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It's almost the dead of Winter, so it must be roadster time.

S

Sluggo

Lifer
I'm middle aged, have some money and can't seem to lose any weight or grow any more hair, so obviously a convertible is the only viable answer. I still have a few bitcoins to spend, and hopefully the convertible price points will drop along with the average temperature.

For the most part I really would like to keep the purchase price at or below the $15,000 mark. That is what I can afford to spend for this purely leisure car. I can do most of the repair and maintenance myself, I know some parts prices will be higher, I have pretty much taken all of that into consideration.

Looking at the following, hoping to get opinions from owners, nagging issues I may not be aware of and suggestions on cars I may have missed.

Z3, preferably an M Roadster. Known issues of tearing the differential mount away from the trunk. Expensive repair.

Boxster, again prefer a Boxster S. Known issues of rear main seal causing IMS failure and expensive out of pocket repairs.

350Z Convertible, I have noticed several of these dropping to my price point. I have not studied reliability. They do look horrible with the top up.

S2000, again dropping to the 15K mark, seem to have Honda reliability.

C5 Corvette, they seem to be just above my price for a nice one.

For some reason a Miata or an Audi TT just doesn't seem to appeal to me.

There is also a possibility I may spend 5-7 thousand and just buy a Mustang GT convertible, or a late 60's/early 70s land yacht convertible, I still like those. 🙂
 
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Since you kicked the Miata right out the window, my next choice would be a Z4(e85).

This thread needs a pole!
 
RavenSEAL said:
Since you kicked the Miata right out the window, my next choice would be a Z4(e85).

This thread needs a pole!
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Honestly, if there was any kind of AutoX community here, I would love a Miata. I'm just not sure I would like one for my wants. Even if they don't seem a lot smaller than what I listed, they seem to me to be much smaller.

I like the Z3 styling much more than the Z4.
 
C5

Boxster maintenance is a bitch, parts are spendy ,and aftermarket is spendy.

Nothing wrong with a 2005+ Mustang GT.

I dislike the Z4 styling - I do love the Z4 M Coupe though!

S2000 is a great choice so long as you can live with the lack of Torque.

With your budget I'll throw out another two Roadsters- Chrysler Crossfire & Saturn Sky Red Line
 
What is your main objective with this convertible? Are you willing to entertain cars from another era?
 
I love the S2000. If you can swing it, that'd be my pick. After that, I'd pick a Z4. I agree with you; I actually like the Z3 styling a bit better.
 
SSSnail said:
What is your main objective with this convertible? Are you willing to entertain cars from another era?
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Pretty much a Sunday driver. Mainly it will probably sit in the garage and collect dust and rack up insurance costs while slowly draining its battery. I would be surprised if it gets 3000 miles a year put on it.


Yes, A nice TR6 or Datsun 1600 would be great. Those do tend to run towards more money for nice examples, and I don't want an overwhelming project car. I also don't want a maintenance nightmare or an unreliable POS that turns into more wrenching/frustration time than enjoyment time.
 
Well from your list, I guess you don't have a preference, so I'm just going to add something else you missed - Mercedes SLs (or SLKs). You might be able to find later model SL's for about what you're willing to spend.
 
SSSnail said:
Well from your list, I guess you don't have a preference, so I'm just going to add something else you missed - Mercedes SLs (or SLKs). You might be able to find later model SL's for about what you're willing to spend.
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Funny you should mention those, I have considered them. There is a decent 380SL http://www.thoroughbredmotors.com/v...cedes-Benz-380SL-Oklahoma-City-Oklahoma-73114 at a place I drive by at work on occasion. I'm a bit on the fence on those, if its a weekend car I would prefer a manual trans, but there are some cars that only come in automatic form. Still a nice ride though, I have no idea on reliability on those.

Also the US bumpers on some of those just kill me in the looks department. I know you can get euro bumpers for most cars but they almost always seem to run around $1000 for the conversion.

Or were you talking about the later models 4th generation? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_SL-Class
 
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If you're looking at those SL's, see if you can find ones from circa 1970's (even late '60s). Not much will go wrong with those (carb is a bit touchy). On the 4th gen, if you look hard enough you can probably find SL500 for not much more than what you budgeted.

Or, you can even look at SLK's. I haven't driven them, but Jeremy Clarkson drove one and he liked it 😛.

Edit: I still do like those 325i convertibles, too (E30). Something about them...

Edit2: dare I suggest E46 M3 convertible? hehe... hehe..he... :sneaky:
 
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What about an MGB? Classy, has a good following and user group like the Miata, but isn't so common like the Miata, so it's still pretty original. It's a legitimate classic, so your insurance won't be much, as long as you have a daily driver.

MGB.jpg
 
You should be able to find a Toyota MR2 Spyder with a 2ZZGE swap for (much) less than 15k, if you're interested in a MR platform.
 
slugg said:
What about an MGB? Classy, has a good following and user group like the Miata, but isn't so common like the Miata, so it's still pretty original. It's a legitimate classic, so your insurance won't be much, as long as you have a daily driver.

MGB.jpg
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I would also consider a triumph tr6 or spitfire if you're going to go the brit route.
 
I like Z3 styling over Z4 too. From your list I would lean towards Z3M. It's rare I see one on the road and I always liked the styling. It is bit cramped inside but I think it would be a fun car to drive and own.
 
Are you guys talking about the latest interation of the Z4 looking worse than a Z3? Are you mad? And by mad I mean WTF?! Also, the Z3 is more bland than bland in the interior.
 
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rh71 said:
Are you guys talking about the latest interation of the Z4 looking worse than a Z3? Are you mad? And by mad I mean WTF?! Also, the Z3 is more bland than bland in the interior.
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I can only speak for myself, I am talking about the 1st gen Z4, the newer ones are the best looking of the Z series, but well out of my price range.
 
Sluggo said:
I'm middle aged, have some money and can't seem to lose any weight or grow any more hair, so obviously a convertible is the only viable answer. I still have a few bitcoins to spend, and hopefully the convertible price points will drop along with the average temperature.
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Love your intro paragraph!

I wouldn't mind a Mustang GT convertible.
 
I wouldnt worry about the IMS and Rear main seal issues with Porsches if you can find one that has been regularly maintained. The actual amount of engines that failed are in line with the Honda transmission failures or audi 1.8 head gasket issues and the like.

Cost of maintenance is about the same as any 3 series or in your case Z3 or 4. The 350z I would put in a different class than the z3 or boxster. If you want agile handling I would look at the boxster or the z3.

I am middle aged as well and chuckled at your post as well.

Of your the cars in your list how many have you driven and experienced?

Sadly most Boxsters don't do very well in test drives I have found. M96 engines in general run really bad if you operate them intermittently and conversely wake up quite a bit once driven and maintained properly.

Really a first gen Boxster S is right at your price point.

oh whatever you buy get a PPI
 
i'd love to get a 2001-2002 M roadster. those were the years that the car came with the S54 engine with 315 HP! unfortunately only 1600 were made in the US. i can never seem to find one that is under $20K.

but if you get lucky and find one for a good price, jump on it.
 
manimal said:
Of your the cars in your list how many have you driven and experienced?
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As of yet, none, and that is a big concern of mine. I know some of these are pretty cozy inside. I am pretty large guy (short & stocky, not tall), and my DD is a full size pickup. I'm afraid I may find all of them horribly uncomfortable.
 
rh71 said:
Are you guys talking about the latest interation of the Z4 looking worse than a Z3? Are you mad? And by mad I mean WTF?! Also, the Z3 is more bland than bland in the interior.
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The latest iteration looks better but the OP is looking for cars in the $15k range. The latest Z4 costs upwards of $60k with a few options... which is absolutely ridiculous for that car IMO.

I've driven the M Roadster (Z3 version) and it is a fun little car. Not quite as much fun as a Lotus Elise but then nothing is that much fun... well, except sex of course. 😉

I like the TR-6 suggestion too. They are fantastic and timeless cars. I've had the good fortune to have driven a well sorted original 1971 TR-6 a few times and it is just a pure driver's car.
 
2005+ Boxster S > Z4M Roadster > 2004+ S2000 > 2000-2003 S2000 > Z3 M Roadster > Mazdaspeed Miata > base Boxster > NC Miata > Z4 with 3.0L > Any other miata


I don't think the TT is a true roadster, nor is a Z Convertible.

anybody else agree?
 
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