In the near future, I have time. It will not be my only car, and I am not too big or "tall" in Merican sense, only 5'9" and about 140lb and BMI of about 20. No need for big torque, big storage, big seats, 4WD, luxury, good mpg, or keep up with the Jones. I am on the fence between needing 2 seats or 4 seats. Potential passengers are 2 daughters, so I can either drive the Prius to pick up both of them, or I can drive the mid life crisis car to pick up only 1 daughter. Something that their potential future boyfriends would think I am cool but not just rich and have a midlife crisis would be a bonus. No need for potential girlfriend complaining that it is too small (it would be her problem instead of the car's).
Must rule out:
Trucks (I don't need a truck, I don't have anything to haul or tow)
Vans (my dad has a Mazda5 with roof rack I can borrow, and I can hire people on craigslist with a cargo van if needed).
SUVs (they are annoying to drive and park here)
Crossover (I already have a Prius V, thank you very much)
Hybrid (I already have a Prius V, thank you very much)
Porsche (I'm sure they are nice, I just don't want to look like a typical mid life man with a crisis, my driving skill is also not that good to take advantage of them).
Mercedes and Audi (I'm just not that into them, BMW "maybe be ok")
"Big power" Dodge, Hyundai, Kia, and Nissan (I still want to be cool but they are demographically catching the wrong kind of attention in my community like wearing baggy jeans with underwear half hanging out as a balding engineer presenting employee of the month award to a young college grad)
Motorcycle: I want to stay alive, so not yet.
So far the potential candidate with budget below 40k:
1) Miata ND: seems to check all the boxes other than only having 2 seats. I like the way people describe them as a 4 wheel motorcycle that is driving a reasonable speed car fun. Only downside is every owner I know is middle age and people may associate you with being "uncool".
2) Scion FRS / Subaru BRZ / Toyota 86 or GR86: light weight enough, good handling, not too expensive. Seems to have less of the midlife crisis stigma and owners are likely younger. Downside is it is a bit less reliable than Miata. Plus is it has a permanent roof and 4 seats (perfect size for middle school / high school daughters in the back).
3) Polaris Slingshot: super cool, but probably would get sick of it after a couple months of ownership. Not sure if my daughter would be ok if I pick her up from school in one of these (they may be concerned about safety or dropping things out of the car on the way home).
4) A 90s collector car just for nostalgia: Supra, 3000GT, MR2, Integra Type R, 300ZX, whatever. Fun to look at, probably hard to find parts to keep them road worthy, and likely have to overpay to get a good condition one. I don't like to overpay for things just for nostalgia. Fun to look at and catch attention but it likely will wear out fast.
5) Model S: maybe. If they are cheap and durable probably a yes, but they likely are more expensive than what they do for me in terms of fun.
Any other recommendation and concerns on my list?
