Five reasons to buy a sports car

Cars should be all about YOU and if it’s sportiness and sexiness that draw your attention, a sports car is the natural fit.

Leave the McMansions on wheels to everyone else. Their cars are an extension to their homes and a mass-produced window into their souls – where size is what matters most and today’s must-have appliances and furnishings are packed in.

They will be quick to point out that there’s bugger all boot space in a sports car, no more than two proper seats and the only thing that comes close to cabin flexibility is the way your body twists and turns just to get in and out of it.

But that’s jealous talk from those who wish they could be free, like you should be, and here are some more reasons why…

A sports car will administer large doses of joy and happiness to its user, such is the fun and exhilaration that comes from the driving experience.

It’s less refined, harder-edged, closer to the real world, creating a heightened sense of speed with its rawness and getting your adrenal glands pumping as you explore the car’s performance capabilities.

Indeed. This is pretty much the crux of it because we’d like to think that every sports car is crafted by a team of supremely capable car nuts who really, really want to deliver on the promise of a thrilling driving experience.

A powerful engine is always welcome, but even a small donk in a lightweight body that’s strong and slippery through the air will press you back firmly into the seat as you go forth, fast. Add in all the goodness that comes from responsive steering, sports-tuned suspension and strong brakes, and you’re all set for bliss that’s only obtainable in a sports car.

This is a bit of PR wank but it’s still a good yarn: When the first Mazda MX-5 was being developed in the 1980s, the guy in charge of how the car handles tried to motivate his team by using the term “Jinsha Ittai”, which means oneness between car and driver. It was later bastardised by senior management to Jinba-Ittai, meaning unhealthily close relations between horse and rider, but the idea still sticks.

It’s all about connecting with the car when you’re on a winding road and, in the case of the MX-5 and other roadsters, dropping the roof and sucking in the great outdoors while you’re at it. Outright speed is less important than a feeling of precision, balance and control, understanding its character and finding your place with it, at your own level.

You’ll never get that feeling when riding big fat heavy horses otherwise known as SUVs and utes.

Sports cars are sexy, they draw attention from people on the street because it’s human nature to be attracted to things of beauty. A gorgeous-looking car is no exception, sitting low the ground, showing off its muscular haunches and sleek aerodynamic lines and usually sounding the part too.

Sure, that makes them a magnet for posers and wankers. Sometimes even a target for idiots. But on the whole they’re good for the soul, an expression of self, a statement piece that doesn’t slip easily out of fashion like just about everything else.

If you’ve got a tight budget and reckon a sports car is precious metal like gold or silver, stop kidding yourself. Only rare models that’re highly sought-after and in mint condition are likely to provide any sort of return on investment. Like the 1953 Rich Old Geezer’s Display Item Number 4.

But will a sports car hang onto its value better than other types of cars? Well, yes. Often. Depends.

You won’t ever need to think about this stuff until the time comes to move from your Mazda MX-5 to the Lamborghini Countach you’ve always wanted. But if it’s a 1989 NA Series 1 MX-5 in good nick, the one with the pop-up headlights and man-loves-horse vibe we were talking about before and which is now a proper classic, then you can expect it to be worth more than $10,000.

That’s still a third of what the original owner handed over almost 35 years ago and says a lot about the long-lasting value and desirability of even the most affordable sports cars.

In all, it doesn’t have to cost a fortune to slip into a nice sexy little number that gives you a reason to smile every day and has driving thrills there for the taking.

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