Well it's about that time again to switch cars. Whenever I decide to go for a change I inevitably go back and forth between different cars before rushing into a decision. This time I'm looking for some creative ideas. Since swapping rides last time I've knocked out some responsible life decisions (purchased a home, hit proper savings goals, etc) and am now ready to swing a little bit bigger. Here are my constraints:

-Spending limit of *roughly* 60,000...will go higher if it's justified (aka get a steal on a GT3)
-Would like something more luxurious and with more curb appeal than the S2000 (no offense to the s2000)
-MUST be a manual tranny (rules out the AMG's)
-Realistically, it can't be older than a 2006 - maybe even 2007 depending on the reliability of the car
-It will be a daily driver, for my 1.5 mile commute to work - however I'll have the GF's SUV for anything beyond that
-I'd like to use it for an occasional SOLO event until I get a miata/s2000 as a dedicated tracker
-I've owned an Evo X and loved it, but am over the Mazdaspeed3/Evo/STi scene

Just ballpark ideas of cars I've been thinking of - 997 Carrera S, E92 M3, Cayman S, 996 GT3. I'm very biased towards Porsche and BMW, but thats why I'm asking for ideas...maybe someone can provide inspiration, or just reinforce the Porsche/BMW mindset I'm in.

 

Personally, a 2006-2007 997S would be my choice. An E90/92 M3 would be second. You could MAYBE get a Nissan GT-R at $60K, which would the an absolute performance bargain!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2009-...item3a662bf594

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2009-...item1e63a89d8f

It's not as attractive as the other two but it's way quicker, just as comfortable and definitely can handle just about any sort of weather/conditions a street car will see.

 

By the way, it has a manual transmission but no clutch pedal - not sure if that's "allowed" with you. Technically, it is a manual transmission. From a driving standpoint, obviously, there is no gear stick, just paddles.

 

Cayman or 1-Series M, IMO.

 

If it was me, I'd keep saving my pennies a little bit, try to get up near the 80k mark. Score a big boys S; an Aston Martin Vantage. The 2006/2007's seem to go around that, at least here in the Bay Area; and we all know how bloated stuff in San Francisco is.

Or anyway, that's the next car I'd like to upgrade to one day. I just can't imagine life without the top down anymore It's kind of ruined the rest of the car market for me .

 

I'd take a look at a 1M or an E92 M. Whichever you enjoy more.

If you want something similar to a Cayman S look at the Z4M coupes or roadsters. Maybe a TTRS whenever they decide to come over here.

 

I've actually poked around the Aston Martins on Autotrader...in the southeast there seems to be a good number of them for 65-80k, 2007ish models. An older friend of mine had a DB9 and it always seemed to be at the dealer for some minor thing not working. The other issue I have with the Aston is that being relatively young, it almost has too much curb appeal. I think it would definitely attract the wrong kind of attention, especially at work.

 

Cayman S or Z4 M coupe. I love the 996 GT3 but I've talked to a few people at the track who got rid of their GT3s due to it being very expensive to own/maintain/fix. Brake replacements are very expensive, as is everything else on the car.

 

2009-2010 CTS-V?

 

C6 Z06, used 997S, slightly used E90/E92 M3, new 1M, or S5.