TwistedFate

hmmm gonna have to give the nod to the MR2 . I own the 2nd generation, and I've driven several of the 1st and 3rd Gen Spyders (including a turbo charged one rated around 210 HP in a car that barely breaks the 2000lb mark, talk about extreme grin factor). I'd actually suggest getting a 2nd Gen ('90-'95) Turbo MR2. You can get a nice one for about $7-8K, 180hp stock. They can be brought into the 200+ range easily. Mid engine, rear wheel drive configuration means it handles like it's on rails, once you get used to a few quirks inherent in all MR setups. (Flooring the gas when the rear end breaks loose just defies all logic at first). They aren't the quickest cars on the block. By this I mean the 1/4 mile times aren't spectacular but the it wasn't designed to do the 1/4 quickly. It's designed to go through a turn faster than anybody else so you don't waste time accelerating back up to speed, which it does very well. I don't know if all out speed is your thing but I'll tell you my NA got up to 122 before I ran out of room. It didn't have much left but I probably could've squeezed out another 5 mph. The Turbo owners have reported speeds of up to 140 on a stock setup. Again not the fastest out there, but fast enough to get you killed if you aren't careful.

For more info, here is the MR2 message board: http://www.board.mr2faq.com I'm a mod over there. The board has a few problems because of a mangled, bloated database that we are fixing when the new software is released, but it's full of friendly, helpful people.

I also have to give a nod to the Miata. That's a good, fun car.