[trackbird]

My wife has been looking at Mini Cooper's lately. Unfortunately, the Mini dealer didn't want her VW very badly (50% depreciation in 1.5 years and 25k miles?).

It was wet out and I kept the test drive short, but I really liked it (Cooper S). Actually, I liked it more than I thought I really would. It could use a bit more power, but it wasn't a pig (it's not a Camaro either). The handling was reasonably crisp and it was a bit go cart like. I found myself thinking that I could possibly live with one of those as a daily driver. And, tires and such for autocross will be considerably cheaper than my current ride. I'm really thinking that I should take another look at these. It's small, and really rather fun to drive.

She won't be buying one for a while, but....I could probably sell the Z at this point..... :leaving:

[sgarnett]

I just can't get past the idea that $22K (approx price of a "stripped" supercharged Cobalt SS) would have bought a Z28 a few years ago, and will still buy a 2006 Miata MX-5 (which, unlike previous years, will fit me) or a Solstice with LSD.

To me, part of the definition of a "practical" car, even with sporty options, is that it must cost a lot less than the "not practical" cars I'd really want.