Porsche, great car, but the same damn thing year after year. This video review mirrors my thoughts..... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYWk-nat1ok&feature=search

Tom - Thanks for this little distraction, regardless of what you do. It's been the most interesting thread on these boards to me for a long time. Now to just put this little journey of yours into perspective, you said you want a car that's fun, but it needs to be a daily driver. That's OK and quite doable. However, you really should not put the words "fun" and "practical" in the same sentence. Fun (RE: performance) is not practical. So stop worrying about that practical piece. It doesn't matter if you have four days a year to enjoy the top down or not. That's four days you will have a truly enjoyable time, if that's your bag. I love convertibles. There's nothing like having the air and open space around you. If you want that, get it and don't worry about the practicality of it. Good call on the imports. Unless you are buying new with warranty, I would not give that a second thought. Mercedes has gone so far to remove the "owner DIY" repair piece, that they have eliminated the dip stick.