in florida, an ariel atom may be a decent dry weather daily, the motors are idiot proof in them, and it will eat EVERYTHING on a track

 

miata

 

^Not really. You've pretty much ruled out every car under $100,000 that would be a true upgrade from the S. First of all, the C6 Z06s are amazing. I can't see what's not to like about them other than a kind of cheap looking interior. I just drove one to about 160 the other day, one of my favorite cars I've ever driven. The Viper can most definitely be shifted at red line. What's wrong with putting a supercharger and a nice set of coilovers on your S? It will be as fast as just about any of the cars you mentioned, handle almost as well as an Elise, and you can still daily drive it. BTW for those of you who say an Elise, have you ever driven one? They have no carpet in the interior, most have wind-up windows, the interior is cramped, very little storage space, they come with Advan A048s which I run on my S for track days, you CANNOT use those tires in the rain whatsoever. Not a daily driver unless you are 5'6", 140 pounds, only carry a brief case and don't do any grocery shopping. If you don't like the idea of modding your S, look into an E46 M3, it might be right up your alley.

 

agree with the OP. maybe try a m roadster or boxster s, but I wouldn't trade for anything less than a f430 spyder. i still think the car would be perfect if they could make the body look like a ferrari, but everything else stays the same.

the z06 CANNOT be shifted at red beyond 1st gear. you are already at 60 in 1st. same with any other 500 hp unrealistic beast. unusable braggin only power.

vette is nice, but does feel like a nimble boat.

 

997 GT3

Boxster S for drop top.

 

Honda reliability and a ragtop.... hmm... tough call... M3 possibly...997 cab?

Reliability + daily driver rule out elise imho... a great weekend car but I wouldn't daily drive one... get in and out of it all weekend and it gets tiring pretty fast. Ferrari/Lambo would be great, but reliable as a daily driver?

 

BMW Z4 M Roadster or Merc SLK AMG

 

 

Z4M sounds good to me, great engine.

 

You were contemplating driving a Viper as a daily?!
I actually give you credit for even thinking about doing this, that's dedication to a car.
That thing literally shakes you back and forth at idle and it's a brutal ride!!
Plus have fun paying for gas with that 8.3L engine and 10 cylinders drinking at all times.