Jacques & co-
With the Honda S2000, we are again seeing the arrogance Honda showed back in
the early 80's when ther cars were without rival. I still recall in 1981 my
parents had to wait six months to take delivery of an Accord. Read that
sentence again and think how insane that is. Don't worry, I hear the same
thing is happening with the Oddysey minivan. I am sure the S2000 is a great
car, as I have read, but the bulk of the power is at the top of the revs, so
to get the most from the car, you really need to be on the limit. I've seen
S2000's around town, and to be honest, they are really nothing special to
look at, and the dash display is a joke.
The Benz SLK is more of a sportster, not a sports car. Granted, they have
improved the car greatly since its intro, having FINALLY introduced a manual
tranny. IMHO this is a car to be seen in, not for back road barnstorming.
The Vette offers incredible performance rivalling a Ferrari or Porsche 911
Turbo at a fraction of the cost. The trade-off lies in the workmanship and
quality of materials. A well-maintained 911 can easily run for 200k miles.
High-mileages Vettes sell for peanuts.
I never really warmed up to the Z3. Can't put my finger on it. My advice:
Skip the Boxster S, you'll never need the extra power 99.9% of the time. I
have driven the base model Boxster, and I can say (without the Midget
hearing) it is the most fun I have ever had in a car. I've driven a Viper.
The power is fierce, and exciting, the the growl of that V-10 is something to
be reckoned with. But, 450 horses is too easy to go fast. And I could never
live with it on a daily basis.
The Boxster, with 217hp, is just enough to go really fast, but the chassis,
suspension, and brakes work so well together. Get that engine over 4,000rpm
and the scream of the thing will make the hair on your back stand straight
up. Of all the cars mentioned, get the Boxster. Even a used one-Porsche
builds them right, and it'll last forever.
As for me, I will remain content with my back-firing Midget. Anyhow, it was
lovely discussing cars I cannot afford....
Tom
|