Student - Need all info
Joined: Aug 2012
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Its becoming clear a Miata is the car for you. You can get a good, reliable, presentable one within budget. Any mechanic can work on it, and it won't cost a lot to maintain it. It will get you the hip, unconventional, fun Doc image I'm imaging you are looking for (thougj admittedly, not as hip as if it were an S2000).
It won't be a theft magnet. The one thing it won't have is cachet. Its not a high end car. Its not going to 'vibrate', but its not going to have the effortless smoothness of a larger engined, more cylinders propelled vehicle. But that is not what a sportscar is all about.
If you want that smoothness, you want a GT (Grand Tourer, a type of car, performance oriented, but meant to effortlessly gobble miles at high speed), not a sportscar.
It won't be a theft magnet. The one thing it won't have is cachet. Its not a high end car. Its not going to 'vibrate', but its not going to have the effortless smoothness of a larger engined, more cylinders propelled vehicle. But that is not what a sportscar is all about.
If you want that smoothness, you want a GT (Grand Tourer, a type of car, performance oriented, but meant to effortlessly gobble miles at high speed), not a sportscar.
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 308
Likes: 34
From: La Grange, Illinois
You are studying to be a Doctor. I assume that means you planning on having good judgment skills. That comes with practice. Both in your private and professional life. Think about that for a bit.
An used Acura MDX may actually be the best choice. A used BMW X5 is another. The BMW will cost MUCH more per mile. However it will turn the virtually the same lap time on the Nurburgring as a M5. That comes from a conversation with Hans Stuck.
You need security and the ability to get where you are supposed to be when you are supposed to be there. You signed up to be the paid boy scout. Buy the proper equipment for the job. You do a good job over the next few years and you will have the spare time and cash for a fun tool. You are almost there. Patience grasshopper. The next five years will fly by. Don't have kids and they will go even faster.
An used Acura MDX may actually be the best choice. A used BMW X5 is another. The BMW will cost MUCH more per mile. However it will turn the virtually the same lap time on the Nurburgring as a M5. That comes from a conversation with Hans Stuck.
You need security and the ability to get where you are supposed to be when you are supposed to be there. You signed up to be the paid boy scout. Buy the proper equipment for the job. You do a good job over the next few years and you will have the spare time and cash for a fun tool. You are almost there. Patience grasshopper. The next five years will fly by. Don't have kids and they will go even faster.
Last edited by jeffreygebhart; Mar 14, 2017 at 07:49 AM.
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Did some research for both the Mazda MX-5 Miata & the BMW E46 M3.
I tried solving the issues I had about wanting both a convertible (for fun), hardtop (for them thieves), less vibrations for long trips/comfort for long trips.
I came up with some Mazda MX-5 Miata's that hard a convertible hard top which had around 80k miles on it going for $8k-$9k.
I found a really beautiful 2009 Mazda MX-5 Miata with a convertible hardtop with 56k miles for $13.5k (more but makes me think about re-sale value down the road).
Also came across only a few BMW E46 M3 which were fully manual transmission because most of them were all SMG's which I am not interested in buying at all.
Found one which is 2004, 85k miles with a convertible hardtop for 13.5k.
Most of these full manual transmission convertible hardtop 2004-2006 E46's were between 13.5k-16.5k & around 85k-100k miles.
What do you guys think?
Let's talk about these 2 for a bit and their re-sale value down the road (around 5yrs).
Jump to the $13000-$15000-ish range for a convertible hardtop BMW E46 with a better re-sale value maybe?
Stay around the affordable $8k range & get the convertible hardtop 2006 Miata's or spend an extra $5k?
if you do pick spending an extra $5k on top of the $8k range would you still go for a BMW E46 at that point?
Thanks!
I tried solving the issues I had about wanting both a convertible (for fun), hardtop (for them thieves), less vibrations for long trips/comfort for long trips.
I came up with some Mazda MX-5 Miata's that hard a convertible hard top which had around 80k miles on it going for $8k-$9k.
I found a really beautiful 2009 Mazda MX-5 Miata with a convertible hardtop with 56k miles for $13.5k (more but makes me think about re-sale value down the road).
Also came across only a few BMW E46 M3 which were fully manual transmission because most of them were all SMG's which I am not interested in buying at all.
Found one which is 2004, 85k miles with a convertible hardtop for 13.5k.
Most of these full manual transmission convertible hardtop 2004-2006 E46's were between 13.5k-16.5k & around 85k-100k miles.
What do you guys think?
Let's talk about these 2 for a bit and their re-sale value down the road (around 5yrs).
Jump to the $13000-$15000-ish range for a convertible hardtop BMW E46 with a better re-sale value maybe?
Stay around the affordable $8k range & get the convertible hardtop 2006 Miata's or spend an extra $5k?
if you do pick spending an extra $5k on top of the $8k range would you still go for a BMW E46 at that point?
Thanks!
Joined: Nov 2016
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Shotgun answer. No bmw under 20 grand will be cheap to drive. Maintenance and repair is usually in the thousands each year. Like 2000 and earlier corvettes. Somebody already ran the crap out of them. Holds true for most 5-10 year old cars.....especially sporty or fast cars.
Joined: Aug 2012
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Agreed. While m3 resale might be higher down the road, you will have spent waaaaay more than that on maintenance than any difference in resale by that time.
Get a Miata convertible hard top. Learn to drive stick. Learn to live with a small roadster. Get through school, and all your internship location transitions. Land someplace, then get an S2k or sportscar of choice.
Get a Miata convertible hard top. Learn to drive stick. Learn to live with a small roadster. Get through school, and all your internship location transitions. Land someplace, then get an S2k or sportscar of choice.
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Agreed. While m3 resale might be higher down the road, you will have spent waaaaay more than that on maintenance than any difference in resale by that time.
Get a Miata convertible hard top. Learn to drive stick. Learn to live with a small roadster. Get through school, and all your internship location transitions. Land someplace, then get an S2k or sportscar of choice.
Get a Miata convertible hard top. Learn to drive stick. Learn to live with a small roadster. Get through school, and all your internship location transitions. Land someplace, then get an S2k or sportscar of choice.
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Haha, do they really call them organ donors?
My family is STRONGLY against me buying a motorcycle to the point where they would yell at me for my entire life.
But every since I was in grade 8 and graduated I made my dad promise me that he'd gift me any motorcycle I want when I graduated uni & at this point..... for me it means passing Step 1.
I have loved motorcycles my entire life but hate the fact that I would completely be going against my families wishes if I got 1.
Yes, they are sadly dangerous.
My family is STRONGLY against me buying a motorcycle to the point where they would yell at me for my entire life.
But every since I was in grade 8 and graduated I made my dad promise me that he'd gift me any motorcycle I want when I graduated uni & at this point..... for me it means passing Step 1.
I have loved motorcycles my entire life but hate the fact that I would completely be going against my families wishes if I got 1.
Yes, they are sadly dangerous.