yep, cracking little car. Or an MR2 of some description, if you want mid engined but want to avoid the rust bucket lump of shite known as the MGF.
The MR2 will probably rust too, but at least the mechanicals will be unburstable.
No they're not. The cat breaks up, and the pieces go back into the engine. Then you need a new one. Just like the hatchback it came from. And there's nowhere to put your shopping
S2000 - if you think an Omega needs
regular, frequent constant geometry adjustments after expensive suspension work, you'll
love one of these
Pretty but vicious, they're the spiritual successor of the Tr6 or Healey 3000, where Mx5 and MGFs replaced the Midget/Spitfire.
Boxsters - these leave a fascinating trail of oppsed aluminium components between the first hit, and wherever the disembowelled corpse ends up. The owner always repeats the phrase indoctrinated in him by the dealer every time they bent him over the credit card machine "I don't know what happened." We do, to quote the police crash-examiner
Too much car, not enough driver. Compare that to the usual reaction of a TVR owner - "I
knew I shouldn't have taken it out in the rain, but it's only fibreglass. I'll have it roughed in by the end of the weekend"
M3s - if the engine and/or SMG doesn't expire in a musically expensive way, you'll have a brown trouser moment when the rear suspension tears out of it.
Crossfire - let's take a mundane Merc, throw some ghastly styling at it, and build it down to American standards. Well down.
Mopar standards
How bad could it be?? A few poor deluded fools found out, but I bet you can't find one of them who will admit to it.
Maserati. Seriously???
Jag XK. Continued Jag's traditional slightly awkward looking, louche GT line. Also continued the curious engineering and lousy build quality. Watch out for reverse dents in the boot from unsecured golf clubs
Jag F-type. A bizarre cross of updated Jag styling, 911 wannabe sportscar and AMG shoutiness. At least you don't need to worry about the dents as golf clubs don't fit.
Maserati. No I can't help it, I've got to put the boot in. Flashy, but useless. Expensive, but cheaply made. You don't need to buy one, but the receptionist demonstrates the idea: she's gorgeous but has an extended version of the builder's tape playing in her ear phones. Not only does it repeat
in.....out...... over and over so she remembers to breathe, but hers has a reminder to swap the gum from side to side occasionally. And unlike what she had in her mouth last night, not to swallow.
Lexus. Wasn't there some sportiness required by the OP?
Z4. Who could possibly opps up the small two seat convertible appearance so badly? Germans, that's who. Not in the hysterically crass American low production way, but in the
please gouge my eyes out before you kill me. Please, do it soon, I've looked at a Z4 way.
Ferrari. Garage jewellery. Weird Italian low production mechanicals scattered with Fiat bits for you to identify while you wait for the tow truck.
Aston Martin. Garage jewellery. Weird English low production mechanicals scattered with random bits for you to identify while you wait for the tow truck.
Alfa Romeo. Tarted up Fiat with an utterly unjustified superiority complex. Why would you? Why?
Lancia. Yes, they still make them for some reason.
They being Stellantis, so it's either another tarted up Fiat, or a Chrysler with a hideous grille. Italian Mopars. Such a
stupid idea.
Lotus. Somehow still in existence, building interesting stuff in a shed in Norfolk. Maybe the new Emetic will prove they've finally figured out how to build cars. Don't hold your breath, as they've had nearly 80 years to do it. And you'll be holding in all the chemicals given off by the fibreglass and glue which can't be good for you.
Alpine. Lotus equivalent, except the shed is in Dieppe.
New TVR. Not in any of our lifetimes.
American 'sports' cars: we'll pick on the Corvette. To paraphrase Churchill, they'll do the right thing when they've exhausted every other avenue. So now it has the fabulous LS(or whatever the designation is now) mid-mounted in a typically American styled body. Is it any good? Does that make any difference?