You can't be serious -- attract the 20 something's with a car? Give me a break! LOL

Try this -- get a tattoo, an oversized Android phone, a funny hat, and keep the Civic -- you'll attract a ton of "chicks" that won't expect a whole lot out of you (money-wise) and you'll have saved all the fuss about which car to get. Make sure you wash the old, dirty Civic, give it a soup can exhaust tip, and clean out the inside so it doesn't smell like a sock. You'll be good to go!

Good luck.

BTW Be careful, some young women just look at Jags as an old man's car, which will either put you in the old man category, or they'll just figure it's your dad's car. The Z3 is a chick-mobile, not chick-magnet, and the Boxter is too mundane to draw any attention.

 

You really need to see the car to decide how you feel about it aesthetically. I've always loved the look of the XK8, but taste is a subjective thing.

In recent years, I've budgeted £1,000/year for maintenance - that's about $1,500. Some years it cost more, some less. I use a good independent garage that specialises in Jag, Land Rover and VW/Audi, because dealers charge significantly more. The other benefit of an indy repairer is that they tend to be more flexible on parts sourcing - my guys are happy to source second-hand and refurbished parts where appropriate, whereas a dealer will always go for new. Obviously, sometimes new parts are needed, but with an older car there are going to be plenty of wrecks available that can provide perfectly serviceable spares.

I can't say whether a BMW would be cheaper to maintain; I'm pretty sure a Porsche would be at least the same expense. To be honest, I think it is likely to be pretty similar for any European performance cars of a similar age, though the cost will vary in proportion with the original purchase price (when new) and the perceived 'exotic' nature of the car. So an Aston or a Ferrari would be considerably more, a BMW or Audi might be less.

But as I said earlier, it will always be a significant percentage of the price you will pay to buy the car - that's the thing to be aware of when buying an older performance car. As long as you're ready for that, and I guess you are by now, then you'll be able to budget for it. A mate of mine made the mistake of buying a Ferrari Dino without budgeting for running costs, and it nearly left him broke. He could just afford the car, but he just couldn't afford to run it.

 

I said that once.

My first sport coupe was an '05-'08 model Hyundai Tiburon which you can now get for about $4-6K, and I suggest you look at it--stylish, cheap to maintain, fun to drive, easy to mod, and no-one else has ever seen one. You can rebadge it with European badges and get rid of the ugly "flying H".

New Tiburon Forum : Hyundai Tiburon Forums

 

I said that too
Now I have to say "I will never spend 100,000.00 on a car
See how long that lasts

 

If performance is NOT a strong part of the criteria, then I would avoid the porsche. Non-car folks assume the boxster is the poor mans p-car. Especially is base form. Since this is about perception and you arent buying a track day car, the p-car is out. The BMW IS an actual girls car. The Jag is definitly the best of the 3 options.... its relative rarity will confuse them.

That said, have you thought about an older air cooled 911? would create a strong impression and they arent bad to own. Plus its not as obviously "a trying to impress the chicks on a budget car". More subtle but still cool.

 

If you drive a fancy sports car, the babes will think you have lots of money. Then they will want you to buy many things for them. This may not be good.

I would suggest you consider buying a old classic, then take the extra savings and join a local gym, get a personal trainer, and build a muscle body.

In today's day and age vanity is a high priority for so many younger people.
In fact, a sports car won't let you get into a back seat, but a good looking muscle body just might get you a "roll" and "fun time" in the sack.

Think about that........what's more important, getting the 7-10 year old sports car or ......some "kitty".

 

I'm pretty sure the cars mentioned will not attract any ladies.. the ones that do care know the value (and looking at the condition of the price range), the ones that think its a beautiful car are probably very dumb.. and not worth it..


I would suggest boosting the price and looking at an 2007< model.. they are better built, look 10x prettier and may attract the crowd you want..


But given that.. a Boxter (the old model) looks okay.. but is mostly driven by bold men in a midlife crisis (yeah!.. I own a Porsche..!), the Z3 is a ladies car.. unless highly tuned and with the right looks (outside looks).. fully waxed and polished etc.. you might stand a chance.. oh.. and ALWAYS go for the manual gearbox on that one..


The XK8, I don't know.. i'm sure the people here on the forum will be thrilled.. but if you look at it from the "new world" perspective its an old car.. usually driven by old men..