I wonder why the latest wave of Japanese sports cars are so absurdly expensive? Add the Supra to the list: forty two thousand bucks gets you a four cylinder engine-- and the damned thing doesn't even come with a manual transmission! Incidentally, I love how in promotional videos, they always show the test driver jerking the automatic stalk around-- Park-Reverse-Drive-Reverse-Drive-- to make it look like he's operating a manual, hah!

By contrast, Ford sells a four cylinder Mustang for twenty six grand. And you can get the over four hundred horse power V8 version for thirty five thousand-- seven grand less than the four cylinder Supra, and with a manual to boot! Meanwhile, a V8 Camaro with a manual sells for thirty five grand. Nissan will even still sell you a brand new three hundred thirty horse power 370z, with a manual transmission, for thirty grand only!

Yes, the government is jacking car prices up with all of its mandates-- but that's not the whole story I don't think. Today, if you want a newly-designed Japanese sports car for thirty grand or under-- meaning, a car payment even a six figure income earner like me can realistically afford-- you're looking at an MX-5 with barely more horsepower than the old front-wheel drive econobox 2006 Scion tC I used to own. What a joke!