Sports Cars

I am looking around for a new car and was hoping for some suggestions on cars that I may be overlooking. The amount I am wanting to spend varies on the car but I have an upper limit of $40k but would like to stay between the $30k’s or $35’s. I don’t want a car to "modify" or "restore". I already have a car that fits that need. This has to be an exotic or simi-exotic car not seen every day and is suited for a daily driver (less than 40 miles a day). Some of the cars I have thought about are:

99-01 Porsche 911 non-turbo
96-98 Porsche 911 non-turbo
Lotus Elise
Toyota Supra
Acura NSX
Lexus SC430
1998 Aston Martin DB7
1994-1998 Dodge Viper

Any other suggestions would be appreciated

Thanks

BMW M3 2004

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Had a ‘02 330ci before upgrading to the ‘04 M3. The 330ci was awesome but the M3 is hands down the best car for your money. If you are looking for an ultra high performance luxury car, look no further. There is no other car on the market that can compare when it comes to the price/performance ratio – factor in BMW reputation, quality, and service and you’ve got yourself the ultimate driving machine.(copied from Scott from Portland, OR)

The M3 is truly a gem. For $30k you can pick up a used M3 that outperforms sports cars costing more than twice as much. No other car in the history of sports cars has received as much praise than the M3, and for good reason. The M3 gives you the best of everything in the sports car category. No other sports car will give you the performance, quality, safety and understated styling that the M3 can.
(copied from James)

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I live in Miami Beach. Both there and in NYC where I lived before, there’s plenty of sports-cars and luxury sedans driving around (and though it’s beside the point, often with the worst drivers at the wheel).

The thing is, these Ferraris and Rolls, Lamborghinis, Lotus and so on — they’re all foreign made. And they all come from countries where the auto industry is supported by the government — most often Socialist economies such as in Italy and England.

So, why not help out the balance of trade, encourage buying US, and contribute to improving our highway infrastructure by imposing a ‘Super-Luxury Tax’ on the sale and ownership of all cars with a list price of, say over $80,000? How about 33 1/3% on the sale, and 20% of the residual value each year after as long as the car stays above the $80K mark? How many US manufactured cars cost this much? I can’t think of any, while many imports cost this much or even a quarter-million or more.

Good old-fashioned flaunting of wealth has its merits, to be sure. But in times like these, why not make those that continue the ostentatious display of disposable income pay for it and contribute to the common good?
Oh yes, lets not leave out those flocks of sleekly ominous black Mercedes and BMW "Executive Express" sedans that careen through the city like the crows that have become commonplace as well.
mr_f: I was not referring to the government, but to the economy. Last I heard, many industries (automobile, health, communication) were largely underwritten by taxation in the U.K., if not owned outright by the public — just as they often are in Italy and France and elsewhere in the "Free World". I’m not for or against Socialism in principle — but for US private enterprise to have to compete against it seems an unrealistic way to do business or safeguard our own interests.
m_f : Once again, no one is criticizing the British in any way. I would move back to Europe (where I spent 20 years) if I could but am caught in the spider-web debt of the [now heavily subsidized] U.S. banks. But honestly, I think you’re nit-picking. The point is the cars are manufactured overseas. And to anticipate your argument, I am not talking about tariffs, but individual tax on the consumer. What percent is your VAT, for instance? 20-something percent? It’s 7 1/2 where I live, and there is essentially no public transport. Typical American "economizing".

In my opinion, the largest social ills in the US today are the result of the costs not being born by the people who reap the benefits in a variety of situations. For example, the Walmart shopper enjoys cheap stuff made in China, the upper levels of management in the Chinese system enjoy the profits, and the low level workers deal with "a bowl of rice and a cot" living standards and the pollutions and poisons of the manufacturing processes. The problems of manufacture are not miraculously eliminated, but simply displaced onto a people who can not defend themselves.

In our culture, "high performance" means high speed and "luxury" meaning space beyond all need for simple transportation, both of which translate to out-sized consumption of gasoline. The problems associated with that over-consumption is not paid for by the people who enjoy the thrill of the drive or the luxury of the well stocked minibar and space to lounge. It’s born by the soldiers who have to protect the Kuwaiti or Iraqi oil fields, by the people who have PCB’s in their drinking water and the poor people in low-lying countries around the world who will be displaced by rising ocean levels.

So the short answer is YES. Anything that makes people understand the real cost of their daily behavior is a good idea.

Technorati Tags: Auto Industry, Balance Of Trade, Black Mercedes, Disposable Income, Executive Express, Ferraris, Flocks, Health Communication, Highway Infrastructure, Italy And France, Lamborghinis, Luxury Cars, Luxury Sedans, Luxury Tax, Ostentatious Display, Private Enterprise, Residual Value, Socialist Economies, Sports Cars, Worst Drivers