Yep, in terms of elegance, the most elegant roadsters under $100K are the Jag and Boxster.

Or get the 2 series, still comes in a manual.

At least the 8-speed auto will always keep the 2.0 engine in its power band, regardless of driver competency or attentiveness - so the power factor is still there even without the manual engagement. Worth the trade-off if this is your daily driver in traffic heavy metro areas. 

Exactly, except I was thinking long time ago in a galaxy far far away, the Empire began testing hyper-drive technology and quite frankly, the prototype navigation system malfunctioned and flew the ship into a nearby planet resulting in this blast.

And if you’re running late and can’t find the manual for an overly complicated interface (Lexus, I’m looking at you), do you go back in and ask for another car or does hubris get in the way and you will sit in the rental lot until you figure it out?

Ironic isn’t it? Is it an indictment of our age that we miss the simplicity of the 90's radio dashboard? Honestly, as pretty as those fully digital Volvo and Tesla dashboards are, they are a nightmare in UX design for the driver. It amazes me that the NHTSA even allows this nightmare to exist.

Remember the pleasures of changing a radio station by pressing hard against a button?

Hmmm, good point. Looks like the Civic Type R and WRX are still the way to go for cost of ownership.

That was the point of my post: $95,000 base Carrera plus $3,000 sport exhaust and you’re out the door under $100,000. My query is whether the base Carrera setup is that much more inferior to the T, even on the track? If the difference is barely noticeable, that’s $15,000 for marginal gains.

You make great points related to generating revenue; “adults” do not assure that the company makes money. What I meant to say was that adults do not say and do stupid things publicly that would jeopardize investor faith in the company such as (1) smoking pot on a podcast and (2) tweeting arguably illegal statements…

So this or Golf R? I imagine the Golf R should have way lower cost of ownership after 50,000 miles, but lacks the cache of owning an “AMG”.

Musk is a roguish immature personality trying to play the role of an adult executive - just like other conceited tech CEOs (Uber, Facebook, etc.) before him, hubris blinds these guys (limited to “bros”) to the true hazards of running a public company.

You mean like by the POTUS?

Here we go again. $115,000 for what is really just a base Carrera with a stick shift. Would you lose that much more in the experience if you had the base Carerra for $95,000 (which includes the $3,000 Sport Exhaust System)?

Absolutely. A week long trip up the California coast in a Boxster with a date? 1,500 miles is perfect.

THIS. Genius idea and one that Porsche definitely needs to consider. 

If only volvo’s little-engine-that-could wasn’t so noisy and erratic. I understand that it’s a bit smoother in the full powered hybrid version, but the non-hybrid engines get the most criticism for their roughness.

Or wait a little and get the I6 Mild Hybrid in the E-Wagon. Yep, that’s the one I’m pining for. 

The only 3rd row that works well is in a minivan. I used it all the time in my Sienna. Works like a charm, and never a complaint from my tweens in the back. 

And for the exact same price, the wagon all day long - but with the new I6 power plant of course.