First off, not to take anything away From RHD Soarers new purchase, I am glad he got the car he wanted. So don't take this as directed at him, although it is loosely inspired by that.

Anyway, perhaps it is just me. But I really do not get the attraction to these vehicles. I would class these as things like the Elise, the Boxster, the H2. Vehicles that come from companies that for the past 20 years have not made a car that retailed for less then 70 Grand. I can kind of get the attraction to the elise. It is sporty for sure, but it seems to me that for a Lotus, a lot of corners where cut. To me, the Esprit is the quintessential Lotus. It's luxurious, fast, and handles amazing. It was also beautiful. The Elise, and the Exige just don't do much for me aesthetically.

The Boxster, even more so. I do like the look of the Boxster, but only because it really looks like a 911 just curvier. Its a cut down, stripped down Porsche without the power of a Porsche.

The H2 is the worst of them of course. Take a $200,000 military truck, and turn it into a weak SUV, with more plastic then metal.

I understand wanting to own an exotic car. If I ever hit the magic lottery (which is the one where you don't actually play but someone calls you up and tell you that you just won a few hundred million dollars) I am not going home until I have a Black 911 TT. However do these cars still retain their exotic status? Or are they a way for Joe Average making 65k a year to feel like a movie star? Around Ghent and Va Beach, I see more Boxsters then S2000's, they are so common. I have only seen a few Elises so far, maybe 2 or 3 on the street, but I am betting in the next year or so they become a lot more common. There are more H2's on the street then Expeditions. I think cars like the Z3, and Z4 from BMW are in this same league. I just don't get the attraction of the common, affordable exotic.