Alternatives to a sports car

[12b-6]

As you might imagine, the prestige associated with fancy cars is not something I'm interested in, but I LOVE going fast. I ride my bike as fast as my fitness allows, but it's simply not the same. I've thought about buying a used go-kart to race around empty parking lots. This would still be relatively expensive, but nothing compared to buying and maintaining a performance vehicle.

Has anyone tried doing the same? Are there other ways of satiate the need for speed?

[theanimal]

You can rent a fast car every once in a while whenever you want to go fast. Same feeling. Minimal costs compared to owning a car. Zero maintenance and storage costs.

[Tyler9000]

I imagine that a love of speed and a love of skiing has a nice overlap. A lift pass would cost a little money, but the gravity propulsion is free.

[KevinW]

I have the same interest (affliction?). Submitted for consideration:

As noted you can drive karts on a paygo basis, e.g. http://www.k1speed.com/

You can rent sports cars on a paygo basis, e.g. https://www.gothamdreamcars.com

You can buy into a commune arrangement, e.g. http://classiccarclubmanhattan.com/

A world-class simulator is cheaper than a crappy car. Check out e.g. some of the high-dollar Gran Turismo rigs. $2000 all-in sounds expensive by video game standards but is cheap by sports car standards.

slow motorcycle > fast car, and like boats, motorcycles are often bought on impulse and underused. Check out prices on 10 year old superbikes. For that matter, 500 cc sports bikes can be scary fast so maybe that's enough.

driving a slow car fast > driving a fast car slow. Consider buying a fully depreciated mass-market sports car (e.g. Miata, MR2, DSM, WRX, Z-car, Mustang) and learn to drive it at 100% of its potential and maintain it yourself. That's harder than it sounds. Or a vintage sports car (e.g. 1960s BMW, Corvette, Alfa Romeo, etc.) and keep it stock.

Owning a go-kart doesn't actually seem very economical because you need a tow vehicle.

[KevinW]

Also, kit cars, e.g. http://www.locostusa.com/forums/ or http://www.factoryfive.com/kits/project-818/

[vexed87]

Have you tried amateur road bike racing? I know you said it's not the same, but it's totally different to riding fast solo! Way more adrenalin.

I hit 55 mph the other day on a local downhill stretch and it felt fast! Not sure why you would want to go faster

[sshawnn]

Similar affliction noted. Kevin W's ideas seem like good ones to have a respectable gasoline speed hobby.

My "fast" may be a little different though.. Even when I owned sports cars and sport motorcycles, the adrenaline rush came not so much from straight line speed as breaking the limits of traction. Fast starting, hard stopping and sliding through corners were more fun than going 153mph.

Snowboarding, long boarding, mountain biking, and curvy road biking all get me that good feeling and can be done cheaply as compared to motorsports and offer me good excuses to try and stay in shape. Even a tall playground swing pushed to adrenaline junkie levels can be fun

[Gilberto de Piento]

Or a vintage sports car (e.g. 1960s BMW, Corvette, Alfa Romeo, etc.) and keep it stock.

I don't think buying a 60s Vette is going to save any money. These are among the most valuable Corvettes and are in the six figure range for some models.

Consider buying a fully depreciated mass-market sports car (e.g. Miata, MR2, DSM, WRX, Z-car, Mustang) and learn to drive it at 100% of its potential and maintain it yourself.

This is good advice. I'd put a 4th gen Camaro or Firebird at the top of this list for bang for the buck. 300+ horsepower and good street handling for $5000 these days. Cheap parts and relatively easy to work on (other than space under the hood). Depending on where you live and what you do a Camaro, Mustang or WRX could be a good daily driver, though a WRX can be a money pit if it needs anything.

I'd take DSMs off the list. They weren't that reliable new and are now old. I'd also avoid the MR2. The early ones are now old and the newer ones are not a common car.

Motorcycles are another good alternative if it doesn't have to be a car.

[Sclass]

slow motorcycle > fast car, and like boats, motorcycles are often bought on impulse and underused. Check out prices on 10 year old superbikes. For that matter, 500 cc sports bikes can be scary fast so maybe that's enough.
.

Good answer. Try a fast motorcycle while you're at it. My pal bought a used 2004 Suzuki GSXR 1000 for $3500. It does zero to sixty in less than four seconds. It weighs 300lbs and has 150hp. The challenge is riding it around a corner...anyone can wank the throttle. Oh and the small detail of not going bankrupt in the liability suit, medical bills or traffic tickets.

Check out some YouTube vids on motorcycle fails. Dirtbikes are notorious for getting away from people.

I find going fast for thrills can be amplified by driving an unstable vehicle. That is, the more squirrelly the vehicle the faster it feels. Somebody already suggested drifting. That being said my biggest thrill rides were splitting lanes on my college girlfriends Honda scooter with its 8" rims at 50mph. My skateboard and rollerblades as a kid. A short ride as an adult on a tiny but very powerful motorcycle called a Kawasaki KX65 ...sized for eight year olds

All this being said going fast doesn't seem that sensible from an ERE point of view. Hot rod/performance cars are a money pit. Injury or liability is worse. Think of it this way, isn't some econobox like a Honda Fit capable of enough speed and acceleration to cause mayhem (see drifting fails on YouTube)?

Wow. I'm showing my age.

[George the original one]

Sclass pretty much summarizes my thoughts. Motorcycle is quickest accelerating and cheapest for top speed if you're interested in speed, but remember the hazards.

[workathome]

I had more fun sliding around dirt/snowy road corners in an old Honda than going 130+ in a Porsche. I never tracked the Porsche though. YMMV

I got a kick out of go-carts too. I also think most of the fun is in trying to corner at the limit, breaking traction, etc. It seems the optimal thrill point is always on the edge of control - genuinely fearing you're about to lose control but maintaining it. I don't think the thrill is totally unlike going fast on a mountain bike on dirt paths and risking smashing into trees or wiping out. So you might get your kick that way. Just wear a helmet, etc.

(Snowboarding/Downhill skiing is probably not much different either)

[JamesR]

The 1985-1987 Corolla GTS was famous for being an extremely reliable budget car that was great for drifting or extreme multi-day rallies. It had a fantastic dual cam NA engine, was light weight, had a limited-slip differential, and some people even drove it for a decade without any oil changes which goes to show how well engineered it was. The 1969-1971 Datsun 510 was also similarly hugely successful, I think I see that car quite a bit in the movies for stunt driving still. Typically RWD Japanese cars did well for that type of racing.

Not sure which 90s or early 2000s cars have a similar reputation while being less than $5,000. Any ideas?

[jacob]

Isn't it all relative? Going 10 mph in a yacht that usually goes 6 knots and wants to turn into a submarine above 9 knots ... that feels fast!

[Von Paulus]

The faster you drive the more risk of a serious accident to you or others(!).
You certainly do not want that to happen.
I bet you do not want to find yourselves in a courtcase over a person you ran over?
For the same token,i bet you do not want to see a person in a wheelchair because of your silly actions?
Fast driving and taking incredible risks is something for Hollywood movies,not for real life.

Yeah,sure,as a young person i had a look at sportscars (Jaguar E-type!) and was hopeful to own one sometime.
Not any more.
They are expensive to drive and maintain and are dangerous tools in todays dense traffic.
Traffic in Holland is dense at any given hour.
Speedlimit is either 100 km/h or 120 km/h on highways.
If police spots you exceeding the limit with more than 40 km/h,your drivinglicence will be taken in,end of story.

My wife and i both drive a tiny Ford KA with a 1.3 ltr petrol engine (made by Fiat),generating 69 horsepower.
Fast enough to go anywhere,including highways.
Fuel efficient comfortable car for two persons,nice Ford stereo,and airco for hot days.

Forget about the sportscar!

[sshawnn]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKHz7wOjb9w

[reepicheep]

Motorcycle.
I ride a Honda 250 Rebel. It is a glorified scooter. It tops out at 65 mph.

65 feels like 100, on a motorcycle.

Take a MSF class. Wear the right gear (dress for the slide, not the ride, ATGATT = All The Gear All The Time). I look like a power ranger when I ride and I bought stuff intended for racers--very good, very expensive gear, far above the kind of riding I do. If you buy a powerful bike, buy good gear to go with it.

[GandK]

... I LOVE going fast. ... the need for speed ...

Similar affliction noted.

This does not compute.

[12b-6]

As many have pointed out, my original post was poorly worded. Actual speed, especially top speed, is not the end goal so much as the sensation of speed (slow-car fast). Skiing and cycling are fantastic for a certain sensation, but they lack the acceleration and lateral G's that seem unique to motorized options. Another possibility I thought of is a jetski, which is like a motorcycle with greater margin for error.

It seems like a motorcycle or karting are the best options, with the former being more convenient but (seemingly) more dangerous, while the latter is safer but more of a hassle. I have seen karts strapped to the roofs of hatchbacks so maybe something like that would obviate the need for a tow-vehicle and trailer.

[TheFrugalFox]

I'll also put my vote in for the motorbike. Have an old '95 Honda Shadow 1100 - and use it every Sunday when we go on a ride for breakfast at some or other little town - normally a 60 - 150 mile round trip mostly alone but sometimes with a friends on their bikes. We are lucky living in a beautiful part of the world in the Westen Cape, Africa with fantastic roads through mountains and wine estates. Bike is not particularly fast - pretty slow actually for an 1100, but still accelerates faster than most cars and the V-twin sounds great, a throaty roar! My favourite time of the week. I service the bike myself - cheap as anything to run - and our Honda is quick to get parts that I need.

[OldPro]

Well first, you have to decide if what you want is speed or a sports car. A sports car is about handling, not 0-60, top speed or horsepower.

A sports car has certain criteria it should meet and not all that has been suggested so far meet those criteria (some don't even come close).
1. It can only seat 2 people.
2. It should be a convertible.
3. It must be a manual transmission.
4. Is nearly as possible, it must go around a corner as if it were on rails.

Given those criteria, I would have thought the answer for someone on a budget was obvious. You buy a used Miata MX-5, the number one selling sports car of all time. You can buy a good first generation Miata for under $5k. Do you know what the word Miata means? It's not japanese, it comes from old German and translates as 'reward'. What you do for yourself when you deserve it.

You do not drive a sports car with one hand on the wheel, elbow on the windowsill and a mega slurpee in the other hand. When you want to go from A to B, you do not drive it on the Interstate. You find the longest windiest road you can and drive it balls to the wall on every corner. Cornering is what it is all about. If you want that 'feel of speed' even at low speeds 12b-6, take a corner in a Miata at the speed the CAR can take it at and I guarantee it will be a speed YOU become unfortable at before the car does.