The Poor (or not-so-rich) Man's Porsche

I've had the '03 Spyder for about 3 weeks and I love it. This is NOT a "practical" car - but then, anyone looking to buy a 2-seater convertible is not going to be comparing mini-vans. Two things I was pleasantly surprised at: the handling is much better than I expected - it will take the tight freeway cloverleafs at 20-30 mph more than normal with no tire squealing. Also, the convertible top is a snap to raise and lower. The manual says you should be outside the car when raising and lowering the top, but I've found this isn't necessary. I was stopped at a light when rain started falling, so, while still facing forward, I reached behind my right shoulder and released the catch, then pulled the top over my left shoulder and had it secured within about 5 seconds. A power top would be a waste. I was warned about the lack of storage space, but it's actually a little better than I expected. I can fit both a soft briefcase and a duffel bag behind the seats, plus a few small things in the front compartment. I also learned not to put a large CD case on the floor under the passenger seat, because this leaves the seat release in the open position, causing a passenger to slide forward at stops. Another minor gripe: no cruise control available for the 5-speed. Years ago, I had a cheap Dodge Neon with a manual trans., and even IT came with cruise control. I plan to drive this car during midwestern winters (but it wil be in a garage overnight), and I believe it will handle similarly to my old VW Beetle, which was also a very light car with a rear engine and rear-wheel drive (but without the Spyder's anti-lock brakes). A final tip: Toyota has tried to make this car rare by limiting supply and therefore enabling dealers to jack up the price, but they haven't been successful - it IS rare, but demand is still very low. You should be able to buy one for well under MSRP, but you may, as I did, have to travel out of town for the color you want. My local dealer was unable to trade a distant dealer for the exact car I wanted, so I had to travel 300 miles to get it.