you mean the GTR??;)
What about an Evolution or STi??

The key part of her email.

I always figured you'd end up with one of these Paul.

http://www.dodge.com/shared/2008/cha.../ext_bg_01.jpg

"Not a car guy anymore"

Pfft... good luck with that...

Why not test drive a vette? Sounds like it is the kind of brute of a car you would like, or have you become one of the car snobs you claim to hate so much?

SmileWavy

Paul,
I second the Infinit G37 coupe. Much better looking than the Z but with the same performane.
Troy

You don't own a 72s for as long as Paul did and not be a car guy. And being a "car guy" is not something you really have a choice with. I'll bet you good money that Paul's head swivels every time he hears a throaty burble.

I figured Paul may end up in a later carrera - or like the car above. It's too bad he had so much exposure to what I disdain about some who are drawn to "high end brands". Luckily I can control my degree of exposure - and I have found many whom I generally consider friends through Porsche ownership and highspeed DE. Unfortunately for Paul - having a 72s is like dating a supermodel. They come with a large amount of baggage. Look at me - take a picture of me - aren't I sooo great? and a throng of supporters and hangers on who all want to get in their pants.

Then again - I might be totally off base... :)

If you got a newer porsche you could take it to the dealer rather than an indy shop. That way you wouldn't have to caravan, you would just get a loaner car while the work was done.

You know Paul, like others on this board I’ve followed your trials and tribulations pertaining to the big Green Elephant that finally left your room (and all the baggage that should have left with it), and although I cannot fully comprehend all the fuss generated with that situation and its effect on you, I’ve always tried to walk away from your posts with a sense of empathy and understanding. I gotta admit though, this last post has me scratching my head and shrugging my shoulders in confusion.

I’d hate to break it to you, but realistically, it’s going to be tough to find anything as ‘nice as what the two of you had’. But who says you need something as nice as that? Then you go on to say ‘I have to get it in my head that I’m done being a car guy’. Boo Hoo. I call BS. You wouldn’t have checked out the Z, you wouldn’t be on this board still frequently engaging in car discussions, and you wouldn’t bring up the Green Elephant as much as you do in your posts if you weren’t a car guy.

Since you live pretty remotely; why not get something relatively common, somewhat inexpensive and relatively fun to drive. In listening to you, it sounds like to me all you need is something civilized with plenty of power that when you feel like it, you can stomp on the gas, generate some thrust and exhaust rumble and be on your way. More importantly, I think you’ve reached the age where you shouldn’t give a flying feck what people think about your car; you should care what it does for you and you alone. You should know what that means by now. Go drive at a Challenger. Go drive a Mustang. Go drive a Caddy V-Spec. Hell, go look at a used Mercury Marauder, or buy some old American Iron. And if it doesn't do anything for you in a year or so, big deal. Move on to somehting else. It's just a car.

Just do something, man and enjoy life will ya?!

Do you have an Acura dealership locally?

I'm not a fan of FWD, but if I had the means, I would definitely at least give the '06 - '08 TL Type S a test drive (the '09 is uglyyyy).

Who knows if it would be difficult to get in and out of at 6'3" but it has excellent performance. 286 horses.

http://i518.photobucket.com/albums/u...uratltypes.jpg
http://i518.photobucket.com/albums/u...l/acuratl-.jpg

Maybe the best way to start is to ask what dealerships are local to you? Also, you should ask around to see if there are any good local mechanics that people rely on.

I think others have identified, and maybe rightly so, that you're still a car guy. I think the first step in dealing with a problem is admitting that you have a problem. Well, um, problem might be a strong word, but you understand.

Once you get it through your head that if you want to be happy with a car, and that happiness comes from a certain level of refinement and performance in said car, that you will need to deal with the maintenance issues.

It's kinda silly to be sad about not having a fun car, when you have the ability to have one, but are forcing yourself not to. Go make yourself happy and just deal with it.

Make a list of what features a car must have and what features you'd like to have.

Also make a list of what drawbacks you can tolerate and which one you absolutely won't.

Then go looking for cars! Although you might not find anything that meets all of your requirements, the process of looking will probably cause you to refine your thoughts.

You know, I have never been able to get my head around Paul's bitterness towards the Porsche scene, but that actually makes a lot of sense. Owning such a coveted car, I bet he was exposed to some real PITA's.

And I agree, I don't think you can turn the "car guy" thing off.

Yup, Jeremy nailed it...tho I've never dated a supermodel. ;) I had more fun with my '72S when "the" car to have in PCA circles was the then newly introduced 911 Turbo...when a '72S was generally ignored, considered just another older model. There were no early S registry or other "gruppes" that were early 911 oriented back then. The 356 registry was fairly new. Hell, back then, I went to track days that had several 904's running. You sure don't see that much today. Of course, I knew better back then, but it took folks another 20 years or so to "catch on" to just how special an early 911S is. The car's popularity ruined the fun of owning one for me.

Anyway, that's all water under the bridge.

I honestly thought I'd want one of the retro muscle cars. Especially the Challenger. Then I looked at one...man, those cars are HUGE...bigger and at least a half ton more weight than the originals. Ditto the Mustang, and probably will have the same impression of the retro Camaro when/if it comes along.

Infinity G-37 is a great car, from all I've read. Alas, another "Portland dealership only" machine. Yet, it and the 370Z share the same engine. Go figure.

Front wheel drive is out. IMO it simply doesn't fit into my image of a performance machine. Don't think I'll ever get used to torque steer.

Want something in the $40,000 or less price range. More than that, and I'd probably be back into the paranioa that had me refusing to leave the 911S unattended unless it was in my locked & alarmed garage or in a shop that is also alarmed. I want a "ride hard and put away wet" machine. One I can walk away from in a parking lot and not worry about...one easily replaced if bad things happen.

So, I guess my "problem" is a nice one to have. Able to buy a "toy car", just haven't seen the one that makes me say "sha-zam! This is the one!"

I'll keep pouring through the car mags as they arrive each month...hoping that sooner or later, something will come along.

Thanks to all for their suggestions. Some damned interesting choices have been posted here. :)

New car? Classic? Daily-driver?

You could be in anything from a 2009 Monte Carlo to a 20 year old Ferrari Mondial. You'll have to establish some parameters.

I like the idea of a good used C4 to beat the piss out of.

Wish I had your "problem" !!

I was thinking NSX.

New car...daily driver, but not necessarily so. Cindy & I both find the Ranger 4.0 to be pretty much the perfect grocery hauler...

What about the Pontiac G8 GT? 361 HP 385ftlbs torque 6.0 litre V8. 6 spd auto....drove one and it is a serious machine. Dealers are letting them go for under $30K. A serious stealth machine.

Think of a certain model of late '60's - early 70's pony car that you like.

Now imagine finding one that some guy fixed up, but he wasn't trying to make it showroom original/perfect. He tweaked the engine and suspension, made sure it didn't squeak and rattle, and basically made a high performance daily driver out of it... with merely a decent paint job... nothing that would inspire paranoia re: door dings, etc.

Is that the type of thing that might interest you? If so, you might want to check out a few car shows in Spring and early Summer... or look around online... I would imagine there are a decent number of interesting cars of that type that would go for less than $40K. And they'd be easy to work on, find parts for, or get someone else to work on.

http://i518.photobucket.com/albums/u...rracuda70-.jpg
http://i518.photobucket.com/albums/u...arracuda71.jpg

Oops... I was typing that and didn't see the other post come in... about "new" being a requirement.

Pontiac G8 GT.

ebay link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cars-Trucks___2009-Pontiac-G8-GT-V8-NEW-LOW-RESERVE_W0QQitemZ270329739482QQddnZCarsQ20Q26Q20Tr ucksQQddiZ2282QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Cars_Trucks?ha sh=item270329739482&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245&_trkparm s=72%3A317%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318