The Convertible C7 Corvette has terrible visibility with the top up making lane changes exciting. Other than that, I’d have no issue with it as a daily driver. I’d definitely get one with the NPP exhaust and drive it in Track mode all the time as the sound is fantastic.

If I were looking at Mustangs, I would look for a low mileage 2017-2019 Shelby GT 350. I believe those years had the track package standard. Also, the Bullitt Mustangs seem to be priced OK if you like green.

Maybe and audi TT or S5? my friend had a audi cant remeber the model but he said it was faster thatn his wrx sti

You gotta ask yourself this: is it better to drive a fast car slow or a slower car fast?

While the Mustang, Supra and Corvette have a massive amount of power, how hard can you really push them unless you're on a track?

I just feel it would be more fun to carve some corners in a smaller car such as the Miata, GR Corolla, or GTI.

I wouldn't really consider the Subaru WRX and the BRZ/86 seems to be immensely underpowered. Wish they'd make an STI version of the BRZ, that would be flippin' awesome.

the Integra Type S seems to be low value for the dollar. The Civic Type R is incredible but in the end, it's still a Civic and it's kinda insane to spend that type of money on a Civic.

My mid life crisis started at 16 I went to a 23 C8 from a 2015 Mustang GT. The Mustang was a great car, but my vote is for the C8 if you can make it happen!

I own a 2002 Miata and a 2016 VW GTI. Both are great cars. The GTI is my favorite. It’s a do it all car. Fast, great handling, practical, bulletproof dependable. Only downside is maintenance costs. The Miata has been bulletproof too. Only thing I’ve ever done is basic service, brakes and tires.
VW has a reputation for being unreliable. Not so in my experience. “The Warden” has a 2014 VW Passat with 124,000 miles. Only basic maintenance and tires.
I keep them all maintained by two shops that specialize in these manufacturers.

C8 or Mustang, I wouldn't even consider any of those other cars. None of them could keep up with either of those 2.

quote:

Originally posted by Edmond:
You gotta ask yourself this: is it better to drive a fast car slow or a slower car fast?

While the Mustang, Supra and Corvette have a massive amount of power, how hard can you really push them unless you're on a track?

I just feel it would be more fun to carve some corners in a smaller car such as the Miata.

This.

Lots of great suggestions here, but you can wind a Miata out to redline through the power curve and not be making noise or hitting speeds that could get you quickly in trouble in many different ways.

I had a 2001 LS for many years that I “drove like I stole it” and auto-x’d it (stock) for a while.

It was A LOT of fun to drive, and relatively affordable to maintain (even with Toyo high-performance summer tires) and reasonably priced insurance.

The 6-speed had short throws and was a TON of fun to snickity-snick-snick back-and-forth through the gears (often more frequently than I ‘had’ to)!

The ‘ragtop’ aspect was great too!

Zoom! Zoom!!

I love the C8 Vette. It does not love me. Midlife was 15 - 20 years ago, so that ship has sailed. I would look very stupid rolling out of a Vette on all fours and struggling to stand. I got myself a fully loaded 2022 Lexus NX 350, including the 1800 watt sound system.

My wife is sporting a 2022 WRX, also loaded to the gills. It suits her well, much quieter in the cabin than the previous generations, and at our ages, creature comforts count. She's 62 on Monday. We are having fun. Yes, it is Rally Blue.

How about a 911 (997 or 991)?

A Dark Horse around $60K.....Doesn't sound so bad to me
Admittedly a Mustang fan.

I vote the Corvette. Just admit it. You've wanted one since you saw it as a kid. That's what made me get mine.

I’m with Russ59, the minute you say “manual transmission”, a Porsche is the only answer.

Porsche has a certified program for used cars (CPO), it’s a 2 year/unlimited mile warranty on top of any remaining factory warranty. Exact same as a new car warranty, it’s one of the best in the industry.

I’ve owned 3 Porsche CPO cars, all fantastic. Strong recommend for a 911 (991 generation) or perhaps a Cayman.

Yes, it doesn’t have a stupid HP ratio, but the cars fly… and corners are absolute voodoo.

https://finder.porsche.com/us/en-US

GR86 is probably the least powerful on your list but might be my choice, I've been meaning to look them over for a while. Toyota dealer near by had a couple manual premiums in stock.

quote:

Originally posted by Edmond:
You gotta ask yourself this: is it better to drive a fast car slow or a slower car fast?

While the Mustang, Supra and Corvette have a massive amount of power, how hard can you really push them unless you're on a track?

I just feel it would be more fun to carve some corners in a smaller car such as the Miata, GR Corolla, or GTI.

I wouldn't really consider the Subaru WRX and the BRZ/86 seems to be immensely underpowered. Wish they'd make an STI version of the BRZ, that would be flippin' awesome.

the Integra Type S seems to be low value for the dollar. The Civic Type R is incredible but in the end, it's still a Civic and it's kinda insane to spend that type of money on a Civic.

I’m of the same train of thought. I went with a VW GLI. It may not be the fastest thing out there, but you’ll catch a lot of people off guard if you put your foot in it. Also, you mentioned not wanting a GTI due to the infotainment system. The GLI, while down a little bit on power, doesn’t suffer from everything being touch sensitive, plus still offers a 6-speed manual.

Consider a Porsche Boxster. 95% will have a manual transmission. The values of the earliest model (986) are pretty low at the moment. The next generation (987) is an improvement and its values are still pretty attractive. Most are usually second or third cars, so may not have much mileage. The sound of the flat six engine is amazing. Regular maintenance is a must, but if you are handy, you can do a lot of it. Finding a good independent Porsche mechanic is a must, as is getting a pre-purchase inspection before buying.

No help to you, but my mid life crisis has two wheels, not four. I will be 69 soon, but grabbing a handful of a 1250cc V-Twin recalls my wanton youth nicely.
And if I did not live in the Frozen North, my crisis would occur in the Corvette.

quote:

Originally posted by tartan427:
Consider a Porsche Boxster. 95% will have a manual transmission. The values of the earliest model (986) are pretty low at the moment. The next generation (987) is an improvement and its values are still pretty attractive. Most are usually second or third cars, so may not have much mileage. The sound of the flat six engine is amazing. Regular maintenance is a must, but if you are handy, you can do a lot of it. Finding a good independent Porsche mechanic is a must, as is getting a pre-purchase inspection before buying.

I agree with Porsche being a fun car. I owned Boxster S and really liked the car. I did almost all of my own maintenance and my age said no more. 70% of everything you do to the car is from underneath. This old man tires quickly crawling under a car I never did find a reasonable "non dealer" mechanic.

I got rid of the Boxster for a WRX and have never looked back.

Hmm...used Porsche...

Well...a Porsche 991.1 would be my first choice if going down the Weissach bunny trail. Values are finally coming back down to earth, with the car depreciating like it SHOULD HAVE, WuFlu biases no longer playing a role. Best looking 911 in my eyes since the 993.

As for the 997.2 generation 911 (my second choice): not surprisingly, those values have come off their bloated highs as well. But not as much as one might think for a used car, one that's older than the 991. Fact is, manual 997.2s are actually holding pretty strong, if not creeping up in price. The PDK box made its first appearance in the 911 with the 997.2 generation and they are proving themselves to be not as bulletproof as Porsche implied back when it was first introduced. Porsche doesn't repair PDKs; they REPLACE them, a $20k plus solution. That makes manual 997s far more desirable, with the 997.2 being even more so because the (overly)feared rear main seal and IMS issues of earlier engines went away with the 997.2 revision.

HOWEVER there is one big gorilla in the room when it comes to any water-cooled 911: cylinder bore scoring. There is no simple or easy fix for this. Porsche went away from the much more durable Nikasil coating used in air-cooled 911 cylinders when the 996 and Boxster went live, choosing alternatives presumably because Nikasil did have chemically-induced longevity issues in markets where fuel quality standards are sketchy. The problem with Lokasil and Alusil liner coatings is that they're proving to be not as durable as Nikasil when dealing with poorly maintained cars that don't see regular oil changes. Once a car burns through the coating, the exposed alloy engine block becomes damaged with scoring. The fix is a: a new engine block or b: reboring the cylinders to install a metal liner. Both hideously expensive. Due diligence is a must; consider only cars with complete/near complete service history documentation, especially regarding regular oil changes. Even then, a comprehensive PPI is highly recommended, including cylinder scoping. Neglected cars are definitely out there; cars with multiple owners in their history are usually the ones most likely to be the most abused and to be most wary of. The same caveats hold true if you're also considering a Boxster or Cayman.

As for me: I'm long past my mid-life crisis era, which in my case I DID resolve with a Porsche. But last year I considered an end-run S550 Mustang GT with Performance Pack that a local dealer had in stock and was willing to deal on. I considered that potential purchase my "later-life, still alive-pandering car". I still have a Porsche (a 993), so I this time around was more looking for a...um...2nd-childhood car, if I'm being honest to myself. I've long wanted another Mustang, and to me the S550 generation is the visual personification of being the best of the bunch, apologies to my long departed rusty old '70 Mach I. As much as I got all giggly breaking that S550's tires loose, in the end my inner-adult couldn't resolve the anemic fuel mileage readouts showing on the LCD display in the instrument binnacle. So with a bit of sorrow, I passed. But memories of that test drive still lingers, so who knows? I might revisit a lower mileage S550 GT or Shelby GT350 (surprised at how values have dropped on those since the S650 went live) in the near future. Hooliganism still lives within me.

But it would hurt less if gas prices also took a dump.

I just wanted to throw this in the mix.


Alpha Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio. It is highly underrated and even goes as far as to hide some of that "midlife crisis" mentality due to its suv style, all be it sexy Italian. It could be expensive to maintain as it pushes that ferrarri inspired 6cyl motor to its limits. As far as cost I think by your statement this is out of range, but a 2019 for 35k under 60k miles can be had.

505hp in a suv/large hatch 0-60 in 3.7 (advertised but users with draggy claiming 3.4 stock) AWD and when in race mode it is a true manual transmission with paddles so you can bounce off the rev limiter. It handles and feels like a race car, from the exhaust note to the tight steering and harsh road ride feeling more from the tires touching the road than economy sport cars allow nowadays.

If I could swing the cost I would, but for now I get my kicks riding with my 70 year old uncle who shreds the roads with his.

quote:

Originally posted by Edmond:
You gotta ask yourself this: is it better to drive a fast car slow or a slower car fast?

While the Mustang, Supra and Corvette have a massive amount of power, how hard can you really push them unless you're on a track?

I just feel it would be more fun to carve some corners in a smaller car such as the Miata, GR Corolla, or GTI.

I wouldn't really consider the Subaru WRX and the BRZ/86 seems to be immensely underpowered. Wish they'd make an STI version of the BRZ, that would be flippin' awesome.

the Integra Type S seems to be low value for the dollar. The Civic Type R is incredible but in the end, it's still a Civic and it's kinda insane to spend that type of money on a Civic.

This started out as a "get a V8 muscle car before they stop making them" but I've always been a fan of smaller lighter cars with good handling rather than straight line performance. BRZ/GR86 needs a turbo version, no idea why they don't make one.