First (and last, for now) enthusiast's car

[andy43]

Sounds like the TT wins. Probably cheap to fix and service, maybe not the sportiest but a convertible one with the roof down would be great fun.
Or as above a 350Z convertible - V6 manual and great noise (cheaper tax pre 56 plate) or a knackered S2000 might still be in budget.

[DodgyGeezer]

a little left-field

Crossfire marmite looks but nowhere near as bad as people make out

or

an SLK of some flavour (if you can't bear the thought of the Crossfire!) which will double as a convertible

[CubanShirtEnthusiast]

andy43 said:

Sounds like the TT wins. Probably cheap to fix and service, maybe not the sportiest but a convertible one with the roof down would be great fun.
Or as above a 350Z convertible - V6 manual and great noise (cheaper tax pre 56 plate) or a knackered S2000 might still be in budget.

As much as fun as the TT roadster would be, I think I'd probably just go for the visually purer coupé - I've always loved the look of em and from memory I don't think anyone else has made a coupé in that shape.

[CubanShirtEnthusiast]

Jamescrs said:

I'm not sure I can quantify it with one thing but I always felt that I enjoyed looking at the car rather than actually driving it, I always felt a little bit conspicuous when I was in it, especially with the top down, I felt it drew unnecessary attention, mainly negative, either people saying poor mans Porsche or people saying I was showing off, I never felt either was particularly true but people seem to have an adverse reaction to them.

I have more valuable cars that don't attract the same attention at all.

I would drive it for 2-3 days at a time and then look forward to getting back into the BMW M240i I had at the time, I took it on a couple of road trips into Europe including driving at Spa and the Nurburgring and on both occasions I wished i's taken the M240i instead, the second road trip sealed it's fate and when I got back I sold it on.
I probably only lost about £1000 in 12 months which wasn't too bad really and I had the experience of owning the car

That makes a lot of sense actually. I guess the thing with a Porsche is that you're making that jump from mainstream brand to more of a bonafide sports car brand, and there are certain people out there who might think of you as a bit of a poseur for doing so. I wonder if a certain amount of that is down to jealousy.

Still, you got to have the experience of owning a (sort of) classic Porsche and taking it to some of the great European circuits - even if you didn't enjoy it that much, who else can say they've done that?

[CubanShirtEnthusiast]

DodgyGeezer said:

a little left-field

Crossfire marmite looks but nowhere near as bad as people make out

or

an SLK of some flavour (if you can't bear the thought of the Crossfire!) which will double as a convertible

The Crossfire's a weird one - I really dislike them but equally I respect the hell out of them. I don't think I'd ever get over a) its American-ness and b) that rear 3/4 view...

I actually have a real soft spot for facelifted MK2 SLKs for reasons I struggle to explain. Maybe it's cause I had a toy one as a kid. I wouldn't mind one, though I'm guessing I'd have to keep a really close eye on that folding roof...

[lidds]

Bought my daughter a 2006 z4 3.0si in 2019 for £3400.She uses it as her daily,only things to go was radiator, expansion bottle,and a cracked air filter housing causing rough running(think that was why someone sold it).Thats in 5 years of motoring.
The ride is hard and I would change from runflats.Insurance was surprisingly cheap for a 22 year old when she bought it(£600).
Its on 140k miles,sounds great and is reliable.I still admire it when she comes back home

[Mr Tidy]

CubanShirtEnthusiast said:

Rubbish, I can easily find a Z4 M within my budget! It might be a 1:32 scale model but that's not the point!

Must say that the 6-cyl E85s look tempting, I've seen a few in that weird metallic turquoise (from memory, I want to say it's Maldives Blue?) and those look phenomenal. Do you reckon it's worth considering the other 6-pots as well (2.2i/2.5i) or will those be a bit gutless compared to the 3.0i?

And yeah I'd expect a ~20 year old BM to be leaking at least a little bit of oil. Word on the street is that it's actually a really innovative rustproofing measure...

I've got a 1:32 model too!

That colour sounds like Maldives Blue which was only offered on the pre-facelift models. The 2.2i, 2.5i and 3.0i all use the same engine, just in different sizes so all the running costs are pretty much the same. As too whether you'd find the smaller ones gutless maybe it depends on what you've had previously and what you expect. They have 170PS, 192PS and 231PS respectively so the 3 litre is quite a jump upwards.

[Sticks.]

Mr Tidy said:

That colour sounds like Maldives Blue which was only offered on the pre-facelift models. The 2.2i, 2.5i and 3.0i all use the same engine, just in different sizes so all the running costs are pretty much the same. As too whether you'd find the smaller ones gutless maybe it depends on what you've had previously and what you expect. They have 170PS, 192PS and 231PS respectively so the 3 litre is quite a jump upwards.

The 3.0 also has sports suspension as standard, and almost all come with 18s, which look better imho, though 17s were standard issue.

I read that coolant issues are common but it's been mostly electronics for me. To have a local indy would be a good idea as parts from BMW can be expensive.

[Mr Tidy]

Sticks. said:

Mr Tidy said:

That colour sounds like Maldives Blue which was only offered on the pre-facelift models. The 2.2i, 2.5i and 3.0i all use the same engine, just in different sizes so all the running costs are pretty much the same. As too whether you'd find the smaller ones gutless maybe it depends on what you've had previously and what you expect. They have 170PS, 192PS and 231PS respectively so the 3 litre is quite a jump upwards.

The 3.0 also has sports suspension as standard, and almost all come with 18s, which look better imho, though 17s were standard issue.

I read that coolant issues are common but it's been mostly electronics for me. To have a local indy would be a good idea as parts from BMW can be expensive.

Actually reading your first post again your budget ought to get you a facelift model, a leggy 3.0Si or a pretty decent 2.5Si. They are a bit more powerful (218PS or 265PS) and if you find a Sport model you'll get the M-Sport seats which change hands for £700/800 a pair!

[Ben Lowden]

Sounds like this JDM 350Z is right up your street https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/auction/16510985

[Shappers24]

Another vote for a Z4… got the 2.5si and it’s fantastic.

Cooper S… I had the R58 coupe and it was a lovely car. But they do need money spending. Had the HPFP failure, but it was easy to replace and you can find people who will refurb them for sensible money.

[CubanShirtEnthusiast]

lidds said:

Bought my daughter a 2006 z4 3.0si in 2019 for £3400.She uses it as her daily,only things to go was radiator, expansion bottle,and a cracked air filter housing causing rough running(think that was why someone sold it).Thats in 5 years of motoring.
The ride is hard and I would change from runflats.Insurance was surprisingly cheap for a 22 year old when she bought it(£600).
Its on 140k miles,sounds great and is reliable.I still admire it when she comes back home

I've heard that BMWs in general ride quite harshly on runflats. Was there a specific wheel style/size that they were fitted to, or were they standard across the range?

And how much did it cost you to get the rad replaced on your daughter's one?

[CubanShirtEnthusiast]

Mr Tidy said:

I've got a 1:32 model too!

That colour sounds like Maldives Blue which was only offered on the pre-facelift models. The 2.2i, 2.5i and 3.0i all use the same engine, just in different sizes so all the running costs are pretty much the same. As too whether you'd find the smaller ones gutless maybe it depends on what you've had previously and what you expect. They have 170PS, 192PS and 231PS respectively so the 3 litre is quite a jump upwards.

Come to think of it our old E39 Touring used the 2.5 engine with a torque converter auto, and the running costs weren't awful on that...they'll presumably be far better in a little sports car. Had a look on auto trader and it looks like that might be the engine to go far - perfect balance between performance and running costs.

[Mr Tidy]

CubanShirtEnthusiast said:

Come to think of it our old E39 Touring used the 2.5 engine with a torque converter auto, and the running costs weren't awful on that...they'll presumably be far better in a little sports car. Had a look on auto trader and it looks like that might be the engine to go far - perfect balance between performance and running costs.

I had the 2.5 litre M54 engine in my manual E46 Compact and it certainly wasn't slow in that, but would be a bit quicker in a Z4. Like you say running costs were pretty reasonable too.

[CubanShirtEnthusiast]

Good evening guys,

Firstly I'd like to thank you all for your insight. I really enjoyed reading about your cars and your experiences with them, and it helped me figure out what to do.

I pared my options down to the Z4 and the TT, but my partner and I found the Beemer to be too cramped inside. Having settled on the TT (I should've seen that coming really), and having got my 9-3 back from the painters, I was about to put it up for sale and start shortlisting TTs nearby. But driving my car back home, I realised that the Audi's extra pace wouldn't make up for its lack of charm compared to my Saab - imo that's a far more likeable car and one which I'd miss dearly.

With that in mind, I've decided to keep hold of my Saab (again, I should've seen that coming) and put some money into making it look its best. I've already had my local painters sort out some fairly ugly lacquer peel, I've just restored the headlights, and I'm about to get the alloys repaired in time for Goodwood next Thursday.

Thanks again for your help guys. It's gonna be a great year.

[Ben Lowden]

Thanks for keeping us updated, enjoy!

[Mr Tidy]

CubanShirtEnthusiast said:

Thanks again for your help guys. It's gonna be a great year.

Sometimes the best option is the car you already have!