The 6th gen Camaro SS 1LEs are starting to dip into the 35k price range used, and are just some fresh fluids away from being track ready.

Just get a newer Boxster. With that budget you’re getting into the truly reliable era of Porsches. Plus being in NE WI it’s going to handle some light winter driving a lot better than a Corvette. The mustang is just a stupid choice, he wants more modern and even the GT500 is a solid axle and too big for autox. And he…

The local ones I attended were really tight events. Mustangs would make one run, knock over most of the cones, then leave.

I think the Audi TT gets slept on a bit here, I think the newer ones look fantastic, its a 2 seater, I don’t know much about the drive experience, but I’d think it’s not bad, aftermarket should be healthy for them. Not a manual for this one, unless he wants to settle for an older one, but it may be a good vehicle.

Lotus Evora 2+2. Bump the budget up from $35k to $40k and buy this one: https://www.bournes.com/used/Lotus/2013-Lotus-Evora-3b9c85500a0e09a836efb17e0e7b261c.htm

It is not a Porsche. It is like the Toybura in the sense the heart of this Lotus is a Toyota 2GR V6. And there is aftermarket support for Lotus vehicles…

Autocross? Just get a new BRZ and be happy. There’s a spec class that’s perfect for someone looking to improve their driving and have fun. Keep the boxer engine and get a warranty to go with. 

Magnesium welds just fine.

Planes don’t services the cities between LA and SF nearly as well.

$2800 for a well-sorted original Miata is fair. $2800 for this Alfa is cruel.

As far as i am aware, French engineering companies were in fact hired!
But then the americans decided to deviate from the french engineering plans and things got bad.
I might be confusing the californian clusterfuck for another one in the USA, but there is at least one case in which the French railway engineers had a…

Multiple factors. First, we have a habit of outsourcing non-routine public works to consultants and contractors rather than bringing that talent in-house in the US. It’s why municipal utilities run pretty well, municipal transit projects suck because the agency doesn’t know what they want, how feasible ideas are, and…

In 20/20 hindsight, for sure BART should have had a hub-and-spoke topology, ringing the Bay continuously with feeder lines poking out. One might imagine their going to or even across the Carquinez Straits, into Marin, and out to Livermore to begin with.  Maybe another Bay crossing or two as well.

I was born and raised in the Bay Area and in those 27 years I think they managed to only extend BART to the airport. There’s always some excuse for why they can’t do it while raking in a ton of money. It always seemed ridiculous there wasn’t a subway that ran the full loop of the SF Bay with multiple underwater…

Japan also had some growing pains to make the Shinkansen happen it went double over budget, as it happens everywhere, and like that once it’s operation people rarely remember the initial budget, it just need to be delivered first. I really do hope I can visit the US and the West Coast and not deal with the nightmare…

I’d be interested to see how the initial cost was set, and EXACTLY what has caused it over budget. Not interested enough to do any research, but you know, Internet level interested. Is it because they just said “we can build for $1 million per mile” and got the contract, knowing it was way under and they’d get paid…

I’m not referring to black and white as saturated colors. Black and white look good in addition to saturated colors.

In person in the right color, the Supra looks a lot more exotic.

Toyota had just as much input on the Supra as the GR86…

The price difference (~20%!) is huge for the same performance specs as the Supra. And the Supra sounds better, is lighter, more rigid, more practical, and has a better ride/handling balance. Plus, in a sports car a nicer interior isn’t the focus like it is in a luxury barge. Even then, the Supra’s interior and build…

IMO, this kind of paint only looks good with deeply saturated colors, black and white.