Unfortunately, the NSX has really gone up in price in the last year. Cars that were down near 20k are closer to 30k, some are even asking upper 30's.

 

I ran into this issue looking for clean S2000s. On the S2k forum, it seems people can find ones with under 40k-50k miles for around 12-14k, but it seems people in Socal want that price for a 100k+ car, which forums users are paying 7-8k. If I can find a S2000 that cheap I could mod it quite heavily for track days if I am not too busy.

 

I don't get the 370Z recommendations - that's not going to give what the OP wants coming from an IS350. SLK is probably a little sluggish for what the OP wants as well. I would def look towards the Cayman or 86.

 

I have been looking for a low mile Cayman S, but only coming up with ones around 100k miles for 30k, but I can find some with under 50k if I want to spend 5k more.

 

Yeah, I have the f sport springs and rear sway bar along with the intake and a few other modifications. But the IS350 is just too heavy for very spirited driving.

 

The Cayman is still a relatively new creation so that adds some premium to the used models. Have you considered the Boxster?

 

I have, but I would still need to buy a hardtop, which still adds a few thousand to the price. I am not a fan of just the canvas tops. Cayman S is also much more rare than Cayman.Also the fact that I dislike silver cars, which most Porsches and S2000 for sale seem to be.

 

I think you should go with the Porsche. Everything about it is just perfect. It helps to see the car in person.

Also consider the car buying experience. The typical car buying experience takes about 5 hours. Make sure it is 5 hours you are going to enjoy. Since you are in SoCal, try visiting McKenna Porsche. The sales staff was really nice to me the last time I went in to check them out, even though I didn't buy anything.

 

At 6' 2" and 280 lbs (yeah, I'm a big boy), I found the Elise much, much harder to get in and out of than even the oldest, tightest Miata interior...in fact, almost impossible. The salesperson at the Lotus shop there didn't think I could actually do it (and it was his job, of course, to sell the car). I only kept on trying just to prove him wrong, prove to myself I could actually do it, and complete the Elise-review that I had gotten a request for (yes, I actually managed to drive it, too). You would have laughed your a** off, though, if you actually saw how I managed to get in and out....too bad it wasn't on video. Even the salesman had a good chuckle.

Of course, as you note, you may not have the same problem with the Elise. Everyone's torso, of course, is different (and yours may be more lithe and flexible, especially since you're probably younger than me). But, for me, the Elise was easily the toughest production-car for ingress/egress I ever had to deal with....even the diminutive MG Midget of the 1950s/60s was easier.

 

Oh I agree the Elise is a PITA to get into. But once inside I found it to have more room than a Miata and a better seating position. I'm sure our 100 lb difference in weight made it easier on me haha

 

Says the man with a Silver S.