I stumbled on the following Q&A in recent USA Today archives from the "Test Drive" column with James Healey. It's always good to see some positive words on our car - particularly since she's been bumped from CD's top ten.

Enjoy...

quote:
Charlotte, NC: I am ready for my midlife crisis car and am considering a "slightly used" Porsche Boxster or new Nissan Z. Do you have a personal preference or care to share any insights that might help me decide? Any other cars that I should strongly consider?

James Healey: I think the Z car would be more practical. But can it truly be a midlife crisis if it is sated by a coupe instead of a convertible? Boxster's had its share of problems, mainly the first year or two. Lately, it's about average in quality, per the J.D. Power and Associates measure of problems reported by owners the first 90 days. Z's an unknown. Nissan hasn't shared the Honda/Toyota penchant for top-tier quality, but isn't bad.

Unless you're too big to fit, I'd suggest looking at the Honda S2000. It's a four-wheel motorcycle, pretty much. Quality's good. Performance is outstanding, if you're willing to keep the engine revved. And it loves to rev, up well past 7,000 rpm. The good thing about that is it wrings the street-racer out of you faster than a car that goes fine without the driver's full attention. Then you can slide into post-crisis behavior sooner (your eardrums pounding and your shift hand vibrating as much as you need to satisfy the lust) and live happily ever after.

 

awesome! i love hearing good comments about our car as well. "performance is outstanding"

 

Healey also reviewed a pre-production model in '99 -- the review is archived at the USA Today Web Site. Needless to say, he liked it.