Most fun car for narrow garage (4.6m x 1.8m)
Discussion
cerb4.5lee said:
You need a 350Z for me! 
They are lovely to drive(I had a go in one back in 2006) and they also have a lovely sounding engine, plus they are great value too. There isn't much to dislike about them(I've lusted after one since they first came out). Go for it.
Ha! I remember looking at a 350Z before I bought my 325ti and I didn’t drive it - I can’t for the life of me remember why. I’d hope I’d remember if there was anything I hated! I can clearly picture all the 325tis I looked at...They are lovely to drive(I had a go in one back in 2006) and they also have a lovely sounding engine, plus they are great value too. There isn't much to dislike about them(I've lusted after one since they first came out). Go for it.
Have managed to track down the Autocar road test for the 325ti and one for the Corrado VR6. Time to track down the 350Z one to whet my appetite. Picked up a load of old Autocars a while back, which should have included all the issues, but infuriatingly the 350Z one is missing.
If it weren’t for house stuff, I’d have stopped dithering and driven a few by now!
RoVoFob said:
I can see the appeal of a 370Z Roadster with the rooflessness adding to the noise and drama, which is its main selling point. Think I’d just long to be living in somewhere like Corsica all the time with twisty, sunny roads to exploit and the engine noise ricocheting off the mountainside. Firing it up in the south of England would just make me sad!
I used to have a S2000 - some of the most enjoyable roof down moments were the times one would not expect - a brisk winter's day after snow, a spring/autumn evening with clear / starry skies. Conversely the odd hot day in Britain roof down, even with the air-con on, it could be uncomfortable. Mr Tidy said:
I just looked at the dimensions for a 350Z on Autotrader and it said 2,010 width, but didn't say whether that included mirrors or not - so it may fit, or may not.
I just hope you find something you like that fits!
It's 1815mm wide without mirrors - 5mm narrower than current garage door. Tonnes of room!I just hope you find something you like that fits!
Chris Type R said:
I used to have a S2000 - some of the most enjoyable roof down moments were the times one would not expect - a brisk winter's day after snow, a spring/autumn evening with clear / starry skies. Conversely the odd hot day in Britain roof down, even with the air-con on, it could be uncomfortable.
I'm clearly a fair weather motorist! Sounds good, though. My idea of wind-in-the-hair motoring is a pillarless coupe. Not many around sadly...Honda Integra Type R https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...
1695mm wide, should hold it’s value too.
1695mm wide, should hold it’s value too.
egor110 said:
Which is why you should look at a 172 cup
True. On paper, it makes a lot of sense. However, on balance my key priorities are engine - non-turbo, five or six cylinders, loud enough but musical rather than raucous - and a general feeling of sportiness; read, hunkered down driving position. On that basis, it doesn’t quite work.
The Clio is probably a very capable cheap, small sporty car, but I think for what I’m after others might be more satisfying. I’m very picky - sorry! As much as I like the idea of a stripped out supermini with an oversized engine, I think I’d enjoy and use a car with a bigger engine and broader spread of abilities more - even it were a bit less raw. Might be able to coax my wife into it then, for trips to see family or weekend jaunts rather than just being a car to take out for a blast.
With that in mind, I keep coming back to these:
- BMW 325ti: £1.5k (low-slung, lovely sound, cheap, maybe too similar to Legacy: planted, heavy but nimble - unless I strip it out. Hmm)
- Nissan 350Z: £6k (looks amazing, low-slung, fast, loud, analogue, but 99% sure it won’t fit in garage)
- BMW 130i: £6k (low-slung, tonnes of torque and power, good for hooning and road trips, but can’t have a third one, surely?!)
- VW Corrado VR6: £6k (low-slung, awesome sound, fast and raw enough, love the looks, should fit in garage)
- Honda Integra: £8.5k (great chassis and engine, but as good on a road trip as a Saturday morning blast? Not so sure)
- Audi TT 3.2 V6 mk2 (looks great, wonderful sound, lovely cabin but crazy road tax and probably too big for garage)
Is the Legacy the wrong estate car to have in this two-car garage, and that’s why I’m finding this difficult (apart from being chronically indecisive, of course!)? The Legacy is unique for combining a massive boot, comfy ride and AWD with a high-revving flat-six and super-short gearing. That makes it fantastic in a one-car garage, but very hard to place in a two-car garage.
I’d ideally have a torquey, comfy, refined estate that’s effortlessly quick and then a more raw, louder, higher-revving - probably RWD - car that is analogue and agile. An Audi S4 V8 and Integra would seem to work well together. With the Subaru, however, if you pair it with a 130i, for instance, the BMW makes the Legacy feel slow and the steering very light, while the Legacy makes the BMW feel lead-footed and clumsy.
As for Legacy and 325ti, they offer similar performance, but the Legacy has shorter gears and revs harder, while the BMW doesn’t have enough torque to offer a more relaxed, big-engined feel. Legacy and 350Z might be interesting. Both heavy, but Legacy would presumably feel delicate and refined, while 350 would feel heavy, fast and torquey in comparison, I imagine.
Legacy and Corrado is probably the best match: lusty VR6 with torque and power in lighter, smaller Corrado and analogue, old-fashioned feel plus much more modern, heavier-but-agile Subaru. Finally, can’t see Legacy and TT or Legacy and Integra working as Audi would make the Legacy feel weedy and low-quality while the Integra might make the Legacy’s high-revving engine feel lame in comparison. Or maybe it would make it feel torquey...I’m not sure.
In fact, Integra - or even S2000 - might pair quite nicely with Legacy: you’d get a super-nimble sports car plus a sensible, comparatively torquey all-wheel drive estate. I really like the EP3 engine, ride and handling - bar the awful steering - so maybe that is the answer. What other high-revving, lightweight options are there. Wondered about Celica 190, but it’s not doing much for me.
Apologies for writing a tome: I’m very much a perfectionist petrolhead. But I think I’m finally getting somewhere!
A bit old (?), but a 944 would seem to fit (1735mm wide) - https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...
Gareth1974 said:
A bit old (?), but a 944 would seem to fit (1735mm wide) - https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...
Would be perfect if it had a six-pot engine. Without that it doesn’t appeal, I’m afraid. Shame Porsche didn’t see the error of its ways and fit a couple of six-cylinder engines as they have just done with the 718...
Sorry but I'm convinced you need my 3.0Si Z4 Coupe that is just 1,781 with the mirrors folded. 
Joking aside a Roadster would be much easier to get out of in such a narrow space.
I'm looking forward to seeing what you end up getting, while I enjoy seeing how you get there in the meantime.
Joking aside a Roadster would be much easier to get out of in such a narrow space.
I'm looking forward to seeing what you end up getting, while I enjoy seeing how you get there in the meantime.
Mr Tidy said:
Sorry but I'm convinced you need my 3.0Si Z4 Coupe that is just 1,781 with the mirrors folded.
Joking aside a Roadster would be much easier to get out of in such a narrow space.
I'm looking forward to seeing what you end up getting, while I enjoy seeing how you get there in the meantime.
Hehe. Stop, I’ve nearly reached the state of life-beyond-BMW!Joking aside a Roadster would be much easier to get out of in such a narrow space.
I'm looking forward to seeing what you end up getting, while I enjoy seeing how you get there in the meantime.
Love the look of the Z4, but it’s like a 130i but much more expensive and only 50ish kg lighter and does without hydraulic steering. You’ve heard of man maths. I’ve decided that RoVoFob Maths is a thing: whatever the sum, the answer is 130i!
At this rate I’ll probably end up getting something like a Range Rover Evoque eD4 that doesn’t meet any of the parameters or fit in the garage. ; )
RoVoFob said:
Hehe. Stop, I’ve nearly reached the state of life-beyond-BMW!
Love the look of the Z4, but it’s like a 130i but much more expensive and only 50ish kg lighter and does without hydraulic steering. You’ve heard of man maths. I’ve decided that RoVoFob Maths is a thing: whatever the sum, the answer is 130i!
At this rate I’ll probably end up getting something like a Range Rover Evoque eD4 that doesn’t meet any of the parameters or fit in the garage. ; )
The Z4 is quite a bit different to a 1 series. A Z4 feels quite low and obviously just has the 2 seats, where as a 1 series just feels like you are getting into a hatch back. Love the look of the Z4, but it’s like a 130i but much more expensive and only 50ish kg lighter and does without hydraulic steering. You’ve heard of man maths. I’ve decided that RoVoFob Maths is a thing: whatever the sum, the answer is 130i!
At this rate I’ll probably end up getting something like a Range Rover Evoque eD4 that doesn’t meet any of the parameters or fit in the garage. ; )
Out of the 2, the Z4 feels like more of an event to get into than a 1 series.
Depends what you want really
A 130i is the answer or go newer and get a 125i 3.0 2 door and a simple £250 remap puts it straight back to 130i levels of power (265 vs 220 from factory strangled 125i).
Z4 is a good suggestion.
350z too wide for your garage ( I am currently running a 130i and a 350z, the 350z more fun but 130i does a lot more)
Z4 is a good suggestion.
350z too wide for your garage ( I am currently running a 130i and a 350z, the 350z more fun but 130i does a lot more)
DoubleD said:
The Z4 is quite a bit different to a 1 series. A Z4 feels quite low and obviously just has the 2 seats, where as a 1 series just feels like you are getting into a hatch back.
Out of the 2, the Z4 feels like more of an event to get into than a 1 series.
Depends what you want really
True. If they were the same price, I’d probably go for the Z4 - lighter is always good and it looks so much more dramatic. Out of the 2, the Z4 feels like more of an event to get into than a 1 series.
Depends what you want really
The price difference is normally quite substantial, though, and the one or two I looked at in the past felt much more cheaply built, which makes it a much harder decision.
rallycross said:
A 130i is the answer or go newer and get a 125i 3.0 2 door and a simple £250 remap puts it straight back to 130i levels of power (265 vs 220 from factory strangled 125i).
Z4 is a good suggestion.
350z too wide for your garage ( I am currently running a 130i and a 350z, the 350z more fun but 130i does a lot more)
Nice combo. I love the look and format of the 350Z enough to potentially be able to work around potentially not being able to fit it in the garage, if it drives as well as I hope.Z4 is a good suggestion.
350z too wide for your garage ( I am currently running a 130i and a 350z, the 350z more fun but 130i does a lot more)
I had to shell out quite a lot to maintain my 130i - more than I hoped for a car with a ‘bulletproof’ engine.
What’s the 350Z like in comparison? Easy to live with or costly? Since I have a sensible car, would you say the Nissan fun enough to sacrifice the added practicality of the 130i?
RoVoFob said:
DoubleD said:
The Z4 is quite a bit different to a 1 series. A Z4 feels quite low and obviously just has the 2 seats, where as a 1 series just feels like you are getting into a hatch back.
Out of the 2, the Z4 feels like more of an event to get into than a 1 series.
Depends what you want really
True. If they were the same price, I’d probably go for the Z4 - lighter is always good and it looks so much more dramatic. Out of the 2, the Z4 feels like more of an event to get into than a 1 series.
Depends what you want really
The price difference is normally quite substantial, though, and the one or two I looked at in the past felt much more cheaply built, which makes it a much harder decision.
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