Change in circumstances - what car...?

[jaedba2604]

well...

i did have an e46 m3, which i sold due to the fear that daily use might bring about large bills (it was 10 years old). I replaced it with a z4 coupe, 3.0si, and, to be honest, it feels a little lacking in the power department, as you'd expect i guess..

my 50 mile daily commute is no more, so i only use the car at weekends, so i'm toying with the idea of changing cars again. not keen, as selling privately is a pallava, but i would like a more special weekend toy.

so, cayman s or z4mc? or anything else, budget about £17k, don't want to go much older than 7 or 8 years (don't know what sort of cayman i'd get for that cash). prefer a coupe, number of seats isn't an issue (prefer 2 or more!) and ideally, performance on a par with an e46 m3.

i know this isn't the most impartial place to put this thread, but i don't want a corvette. or a focus st....

thanks v much.

Edited by jaedba2604 on Saturday 28th July 19:04

[ady702]

Z4MC for me http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krSPw4SmR6Y

Edited by ady702 on Saturday 28th July 20:18

[Zwolf]

A late 996?

[paulmon]

jaedba2604 said:

well...

i did have an e46 m3, which i sold due to the fear that daily use might bring about large bills (it was 10 years old).

Edited by jaedba2604 on Saturday 28th July 19:04

What makes you think that the bills for either a Cayman S or a Z4MC will be less than an E46 M3. The cost of servicing a Z4MC is the same as the M3 the consumables (brakes, discs, tyres, fuel, etc) are the same. Notwithstanding the running costs of both cars the Z4MC is more enjoyable car than the Cayman which whilst good is a little too clinical.

What about an Elise or Exige which have much lower running costs ?

[jaedba2604]

paulmon said:

jaedba2604 said:

well...

i did have an e46 m3, which i sold due to the fear that daily use might bring about large bills (it was 10 years old).

Edited by jaedba2604 on Saturday 28th July 19:04

What makes you think that the bills for either a Cayman S or a Z4MC will be less than an E46 M3. The cost of servicing a Z4MC is the same as the M3 the consumables (brakes, discs, tyres, fuel, etc) are the same. Notwithstanding the running costs of both cars the Z4MC is more enjoyable car than the Cayman which whilst good is a little too clinical.

What about an Elise or Exige which have much lower running costs ?

This....

jaedba2604 said:

my 50 mile daily commute is no more, so i only use the car at weekends, .... but i would like a more special weekend toy.

thanks for the response. i know the running gear is the same. however, the M3 as stated was 10 years old, i was aware of the sub frame issues, i was covering considerably more miles. the running costs are proportional(ish) to miles driven; so, if it's used for pleasure only, i can stomach the cost of running an m.