Advice on Which make & options I should Buy?

[Scaramanga]

911's & corvettes:
I have looked at & driven corvettes, Porsche', Jags & even an Aston Martin Vanquish- I thought they were a boring ride & have long forgotten their heritage of a pure sports car- I refuse to buy any car that has a "sports" drive pack as an option & makes SUV's (Porsche).

Maintenance?
My Elise was surprisingly one of the best cars I ever owned for maintenance- basically an engine & a body- very little maintenance except wear & tear- there was nothing too it to break down (unlike my BMW- terrible electric)- is the lotus a good comparison for what to expect if you do not abuse the car?
for getting an oil change etc- I had to drive 90 miles to Orange county- are there any good mechanics in L.A. area?

Test Drive:
I have sat as a passenger, but never driven one.
good point about the exhaust under the car- is there that much of a difference? can you adjust the volume of the side pipes?
I had a stage 2 on my lotus & a quad exhaust on my TR6 that used to set off all alarms- how do they compare in daily driving or a 4 hour drive- is the volume constant, or only at high rpms? With my lotus- the engine was almost inside the car & behind you- the Cobra, you are much more open

per foot room- my feet are narrow, but long (12 1/2)
spf say they have a package for wide feet- gains another 2 inches, but sacrifices the engine that can fit- (needs the windsor)- does anyone have that? personally, the space was not that bad, but having an option is something to consider. Shelby said they can make the space a little bigger literally by bending the metal to accommodate- has anyone done that?

Stereo-
this is a personal preference & everyone's tastes are different, but I would like to get some advice on what they have done
I love to drive with music on
I realize you are competing against the exhaust, but this has not bothered me in the past since my hearing sucks & a volume button solves that.
where do people put the stereo & speakers?
The guys at shelby recommended against putting one in & using headphones instead, but it is how I have always driven & I would equate putting headphones on interfering with the feel of the drive

thanks!