Please forgive the length of this post, but you should probably know something about me, as I will be pestering the bejeezus out of you all in the months ahead.
After about six months of contemplation, I think I want to get one of these silly cars.
My wife and I are approaching retirement, have two 'utility' cars for our daily commutes, and one garage queen weekend car for jaunts to the wine country - a (non-turbo) MINI Cooper.
We're looking to trade one of the Toyotas for a second fun car when we retire and I think the Speedster is it. We've both loved the look of the 356 for years and my wife nearly divorced me when we traded our old (first generation) Miata for the MINI.
Before the Miata, I drove a BMW 2002 for about 23 years.
I've been following the daily bickering and name-calling here for a few months, have started to learn something about the cars and the, uh, personalities who hang out here.
But, like another newbie who recently posted here, I'm wondering how the Speedster compares, as a driver, to the three other 'driver's cars' I know - the 2002, the Miata, and the MINI.
I'm not expecting brute performance or fantastic handling out of a car that's basically a Bug underneath. I'm also not much of a wrencher, so would probably be going with a basic Vintage Speedster with a slightly upgraded engine - 1776 or 1915cc - and would be keeping it pretty much stock otherwise.
I very nearly made Troy an offer on the Ivory Imposter he sold a few weeks back, as that's the exact trim package and color combination I'm looking for, but we're not quite ready to buy yet.
We're in Northern California, have lived with a roadster for 15 years, so have a pretty good idea of the car's practical limitations. We put the top down on the Miata when we got it, and it pretty much lived under the tonneau for the next 15 years.
What I really like about the Speedster is its raw simplicity. I'm not a big fan of microprocessors, six-way power seats, traction control, or remote-activated, centrally-locking, power-assisted, self-adjusting cup holders. I did most of the routine tune-ups and maintenance on the 2002, including valve adjustments, and like the idea of a car that doesn't have to be plugged into Mission Control for the slightest tweak.
Do I sound crazy enough to be driving one of these cars?