I went form an MX5 to an S4 cabriolet as my weekend car to sit alongside an 8....
The MX5 was "fun" but slooooow.... I was looking at a turbo kit, or even an LS3 V8 conversion, but it was cost prohibitive and buying an S4 made so much more sense!
V8, manual, open roof, 4 seats (kids)