cntlaw

Nice picture.
The thing is 900kg , it does not even come with a air cond, not to say radio/cd player. A Nav is beyond dream.

ClayJ

Get real! The Elise is the most stripped-down sports car in the discussion -- definately in no way a GT, even with the new seats for 2006.... Track car, Sunday driver.... Lots of performance, barely any comfort.

LETO

Barely any comfort is a understatement.........the elise is absolutely a track car. It needs to rev so high to get into it's sweetspot that it does not make sense to have hit around commuter traffic

Humbucker87

Thanks for all the input guys. My parents finally got a 2006 Boxter S. They both love it. My mom found the seats in the slk to be uncomfortable....not really sure why. My mom loves the fact that the car has a manual transmission....she says that it makes her feel like a kid again. Both of my parents love the boxter, and it has made my dad want a 911 even more. He says he will probably get one in like 2 years when all of us kids are at least in college. Right now we have 5 cars for 4 drivers lol.

Another question. I had never driven a manual until my dad let me try it on the porsche in a parking lot. I only drove it for maybe 20 minutes, but I found it extremely difficult. I was making progress, but is a brand new porsche the best thing to learn on? One reason it was so hard, is that I am deathly afraid I am going to hurt the car.

slk55lvr

You definately do NOT want to be learning a manual on a new porsche! Rent a cheap honda civic and thrash it around for a few days instead

ClayJ

definately learn on a friend's japanese car, in a parking lot -- alot easier.

LETO

A brand new anything is not good to learn manual shifting on. Having said that, the porsche is not that bad, it's a relatively easy manual. You have been at it for twenty mionutes. There is a learning curve. Once you can shift based on instinct and not on the tach, you will be good. You will have to adapt to put the gear shifting to the back of your mind, and to start paying attention to traffic, signalling etc etc.....you kinda have to reinvent the wheel on the driving bit. Dont be discouraged, everyone is the first time around.

slk55lvr

While it is a relatively easy stick to drive, you should still learn on a cheap japanese car rental. The mistakes are wayyyyyy less expensive!

wingless

At this point I am leaning strongly towards the SLK over the Cayman for my next ride, about 1½ years from now.

The Porsche is an exceptional machine. I don't need a drop top, I am not handsome enough.

But, the MB electronics user's interface blows the Porsche UI away. To mute the NAV voice on MB, just press the mute button while it's talking. But, on Porsche, drill down through the menus and decrease the intensity. That is just one example of many.

The Porsche sound quality is exceptional, but the designers had WAY too much fun figuring out how to make it as difficult as possible to change anything but the volume.

The phone interface with MB works as expected, not so with Porsche.

Porsche may decide to change the UI. Porsche may decide to bump up the HP by 50 or so. In that event my decision will be revisited.

AMG4life

i'd take the slk 55 why? coz it'll smoke 90% of cars on the road whihc will mostly be straight lines in daily driving.

lisamcgu

Probably the dealer knows he can always sale a 55, and at MSRP or better, and he just wants to get rid of one the bunch of 350s he has on his lot. Check the internet and see all the 350s trying to be unloaded compared to 55s.

That's blarney that the car will cause injury. Any buyer guy that would accept that a car with ESP and the low end torque and high end brakes that makes it easy to get out of bad situations and accidents deserves to be driving the little old lady 350.

SLKfromLOKEY

I agree, the dealer is just trying to sell a 350 since their much easier to get. As for safety, you are the one driving the car, the car will only go fast if you decide to drive it fast. A 350 can cause as much danger as a 55.

LETO

if i owned that dealership.....that might have been that salesperson's last sale. If a customer is interested in paying MSRP for any car (however hard it is to get), you can dealer trade something you have on your lot for it.....in this crap sales market, the bottom line is to move your inventory.