The auto industry is hotter than ever with some seriously awesome cars hitting the market. Most of us dream about jumping in our Ferrari and cruising down town before settling outside a fancy restaurant and eating the finest steak, whilst watching the world admire our prestige whip. In reality though, we park four blocks away from our destination and hide our car key at the bottom of our pocket, hoping not to be noticed as we slink away, returning to our average daily workhorse.
Luckily for you getting your hands on something a little more special is not as hard as you might think. So let us guide you through the world of automobile heaven and show you how you can have a little slice of luxury without earning a CEO salary
Firstly, the cars of 10 years ago are not like we remember, 10 years ago. Back in early 2000 buying a second hand car meant compromising a little on design. We still hadn’t fallen in love with the retro-esque cool of 80’s car design but we couldn’t afford the style of modern aerodynamics. So we had a pretty rubbish pool of cars to choose from. However today things are different. You only have to look at the JLR Range Rover Vogue, a British icon to see what we mean. A 2007 Range Rover Vogue looks just as awesome today as it did back then however the price tag? Looks even more awesome. Making a bit of gangster style an affordable reality.
You may not have cash lying around to spend on an awesome machine like this, but don’t worry. Financing options are something that has also improved over the years. With lots of competition in the market and low bank rates, it’s possible to find an option to fund second hand cars or brand new ones. Giving you a monthly payment you can afford whilst maximising your on the road cool factor. Get some ideas on what is possible by checking out Approve Now just make sure you are honest about your monthly income and outgoings. No one looks cools in their awesome new truck, if they have lost their home by not keeping up with the payments.
Another option is to head out and discover your own barn find. You’ve seen the shows on TV. Richard Rawlings from Gas Monkey has made restoring cars a super cool thing and boosted their sales price to boot. So if you can’t afford 800hp of new ‘Yenko’ Chevrolet Camaro, fear not. Get looking for a classic Camaro instead. You may need to take your rose tinted specs to find a bargain, pays to take a mechanic with you too, but if Mr Rawlings has proved anything it’s that there are thousands of old treasures to be found. You just need the imagination to turn them into a raw, modern babe magnet.
Ok, so you don’t want finance and you can’t waste your social life fixing up a classic. How else can you afford to own that show stopping ride? How about grabbing an all american muscle car for under $5k?
A Firebird Transam will give you no less than 215-hp from a tuned-and-port-injected 5.0-liter V-8. In 1985 the gorgeous Iroc Z hit town followed by the 225-horse, 5.7-liter TPI V-8 of 86 and ’87. Not only is this car awesomely cool, it just so happens to be making its mark on the collector scene, so if you dip in now you will have made an investment (might get you closer to the Camaro) and you can pick these bad boys up from $4,500.
A young but super cool Don Sherman once said ““America’s fastest sedan is also one of its most innocuous; it blends into traffic like a lane divider” and he was referring to the Dodge Dart Sport 360. Ok, you are going to need a little imagination to make this car look as hip as modern restos do but don’t let its plain jane looks put you off. We are talking some pretty serious speed in this old timer. And you have that kind of subtle cool that the really big ballers have. Of course you could chuck some magnesium rims on her and give her a funky looking paint job. You get $1000 change from a 5k budget so we think there is room to really play around here.
But what if none of that is enough for you. Because you crave that smell of raw power and, really quite fabulous smelling, brand new leather? How about looking at a new car which has an entry level price point of just $24,145?
The Ford Mustang, that’s made your ears prick up hasn’t it? Leader of the affordable sports car sweepstakes, entry level is the V-6. 300 horses and 280 lb-ft of torque from 3.7 liters. You can upgrade if you like. With the Performance package you will get a stiffer suspension system, upgraded brakes, aggressive rear axle ratio, 19-inch rims covered in sweet rubber for the ultimate burnout. This puppy sounds like it ticks all the right boxes.
There are a whole host of other new cars with affordable price tags but hold their own against the uber cool luxury brands. The quirky but punchy Abarth from Italy. This vehicle may look like something out of the animated film Cars, but it is a real pocket rocket. With a teeny 1.6 engine you get 160 horsepower and 170 lb-ft of torque. That may not rack up to the 300 of the Mustang, but in something as light as a Fiat 500, the Abarth will keep a smile on your face as you negotiate your road trips into work.
So, stop hiding your daily ride in the corner of the parking lot. Get creative, set your budget and then join the elite.
Just keep your eye out for any law enforcement officers if you are blowing the cobwebs out of your engine.
