Honestly, pickup a Miata or a Neon for real cheap and make that your auto-x car.
Miatas are great. They're hard to resist, but convertibles just aren't my thing.
Neon? I'm tempted to say something disparaging, but I won't. Okay, I can't help it!
a boxter at $22k is a great deal until it needs an oil change, they'e $600
Yeah, I can imagine they are expensive to maintain. I was just trying to make the point that you can buy vehicles perceived as expensive or impractical for less than you think, but you should expect to make concessions.
The 350Z and RX8 should now be pretty competitive in the new BS. BUt if you're worried about straight line performance, I don't see how you can say yes to a RX8 and no to a 330ci or IS300. They're fairly close...
I'm not sure I'd say yes to a RX-8. I was just surprised nobody brought it up. But you are correct. I would've unjustifiably thought about it before the BMW. Thanks for setting me straight. Straight line performance isn't everything, but power in reserve is nice, huh? Of the 4 cars you mentioned the BMW sounds the most appealing. I have a friend with a new 330 with some kind of performance package.
Of all things, I pine for its M3 steering wheel the most. By the way, I did check, and you can get a 2001 for around 22k. You orginally said "300Ci". Did you mean 330Ci? Or is this 300Ci some kind of technical specification?
Speaking of Nissan... The 350Z is the car that I practically have set in my mind. It has all that power, and agility to boot. I made this post because I've become too single-minded.