All you said is true. My first 911 was a '66. They had a much shorter wheelbase and I never really enjoyed that one. It was completely unforgiving for my skill level. Vic Elford, I am not.
The longer wheelbase of the "69 is much more fun. One can steer with the throttle and hit the apex every time as long as there is intense concentration—and let’s be honest—it’s an old 911, so a washable driver’s seat is always a good idea.
We also love cars
RonP
#202
Elk
#203
The intense concentration is the fun part, isn’t it? 
Getting a corner right in an old Porsche is incredibly satisfying as you feel the mass shift back and feather in throttle while unwinding the wheel. A well driven Porsche plants beautifully on corner exit.
I, too, however quickly run out of talent.
Rhythmatist
#205
The countryman is rather sluggish and cumbersome - it drives like an SUV. The handling may be irrelevant to your wife. Even the 2 door coupe JCW is a bit underpowered for a sports car. The clubman JCW might be a better choice if a larger vehicle is needed.
cxp
#206
She’s picky on looks and wants something unique. She wants 4 doors for practicality so crossovers are the target. However, crossovers almost all look the same with most of them looking like a modern station wagon/minivan crossbreeding.
Considering her current car is a Pontiac Vibe with 132 hp and 128 torque, 228 hp would be a pretty good upgrade.
Rhythmatist
#207
Definitely checkout the 5 door Clubman JCW. Looks much better than the bumpy lurchy gaudy Countryman - very distinctive with a nice rear look and drives much better with a smooth estate wagon style ride and huge amounts of space for a “mini”!
tensor9
#210
Ignore the exhaust note from whatever engine they have in the prototype. The car is quite striking.
cardri
#211
That video was just fun listening to, thanks. got goose bumps, that Mada is just mean sounding… thanks… 
Chops
#212
I like the HKS exhaust because it uses the same Helmholtz resonators as the Motordyne “ART” test pipes I have. At low engine speeds, the exhaust has time to go in those resonators and quiet down as well as retain most of the stock torque without a tune. And it can get a little noisy when you step on the loud pedal.
If you’re still running the stock cats, I’d either replace them with Z1 or Berk hi-flow cats or test pipes. Those stock cats suck up around 15-22 hp! Add to that a good tune, either dyno or e-tune, and you’ll get a healthy bump in hp and much smoother power delivery. I used EcuTek and Sebastian out at Specialty Z in CA for my e-tuning.
For a couple grand, you could get some exhaust cams ($750 for cam kit, the rest for install), you’ll get a really healthy 30+ hp and torque increase.
stevensegal
#214
Where do people drive these fast cars in the USA? I only ever got stopped for speeding twice in my life, in Utah doing about 65 mph (going down a hill in a vehicle that seemed to have a life of its own) and in Japan, doing 27 mph which got me arrested. On the same trip I drove the car (a Mitsubishi Galant) into a ditch and then got it impounded. Meanwhile, on Christmas Day 1990 I drove one of these from London to Sheffield, 150 miles, in just over an hour and a half. A little beast from the days of the Renault 5GT Turbo and Golf GTi.
Chops
#215
Like I spoke about above, about common sense… Just because a car is powerful and fast doesn’t mean the throttle is an “on-off” switch.
tmurray1
#218
I picked up a new Golf R in April to replace my Carrera S as a daily driver. I don’t have it tuned but it’s still a hoot to drive.
Rhythmatist
#219
You can put a Burgersports JB4 on it for as little as $400. The JB4 is amazing value with significant extra go but not such smooth power delivery and most of the extra power is in the lower rpm range.
After a year or 10,000 Km and if you feel inclined to risk engine and turbo warranty then I would recommend Unitronic Stage 2. I did the works - intercooler, down pipe, inlet elbow, charge pipes and air intake and Stage 2 TCU and ECU. The car is fantastic to drive - smooth as butter yet oodles of torque at any rpm right up to redline. The Unitronic tune is less aggresive than APR but you wind up with a smooth much more powerful car that has torque across the rpm range. Unitronic use less boost than APR - so hopefully the car lasts longer. The intercooler really helps on the second or third pull - as the stock design hits heat soak quite fast. I was worried it wouldn’t be comfortable as a daily driver with Stage 2 but I have been pleasantly surprised - as smooth as butter.
If you want pure track 0-60 straight line maximum performance then APR might be the way to go.
I would advise against using launch control. It is really hard on the DSG transmission, especially so with a tune. Anecdotally, those who launch the the Golf R daily soon end up with problems.
…two cents.
BTW The tuned Golf R is nearly twice as powerful as the most powerful Lancia Delta Integrale Evo 2. Progress is wonderful!!!
umiami91
#220
In the words of Han Solo: “She may not look like much, but she’s got it where it counts, kid.”
I suppose that a 15 pax van can be an enthusiast’s car, but I’m not sure what it suggests I’m an enthusiast of.
My other car is a motorcycle.
