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Here is another reason why these small high performance cars do not sell - insurance. New drivers, who might be interested in these cars, pay huge amounts for insurance of non-high performance cars. Many would be hard pressed to pay a premium for the car and a premium for the insurance. If they can afford it maybe they are looking at the next class up or buying a used car that better fits their needs and desires.
^ Yup. I got my S2000 when I was 23, and my insurance worked out to about $350/mo in CA, nearly as much as the payment itself After I passed 25 it went down, and then it went down again and again, till the last policy I had which was about $125/mo for full coverage (with a couple speeding tickets, of course).
When I was in my teens and up till the S2000, I drove a few different hot hatches/sedans: a Saab 900 SPG hatchback (still insured like a normal Saab), a Mitsubishi Galant VR4 (still insured like a 10-year old Mitsubishi sedan), a mk4 Jetta 2.slow and then a mk4 Jetta VR6 (both had the same insurance costs), the latter of which I had heavily modified to get some okay speed out of of while not having to pay what I would've paid had I gotten the S2000 I so wanted. I could have bought it when I was 19 but the insurance was nearly $500/mo in LA, back in '02
Most of the guys up till now who were at the point where they could afford a fast car and the insurance along with it were raised on pony and muscle cars, so that's what they went for. As the Playstation Generation cracks 30, I think you'll see more demand for hot hatches and tuner cars that hark back to the built CRX's and S13's that ruled the scene when they were teenagers.
Whenever the Detroit Three contemplated building a so-called 'pocket rocket', they usually ruined it by mis-matching the weight of the car to the capabilities of the chassis while being hamstrung by CAFE standards which essentially resulted in said car being DOA the instant it hit the marketplace, such as the mid-80s Fiero which was a dog when compared to an 83 Prelude (R&T declared it to be the best $10K sports car ever) or another pocket rocket from the Orient.
At least the Detroit Three are furiously trying to make cars to appeal to that segment, although the insurance would be pretty hefty for someone in their twenties.
Whenever the Detroit Three contemplated building a so-called 'pocket rocket', they usually ruined it by mis-matching the weight of the car to the capabilities of the chassis while being hamstrung by CAFE standards which essentially resulted in said car being DOA the instant it hit the marketplace, such as the mid-80s Fiero which was a dog when compared to an 83 Prelude (R&T declared it to be the best $10K sports car ever) or another pocket rocket from the Orient.
At least the Detroit Three are furiously trying to make cars to appeal to that segment, although the insurance would be pretty hefty for someone in their twenties.
Most of the guys up till now who were at the point where they could afford a fast car and the insurance along with it were raised on pony and muscle cars, so that's what they went for. As the Playstation Generation cracks 30, I think you'll see more demand for hot hatches and tuner cars that hark back to the built CRX's and S13's that ruled the scene when they were teenagers.
That's possible, one a countervailing thought is that the "Playstation generation" basically has no interest in cars, save as mundane transportation and a mobile infotainment system.
I'm a Gen-Xer, and was raised on Japanese economy cars, back when they were RWD and carbureted. I'd love to see a modern big-block Cobra, or more broadly a small and aesthetically unpretentious car with a ludicrous excess of power. But a mixture of regulatory limitations and market-realities precludes this. My daily driver is an NA Miata, which checks the boxes for being small, Spartan, nimble and unpretentious - but it woefully lacks power.
That's possible, one a countervailing thought is that the "Playstation generation" basically has no interest in cars, save as mundane transportation and a mobile infotainment system.
I'm a Gen-Xer, and was raised on Japanese economy cars, back when they were RWD and carbureted. I'd love to see a modern big-block Cobra, or more broadly a small and aesthetically unpretentious car with a ludicrous excess of power. But a mixture of regulatory limitations and market-realities precludes this. My daily driver is an NA Miata, which checks the boxes for being small, Spartan, nimble and unpretentious - but it woefully lacks power.
These days you can take an "unpretentious" car and build it. Instead of carrying a payment on a newer car, take proven older car and build the motor.
You say you have a Miata, I'm sure you've heard of "Minivettes". It'll take some work and money, but better than waiting around hoping a car manufacturer will make exactly what you're dreaming of.
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After I passed 25 it went down, and then it went down again and again, till the last policy I had which was about $125/mo for full coverage (with a couple speeding tickets, of course).
