Advice on non-miatas
#41
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I don't specifically dislike the looks of the newer Sixes. I'm just not particularly enamored with BMW in general for some reason. The more I look at that picture, the more it grows on me, though... What year is that?
It's funny that you mention the 930. That's another car which I find absolutely beautiful to look at, yet absolutely horrid to drive.
Wait. A Boxster is f4ggotry, but a Caymen is cool? I has a confused.
Besides, they cost more than 911s at the moment.
I absolutely love the 308, but like the Muira it's a 30-40 year old Italian car. Great for posters in teenage boy's bedrooms, but I can't imagine May or Clarkson making it to the end of a challenge in one.
If it's not too much trouble, could you please go die in a fire?
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#43
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Well if you like small cars and want something nice
Infinity M45 or Q45-styling might be bland but the have a nice V8/RWD and the handling/reliability seems to be ok. G35/37 nice care but bland for me.
Lexus IS300 good luck finding one in really good shape but they are pretty nice an older GS400 could be made to look nice and has some grunt.
Hell, executive type ladies around here all want a Range Rover.
Infinity M45 or Q45-styling might be bland but the have a nice V8/RWD and the handling/reliability seems to be ok. G35/37 nice care but bland for me.
Lexus IS300 good luck finding one in really good shape but they are pretty nice an older GS400 could be made to look nice and has some grunt.
Hell, executive type ladies around here all want a Range Rover.
#44
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Having seen a couple of deloreans in person and helping work on one, I can say they seem like huge pieces of ****. Having gone for a ride in one, I can say they are slower than ****. There is something that tickles your wee-wee every time you open the door and slide into the seat though. I'd own one for sure.
Besides, doesn't a 2JZ fit in there? That would certainly fix the slow problem.
Oh, this was about getting chicks. Thats not gonna happen in a DeLorean.
And who says that the ladies dont like miatas? They always complement me and want to go for rides with the top down. And having one with a turbo and 3" exhaust makes their panties wet for sure. I also think that they use the inverse logic of "big trucks mean small weeners" so driving such a faggy little car must mean that you're packin for sure.
Besides, doesn't a 2JZ fit in there? That would certainly fix the slow problem.
Oh, this was about getting chicks. Thats not gonna happen in a DeLorean.
And who says that the ladies dont like miatas? They always complement me and want to go for rides with the top down. And having one with a turbo and 3" exhaust makes their panties wet for sure. I also think that they use the inverse logic of "big trucks mean small weeners" so driving such a faggy little car must mean that you're packin for sure.
#45
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https://www.google.com/search?q=bmw+...=1920&bih=1109
They're the "shark nose" BMWs:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/4860010...1583/lightbox/
#47
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If you're going to get a second car, you might as well make it something practical that isn't solely going to be useful for attracting someone.
4 door luxury sedan with folding rear seats is pretty utilitarian, while still maintaining the desired aura. IMO, no point in getting a second car that won't get you any more functionality than you already have.
Personally, I have a 98 A4 and the miata, and it's a pretty workable combination. The only better combination I can think of is a miata and a crew cab truck, but that's probably not what you're looking for.
4 door luxury sedan with folding rear seats is pretty utilitarian, while still maintaining the desired aura. IMO, no point in getting a second car that won't get you any more functionality than you already have.
Personally, I have a 98 A4 and the miata, and it's a pretty workable combination. The only better combination I can think of is a miata and a crew cab truck, but that's probably not what you're looking for.
#48
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Porsche 911 Carrera
#50
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I have a solution!
Porsche Speedster Replica. It's basically a miata that gets punani. Bonus geek points if you purchase it in more than 5 pieces.
![](http://classiccarsplus.net/thecars/1956%20PORSCHE/IMG_0069.JPG)
this selection earns double bonus points because you can base it on your first love. VW Beetle underpinnings.
Porsche Speedster Replica. It's basically a miata that gets punani. Bonus geek points if you purchase it in more than 5 pieces.
this selection earns double bonus points because you can base it on your first love. VW Beetle underpinnings.
#52
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Damn you for planting this idea in my head...
The 996/997 911s are definitely at the fore of my mind, right beside a silver SLK. I like the styling of both, and they're both convertibles. The 911 has always intrigued me in the way that it seems to defy both physics and reason by actually handing well, and I must admit that the retractable hard-top of the SLK appeals to me. It does kill some trunk space, but a co-worker of mine has one (well, it's his wife's, but they're separated and somehow he wound up with it) and it's quite nice. I'd probably offer to buy it from him if it weren't bright yellow.
Really?
I've never really looked all that hard at Saab. I've always associated the brand with "I am a tenured professor of history at a small, private university. Do you think that this tweed blazer goes well with this mahogany pipe?"
Yeah, specifically the underpinnings of a pre-1969 Beetle featuring the horrid torsion-bar and swing-axle rear suspension in which camber changes as the body rolls.
(Why Thunder Ranch has never made an IRS version of that car with support for A-arm suspension is beyond me...)
I appreciate the thought, but no. I'm quite well aware of all of the various 356 / 550 replicas on the market, and I do not want one.
The 996/997 911s are definitely at the fore of my mind, right beside a silver SLK. I like the styling of both, and they're both convertibles. The 911 has always intrigued me in the way that it seems to defy both physics and reason by actually handing well, and I must admit that the retractable hard-top of the SLK appeals to me. It does kill some trunk space, but a co-worker of mine has one (well, it's his wife's, but they're separated and somehow he wound up with it) and it's quite nice. I'd probably offer to buy it from him if it weren't bright yellow.
Really?
I've never really looked all that hard at Saab. I've always associated the brand with "I am a tenured professor of history at a small, private university. Do you think that this tweed blazer goes well with this mahogany pipe?"
(Why Thunder Ranch has never made an IRS version of that car with support for A-arm suspension is beyond me...)
I appreciate the thought, but no. I'm quite well aware of all of the various 356 / 550 replicas on the market, and I do not want one.
Last edited by Joe Perez; 11-20-2011 at 12:31 PM.
#54
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Well, that's sort of my thinking concerning the XJS. It's an unbelievably gorgeous car, and while running examples can be found at reasonable prices, finding one that doesn't look and run like a 30 year old car is getting tricky. I already have one restoration project in the garage right now, not looking for another.
#55
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So spend the money and have a reputable shop do one of these kits for you:
http://www.jaguarspecialties.com/XJ6C-P1.asp
http://www.jaguarspecialties.com/XJ6C-P1.asp
#56
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I bought a silver SLK320 for my wife (women seem to love these cars) about 3 years ago and it's been a great car. In many ways I like it better than my Miata, especially if it was a car that I would be driving every day. Things like the power retractable hardtop, build quality, trunk space (when the top is up) and the engine (somewhat powerful yet refined and smooth). A few things that I don't like about the car is the amount of cowl shake over big bumps, understeer at the limits and the amount of hate it draws from Miata owners (I've never understood this one). Overall it's proved to be very reliable and has been relatively cheap to maintain. I've even managed to do a few track days in it when my Miata was broken. Lately I've even been using it as a daily driver while the Porsche goes under the knife. The only thing I would probably do different next time would be to take a closer look at the SLK32 AMG and drive both before making my decision.
#57
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Italian muscle for $20k+:
2002 Maserati Coupe 6-spd:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Maser...ht_4233wt_1165
Convertible:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Maser...t_51448wt_1165
![](http://media.ed.edmunds-media.com/pictures/VEHICLE/2002/Maserati/100075050/2002.maserati.spyder.6824-E.jpg)
Coupe:
![](https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CW0Bk2RjM9M/TcquWHNuKMI/AAAAAAAAAC8/dmrdhbsYpbE/s1600/6.jpg)
If you get one, get a 6-spd and the "skyhook" semi-active suspension.
2002 Maserati Coupe 6-spd:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Maser...ht_4233wt_1165
Convertible:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Maser...t_51448wt_1165
![](http://media.ed.edmunds-media.com/pictures/VEHICLE/2002/Maserati/100075050/2002.maserati.spyder.6824-E.jpg)
Coupe:
![](https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CW0Bk2RjM9M/TcquWHNuKMI/AAAAAAAAAC8/dmrdhbsYpbE/s1600/6.jpg)
If you get one, get a 6-spd and the "skyhook" semi-active suspension.
#59
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So spend the money and have a reputable shop do one of these kits for you:
http://www.jaguarspecialties.com/XJ6C-P1.asp
http://www.jaguarspecialties.com/XJ6C-P1.asp
I'd love to own an AMG55, but that's probably a tad more money than I'd be willing to spend. The AMG32 looks nice, though they're fairly rare and from what I've seen, their owners tend to have a rather optimistic opinion of their value in the secondary market.
You know what's really interesting? This whole process has been quite a learning experience for me in terms of my perceptions of what constitutes "expensive" in the common vernacular.
I've always owned cheap cars. Granted, my current '90 is the cheapest I've ever had, but in general, I've just never seen the point in spending money on things I don't have to. I suppose I'm one of those people to whom another might say "You have a bunch of money, why are you driving an old car and living in a crappy apartment?" to which my retort would be "I have a bunch of money because I have always lived in crappy apartments and driven old cars."
So here I am lamenting whether to spend $20k vs. $30k on a nice status car, and it occurs to me "Wait, I think I've heard of people paying this kind of money for Toyotas and Kias." So I do a little Googling, and sure as hell, people actually seem to be paying $20-$30k for brand new Camrys and Kia SUVs and 4Runners every day, and they're taking out loans to do it. I'm not going to hijack my own thread about it, but that just really surprised the hell out of me. I honestly had no idea that new "average" cars were so expensive.
I mean, I understand that, from a macroeconomic standpoint, it was necessary for someone to pay $20k (adjusted) for an A-package Miata a bit over two decades ago in order to set into motion the chain of events which resulted in my buying that exact same car for $800 last year. If there were no new cars, then there could be no used cars. I get it. And that, in and of itself, sets off a whole existential chain of thought along the lines of "Gee, I wonder what things this car has experienced over the past 22 years. What places it must have gone, what people must have driven it..."
What I don't get is the thought process which goes on inside the brain of an otherwise sane and reasonable person which convinces them that it's perfectly acceptable to pay $25,000 for a Honda Accord with a couple of options when, for the exact same money (or less) they could be driving a 911 or a 5-series BMW or whatever high-end German car happens to fit their lifestyle need.
I'm dead serious. This is the kind of thing that keeps me up at night.
Ok, that's enough of that.
It's funny- I can specifically remember recommending a Maserati Coupe several months ago in somebody's "what reliable DD should I buy" thread, and being told (and I'm paraphrasing here) that I was an idiot.
I'd more or less forgotten about them in the time since, but you're right, those are some very nice vehicles.
I looked at Astons, and unfortunately, there's not much in the way of offering around here. Those which are on the market seem to be fetching $30+, and for that money, I'll take a 911 or an AMG Mercedes, thank you very much.
#60
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I've come to the conclusion that people simply don't give a ****.
The amount of time put into sitting down, doing homework, putting together a game plan and a list of wants/needs is about 5-10 minutes on average.
They walk into the stealership, get a good pitch thrown at them, and say "**** it".....
You, me, and a few others on here are the 1%
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