JvR wrote:
I don't consider myself a car freak, but I think my wife does.

I love Alfa Romeo and regret it's no longer for sale here. Those cars had character (and still do, in Europe). I had one when I lived in Switzerland for a year and spent my Saturday afternoons in the summer touring the mountain passes through the Alps.

Other than that, I'm pretty much run of the mill: give me anything that hugs the road, responds quickly to my commands and has a stick shift and I'm happy.

I used to have a Mazda Miata (before the kids) and loved that car. I also test drove both a Corvette and a 911 for a week each some years ago. They're both awesome cars, but going 80 in those is like going 30 in most other cars. At least with the Miata, I could find a thrill while still staying pretty close to the legal limit. Now, 140 in a Porsche...

I don't do mods. My interest is the driving.

the new miata is pretty cool.  its turboed and its pretty fun.  my old boss had a Z06 corvette with the LS2 engine.  that  thing was fast.  she let me drive it and ohh boy.... man...  but id still rather have a euro.  those alfas can be fun too!  never driven one.  you would probably have a lot of fun in the new audi A3.  i love it.  faster than the miata and you still get the luxury of an audi.  those miatas HUG the road.  they are one of the best handling cars out there.  but the new A3, well when the 3.2 DSG comes out in April, will out handle it and out accelerate it too.