PDA

View Full Version : Ed, stop, NOW!!!


Sharp11
11-12-2008, 12:29 AM
Oy......

It's two years now with the ZHP and I'm getting the itch.

I like the car very much, but I don't love it.

It's a wonderful car, fun to drive, comfortable, has room, is relatively economical - it's a fantastically balanced package of goodies, perhaps the best E46 convertible ever made.

Maybe that's the problem, it's just too good - not special enough.

One of the girls at the animal shelter where I volunteer got an S2000 earlier this summer. I look at it every week when I go in (I look at her too, but that's another story;))- it's an exciting car, it's got two seats, makes a lot of noise and is hard to get in and out of (relatively speaking), but it's the kind of car I'd consider taking out for a midnight drive - winter or summer.

I don't know, just thinking out loud guys, and since this is a car site, I figured why not ...:dunno:

Ed

Rob
11-12-2008, 12:58 AM
When I was unhappy with the M3, I went on a lot of test drives. They usually ended up with me saying "I really like my car a lot better than that one - I am glad I took that test drive, it just saved me a bunch of money." Then I drove the CTS-V, but that's another story.

Drive it. You might find out you still really like your ZHP.

equ
11-12-2008, 01:03 AM
Strange Ed... Funnily enough I spent the last week thinking about selling my little croc. The n52 330i is so good, I got tuned into it and frankly, on paper, it does 80-90% of the cayman. 20% better mpgs, 20% more weight, tons more space and 80% the speed, not a bad formula.

But tonight (look at the timestamp of the post), I just got back from a Kolsch festival at Loreley (a favorite german spot on Rivington). Second gear and windows down in the Holland Tunnel, home in 15 mins, VROOOM!! Sound, feel and fun go a long way.

Sharp11
11-12-2008, 01:11 AM
Strange Ed... Funnily enough I spent the last week thinking about selling my little croc. The n52 330i is so good, I got tuned into it and frankly, on paper, it does 80-90% of the cayman. 20% better mpgs, 20% more weight, tons more space and 80% the speed, not a bad formula.

But tonight (look at the timestamp of the post), I just got back from a Kolsch festival at Loreley (a favorite german spot on Rivington). Second gear and windows down in the Holland Tunnel, home in 15 mins, VROOOM!! Sound, feel and fun go a long way.

I know what you mean, I know.....

The thing is, the Honda's so cheap, I could buy it AND a Fit - I'd probably do an auto with the Fit so my wife could drive it for garden hauling duty and I could take the Infiniti when I needed to go distances.

Then the S2k becomes a fun third car primarily intended for summer use.

I noticed the S2k club here in New England is very active (unlike the relatively lame BMW chapter here in CT) holding meets, cruises and track days all summer into fall.

I don't know, my car's awfully nice though - RWG's right, I've got to try an S2k again and/or find a way to regain some ZHP love.

I hate it when I this kind of thing gets in my head. :arghh:

FC
11-12-2008, 08:27 AM
I've been meaning to test drive that car (S2K) for a long time. I definitely will next year. I've also started to lose that lovin' feelin' for my ZHP. It's still great, but I think it's time to move on to something else. I won't hijack Ed's thread with my waffling (which is actually mostly settled now).

Sharp11
11-12-2008, 10:15 AM
I've been meaning to test drive that car (S2K) for a long time. I definitely will next year. I've also started to lose that lovin' feelin' for my ZHP. It's still great, but I think it's time to move on to something else. I won't hijack Ed's thread with my waffling (which is actually mostly settled now).

Hijack away, that's the point :)

FC
11-12-2008, 11:01 AM
Hijack away, that's the point :)

Twist my arm... I've got a meeting and then lunch (my shed is allegedly being installed right now at home), so I'll chime in in the pm.

John V
11-12-2008, 12:58 PM
Twist my arm... I've got a meeting and then lunch (my shed is allegedly being installed right now at home), so I'll chime in in the pm.

You shouldn't be driving S2000s when you can have something immensely more satisfying :)

ff
11-12-2008, 12:59 PM
You shouldn't be driving S2000s when you can have something immensely more satisfying :)

A Bugatti Veyron? :)

John V
11-12-2008, 01:05 PM
I said immensely more satisfying, not immensely more ugly.

Although...

FC
11-12-2008, 02:48 PM
You shouldn't be driving S2000s when you can have something immensely more satisfying :)

Ok, I'll answer...

I will spare you all the thought process behind the plan (always subject to change, may explain it in another thread later), but I will put my 330i up for sale late next summer and replace it with:

-A Jeep Wrangler unlimited (I know most disagree with this, but let's not get into this on this thread), and
-A weekend sportscar.

The jeep will be bought around the time the 330i sells, but the sports car can (and may have to) wait until early '10.

Candidates:

-Elise
-S2K
-A bunch of P-cars
-A miata

The idea is to spend no more than 20K on the jeep and to keep the sportscar under 30K.

lupinsea
11-12-2008, 03:24 PM
If Ed doesn't mind, i'll serve up my own helping of waffles, too.


The ZHP
Our ZHP has always been a compromise car. When we were looking at buying our house we had to cut car payments (at that time on the Miata, wife's Corolla, and my Jeep). Wife wanted 4-door practicality and I wanted manual, fun, sporty, good handling, RWD. Not a whole lot out there.

Long story short: Selling the Miata and Corolla and buying the ZHP cut our car payments and insurance in half.

So, for a compromise car it's absolutely phenomenal. Brilliant balance between sporty fun, good handling, power, etc. and the necessary functional duties.

But. . .

AS good as the ZHP is, it's still a compromise. The Miata was purpose built as a light, nimble drop top roadster. . . I imagine this is the same with any purpose-built/design sports car vs. a "sport sedan". They'll be more focused and that'll come through in the driving experience.

In the end while I enjoy the ZHP a lot and love it for what it is, I'm still greatly looking forward to the day when I can get back into a sports car or roadster or more focused fun machine.

Oh, and just thinking "what if" regarding expensive BMW repair bills stresses me out. So far the car has been really great reliability wise. But it's hitting 93k miles and I know a bunch of expensive maintenance stuff is probably lurking around the corner.


The Replacement
To this end, the next sports/sporty/fun car I get would probably be:

MX-5 NC
Currently my top pick and default. I loved my NB experience. Very worry free. Light weight, lots of fun, and there's a lot of improvements made to the NC I'm digg'n on. But I realize I'd need to fiddle w/ the suspension and ride height. If it's cheap enough used it's no biggie.

S2000
Basically, everything the NC did for improvements the S2000 had right from the get go. Also, more power, higher revving engine, faster, more intense, better styling. Just a beautiful car. But I hear they're "intense" and can fatigue you fast. Not sure if it'll be as easy, comfortable, and care free to live with as the NC MX-5. Cost wise, a used S2k is getting closed to used Miata levels. Unlike the NC, however, the S2000 seems fine as is. I can't imagine there'd be anything I'd have to fart with (ride height is perfect, suspension is good, etc.).

MINI S R56
Damn it, y'all have gotten me interested in the second gen MINI. And the more I think about it, the more "practicle" this car seems. Size wise it's compact and light which I like. Sounds like y'all have a lot of fun with yours. Seems very zippy with good handling. BUT! Unlike the S2k and the NC MX-5 the MINI has a backseat and/or some extra hothatch cargo ability! Wooooo. The expansion of my family has me thinking that practicality wouldn't be a bad thing. Also, while I REALLY prefer rwd, this is the only fwd car that seems like it'd be a ton of fun to drive and where it really makes sense. Don't ask me why, just a hunch looking at it. Maybe it's the short wheel base and bulldog stance. Oh, and this gets the best milage of these three cars.

Sharp11
11-12-2008, 06:49 PM
I'd be remiss if I didn't recommend the Z4 - they're cheap now, well under 30 for a clean low mileage car.

It's not as much fun as a Miata or S2k, but it's more practical, has more room, more comfort, is better made than either (with better materials and a solid structure). I suppose the Boxster outguns it, but neither car is pretty and the Porsche is quite a bit more expensive.

I'm inclined, if I do nothing, to wait for the next gen Z4 to have a year or so under its belt - if it looks good, drives good and is good, I'll pounce on one.

Ed