you guys are hysterical!
Perfectlap: I agree--the 911cab has never looked right to me, but I test drove a 997S last year anyway and absolutely preferred the boxster. it just didn't feel balanced. Felt like a bulldog on a leash always trying to pull the leash out of your hand. I don't like the sound of the M3 cab--handling is absolutely priority 1. Top speed or acceleration not as critical. esp in Switzerland. They are serious about speeding tickets. My colleague just got mailed a speeding ticket for 4km over. it's rediculous. But I am just 10mins from the Autobahn
Husker: prices not much better in Germany, plus I would have to pay import duties on top of that. Let's see, I'm looking at a 2004 Spyder with 60k miles for 32k euros--which is roughly $45k. so...still pricey. then I'll have to tack on like 7% import duty on top I think.
Quickurt: Not stupid at all! In fact, something like 60% of people here lease cars. Probably due to the main cash crop here: cash. Lots of money in Switzerland so people enjoy new cars. They have the most ferraris per capita of any country. there are 3 in the garage of my flat. Car depreciation hit in year one is big. Plus, it's very common to lease used cars here. Not sure what one can rent for the weekend, that's a great idea. plus I wouldn't have to own the thing. A parking spot in my apartment's garage is $215/mo (ouch). But then my 2 bedroom flat is $3000/mo.
thanks for the advice. I really appreciate it!
crcguy