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Help me make a terrible decision: 2005 330ci ZHP vs Mini Cooper S

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IMO RX-8 definitely not as fun as the Mini, but somehow it's cheaper than the Mini.

I hate mazda3's/mazda6's with a passion

I'm also eyeballing Miatas - they have the same "fun" factor and I looooooooooooove the shifter in that thing, but the older Miatas are so underpowered I'm not sure I could live with it.
 
Just get a slightly older one then and do some power mods. Nothing crazy, adding 20-25hp can make a lot of difference for that light of a car. This isn't going to be your DD anyway is it? Why not get into the mix a bit. The Miata aftermarket is well established

Who knows if I ever will, but I would love to have a hard top ND tuned up for maybe 190-200whp if it can be reasonably done staying NA. Or a small turbo perhaps going for 250. That would go a long way towards talking me out of an F-Type as soon as I can afford one
 
Actually this IS going to be my DD, so it needs to support my whopping 3 miles to work commute.

We also have a Prius for long hauls and I have a scooter currently.
 
The RX8's get cheap because they'll probably need a rebuild at 100k. Unless you have someone who got an aftermarket 2 stroke oil injector, a tune to go with it and actually knows rotaries. Of course those guys tend to keep their cars, or expect a lot more money for it.

You could get lucky with a cheap rx8 though.

How about an AP1 s2000? Or do you not want a convertible.
 
Resale prices on s2k's are crazy but I'm not opposed - I love the s2k and its shifter.

In that same category I'm also looking at z4's, z3's, slk32's, miatas, hell I even looked at Boxsters

Finding an AMG in manual though, dear god what an impossible task (I drove a stick c32 once so I know they exist!)
 
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yh125d said:
3 mile commute? Get yourself a turbo ruckus
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At one point in time I had a Metropolitan and entertained the thought of modding the shit out if it, and then I realized for that amount of money I could get a way better scooter. My buddy is actually good friends with one of the local Ruckus modders (Steady Garage). Some of the shit they come up with is 😵

One benefit of getting a car is having a safe box to travel in while it rains.
 
ZHP for sure. I own a 2005 S2000 and I would say go for one because it's like nothing else on the road and the driving is sublime.. But yeah I'll admit they are expensive for what you think they should be worth.

The plus side of S2K ownership is of you take care of it you can sell down the road for probably no loss.
 
Denly said:
You will still be getting timing chain tensioner, cracked valve cover, leaky AC, cracked leather seat and other random issues.
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I have a modified 06 R53 Dinan MCS and the common problems on the R53 are front control arm bushings, leaking power steering lines and failed low speed radiator fan resistor. All easily taken care of and may have already been done on a used car or should be taken into consideration when pricing.

The 330 is probably going to be the more comfortable car to drive but the MCS will be a lot more fun in handling and is plenty fast. Before I got my R53 I was looking for an E39 M5 (had previously had an 01 540i) but found the R53 on the M5Board, did some research and ended up getting that instead.

Things you don't realize until you get a car this small; you don't really need all the space, weight and corresponding gas mileage penalty that comes with a larger car, it's easy to wash and work on (jacking up any corner of the car lifts that entire side which makes tire rotations easy).
 
Why did you get rid of the 540i? I was also looking at that car (I love the classic styling on that generation); as a bonus the 540i is fairly commonly found in manual.
 
IMO 330 ZHP is the nicest looking BMW made post 2000.....until this day.

It's the only BMW that give me that warm/fussy feeling when I see it........the feeling 80s/90s BMWs used to give me. I simply admire them and love them.

Rest, not so much. Not even a 2nd look or care.....bleh
 
Ns1 said:
Why did you get rid of the 540i? I was also looking at that car (I love the classic styling on that generation); as a bonus the 540i is fairly commonly found in manual.
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I had the 6-speed 540i M-sport on lease and had considered purchasing but at the time could probably have found an M5 for about the same price. That was about 6 years ago when decent E39 M5 prices were a little lower and gas prices were still high. I really liked the E39 but didn't need something that big and the mileage bothered me even though I didn't have much of a commute. If I was looking for a car that size I think that's what I'd be looking for.

I bought the MCS 4 years ago after deciding to try something different. Already had a turbo car, 92 Galant VR-4, and the wife has an 06 Murano. Wasn't ready to go to a 2-seat car so that ruled out a used MINI GP, Miata and S2000 and on the high end an Elise or Cayman.
 
Shit, is an older Miata a good stop-gap measure? I have 3 miatas in sep. tabs right now around the 4500-5500 range....ahhhhhhhhhh fucking car buying.
 
If you're not in a rush that's part of the fun. I looked around for almost a year before buying. Don't be afraid to pass up decent looking cars, after you look for a while you get a feel for what's really out there and what good car looks like. Explore the different car specific message boards and check out BaT auction history and comments. Lots of really good info there. http://bringatrailer.com/auctions/
 
!+ for Miata . Fun and don't cost much to maintain.

Ns1 said:
IMO RX-8 definitely not as fun as the Mini, but somehow it's cheaper than the Mini.

I hate mazda3's/mazda6's with a passion

I'm also eyeballing Miatas - they have the same "fun" factor and I looooooooooooove the shifter in that thing, but the older Miatas are so underpowered I'm not sure I could live with it.
Click to expand...
 
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