/40 front/rear torque split depending on which wheels are slipping (up to 75 percent can be sent to the front/back depending on which is slipping) doesn't give you a feel for power, cause it absolutly positivly will set your behind back in that seat quicker than sh*t. Please resond if im on the right track or not (plz be polite) hehe.

What exactly do you mean by real driving conditions and situations? Maybe im not interrpreting your reply right but exactly what do you mean? Real driving conditions such as for instance?
Say its wet, I think it would be stupid to race any car in that situation, thats just being a illogical driver. Any driving condition that involves any type of weather other than dry pavement should be avoided at all cost to prevent somthing bad from happening. Or say your on a road with lots of irregular slopes, potholes, cracks, etc., why would you wanna race on these roads. The S4 does have AWD which will makes things remarkably easier off the get go and in say "weathered conditions", but you probably won't find many if any people wanting to race you in a condition such as that.

There is a lot more to owning a high performance/sportscar than racing people on dry public roads. I'm not saying the S4 is faster than the Z06 on dry roads either, I respect it for what it is. But uinlike the S4 it's not a four door sedan capable of lapping Nürburgring in a bit over 8 minutes and still be a safe fun car in the winter whether it's raining or snowing.


And im sure if you buy a Z06, your not buying it for more than to drive on "rubber-coated dragstrips", (which were designed so you don't drag on public roads), or on the roadcoarse, once again another safer place to do your aggressive driving.

Are you sure this is what you meant to type?


If Z06's were designed to be driven on "rubber-coated dragstrips", then why is this "straight-line car forsay", pulling off 1g turns?, unless say theres a 90degree turn in the middle of the quarter.

I'm not saying it's a slow car, and I never said it was designed as a dragracer. Fortunatly it's one of the few American high performance cars that's not.


Their better road cars than straight line, though i am not saying a 340hp S4 (2003) with AWD at a normal 60/40 front/rear torque split depending on which wheels are slipping (up to 75 percent can be sent to the front/back depending on which is slipping) doesn't give you a feel for power, cause it absolutly positivly will set your behind back in that seat quicker than sh*t. Please resond if im on the right track or not (plz be polite) hehe.
You have some of your numbers mixed up there, the torque split in the Audi's quattro system is ~50/50, while the wight ratio is 60/40.

you can geta supra on ebay with 30 k miles for 25k on ebay. you could spend 20 k on aftermarket stuff and you could burn a vette z06. But if you want new and stock there is no better bang for the buck than the z06.

Yeah i got a little mixed up there Deakins. I should have said the whole thing instead of a segment. What actually splits the front/rear torque is the Torsen center differential 60/40, but in a sense it works with the drivetrain to limit slippage. When the differential kicks in, it splits the torque front/back up to 75% depending on the conditions. Even though the S4 runs on a 60/40 weight distribution, the AWD torque split varies through the differential, which is a good thing. The thought of driving a 4 door sedan with AWD capable of an S4 strangly excites me.....but its all depends on what your looking for out of your car. Definatley a better weather car than a Z06 ill give it that.

The ZO6 is extreme bang for buck- and the MY04 has MASSIVE handling upgrades- however it is still unrefined, cheaply put-together and some-what lacking class compared to the other cars- as an Investment- I say go S4- it'll hold it's value and be guaranteed reliablilty- while the M3 doesn't like the lower Octane fuel that the US offers- and a shocking number of US customers have complained about the reliability of the M3 compared to customers from say- Europe, Japan, NZ, Australia the UK etc.................where the fuel is generally better. The ZO6 is made for the American market- which is a plus- meaning it is set up for American fuel, American roads and American tastes- definitley the closest you can come to Americana IMHO.


The S4 is my sanity pick, the M3 my Nurburgring-trasher pick and the ZO6 my bang-for-buck pick

Yeah i got a little mixed up there Deakins. I should have said the whole thing instead of a segment. What actually splits the front/rear torque is the Torsen center differential 60/40, but in a sense it works with the drivetrain to limit slippage.

Both you and I know how a Torsen diferential works, but the point I'm trying to make is that under normal conditions the torque is transfered to the wheels with a 50/50 front/right ratio. I think the RS6 is a bit rear biased and some older cars was a bit front biased, but I'm certain the new S4 have a 50/50 ratio.

I just kinda dawned on me that this thread is asking for the Most Sports Car for 55k. Why in the heck are we talking about a S4 sedan? Don't get me wrong, I like S4's, for a sedan. As a sports car, I'm gonna have to go with the Z06.

Like Jimster said, "The Z06 is extreme bang for buck", who can argue that.

Their aren't many other sports cars in the 50k range that can compete with what you get for a Z06. (unless you get an elise, but that doesnt count hehe). An M3 is great, but its not as "bang" as the Z06. 405hp posting quarters as good as 12.6, gripping 1g's, as well as performing the slalom as good as the new SRT-10, is a car that means business when it comes to performing.

It almost seems like this post wanted the Z06, I mean come on.....most sports car for 55k? Is this thread a conspiracy or what? hehe

I just kinda dawned on me that this thread is asking for the Most Sports Car for 55k. Why in the heck are we talking about a S4 sedan? Don't get me wrong, I like S4's, for a sedan. As a sports car, I'm gonna have to go with the Z06.

Like Jimster said, "The Z06 is extreme bang for buck", who can argue that.

Their aren't many other sports cars in the 50k range that can compete with what you get for a Z06. (unless you get an elise, but that doesnt count hehe). An M3 is great, but its not as "bang" as the Z06. 405hp posting quarters as good as 12.6, gripping 1g's, as well as performing the slalom as good at the new SRT-10, is a car that means business when it comes to performing.

It almost seems like this post wanted the Z06, I mean come on.....most sports car for 55k? Is this thread a conspiracy or what? hehe

Some people on Z06Vette.com have gotten 11.9 in the 1/4 with a bone stock Z06 (down to the tires). The Z06 is the best sports car all the way up to the MSRP of the new SRT-10.