05 Dec 08
Running a sports car need not cost the earth, especially if you look away from obvious examples like the BMW Z4 Coupe and Audi TT. Who wants to look like a City boy - or a lady who lunches - these days, anyway?
Here are five sports cars which are attractive, affordable and above all, fun. You don't have to spend supercar money to take pride in your drive.
The red Italian sports car you always dreamed about, the Brera is quite simply drop-dead gorgeous. And with its powerful 2.4 JTDm diesel engine (210bhp), it lives up to its looks - and returns 41.5mpg. Carbon dioxide emissions are a manageable 179g/km, and this diesel model is still expected to return over 45% of its new price three years down the line.
Shop around and you should be able to get a couple of grand off by buying pre-registered or as-new, and independent importers are offering attractive deals on brand-new. Alternatively, we've noticed that older but still low-mileage ones (2006-registered) are now down to £10,000-£12,000.
Hyundai's swoopy Coupe, a practical four-seat GT, has been around for a while now. Though revised in 2007, it essentially dates back to 2000 - but it's a good-looker and unusual enough to still catch the eye. Most versions come well-equipped and it's not a bad drive, either. Well-balanced and agile, it might not match a 3-Series Coupe on a winding road, but as an affordable way into sports car ownership, it's very rewarding.
The 2.0-litre petrol (141bhp) is good for 129mph and 0-60mph in 9.3 seconds, and returns 35.3mpg. It's a better bet than the 1.6, which struggles and is little more economical. Hyundai servicing is cheap, insurance isn't too expensive, and a five-year, unlimited mileage warranty comes with the deal.
The franchised dealers will be open to a haggle right now (try for £1,500-£2,000 off), or there are with-everything 2.0 autos at £4000-odd discounts on independent forecourts, and as-new manual models near the £10,000 mark. The Coupe will get cheaper yet in the run-up to the all-new model's arrival next year.
