Suggestions for a first supercar

[JapanRed]

Hi all,

Please be gentle, this isn’t an investment or depreciation thread.

I’d like to buy my first supercar. Budget ideally £90k but could go a little higher to maybe £120k.

I’ve got a 2008 911 at the minute and it’s only cost me £7k over 3.5 years which I know is nothing compared to running supercars. I would do about 2000 miles per year.

Not keen on Aston’s and not sure I want another Porsche but do like Ferrari, Lamborghini and McLaren. I’d like something quite modern (within last 15 years). I’d much prefer a coupe rather than convertible.

From what I can see I’ve got a few options;
Gallardo
360
F430
12C
540C
570GT
570S
650S (at a push).

I’ve not test drove any of the above but can’t believe I would dislike any of them.

I’m a long way from being a millionaire; I work for the NHS on a reasonable salary but don’t have infinite amounts of cash to spend on running these things. I would happily pay £5k per year running costs (excluding fuel etc) but can’t justify silly running costs such as £15k a year for a Murci. Also, I’m not bothered about the car being an investment, but if it doesn’t haemorrhage value over 5 years or so I’d be a very happy guy indeed.

Can anyone point me in the right direction (or at least tell me I’m being daft and should stick with my 911).

Thanks in advance.

[av185]

Depends if you want old or contemporary.

First 4 on your list very high running costs and relatively expensive to buy for essentially outmoded and aging cars.

Newer 5 model Mclarens heavy depreciation, quick contemporary road cars if a touch dull for many.

What model is your 911. Do you want n.a. or turbo as replacement.

Late 991.1 GT3s (15 plate onwards) with the newer engines a fantastic usable but involving contemporary package and good choice around £120k depending on spec. Depreciation minimal too. Only 332 UK cars.

You need to drive the cars then decide what suits you best.

[davek_964]

av185 said:

Depends if you want old or contemporary.

First 4 on your list very high running costs and relatively expensive to buy for essentially outmoded and aging cars.

Newer 5 model Mclarens heavy depreciation, quick contemporary road cars if a touch dull for many.

What model is your 911. Do you want n.a. or turbo as replacement.

Late 991.1 GT3s (15 plate onwards) with the newer engines a fantastic usable but involving contemporary package and good choice around £120k depending on spec. Depreciation minimal too. Only 332 UK cars.

You need to drive the cars then decide what suits you best.

Can't comment for all 4 but my 360 is definitely not very high running costs. Needs nothing extra at most services.

[PixelpeepS3]

is the R8 V10 a contender ?

all the lambo none of the grief ?

[Larry5.2]

£15k annual costs for a Murci?? Wherever did you get that figure from? They are a very simple car, compared to today's technology-ridden monsters. Servicing is along the lines of a Gallardo - you need to pay 20% more for spark-plugs. The only biggie is the clutch which needs the engine out. Approx cost for that job is £6-7k. That's in contrast to a 360 clutch which cost me £4k last year.

Some Lambo dealerships list their servicing costs for the Lambos... check them out... Murcies aren't a tale of horror.

[JapanRed]

Thanks all,

AV185 - My current 911 is a 2008 C4S. Good shout on the GT3; I’ve looked into them but just wondered whether I would fancy something a bit different to what I have now. Suppose it will be quite a huge step up from what I have now regardless. Are running costs reasonable on the GT3’s?

I really don’t mind whether I have N/A or turbo. Love the N/A of the 911 but also have a newish M3 and enjoy the shove of the 2 turbos in that just as much.

Pixel - R8 V10 is also a good shout but is it in the same league as McLaren? If I drive past a McLaren I do a double take but not sure I do with R8’s? Appreciate the V10 will be a step up from the C4S though.

[JapanRed]

Larry - that figure has come from this forum haha. Maybe all needs to be taken with a pinch of salt but there’s a relatively recent thread on here that details £80k+ being spent on Murci’s over a 5 year period.

If you’re telling me I can run one for my budget of £5k a year then I might well be tempted to up the budget a little ;-)

[Larry5.2]

JapanRed said:

Larry - that figure has come from this forum haha. Maybe all needs to be taken with a pinch of salt but there’s a relatively recent thread on here that details £80k+ being spent on Murci’s over a 5 year period.

If you’re telling me I can run one for my budget of £5k a year then I might well be tempted to up the budget a little ;-)

I think you could, I recommend them , but they might be above your upper limit...

[JapanRed]

Larry5.2 said:

JapanRed said:

Larry - that figure has come from this forum haha. Maybe all needs to be taken with a pinch of salt but there’s a relatively recent thread on here that details £80k+ being spent on Murci’s over a 5 year period.

If you’re telling me I can run one for my budget of £5k a year then I might well be tempted to up the budget a little ;-)

I think you could, I recommend them , but they might be above your upper limit...

I’ve actually got enough to buy one but my head would probably not let me spend that much in one go unless it was on a house. Probably not suitable for my first foray into supercars either. Would rather dip my toe in at the shallow end if possible (unless I knew that the murci would be worth £100k more in 10 years and then man maths can do the rest). Also, head says at least half of my money should be invested sensibly :-)

[WCZ]

slightly off-topic but is it me or have 458 prices firmed up recently?

[Taaaaang]

I'd consider a Ferrari from a main dealer if I were you.

Sure, you pay their spread but 2 years warranty may be a more useful thing for you than a cheaper price elsewhere and the unknown risk of something major failing.

£95/100 gets you into a 360/430/Cali no problem.

[Ferruccio]

Larry5.2 said:

JapanRed said:

Larry - that figure has come from this forum haha. Maybe all needs to be taken with a pinch of salt but there’s a relatively recent thread on here that details £80k+ being spent on Murci’s over a 5 year period.

If you’re telling me I can run one for my budget of £5k a year then I might well be tempted to up the budget a little ;-)

I think you could, I recommend them , but they might be above your upper limit...

In 6 years of ownership, my early Murci has had a new clutch and a big service + one or two little niggles that needed sorting.

[av185]

JapanRed said:

Thanks all,

AV185 - My current 911 is a 2008 C4S. Good shout on the GT3; I’ve looked into them but just wondered whether I would fancy something a bit different to what I have now. Suppose it will be quite a huge step up from what I have now regardless. Are running costs reasonable on the GT3’s?

The 991 GT3 is quite hardcore especially compared to C4S but nicely usable too and some use as a daily but you really need front lift.

A later car is a must due to earlier car engine issues although Porsche now issue a 10 year warranty.

All these facts covered in past forums.

Cars are very spec sensitive and bucket seats/clubsport with rollcage doesn't suit all but these cars get the best money.

Running costs are very reasonable but history spec provenance and spec are all.

Good luck.

[PompeyReece]

JapanRed said:

Pixel - R8 V10 is also a good shout but is it in the same league as McLaren? If I drive past a McLaren I do a double take but not sure I do with R8’s? Appreciate the V10 will be a step up from the C4S though.

An R8 still turns heads but it won't attract the same attention as a McLaren - are you OK with a lot of attention or would you like a little/lot less?

An R8 is likely to be the more solid car so will have cheaper running costs and undoubtedly has one of, if not, the best engines available.

Also considering your personal situation, the R8 fits with that better than a McLaren.

All depends what you want in the car.

[sparta6]

Gallardo

All of the glamour.

It's a Lamborghini

[MDL111]

I’d also consider how you want to drive the car - eg a Murcielago might be a bit big if your thing is driving along country roads in the UK in a spirited fashion
I think a manual 360 might be a very enjoyable first supercar - not too fats, manual give you that little extra interaction, probably manageable service and repair costs. The only thing is that they are a bit old now, not sure gf there is a decent after market warranty one could get to protect against the worst

Good luck with your search - very exciting

[Superleg48]

av185 said:

First 4 on your list very high running costs and relatively expensive to buy for essentially outmoded and aging cars.

Gallardo does not have very high costs at all. Very useable, robust and reliable. I do around 4-5k miles per annum in mine, it costs me nothing out of the ordinary (apart from fuel and road tax etc) other than an annual service which is either £1100 for a minor or about £1800 for a major at a Lambo Dealer. Tyres aren't particularly pricey for this genre and a clutch replacement will set you back around £2500 but will last well over 25K miles if you drive it properly.

Many parts are interchangeable with Audi anyway.

Horror stories on these are rare.

[Superleg48]

JapanRed said:

Larry - that figure has come from this forum haha. Maybe all needs to be taken with a pinch of salt but there’s a relatively recent thread on here that details £80k+ being spent on Murci’s over a 5 year period.

If you’re telling me I can run one for my budget of £5k a year then I might well be tempted to up the budget a little ;-)

Yes, and that was an unusual example, not to be taken as "normal". On that thread there were plenty of others reporting no particular problems and some doing maintenance work very inexpensively.

[anonymous-user]

What about the lightweight Gallardo, Superleggera?

That sort of budget that’d be where I was looking or a V12 Vantage.

Edited by Lord.Vader on Tuesday 28th August 17:13

[Superleg48]

Lord.Vader said:

What about the lightweight Gallardo, Superleggera?

That sort of budget that’d be where I was looking or a V12 Vantage.

Edited by Lord.Vader on Tuesday 28th August 17:13

I drive an LP570-4 Superleggera. Fantastic car. Highly recommended.