Is the GT-R the best car in the world right now for the money?

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To answer the question, no I don't believe so. Might be one of the best sports cars although I can think of a pretty good list that are better, but it's far from the best all around car.
 
the Interceptor
Indeed it is. But I think one can safely say that the GT-R does quite a lot of things very well for its money, so it should be at least on the list of the top ten bargains.
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Holden Monaro is the best car for the money. End of.

Unless you already have an Ariel Atom.
 
the Interceptor
Which car would you consider to be the current best allrounder then?
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I don't know, I don't have enough experience with the world market to say. A really expensive Nissan isn't it though. To be the best car in the world the vehicle must be reasonable priced, well liked by all sorts of consumers, and be a very good car not only in it's segment but attracts buyers from other segments as well.

I'm sure if I gave it some serious thought though I could come up with something, although since everyone's criteria is different picking one car as the best in the world is a moot point.

===

I would agree that the Atom is probably the best performance car in the world in terms of value.
 
Well as the OP posted a link to Autocar, I seem to remember them saying their favourite real-world car, one that could give you as much performance as you'd realistically need, handling, practicality, fun, badge kudos, economy, reliability... basically everything, was the current BMW 320d Touring.

At £50k the GT-R costs more than I'd probably ever be able to afford on a car (and probably more than a lot of people would be able to afford), so I would never be able to say hand on heart that it's the best car in the world. It's definitely good value, but then value is relative. It's only good value if you're in a position to afford it!

Personally, in my current situation (only with more money, but a realistic amount) there wouldn't be a better car for my needs than the Lotus Elise S. If I was after more practicality and an even lower budget, the Mazda 2. There's a reason I've been voting these cars in their respective country's threads!

If we're talking the highest price I'd ever realistically be able to afford when it comes to a new car, I'd think it'd be around £25k (given that in that position I'd also likely be paying for a house, family etc, so the budget wouldn't be too high), the best car in the world would actually be similar to Autocar's choice, but I'd choose the Alpina D3. 2.0l turbodiesel, 50mpg, 200bhp, five seats, good boot, luxurious, fun and stylish. And in the UK at least, I can't actually see needing more performance than the D3 is capable of.

Alpina_D3_5_c.jpg
 
I think it's really hard to say what is the best overall car for the money in the world. You have to consider so many things, like the location and the vehicle's price there.

IMO, I don't think you really can point out the best car without singling out a specific area.
 
Reventón;3119461
IMO, I don't think you really can point out the best car without singling out a specific area.
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Well I did my best with mine :sly:

You do need some form of perspective to decide I guess. Maybe the result of all the "best car 2008" threads, once we've got to the final, will show what everyone's favourite is, but it would be interesting doing the same thing with a budget say of £20k (/$38k approx/€25.5k approx/¥4.1m approx etc etc) so that we find the best "real world" car.

That said, even then we may get slightly unfair weighting because you can get a hell of a lot more for $38k than you can for £20k, so somebody would probably have to put a realistic cap on, so we could say "the best car for less than the price of a mid range 3-series" and people would only be able to choose cars from each country less than that price, would level the playing field across each country using a level of car instead of a standardised price cap worked out by exchange rate.

Actually, that isn't a bad idea.Maybe should wait till after the 2008 car threads have ended though for sake of reducing confusion.
 
As expected, the term "best car" is a very relative one. So instead of trying to convince you of what I'm thinking, I'll just give you my view on things. Let's stick with the GT-R for that matter. It offers:

  • good on-track performance (straight line speed as well as cornering)
  • good on-road comfort (quiet, fairly comfortable and usable)
  • decent space for passengers and luggage
  • decent acceleration on all surfaces (sophisticated AWD)
  • good topspeed (sure-footed at high speeds)
All in all, I don't see any car at the moment that offers all these qualities for the same money. That's just my definition of the "best car" however, so you might see this totally different. Nevertheless, I'm very open for discussion! 👍

Adressing the Ariel Atom and the Holden Monaro: the Atom is an epic track car, but you will understand that it lacks too much in other aspects to be a good allround car. And the Monaro is only available in right hand drive, so you may understand that I can not count it as a possible best car for me, as it'll never be on offer where I live. Love both cars though...
 
I'd say "decent space for passengers and luggage" is pushing it.
There are quite a few cars out there that I would say do a better job in that category and still provide great performance in other categories.

Personally, I'd say cars like the Lancer and Impreza are better mentioned in this discussion simply because they cost half as much and provide much more than half the product (the GT-R doesn't have double the space, efficiency, performance, or appeal of many cars that are half the price).

Simply put, the GT-R is a great car but "for the money" means anything over 50,000 dollars is likely to be hard pressed in achieving the status of "best."
 
the Interceptor
  • good on-track performance (straight line speed as well as cornering)
  • good on-road comfort (quiet, fairly comfortable and usable)
  • decent space for passengers and luggage
  • decent acceleration on all surfaces (sophisticated AWD)
  • good topspeed (sure-footed at high speeds)
All in all, I don't see any car at the moment that offers all these qualities for the same money. That's just my definition of the "best car" however, so you might see this totally different. Nevertheless, I'm very open for discussion! 👍
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Any Audi RS model fits that criteria as well, along with several BMW's and Mercedes. This really comes to mind:

533-audi-01.jpg


And the Monaro is only available in right hand drive, so you may understand that I can not count it as a possible best car for me, as it'll never be on offer where I live. Love both cars though...
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The US got the Monaro in left hand drive badged as a Pontiac GTO.
 
Toronado
C63_W204_2.jpg

:p
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Great car, any petrolhad has to love it. It can't put it's enormous V8 power down though, so besides having fun drifting, it doesn't offer the same track performance as well as the same all-surface grip as the GT-R. :)

Kent
I'd say "decent space for passengers and luggage" is pushing it.
There are quite a few cars out there that I would say do a better job in that category and still provide great performance in other categories.

Personally, I'd say cars like the Lancer and Impreza are better mentioned in this discussion simply because they cost half as much and provide much more than half the product (the GT-R doesn't have double the space, efficiency, performance, or appeal of many cars that are half the price).

Simply put, the GT-R is a great car but "for the money" means anything over 50,000 dollars is likely to be hard pressed in achieving the status of "best."
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The Evo & WRX STi bunch is a very good point. Both offer sedan space and striking performance for little money. However, the latest models have gotten quite expensive (Subie: 48,770 Euros, Evo X: 45,950 Euros, GT-R: (est.) 70,000 Euros in Germany). So considering that the Nissan offers more space in all aspects, quicker acceleration, higher top speed, superior built quality and is equipped better, I'd say it's at least on par with the rally rockets.
Joey D
Any Audi RS model fits that criteria as well, along with several BMW's and Mercedes. This really comes to mind:
533-audi-01.jpg
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Great car as well, and superior to the GT-R in many aspects. But it is considerably more expensive as well, so I'd say in relation it's about a draw. But this definitely also belongs on the list.

Joey D
The US got the Monaro in left hand drive badged as a Pontiac GTO.
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Agreed, but we don't get the GTO either.
 
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hairyboid4
but this thing is absolutely hideous

alpina ruined that vehicle:yuck:
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:boggled:

Now either that's the first picture you've seen of it and it doesn't do it justice, or you're completely stark raving mad :sly: There isn't an E90 3-series available that looks better than the Alpina versions, and I am including all the M3 variants in that too.

With the possible exception of the Z8, Alpina haven't ruined a vehicle in their history of tuning BMWs...

And I still put forward this car as more worthy than the others (entirely in my opinion, of course) because it has all the performance you'll ever realistically need on the road, and costs half what things like the RS4, GT-R and C63 do. It demolishes them for running costs too. Fair enough, an Impreza WRX costs about the same and gives you more performance, but again the running costs will be sky high and in the Impreza, people will mouth four-letter obscenities at you daily. If they did a convertible you'd be able to hear them, and you'd have to dodge phlegm every five minutes.
 
I think when it comes to sports cars, most people will pick the one they think looks best with what they can buy. Some may pick what produces the most power, and some may pick the lightest. Or a combination of said above.
 
In response to "on par with rally rockets"...

While I agree that the GT-R is better in many ways, I can't say it is the best for the money. Simply put (as I did earlier), those cars provide better than half the performance and cost far less. Further, I wouldn't say the GT-R provides more space and simply looking at the back seats of the other two should be enough to prove that beyond a reasonable doubt.
Even more important is the statistics used in the comparison... Citing the GT-R at 70,000 and the others at those prices... :indiff: Bring that sort of comparo to the U.S. and the GT-R goes up dramatically and the others drop in price by a good amount.

Again, I believe the GT-R is a great car but certainly not twice as good as the others mentioned (when considering that its price is easily twice as much I feel confident in my conclusion).
 
I do think one of the best competitors is a particular car that seems to ignite a riot whenever mentioned...

corvette_2006.jpg


Buggy spring, Pushrods and all.

Acutally, it's unfair to use the term "Buggy Spring," considering that I think the leaf may be made of a composite material. But it is fast, usable as a daily, and quite comfortable.

It really is the car the GT-R will be cross-shopped with in the U.S., (Less so in other countries) but the GT-R really is one of the ultimate, if not the ultimate, Japanese car.
 
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The Z06 is a good car but like the GT-R it's far from the best car in the world right now. It's defiantly up there in terms of cost vs. performance, but there are still many "flaws" (if you could call them that) that prevent it from being the best vehicle in the world.
 
Ummmm, won't this question be answered when we find out the final winner of the 2008 Best Car Series?

[/shameless-plug]

That being said, best car for the money...

alt.jpg


Powerful V6, good fuel efficency, spectacular handling and braking for a sedan, a great gearbox, AWD and wagon capability for less than $40K make it a winner in my book.
 
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There, that should be better... Just in case, its a VW Passat 3.6 4MOTION Wagon/Estate.
 

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