Yeh, it's a fairly obvious modern choice. Sadly non drop top and out of my budget. Also not manual, I don't think?

 

I like this idea. I had a seven clone with 250 hp Honda for autocross but still yearn for a simple one. I considered the Lotuses and visited the dealer in Indy. Service on a Lotus here in the midwest seemed dicey. I bought the S2k because we have a Honda dealer here. I am planning to autocross the s2k. I am hoping it is quick enough to snatch a FTD now and then.

Tom

 

Well this might take a little longer than expected. I managed to fracture my skull yesterday, so I'm now not allowed to do much for a while!

 

Oh dear ! how did that happen

 

A simple slip in my brewery, sadly. Supposed to get hangovers from drinking it, not making it!

 

Bloody hell dude.. do you get a Petr Cech style helmet now? Or that dude from the X men? It's gotta be a Porsche if you are magneto

 

Hahaha! That did make me chuckle, thanks mate.

 

Sorry to hear about the fall! Fortunately, you can still do internet research while you are recovering.

Reading your original post, it's going to be difficult to replicate everything you like about the S in another car and then at a decent price. Just isn't a real equivalent. However, if you've saved up I think you need to get something you consider special. Something that you enjoy having even when you're not driving it. If it were me, color would matter in this case.

I'm not sure what the latest prices are, but some options come to mind.

Cheapest, oldest boxster spyder you can find (probably too expensive, but definitely special)
Highly optioned boxster in a color you like (this is probably going to be the best driving experience)
E46M3 (if you fancy Ms, convertibles are the more affordable variant)
Z3M convertible (I believe underrated)
Z4M convertible
Older Ferrari (scary, but could be a lot of fun)
Something nutty like an Atom or Caterham

 

Exactly, it definitely needs to be special to me. For example, M3s etc just don't do it for me. Just a fast family car! ​​​​​​

Z4M is an interesting call. Never really 'done it' for me, but perhaps one to stick on the test drive list. Is the Boxster Spyder really that much better than a modified Boxster S? It's waaaay more expensive!

Ferrari - nice thought but in reality I'd just be perpetually nervous of costs to run it. Especially after a Honda!

 

For me, there are only a handful of cars I could realistically afford that I would give up my S for.

Lotus Elise (Toyota powerplant makes some repairs easier)
Acura NSX (NA1)
Alfa Romeo 4C (this one is the most frightening when considering repairs...modern, expensive and Alfa dealers aren't always common).
Skyline GTR (R32)