Really? I found the Z4M rather twitchy and difficult to get the power down.
Z4M + Alternatives - Talk to me
- Thread starter -Neil-
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Really? I found the Z4M rather twitchy and difficult to get the power down.
Soldato
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It's not a good week in motors is it 
Also for around 20K, 370Z?
Also for around 20K, 370Z?
Neil
Really really sorry to see the Elise looking like that.
Glad your OK though pal, thats the main thing.
M3 CS - Don't be put off by the SMG, for me out of every car I've driven and a lot will disagree with this I found the SMG in the E46 M3's the most fun and most involving of all the auto/DSG affairs out there. So give it a try before you dismiss it, just ensure you do the ritual, DSC off, gearbox into S6 and enjoy.
911 (997) - The engine issues are made more of than actually exist. However the cars with issues seems to be ones which have never being driven as intended and just being garage queens or lived in traffic all their lives. The worse affected engine however seems to be the 3.4l, then the 3.8l. The 3.6l found in the regular 997 seems reasonably OK and of course when buying any Porsche get the bores inspected and Porsche 111 pre-inspection.
BMW Z4M - Awesome car! Powerful, they like to slide a lot but fun and very easy to control.
Really really sorry to see the Elise looking like that.
Glad your OK though pal, thats the main thing.
M3 CS - Don't be put off by the SMG, for me out of every car I've driven and a lot will disagree with this I found the SMG in the E46 M3's the most fun and most involving of all the auto/DSG affairs out there. So give it a try before you dismiss it, just ensure you do the ritual, DSC off, gearbox into S6 and enjoy.
911 (997) - The engine issues are made more of than actually exist. However the cars with issues seems to be ones which have never being driven as intended and just being garage queens or lived in traffic all their lives. The worse affected engine however seems to be the 3.4l, then the 3.8l. The 3.6l found in the regular 997 seems reasonably OK and of course when buying any Porsche get the bores inspected and Porsche 111 pre-inspection.
BMW Z4M - Awesome car! Powerful, they like to slide a lot but fun and very easy to control.
Gibbo - personally for £20k I would be looking at a Boxster (2005 onwards) or Cayman (2006 onwards) rather than stretching for a 911.
My understanding was a £20k 997 911 was likely to be a bit long in the tooth and without a warranty (which could cost a fair whack to get).
My understanding was a £20k 997 911 was likely to be a bit long in the tooth and without a warranty (which could cost a fair whack to get).
The GEN 2 cayman do not have engine issues. I know a Gen 2 manual Cayman S that will come up for sale soon at £22k. I have driven it and its definitely a good car.
In your budget I would not go near a 997 as you will get a bottom of the market car which will probably be a dog and needs thousands spending on it.
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That would be a bargain! I did not see 20k was the max budget, in which case yeah forget 997, the 20k ones are absolute dirty.
I've owned a Boxster S and currently have a Z4M and both are decent cars for sure. £20K is too much of a budget to spend on a Z4M - you can pick up a great spec low mileage roadster for sub £15K and then keep a BMW Mondial warranty on it for peace of mind.
The Z4M is much more lairy than the Boxster which is like a scalpel in comparison. I certainly felt much more like a driving God in the Boxster as opposed to the occassional mishap with the notchy 1st - 2nd on the M cuasing a kangaroo hop and it's penchant for breaking traction now and again. To be honest RIchard Hammond's review of the car on TOp Gear, where he compared it to a Boxster was spot on. It's is a bit of a beast, closer to a reliable TVR than ultimate sports car. You'll need to drive both to see which you prefer. I suspect the Boxster is closer in purity to your old Lotus. I imagine a Cayman to be the same.
I also have taken out E89 35's and they are much more of a GT car in my book, but lovely to be in. Again, only you'll know if you enjoy driving it.
When I looked at 911s I was only looking at 986s and have limited experience of 987s, but to my mind it is a step up from the others and almost combines the extra agression of the Z4M with the purity of driving experience of the Boxster, so if you can find a good one for your budget then I think you'll love it. There's a reason they are so popular, don't change much and win awards year after year. Interior dating aside, a 986 turbo would be awesome and not far from the top end of your budget now. They don't suffer any of the (over publicised) issues of the other engines.
There are other great two (sometimes +2) seater cars at this budget but all will come with compromises that only you know if you could live with:
Corvette: LHD
Maseratti 4200: Delicate and expensive to run
TVR of some sort: flaky
etc.
and I assume you're not showing interest in some fo the saloon or bigger performance and GT cars like Evos, VXR8s, E60 M5 etc.
There's no bad car been suggested thus far so I look forward to seeing which you choose upon trying them out!
The Z4M is much more lairy than the Boxster which is like a scalpel in comparison. I certainly felt much more like a driving God in the Boxster as opposed to the occassional mishap with the notchy 1st - 2nd on the M cuasing a kangaroo hop and it's penchant for breaking traction now and again. To be honest RIchard Hammond's review of the car on TOp Gear, where he compared it to a Boxster was spot on. It's is a bit of a beast, closer to a reliable TVR than ultimate sports car. You'll need to drive both to see which you prefer. I suspect the Boxster is closer in purity to your old Lotus. I imagine a Cayman to be the same.
I also have taken out E89 35's and they are much more of a GT car in my book, but lovely to be in. Again, only you'll know if you enjoy driving it.
When I looked at 911s I was only looking at 986s and have limited experience of 987s, but to my mind it is a step up from the others and almost combines the extra agression of the Z4M with the purity of driving experience of the Boxster, so if you can find a good one for your budget then I think you'll love it. There's a reason they are so popular, don't change much and win awards year after year. Interior dating aside, a 986 turbo would be awesome and not far from the top end of your budget now. They don't suffer any of the (over publicised) issues of the other engines.
There are other great two (sometimes +2) seater cars at this budget but all will come with compromises that only you know if you could live with:
Corvette: LHD
Maseratti 4200: Delicate and expensive to run
TVR of some sort: flaky
etc.
and I assume you're not showing interest in some fo the saloon or bigger performance and GT cars like Evos, VXR8s, E60 M5 etc.
There's no bad car been suggested thus far so I look forward to seeing which you choose upon trying them out!
Soldato
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- 24 Sep 2005
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- Middlesbrough
How about this wild beast strapped to 4 wheels?
Well its a little high milage car at about 70k but still very good at the price. Black on Black
If its got Full service history and comes with a clean 111 inspection, should be happy motoring for 1-2yrs.
Soldato
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- 11 Dec 2005
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- Cheshire
relentless?
I'd imagine it would go 50/50? As overtaking is an "at risk" manoeuvre - both of them were doing it though, so it's hard to determine who's at fault.
I don't need more than two seats to be honest.
Yeah it's looking 50/50 at the moment as the independent witness coming the other way is claiming we both overtook at the same time! If that was the case we'd never of touched and would have completed a synchronised overtake.
Haha, still prefer rwdAwful news about the Elise Neil and the circumstances
You don't fancy getting back into a PWD car at all???
Neil.