A cheap two-door sports car?

aditya101 · 13th April 2009, 21:18

I have always wanted a small, quick two door car or a coupe. I remember as a kid a rush whenever I saw a Toyota Sera. Have dreamt that I will one day gift myself a Lotus Elise or a Porsche Boxter or anything in the same class.

Off late I have wondered why not buy such a car now itself?

Which are the 'budget' coupes available here? How much does a Honda S2000, Mazda Miata or RX8 cost in India? Do we have used cars available out there?

What about San Storm - where did that car disappear?

Pls dont recommend a Reva, however desirable it's Porsche looks may be

xmOD · 13th April 2009, 22:07

you might wanna take this to the what car? section.

Luxury, Imports & Niche - Team-BHP

redeff · 13th April 2009, 22:11

The San storm still exists. Not recommended. There is a full scale review on it on this forum.

The others as option you might have to look around for, or import.

vivekji05 · 13th April 2009, 22:11

The San Storm is still available. In any colour you want but with a 1200cc Renault engine it is far from a sportscar. would do its job a weekend convertible

As for a budget sportscar, the Sera is a smart choice. But finding parts is difficult. I have seen good ones go for 3-4lakhs

Your other options include the Mazda Miata, Honda CRX, Toyota Celica, Suzuki Cappucino but these are rare and some are very expensive. keep looking at the classifieds in newspapers

Mr_Bean · 13th April 2009, 22:24

aditya101, go for the zen carbon & plonk it a better engine. This would work out cheaper in terms of power and spare parts. I can be wrong here.

kkr2k2 · 13th April 2009, 23:06

Since you mentioned san strom, I would suggest you Standard Herald(no no I dont mean to say that Herald is as bad as storm).

I also share the same dream as yours, to buy a cheap two door car(though not necessarily a sports car) but I prefer a convertible and lo, stanher suggested to go for Herald. Its like hitting two birds with one arrow. Standard herald coupe has a removable hard top as the top is supposedly connected by only two bolts.

Though I am not buying a herald for at least another two years, but it is in my list of desired cars.

aah78 · 13th April 2009, 23:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by aditya101

Have dreamt that I will one day gift myself a Lotus Elise or a Porsche Boxter or anything in the same class.

Which are the 'budget' coupes available here? How much does a Honda S2000, Mazda Miata or RX8 cost in India? Do we have used cars available out there?

What about San Storm - where did that car disappear?

The Porsche Boxter, Honda S2000 and Mazda Miata (MX-5) are all pretty popular in India. How about the Nissan 350Z or the newer 370Z?

The Boxter, I guess is the only one "officially" sold. Rest of the others will have to be imported - or 2nd hand.

The San Storm is in a different league all together - Not sure whether you really want to go down that path.

One thread that might put you off a San Storm -> Test Driven : San Storm

An owner's view -> The storm is here.... (Purchased a San Storm!)

Akshay1234 · 13th April 2009, 23:54

check out the san storm. you can plonk in a bigger engine and it will be a decent car. i remember someone who manufactures it tellin me that they were gonna put in na 1.6 100bhp engine.

spiff · 14th April 2009, 01:02

what is your budget ? why not try a MR2 or maybe a 3000gt?

AirWind · 14th April 2009, 10:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr_Bean

aditya101, go for the zen carbon & plonk it a better engine. This would work out cheaper in terms of power and spare parts. I can be wrong here.

I second this, buy the old Zen carbon, plonk in the 1.3L esteem or 1.6L baleno engine, give it a funky shade, cool shoes, FFE/Filters/headers, ICE, and it will work out damn cheap!!!

A Swift can also be a smart choice, convert it to a 2 door and do the rest!

aditya101 · 14th April 2009, 21:29

Thanks everyone for your thoughts!

Reg San Storm: I looked up TBHP threads on the car and obviously is a strict no-no. A low cost car does not mean that you dont deserve peace of mind!

Modding the Zen: Do what you can, but it will be a Zen to everyone. I dont think it is going to turn any heads!

Standard Herald: My neighbour ownes an immaculate black colour Standard two door with removable hard top (similar to the one here). He has seen the entire country in that car and says that he will never sell it. I can understand why. The car is a beauty but no A/c and questionable reliability. And its not a sports car

aah78 and vivek05; what is the price range of the cars that you have mentioned? (second hand)

FourWheelDrift · 14th April 2009, 22:21

Perhaps you can think of the few Lotus 7 replica makers here in India ...

1. Chinkara by Shama and Guido Bothe of Alibag (near Mumbai)
Drive CHINKARA - by Autocar India

2. Valko Sports Cars of Mumbai (PM riziali or contact N1 Engineering, Mumbai: 09821221791 or Google N1 Engineering)

3. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ars-india.html

4. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...i-seaface.html ... same as 2. above

Cheers,

FourWheelDrift

godog · 14th April 2009, 22:34

Miatas are available by the dozen with Delhi dealers. upwards of Rs. 5L, and there is a good support network for spares. But thats delhi, not too sure about CHD.

GTO · 15th April 2009, 10:42

It would help if you outline your budget. On the one hand, we are discussing S2000's and on the other, a Herald convertible. What is the max that you are willing to spend?

iceman91 · 15th April 2009, 11:00

Agree with GTO, how much are you willing to part with ?
This opens the doors fro a lot of cars or closes it.

celica,mr2,rx8,skyline etc. etc. all on budget.

13th April 2009, 21:18	#1
aditya101 BHPian Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Delhi Posts: 275 Thanked: 99 Times View My Garage	A cheap two-door sports car? I have always wanted a small, quick two door car or a coupe. I remember as a kid a rush whenever I saw a Toyota Sera. Have dreamt that I will one day gift myself a Lotus Elise or a Porsche Boxter or anything in the same class. Off late I have wondered why not buy such a car now itself? Which are the 'budget' coupes available here? How much does a Honda S2000, Mazda Miata or RX8 cost in India? Do we have used cars available out there? What about San Storm - where did that car disappear? Pls dont recommend a Reva, however desirable it's Porsche looks may be
	() Thanks

13th April 2009, 22:07	#2
xmOD BHPian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Pune/San Diego Posts: 49 Thanked: 2 Times	you might wanna take this to the what car? section. Luxury, Imports & Niche - Team-BHP
	() Thanks

13th April 2009, 22:11	#3
redeff BHPian Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 362 Thanked: 286 Times View My Garage	The San storm still exists. Not recommended. There is a full scale review on it on this forum. The others as option you might have to look around for, or import.
	() Thanks

13th April 2009, 22:11	#4
vivekji05 BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Ernakulam Posts: 277 Thanked: 317 Times	The San Storm is still available. In any colour you want but with a 1200cc Renault engine it is far from a sportscar. would do its job a weekend convertible As for a budget sportscar, the Sera is a smart choice. But finding parts is difficult. I have seen good ones go for 3-4lakhs Your other options include the Mazda Miata, Honda CRX, Toyota Celica, Suzuki Cappucino but these are rare and some are very expensive. keep looking at the classifieds in newspapers
	() Thanks

13th April 2009, 22:24	#5
Mr_Bean BHPian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 894 Thanked: 241 Times View My Garage	aditya101, go for the zen carbon & plonk it a better engine. This would work out cheaper in terms of power and spare parts. I can be wrong here.
	() Thanks

13th April 2009, 23:06	#6
kkr2k2 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Melbourne, Hyd Posts: 1,294 Thanked: 66 Times View My Garage	Since you mentioned san strom, I would suggest you Standard Herald(no no I dont mean to say that Herald is as bad as storm). I also share the same dream as yours, to buy a cheap two door car(though not necessarily a sports car) but I prefer a convertible and lo, stanher suggested to go for Herald. Its like hitting two birds with one arrow. Standard herald coupe has a removable hard top as the top is supposedly connected by only two bolts. Though I am not buying a herald for at least another two years, but it is in my list of desired cars.
	() Thanks

13th April 2009, 23:54	#8
Akshay1234 Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 10,325 Thanked: 12,895 Times	check out the san storm. you can plonk in a bigger engine and it will be a decent car. i remember someone who manufactures it tellin me that they were gonna put in na 1.6 100bhp engine.
	() Thanks

14th April 2009, 01:02	#9
spiff BHPian Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Mumbai Posts: 157 Thanked: 8 Times	what is your budget ? why not try a MR2 or maybe a 3000gt?
	() Thanks

14th April 2009, 21:29	#11
aditya101 BHPian Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Delhi Posts: 275 Thanked: 99 Times View My Garage	Thanks everyone for your thoughts! Reg San Storm: I looked up TBHP threads on the car and obviously is a strict no-no. A low cost car does not mean that you dont deserve peace of mind! Modding the Zen: Do what you can, but it will be a Zen to everyone. I dont think it is going to turn any heads! Standard Herald: My neighbour ownes an immaculate black colour Standard two door with removable hard top (similar to the one here). He has seen the entire country in that car and says that he will never sell it. I can understand why. The car is a beauty but no A/c and questionable reliability. And its not a sports car aah78 and vivek05; what is the price range of the cars that you have mentioned? (second hand)
	() Thanks

14th April 2009, 22:21	#12
FourWheelDrift BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Mumbai/PNW Posts: 634 Thanked: 568 Times	Perhaps you can think of the few Lotus 7 replica makers here in India ... 1. Chinkara by Shama and Guido Bothe of Alibag (near Mumbai) Drive CHINKARA - by Autocar India 2. Valko Sports Cars of Mumbai (PM riziali or contact N1 Engineering, Mumbai: 09821221791 or Google N1 Engineering) 3. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ars-india.html 4. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...i-seaface.html ... same as 2. above Cheers, FourWheelDrift Last edited by FourWheelDrift : 14th April 2009 at 22:28.
	() Thanks

14th April 2009, 22:34	#13
godog BHPian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: DL/HR51/UP16 Posts: 137 Thanked: 13 Times	Miatas are available by the dozen with Delhi dealers. upwards of Rs. 5L, and there is a good support network for spares. But thats delhi, not too sure about CHD.
	() Thanks

15th April 2009, 10:42	#14
GTO Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 72,901 Thanked: 319,602 Times View My Garage	It would help if you outline your budget. On the one hand, we are discussing S2000's and on the other, a Herald convertible. What is the max that you are willing to spend?
	() Thanks

15th April 2009, 11:00	#15
iceman91 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: melbourne/banga Posts: 1,961 Thanked: 36 Times View My Garage	Agree with GTO, how much are you willing to part with ? This opens the doors fro a lot of cars or closes it. celica,mr2,rx8,skyline etc. etc. all on budget.
	() Thanks