Bang for Your Buck: 2015 BMW M4 Checking out a new cars competition from the used-car market It’s no surprise that buyers often compare both new and used cars. For a given price point, the market for potential cars explodes once you start looking away from new cars alone. Yes, you might give up the warranty, but if you’re looking for something unique, used cars provide a good value … provided you pick the right one. Bang for Your Buck takes a look at five used cars you could get with the money you’d spend on the new car we’ve tested recently — running the gamut from sensible to silly. This week … well, we’ve got a doozy on our hands. It’s the all-new BMW M4, a very powerful and very capable sports coupe. Power (all 425 ponies of it) comes from a 3.0-liter, turbocharged inline-six, capable of sending the coupe to 60 in under four seconds. It’s filled with technological gadgetry — every single adjustable component has no fewer than three different modes, including steering weight and damping strength. Every second it’s running, the car begs to be driven at the ragged edge. That’s going to be a tough act to beat … or is it? With a base price of $64,200, but an as-tested price of $86,200, that leaves the M4 with plenty of high-priced competition. 5. 2014 Nissan GT-R 2014 Nissan GT-R Found on the Internet For: $85,000 We’re starting this one off with a bang. The Nissan GT-R, despite being made by the same people that make the Quest, is every bit as balls-out as the M4. However, the GT-R adds two more driven wheels to the equation, allowing the turbocharged V-6 to send this unholy bastard to 60 in three seconds or less. That’s closer to a Bugatti Veyron than a BMW M4, and yet the price makes it prime competition for the latter. Sure, you don’t get the physical beauty of the BMW (the GT-R design is getting a little old), but you have plenty of speed to make up for it. 4. 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 Found on the Internet For: $69,900 Let’s change up the cylinder count. For a price closer to the M4’s base (our tester has nearly $23,000 in options), you can pick up a slightly-older Corvette ZR-1. Instead of a turbo six, the ZR-1 is packing a supercharged V-8. You’d think that would make it faster than the GT-R, but alas, the ZR-1’s 0-60 time is closer to (but still faster than) the M4. That said, some argue that rear-wheel drive is the best layout for a proper sports coupe, and that’s what the ZR-1 has. If you love giant, smoky burnouts amidst a choir of eight cylinders belching demonic tones to the heavens, stop what you’re doing and buy this car already. 3. 2009 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG 2009 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Found on the Internet For: $85,000 Six cylinders? Eight cylinders? Screw that, how about 12 cylinders? That’s the magic number under the hood of the Mercedes SL65 AMG. The -65 AMGs all pack a twin-turbo V-12 engine, with enough torque to stand in as the engine for a Nimitz-class carrier. It’s also packing a retractable hard top, because who needs structural rigidity when you’re dealing with enough torque to alter time zones? You’ll lose some trunk space, but it won’t matter, because the car will spend most of its time at the tire shop anyhow. 2. 1974 Jaguar E-Type Roadster 1974 Jaguar E-Type Roadster Found on the Internet For: $68,500 Simply put, the Jaguar E-Type is one of the most beautiful cars ever produced. It’s small, sleek, and light — perfect for cruising anywhere there’s pavement. Ignoring the awful 5-mph federally-mandated front bumpers, an E-Type will garner even more attention than the M4. Plus, since it’s significantly slower, bystanders may have an actual chance to see it. Who needs performance and aggression when you have grace and history on your side? 1. 2008 Ford E450 Chateau Citation 2008 Ford E450 Chateau Citation Found on the Internet For: $69,800 The M4 may cause you to want to hit the road forever, but unless you have more money than most San Francisco residents, you’re going to have a hard time constantly finding places to stay. Remedy that by dropping the M4 and going with an RV! Much like the M4, the RV is a lot bigger than it used to be, it’s filled with all manner of luxurious appointments, and it’s rear-wheel drive. Unlike the M4, you can even go to the bathroom in it. That said, with a gross vehicle weight rating of 14,500 pounds, don’t expect gas mileage to make it out of the single digits. It looks like living a life on the open road is expensive, no matter which way you cut it.
Posted on: Wed, 03 Dec 2014 08:01:16 +0000
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