Sexy sports cars for less

How much is a kilometre worth to you?

The law of buying a new vehicle dictates that the second you leave a showroom is the moment you drill what you just paid into the floor. And that is especially true for these sports cars known for sex appeal and burning cash.

Take the stunning Lexus LC 500. A new buyer would have left the dealership having spent $190,000 plus on-road costs, or $202,711 driveaway according to Lexus’ New South Wales price calculator, for the 351kW 5.0-litre naturally aspirated V8-powered show stopper.

Yet one year later and with 10,187km showing, we spotted an example at a Sydney car auctionhouse wearing a $139,900 buy-it-now pricetag. That’s a $62,800 saving and depreciation of $6.16 per kilometre, shifting from Porsche 911 Carrera to 718 Cayman coin.

Another Japanese brand, Infiniti, may have just cut $4000 from the price of its Q60 Red Sport, shifting it from $88,900 to $84,900 plus on-road costs. But a Queensland dealership is moving year-old stock, with only 28km showing, for $69,888 driveaway.

While this rear-drive coupe isn’t the last word in sophistication, it looks drop-dead gorgeous and packs a superb 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 with 298kW and good enough for a 5.0sec 0-100km/h claim.

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With $20K-plus wiped from a price that become barely higher than that of a Kia Stinger GT, the Q60 Red Sport is cast in a much different – and altogether far more tempting – light. It’s also a conservative circa-$714-per-kilometre off for this single ‘dealer demonstrator’.

Then there’s the crowd pleaser, the Ford Mustang. Popular in MOTOR pages for good reason, the EcoBoost and Convertible versions are widely considered less desirable than the V8 coupe. Especially given both 2.3-litre turbo and 5.0-litre versions have lifted in price with the facelifted models, it makes the pre-facelift versions all the more alluring on as used cars.

Take a six-speed manual EcoBoost, a couple of years old and spotted with 11,000km showing for $37,990 driveaway, or virtually Toyota 86 GT and Subaru BRZ money. Quick calculations suggest at least an $11K saving from new, for neat $1-per-kay depreciation.

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Conversely, you could go to the opposite end of the spectrum with an auto-V8 Convertible, $65,916 plus on-road costs new, or a couple of years old and with 10,996km showing for … $20K less at $45,990 in the fixed price auctions. It may be a slightly wobbly driver’s car, but it’s still a 306kW bent-eight for top-spec Toyota Camry money, having lost $2-per-kay.

And whether it’s LC500, Q60 Red Sport, or one of the less-loved ‘Stangs, you’re sure to standout without getting embarrassed on the right stretch of twisty road either…