[blue2000s]

This is a 4300 mile 2005 with the touring and sport options. Stored and cared for correctly, so it's practically new.

I just bought it, so I don't have alot of seat time yet. But I'll share my first impressions.

First, this car is tiny. I'm 6'1" and it's not fun getting in and out of this thing. The side sills are high and wide and there isn't much space to squeeze through, especially with the top on. Once in, you're literally rubbing shoulders with the passenger. The seat is basically a shell with a peice of leather on it. But it feels pretty good. I don't know about long trips yet, but for 30 minutes, it's comfy. The steering wheel feels rediculously small at first, like the steering wheel from a video game.

The theme for interior finish is minimalist. There's alot of exposed aluminum and you can see the orange epoxy used to bond the chassis in parts of the foot well. The tiny shifter console moves around a little with the motion of the shifter, you can see the mechanism of the hand brake through it's hole in the console. There are a couple of little pockets behind the seats, but there really isn't any storage space.

Speaking of storage space, there is only a small space behind the engine. The battery sits back there as well. My wife doesn't own a suit case small enough to fit back there.

Now on to the important stuff. The steering, unassisted, is lighter than you'd expect and soooo reactive and communicative. It's amazing everything this car tells you through the steering. This car has the sport option, which has adjustable shocks and stiffer springs. The suspension is very tight. Response is immediate and the body roll feels quite minimal. Grip is really impressive. The chassis is STIFF. There is absolutely no motion in the cowl over bumps and RR tracks.

The power is really good. I have read complaints about the engine being too weak when not on the hotter cam profile, but this car's acceleration is impressive from all RPM that I can tell. It's not a torque monster, but it's more than enough to get into trouble with.

The engine noise is loud, always there, and totally appropriate for the car.

There's not much about this car that lends itself to cruising. It's loud, small, hard to get out of, and delicate. But it's so amazing to drive that the compromises are totally worth it.