95% of women I know like BMWs.
Also, "I have 3 cars" projects a pretty strong image.

edit: just don't get a Z3, they are ******* ugly as sin and most people hate them.

 

Some guy I knew once had about ten cars.

He was unemployed, and he would have to borrow a car from a friend to run to the store.

It's not the number of cars man..

 

His goal here is to be taken seriously. Or handsome/intelligent/doing well in life.

Those suggesting fixing up the miata, OMFG LOLOLOL you guys are ******* hilarious.

No one, NO ONE takes you seriously in a miata. Period. I dont give a **** what kinda miata you have, you're either seen as a hippie, wine/cheeser, or racer/enthusiast.

And despite there being nothing wrong with any of those "images", its just not even close to what he's looking for here.
At least from what I got out of OP.

 

Truth. Or you could just say 95% of women like anything German and expensive

Although a Miata screams that you’re secure in your sexuality, it is one car that will never, ever get you laid. Especially by a career woman.

DeLorean just says that you have money and love chess and video games. One out of three will not get you laid. If your DeLorean is merely a hobby, then it’s considered to be quirky and unique; apart from that, it’s pure nerd.

Z3/4 is one or two clicks up from the miata, socially speaking, so not very good. The boxter another click or two. As mentioned, they’re basically “chick cars” as viewed by the stereotypical woman who is inclined to stereotype.

The 911 is the only example in the list which is acceptable for your stated purposes. I had a 996 for a spell and it drew a lot of attention. And this was a car I spent about $16k on. As far as the unknowing hoes were concerned, it may as well have been $150k. Definitely a huge help in wrangling tang.

The E39s are awesome. Fairly easy to work on, parts aren’t too expensive, decent road feel, practical, good looking, etc. But they’re starting to show their age after 16 years and they suck gas and tires like mad. Ask me how I know.

Sidenote: women ******* LOVE seat warmers, even in CA. Further, they like plush interiors and fancy gadgetry, however useless it may be. It’s tough to beat any of the creature comforts found inside most modern Audis. I rule them out for many reasons, but women sure don’t.

I’d shy away from the older benz offerings cuz they just come off as try-hard and pay-low. Unless your pockets are running deep enough to get a drug-dealer-esque CL or CLS, preferably AMG, preferably white with enormous black wheels and limo tint. You’ll be so boss, bitches won’t even see you. But yeah, **** that.

A Camry hybrid might attract the attention of a professional from a tech company such as Google, but she’s likely going to have large thighs, BO and an outie belly button, so **** that, too.

But back to reality-
I’d say 911 or 3.0 E39 or maybe a C230K, silver or champagne on tan. Nothing Jap or American or English.

 

A nice used Cadillac CTS wouldn't be too bad. A quick glance on autotrader has some with about 75K on them for around 11K.

 

if your budget is low 20's I'd also consider the twin turbo 335's like Stein got, coupe or sedan, either will work.
Great cars, tons of power and performance, great economy, definitely has the "image" as well.

 

Note to self:
The "respected man" operates an "appliance" that provides no enjoyment and blends into the masses as a statement of social programming conveyance and submission.

This logic may work with mindless middle-management and soleless ******, not with normal people. I had a $44k TT coupe which helped me meet quite a few women...who were all ****, every single one of them. Suddenly I found my current GF. She puts up with the Miatas just fine, she's the EiC of the only legal economics journal in the world, she's already a successful legal economist contracted by several powerful legal firms, and she is currently doing all this while she finishes her PhD. I should note that our first date was more like a job interview where we covered religion, politics, abortion, credit scores, and family in the first 15-minutes of our first date.

I'm sorry dude, but chasing valet box groupies is going to lead you nowhere but failure. You state that you're looking for a career oriented woman with strong enough integrity to attain professional success which significantly narrows the field be weeding out waitresses, receptionists, and anyone who ever "goes clubbing". Do yourself a favor and try internet dating. I had a profile so severely limitting that women feared it...until I found Katie. You will either find your woman through a filtered search on the internet, through a friend, or at work. Don't expect to find a woman in a bar because people with solid careers and real hobbies don't live in bars and don't go looking in bars.

On a side note, every single woman who ever rode in my turbo car loved it and that car got turned a lot of heads when I was in central Texas. Besides, what's more attractive than "my hobby is racing a car."

 

I agree. If you get a chick solely because of your car, you will eventually be dissatisfied by her vapid, superficial personality. However, women in general – even the most esteemed EiCs – will expect that you know how to interact on a sub-communicated sexual level, you shave your face, you wash your ***, you have nice shoes, a nice watch, nice teeth and you love your Mom. A beat up car, Miata or otherwise, will not convey any of this and you will find yourself weeded out post haste. If you bring more to the table personality-wise, and your car is not the first material possession she observes, then yes, the car very much becomes secondary. At least with the good women. As far as having a “hobby racing car”, well that conveys an entirely separate set of traits, namely that you have a hobby to begin with, and also that you are a big brave race car driver. The fact that your instrument of danger is a 17yo Japanese beercan is immaterial at that point.

 

A lot of interesting suggestions here.

I don't really have a price in mind. From a purely technical standpoint, I could go out and buy a new Gallardo Superleggera if I wanted to, but on the other hand, I really hate spending money if I don't have to. Translation: there's a reason I'm driving an $800 car right now; I'm a cheapskate.

Right now I'm just sort of window-shopping.

I will not be buying a Cadillac. Or a Corvette. I don't care if they come with a horny Grace Park sitting in the passenger's seat. They could be the greatest cars ever built for all I know, but it just ain't gonna happen.


My general preference is for small cars. Always has been. The 5-series are ok, I guess, but they strike me as being kind of bland in general. I have about the same emotional reaction to them as, say, a V6 Toyota Camry. I'm not passing judgement on anybody who owns one, just saying that they're not exactly my cup of tea. (This has to be at least a little bit about me, after all.) I could see an M3, but like Mobius said, they're sort of in WRX STi territory.


I had literally forgotten about the M Coupe, and while the '06+ models are kind of nice, I've never been a huge fan of the Z-cars in general. I don't hate them, but they don't intrigue me.



Yeah, and I fully intend to paint it, replace the top, etc. And as soon as a CARB EO is available for second-gen NBs, I'll immediately sell it and buy an '01. I'm not getting out the Miata racket.


I expect you're right.

I just love the hell out of DeLoreans, and have always been looking for an excuse to buy one. To me, the DMC-12 has always evoked the same sort of feelings as the De Tomaso Pantera and the Lamborghini Miura, except they're reliable enough to drive further than the distance between your garage and wherever the tow truck will be meeting you, and you can actually buy one for less than drug-kingpin money.

But you're right.




I'm not sensing a lot of love for the SLK here, and that kind of surprises me. Too feminine? In terms of what really appeals to me personally, the SLK320 is right up there with the 997 Porsche.



To be perfectly honest, BO can be treated, and if she is a manager or better at Google, she'll do.

But I'm not buying a Hybrid of any kind. Koenigsegg could build a hybrid version of the Agera that makes 3,000 ft/lbs of torque at 500 RPM sell it for $99 and I wouldn't buy it. (Well, I would buy it and dismantle the battery pack to upgrade my bicycle, but that's beside the point.)


C230K? That thing looks like a Dodge Neon!

 

A very well-kept, sporty, comfy modern classic, like this one, says "I have taste, I can afford anything I want, but I choose to drive a modern classic for its uniqueness and beauty"

 

I had one of these as well. The ergonomics were ****, it was heavy and slow and it handled like Cutlass. A great I6 and it looked nice, but it all ended there.

Was it Joe who once said something about his fondness of the Kharmann Ghia? Although fairly faggy and far from modern, I imagine a super clean (gleaming) restored example could be readily accepted by a woman of quality. But it would need to be a masculine color (black), and you'd need something else for road trips.

 

Oh my god. Yes yes yes.

However, do you think a woman will respect a car that old?

 

Saabs are great, quirky, but great. Dirt cheap too. Just stay away from anything with an automatic, no exceptions.

Also, stick to Top Gear, seriously. ***** are moving from BMW to Audi apparently, so stay away from those. Mercedes, meh. Too easy a choice. Hence my Saab suggestion. Fun, luxurious (you'll never find a more comfortable seat than a 9000/95), cheap, and interesting.

 

Hustler: Short answer- Yes

If she's that cynical and snub nosed that a classic BMW isn't good enough for her, how do you think she'll be with everything else in her life? Its a pain to find that balance...

 

Joe, a very clean/sorted Pantera can be bought for about $30K nowdays. My buddy has 3 of them and they are great panty droppers, second only to his 930.

The ergonomics of the Pantera sucks. Not a very realistic daily driver.

-Raj

 

Ok, new info, new suggestions.

BMW 1 series: Small. nice looking etc.
Porsche Caymen S: How come nobody suggested the Caymen S?
Pantera: Great band, great car. Doesn't seem like it would have reliability issues since it has a Chevy 350.
Mini Cooper S: Small, quaky, fun.
Ferrari 308 GTB: Cheap (relatively) to buy, it's a Ferrari.
DeLorean: Not my cup of tea, but you seem to really want one and you only live once. Pull the trigger.

 

mini cooper S - BIGGEST FAGIT PIECE OF **** IN THE UNIVERSE. even gayer than a miata

Posche Cayman S - VERY good idea. I completely forgot about them. Co-worker has a white one, and makes me drool every time I look at it.

 

This thread largely seems to reinforce Joe's original premise.

 

The Pantera came stock with a Ford 351 Cleveland. Pretty reliable motor. It used to have a bad rep due to overheating. There are readily available solutions for it. It is pretty cheap to hotrod these motors and make fun hp/tq.
It is a very fun car to drive if you are willing to put up with the limited space and hard ingress and egress. I love the Pantera. I am gonna get one some day.

-Raj

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Porsc...item5890d27702