remember that the 300c is to a great extent a 1995 vintage merc, its wearing a very pretty dress and has a nice voice for sure, but underneath is beginning to show its age.

like for like comparisons would suggest looking at old shape BMW M5′s, jag s types r’s and amg mercedes. Also woth looking at audi s4′s And the G8 gxp (drove the australian euivalent) and its good old fasioned hairy chested fun, similar to your 350z in ethos i think.

wild card options would be either 2 car or dependable imports, i’d look at ford focus ST’s and maybe even the RS . . . whats the personal import situation like out there? alternatively how about a miata or an elise as a fun car (easy to tune for trackdays etc) and an older lexus or somesuch?

I’d also heartily reccomend non M 3 series in the current range, the 335 esp is a beast.

My choice would the m5, it is seriously the most complete car i’ve ever driven and the last great BMW that didnt have iDrive. its a bit racy tho, if you want something with more of a comfrot bias check out equivalent alpinas (B10s and b12s can be had this side of the pond for under £10000) Late models s-type r’s sorted the looks and were a lovely compromise between ride comfort, handling and brutal power.

i’m something of a car geek so forgive this short list, and pls bear in mind this is from a european perspective.

please do yourself a favor and have a look at last generation bmw m5′s over here they’re now very affordable and STILL the perfect super saloon. also worth looking at the alpina euivalents. so long as you dont use dealer servicing they’re relatively cheap to maintain and go like the stink while keeping up the street sleeper thing. also well worth looking at new shape bmw 3 series estates, the 335 especially.

audi a5′s are astonishing pretty in the flesh but not as nice to drive, huge boots tho and plenty of space for the nipper. the mms system is fantastic if u use an ipod.

well worth checking out the subaru legacy (the b4 versions) big engined merc saloons (the now old shape amg e class merc are seriously quick) and the audi s4.

sardaukar mentions the pontiac gxp, which i believe is the same as the a4ssie holdens we have rebranded as vauxhalls over here, they aint subtle but i can tell you that subjectively at least it can show the 300c a clean pair of heels.

second hand motoring precludes the new jag xfr (unlike the others i havent driven this) but if you can handle the look the old s-type r is well worth checking out, it has a lovely ride/handling balance (softer than the BMW, better handling than the mercs and power somewhere between the two), the last couple of years got rid of a lot of the chrome n wood leaving the car actually looking quite nice

allow ::brain:: some input in this tho, how often do you really need a bigger car? might it be better to get two older motors? would it be better to just rent a bigger car as needed?

went thu a similar discussion with a buddy of mine and he ended up with a older miata (mx-5 over here) for £4k which hes tuned a bit for weekends and trackdays and an old alpina b10 he managed to get for £10k that handles all his load lugging duties. an elise would be an even better verions of the miata in this tag team, and not much more expensive.

i dunno what its like bringing in personal imports to the USA, but if the costs arent too bad look seriously at the focus st and the new focus rs. the st is easy to tune the nuts off with a new engine management chip and the rs? well the rs looks slike this, http://www.caradvice.com.au/wp-content/gallery/2009FordFocusRS/Ford-FocusRS-15.jpg which is plenty reason to own one if you’re in the least bit like me.

whatever you buy make http://www.superchips.co.uk/ your first stop, the bluefin device is fantastically good value for money allowing you to change engine specs on the fly so tuning your car without the insurance implications – if you are prepared to do a little work you can make sure the dealer can never tell you’ve done anything.

please do think hard before laying down cash on the 300c, ::brain:: needs to know that its basically a mid 90′s mercedes under the skin.

Have fun choosing, and make do drive everything twice, why not bring the ankle-biter along, in all seriousness he might have a useful perspective. let us know what you choose.

But this depends on what you can afford without stretching your budget.

The Boxster’s front trunk can carry 4 paper grocery sacks of food. Then there is the back trunk big enough for a set of golf clubs.

If I need anything larger than that, Home Depot rents trucks for 19.99/hr.

Get the Porsche, you won’t regret it.