I'm never buying another car...the S2000 has ruined me!
01-03-2012, 01:21 PM
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I'm never buying another car...the S2000 has ruined me!
It's been months now since I sold my '04 Suzuka. Gave it up to get a more "practical" car since I have wife and 2 kids. When I had it, the S2000 would just languish in the garage until weekends or track day. I would always find excuses to run a weekend errand or leave the house very early in the morning to drive. As my wife put it, I would choose the car over my family. 
So for now, I'm driving a company car...'08 Camry (it basically sucks, but it's hella practical). Ever since selling the S, I've been trying to find another car that would work for me. At first I was going to replace the S2000 with a Lotus Elise SC or Boxster S or something small and sporty, but my wife would still kick my arse for taking up garage space and never driving my precious sports car, especially since I take the kids to school everyday. So for now, 4 doors is my main requirement.
Problem is this...every time I think of something that would work, this little S2000 apparition starts floating above my shoulder and whispering things like, "you won't have as much fun in it as you did with me" or it'll say, "how much more is it going to take to maintain that car than me". Sometimes it says, "decent choice, but the purchase price is almost 3X what you paid for me". It even says, "that car is for douches!".
Imagine my dismay. I'm looking in the "not above $32K" price range, and there are a lot of options.
Thus far I've considered:
E55/E63 AMG - gas guzzler waay too much to maintain, although the E63 is more reliable. After initial buzz, I'll cry at the pump.
E550 - serious option, costly to maintain, but serious option
E90 M3 sedan - serious option, more costly service
335i - very much has my attention. Right now, this seems like the best middle ground. Rear legroom is very tight.
535i - probably more sensible choice, but doesn't handle that great for what I want.
...as you can see, I'm leaning toward the Germans. Either that, or driving this Camry until I get 300k miles on the odo.
So for now, I'm driving a company car...'08 Camry (it basically sucks, but it's hella practical). Ever since selling the S, I've been trying to find another car that would work for me. At first I was going to replace the S2000 with a Lotus Elise SC or Boxster S or something small and sporty, but my wife would still kick my arse for taking up garage space and never driving my precious sports car, especially since I take the kids to school everyday. So for now, 4 doors is my main requirement.
Problem is this...every time I think of something that would work, this little S2000 apparition starts floating above my shoulder and whispering things like, "you won't have as much fun in it as you did with me" or it'll say, "how much more is it going to take to maintain that car than me". Sometimes it says, "decent choice, but the purchase price is almost 3X what you paid for me". It even says, "that car is for douches!".
Imagine my dismay. I'm looking in the "not above $32K" price range, and there are a lot of options.
Thus far I've considered:
E55/E63 AMG - gas guzzler waay too much to maintain, although the E63 is more reliable. After initial buzz, I'll cry at the pump.
E550 - serious option, costly to maintain, but serious option
E90 M3 sedan - serious option, more costly service
335i - very much has my attention. Right now, this seems like the best middle ground. Rear legroom is very tight.
535i - probably more sensible choice, but doesn't handle that great for what I want.
...as you can see, I'm leaning toward the Germans. Either that, or driving this Camry until I get 300k miles on the odo.
01-03-2012, 01:26 PM
#2
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It really sounds like you need a ONE seat sports car so you can leave the nagging wife at home. 
If you get a four door, are you going to take the whole family with you on an early drive or errand? I don't see why you wouldn't just get a 2-seater since the Camry is perfectly servicable as a car that can take kids to school, do family stuff, etc. Otherwise, you're spending up to $30k on a four door car to be more sporty but do the same things as your free company car? That doesn't make sense to me at least.
I'd almost say just get a cheap used Miata or older S, save $20k, have a fun car that you can share with your kids when they get older. Maybe get an old Jag XJS/XK8 - seats 4, big engine, cheap to buy, and you can spend your savings on maintenance.
If you get a four door, are you going to take the whole family with you on an early drive or errand? I don't see why you wouldn't just get a 2-seater since the Camry is perfectly servicable as a car that can take kids to school, do family stuff, etc. Otherwise, you're spending up to $30k on a four door car to be more sporty but do the same things as your free company car? That doesn't make sense to me at least.
I'd almost say just get a cheap used Miata or older S, save $20k, have a fun car that you can share with your kids when they get older. Maybe get an old Jag XJS/XK8 - seats 4, big engine, cheap to buy, and you can spend your savings on maintenance
.
01-03-2012, 01:43 PM
#3
Smart thing would be the camry.
The irresponsible thing would be the e90 M3. It's like the S2000, low engine torque and you have to drive it to get the full potential out of it.
Not that the 400+ HP wouldn't get it going.
The irresponsible thing would be the e90 M3. It's like the S2000, low engine torque and you have to drive it to get the full potential out of it.
Not that the 400+ HP wouldn't get it going.
01-03-2012, 01:46 PM
#4
I'm in a very similar position as you, no more S, have a free car to use, want to get another car, difference though is that I'm too cheap. In the end, at my stage in life, it's really hard for me to justify buying a pleasure car. I mean, if I needed a car, I can justify spending the extra to get what I want. But I would need to justify the entire purchase price of my next car, along with all the ownership costs, and I'm just having a hard time jumping over tha hurdle (and I really shouldn't).
But after test driving a boatload of cars and such these past couple of year, the S is really hard to replace for it's fun to dollar value, so I get what you're saying. That said, I know a couple of cars I'd buy in a heartbeat in the right situation.
But after test driving a boatload of cars and such these past couple of year, the S is really hard to replace for it's fun to dollar value, so I get what you're saying. That said, I know a couple of cars I'd buy in a heartbeat in the right situation.
01-03-2012, 03:07 PM
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If you get a four door, are you going to take the whole family with you on an early drive or errand? I don't see why you wouldn't just get a 2-seater since the Camry is perfectly servicable as a car that can take kids to school, do family stuff, etc. Otherwise, you're spending up to $30k on a four door car to be more sporty but do the same things as your free company car? That doesn't make sense to me at least.
I'd almost say just get a cheap used Miata or older S, save $20k, have a fun car that you can share with your kids when they get older. Maybe get an old Jag XJS/XK8 - seats 4, big engine, cheap to buy, and you can spend your savings on maintenance.
I'd almost say just get a cheap used Miata or older S, save $20k, have a fun car that you can share with your kids when they get older. Maybe get an old Jag XJS/XK8 - seats 4, big engine, cheap to buy, and you can spend your savings on maintenance
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01-03-2012, 03:09 PM
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I'm in a very similar position as you, no more S, have a free car to use, want to get another car, difference though is that I'm too cheap. In the end, at my stage in life, it's really hard for me to justify buying a pleasure car. I mean, if I needed a car, I can justify spending the extra to get what I want. But I would need to justify the entire purchase price of my next car, along with all the ownership costs, and I'm just having a hard time jumping over tha hurdle (and I really shouldn't).
But after test driving a boatload of cars and such these past couple of year, the S is really hard to replace for it's fun to dollar value, so I get what you're saying. That said, I know a couple of cars I'd buy in a heartbeat in the right situation.
But after test driving a boatload of cars and such these past couple of year, the S is really hard to replace for it's fun to dollar value, so I get what you're saying. That said, I know a couple of cars I'd buy in a heartbeat in the right situation.
My heart says yes to new car, but my frugality keeps b*tch slapping me back to reality!
01-03-2012, 07:53 PM
#9
I had a 4 1/2year break between my 2nd and 3rd S2000's, and have the same perspective. It's not the fastest car around, but it's hard to beat the combination of fun, reliability, ease of maint., and relatively low cost. I don't really like it much for daily use, but it's a blast when I use my car as a toy. Of your listed options, the E90 M3 will provide the most S2000-like experience.
01-03-2012, 08:57 PM
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I'm in a very similar position as you, no more S, have a free car to use, want to get another car, difference though is that I'm too cheap. In the end, at my stage in life, it's really hard for me to justify buying a pleasure car. I mean, if I needed a car, I can justify spending the extra to get what I want. But I would need to justify the entire purchase price of my next car, along with all the ownership costs, and I'm just having a hard time jumping over tha hurdle (and I really shouldn't).
But after test driving a boatload of cars and such these past couple of year, the S is really hard to replace for it's fun to dollar value, so I get what you're saying. That said, I know a couple of cars I'd buy in a heartbeat in the right situation.
But after test driving a boatload of cars and such these past couple of year, the S is really hard to replace for it's fun to dollar value, so I get what you're saying. That said, I know a couple of cars I'd buy in a heartbeat in the right situation.
My 'enjoyable'-tier car is reimbursed, so I'm taking the break-even route, instead of shelling out a small marginal amount for upgrade to the 'very-fun'-tier. It's just that nothing ticks all the right boxes to break my compulsive nitpickiness. The M3 drinks fuel at unreasonable supercar level. S4 looks a tad too sedate. TT-RS lacks the keyless entry gadgetry of the Audi 4 line. Golf R should have had 2.5L instead of essentially a chipped GTI 2.0 motor.
If only BMW made 335i or 335d in 6-sp avant form, or S4 in RS-clothing... that would make it an easy sell!