Hello all, bit nervous about posting this here, but we'll see how it goes I guess.
I currently have an '03 Z4 2.5i with >110k miles on it, a recently failed roof motor and some slightly worrying noises coming from the steering rack.
I bought the car in October last year for under £4k as a weekend car (used the train to commute to London). I now work more locally, so I'm using it to get to work (13 miles each way - the long way round, down country lanes) and can now justify spending a bit more cash on what is now a daily driver. I reckon the Z4 could probably use around £2-3k spent on it to get it into nice condition, but of course that isn't money that will see its way back to the car. I'm therefore thinking of getting shot for something younger or fresher.
My annual mileage is around 7,000 miles, so to an extent, costs like fuel don't worry me. The Z4 is averaging 28 MPG according to the OBC, so that is fine.
I have a few requirements:
Based on the above, my original choice was a Mazda RX-8 R3 with the revised engine. However, when it came to actually buying it, despite a great deal, I couldn't go through with it. The engine worries me too much, and the fuel consumption is just too poor, I guess I'd like 25mpg plus. When I can justify a 350Z or Monaro in my head off the back of the RX-8's costs, it means that it's really too much.
I have considered a VX220, which I think I can dismiss as perhaps too hardcore for a daily, an MX-5, which I cannot fit into (it's like I'm operating the steering wheel with my legs), and probably isn't practical enough, a 350Z, which bothers me because of the weight and size of the thing, especially in comparison to the tiny boot.
I've started to look at 986 Boxsters, but the IMS failures worry me, and overall Porsche costs - particularly as the bits that fail tend to be high percentages of the cars' value.
So all this is leading me back towards a Z4 facelift with the 3.0si. Is there something else I should be looking at?
TL;DR: Fancy a change/upgrade from current Z4 before it needs lots of replacement bits, unsure what to go for. Decent boot, good handling, reasonably quick, nice to look at.
I currently have an '03 Z4 2.5i with >110k miles on it, a recently failed roof motor and some slightly worrying noises coming from the steering rack.
I bought the car in October last year for under £4k as a weekend car (used the train to commute to London). I now work more locally, so I'm using it to get to work (13 miles each way - the long way round, down country lanes) and can now justify spending a bit more cash on what is now a daily driver. I reckon the Z4 could probably use around £2-3k spent on it to get it into nice condition, but of course that isn't money that will see its way back to the car. I'm therefore thinking of getting shot for something younger or fresher.
My annual mileage is around 7,000 miles, so to an extent, costs like fuel don't worry me. The Z4 is averaging 28 MPG according to the OBC, so that is fine.
I have a few requirements:
- Involving to drive, but not uncomfortable. Something that feels "special" and perhaps a bit of an event to drive
- £10k budget
- An "interesting" engine
- Reasonably quick - around 7s 0-60 is fine
- A reasonable boot - the Z4's is adequate as is, but it can't go any smaller
- I'm not a badge snob, so make's not important, but I do want a good-looking car, and am partial to coupes and convertibles.
- Realistically reasonably reliable on the most important/expensive bits - IE engine, gearbox should be bulletproof. Ancillaries I'm more comfortable with not being as reliable.
- Handling on B-roads is more important than all-out speed
Based on the above, my original choice was a Mazda RX-8 R3 with the revised engine. However, when it came to actually buying it, despite a great deal, I couldn't go through with it. The engine worries me too much, and the fuel consumption is just too poor, I guess I'd like 25mpg plus. When I can justify a 350Z or Monaro in my head off the back of the RX-8's costs, it means that it's really too much.
I have considered a VX220, which I think I can dismiss as perhaps too hardcore for a daily, an MX-5, which I cannot fit into (it's like I'm operating the steering wheel with my legs), and probably isn't practical enough, a 350Z, which bothers me because of the weight and size of the thing, especially in comparison to the tiny boot.
I've started to look at 986 Boxsters, but the IMS failures worry me, and overall Porsche costs - particularly as the bits that fail tend to be high percentages of the cars' value.
So all this is leading me back towards a Z4 facelift with the 3.0si. Is there something else I should be looking at?
TL;DR: Fancy a change/upgrade from current Z4 before it needs lots of replacement bits, unsure what to go for. Decent boot, good handling, reasonably quick, nice to look at.
.
