Yes, that's definitely true. And it goes deeper than that too, but given modern traction control, and driving requirements etc. maybe too many variables for Chauncey's care?
Yes, way too many variables. My dream consists of driving the car not wrenching on it.
I spent almost half my life maintaining a small fleet of delivery vehicles. The thrill of that aspect is gone.
@Chauncey Gardiner , are you planning on driving this thing on a track?
Nope! As enjoyable as that would be, it's not part of the dream. If time and finances become available, I'd love to attend a performance driving class. Trial and error is an expensive process.
(Or like on a track, but on the road...

)
Again, nope. When we purchased our current fun car our insurance agent was surprised by how low our premiums were going to be. He did state, however, that if there was to be a moving violation it would result in a substantial increase in the premiums. That word - substantial - has remained a steady reminder these past 7.5 years.
Additionally, the new two-seater is to be an enjoyable experience for both myself and The Lovely Mrs. Gardiner, .... who doesn't like G-Forces. Our family was rear-ended some years back and the Mrs. is still very much gunshy. She was injured and ultimately had to have hip replacement surgery.
If I read it right - car geekery aside - realistically the brief would land up on something like Orbital's suggestion above. Not too crazy in price, lots of fun, fast but not stupid, fairly stock, and automatic transmission. Somewhere between Orbital's Porsche Boxster and say, a Nissan 370Z soft-top auto like this:
https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/d8c0820a-b766-45d0-a5be-f60ea5f1cde7/
As originally stated, I'm only in the dream stage but hope to transition to a wide-awake reality within the next 12 months. Being our last auto purchase was in 2016, I'm wowed by the prices of previously owned automobiles. 😯 And, while I've never seen myself as a Porsche Guy, Orbital's Boxster is well worth dreaming about.
Price: 20k to Orbital's Boxter.
Lots of fun!
Fast, but it'll never be driven even close to its limit. Think Sunday Drives, only during the week when more people are at work.
Stock due to not wanting to wrench on it.
Preowned, due to price.
Low mileage, due to wanting dependability and few, if any, repairs.
Newer is nice, but seasoned brings the cost of license tabs way down. Washington State loves taxpayers' money. We're subject to a Regional Transit Authority tax that is crazy expensive for autos newer than six years -
https://www.dol.wa.gov/vehicles-and...other-fees/regional-transit-authority-rta-tax
Automatic transmission, they're just so good nowadays.
I really appreciate the replies. You guys are the best!
