You've done it. You've made the decision to go out and buy a sports car. It is easy to understand why someone would do so. Sports cars have a reputation for being fun to drive, and they're made to be high-performance vehicles. They're generally a status symbol, too. But let's look at a few of the factors that should be considered before you buy your next vehicle.
Drivability
A lot of people buy sports cars because they like the idea of driving something that would be at home on a racetrack. But they need to know if they can drive the car before they buy it. Manual transmissions or stick shifts used to be commonplace. Today, less than 3 percent of cars sold have stick shifts. Of the more than 300 new car models sold in 2020, only 41 had a manual transmission option. And most of these are sports cars. The decline of the stick shift means that there is a whole generation that has never driven a stick shift. This means that they may not be able to drive a stick shift properly. Furthermore, given the historic popularity of stick shifts, those who are choosing to buy older sports cars will find that even more of these vehicles have stick shifts than they'd find in the latest models.
A different issue is the car's ground clearance. Some sports cars have very low ground clearance. And like low-ride trucks, this can create problems if you're often driving over dips or curbs.
Fuel
Before you buy a given sports car, know what type of fuel it requires. Most only accept premium fuel and putting cheap unleaded gas can cause problems down the line. On the other hand, a few flex fuel vehicles will run on gas, diesel, or ethanol.
Maintenance
Sports cars cost more in general. And you'll typically pay more for maintenance. This doesn't just mean that the tires cost more than what it costs to replace the tires on the minivan. Replacement parts like bumpers and brake pads will cost more, because there are fewer of them made than parts for more popular cars. When you're shopping for used sports cars, find out if there are local shops that will service that line of cars. There's no point in buying a luxury car when there is no shop in El Paso that can fix it. And the expertise necessary to do it right means you probably don't want the average mechanic learning how to fix this type of car on your dime.
Safety
The sports car will turn heads, and it will sometimes turn the wrong ones. People may try to race you in order to satisfy their egos. Police are more likely to keep an eye on you, because they think you will try to race on the streets. Your car is more likely to be vandalized, and it costs more to repair if it is damaged. This is why your insurance rates will go up, though this is less of an issue with older cars. Get a ticket, and your rates will skyrocket.
A different concern is handling in bad weather. Sports cars rarely handle wet or icy roads. Fortunately, that's not much of a problem in El Paso.
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