time for a new ride
looking for the most baller per dollar.

current options:
e9x if I could find a manual 330 sedan with nav and good colors, I'd probly get this
e9x 335i - very hard to find with the options I want
e9x m3
e60 m5
porsche cayman s
2002+ 911
c6 z06
insane deal on a gt-r
...
evo MR


yes, one of these is not like the other.

looking to stay at 30-35k but would splurge to ~42k if I could find a gt-r or mint c6 z06. I'm mainly looking for something very easy to deal with daily that I could do a handful of car track events with per year. most of my events will be on 2 wheels but there are some cold months where I go through withdrawl and flying planes ended up being expensive as fuck. I'm partial to a sequential or dual clutch gearbox, which is why the new evo MR is on there.

I have no desire to fuck with fixing anything that takes more than a couple hours, so no rigged up shit. I don't even like changing oil on my bikes.

I have a big diesel truck for all utility/practical purposes.

what shit am I forgetting? what's a good dealer to let me go beat the shit out of his cars?

3/26/2012 8:09:13 PM

you really think you could find a good c6 z06 for that price range?

3/26/2012 8:31:35 PM

z06 and GT-R aren't going to happen at that price.

Scratch the 330i out, not on the same perf. level or driving fun. Remove e60 M5, cause let's face it, if BMW MSJ, that'd be it.

I vote e90 M3, failing that the 911 and the Cayman S make good choices, a chipped 335i wouldn't be bad either but I'd go M3 or skip BMW for your purposes.

3/26/2012 10:26:24 PM

Quote :

"you really think you could find a good c6 z06 for that price range?"

I've seen a a few '06 Z06s available in the low $40k now.

3/26/2012 10:41:13 PM

do not discount the price of good tires for these performance cars

they don't last long



that being said, I'd look at 911's

3/27/2012 12:17:48 AM

Quote :

"would splurge to ~42k if I could find a gt-r"

lol, good luck finding one. I've been searching for one at around $50k for the past few months.

3/27/2012 1:08:07 AM

911: Just FYI. I had the biggest itch for 911TT for longest time until I drove one few weeks ago. Didn't care how it drove and having no weight over front felt weird. I drove couple of N/A 911 before that and felt the same. At first I thought the cars are just not setup right or just too used? What I'm saying is make sure you actually test drive the cars you are considering. It helped me completely scratch 911 off my list permanently. It is nice knowing exactly what you want - in my case E9x M3.

335: fast and balanced, but you WILL be annoyed having one wheel drive car with 400+ ft.lb (if you get software). Car needs limited slip before any software. Also, between software and LSD you are looking at $3000.

C6: big boat with lots of power and expensive tires.

E60 M5: since you said you are considering dual clutch trannys i am assuming you would get SMG M5. scratch that off the list. it sucks.

can't speak for the rest.

3/27/2012 1:31:33 AM

Quote :

"C6: big boat with lots of power and expensive tires. "

Big Boat? Its one of the lightest cars from the list he gave Also the highest performing.

If you can barely stretch your budget to 42k for a GTR, that means you can't afford to maintain one.

I say check out a 911 and Cayman S. They're amazing cars and while ^he didn't like the 911 doesn't mean you won't.

[Edited on March 27, 2012 at 8:10 AM. Reason : k]

3/27/2012 8:09:06 AM

the mid/rear engine car I've even driven was gronke's mr2 and I really liked not having weight in the front. it snapped with whatever my steering inputs were, faster than anything else.

as far as the gt-r goes, most of the ones I see are for sale with <10k miles. I ASSumed they had the same nissan 36k warranty as the rest of the line

3/27/2012 8:46:35 AM

^exactly. There's a reason Porsches are known for steering feel. You can also get on the power much earlier on corner exit, as Ahmet has demonstrated to me many times. The Cayman also has a ridiculously low center of gravity that, coupled with the mid-engine design give it amazing neutrality through turns.

GTRs might have 36k mile warranty but it's that only a 36 month warranty (I think) so you wouldn't have much time, if any, left on it.

3/27/2012 8:58:11 AM

fuck a gt-r

NMSJ


get a true manual

3/27/2012 10:05:20 AM

FYR does come in manual now I think

3/27/2012 10:13:38 AM

I"m not sure what FYR means but no the GTR does not

3/27/2012 10:15:35 AM

if I win the lottery, I will buy a gt-r just to beat the shit out of it in rally

and as soon as it breaks, and it will break, i'll blow it up with dynamite

3/27/2012 10:35:34 AM

Quote :

"Big Boat? Its one of the lightest cars from the list he gave Also the highest performing. "

big boat in term of SIZE. horrble visibility. have you driven one?

911 are great cars, but not for everyone. that was the point of my story. he should drive it before making decisions. i happened to not like having unbalanced chassis with 60% of the weight in the back, even though it performs better than balanced chassis.

[Edited on March 27, 2012 at 1:36 PM. Reason : f]

3/27/2012 1:34:37 PM

Quote :

"if I win the lottery, I will buy a gt-r just to beat the shit out of it in rally and as soon as it breaks, and it will break, i'll blow it up with dynamite "

I concur. I got annoyed with Nissan and GT-R after they put that clause that warranty is voided if you track the car. Didn't they used to check the "black box" to see if car was revved or tracked? I remember it was something ridiculous. Then the missing third pedal....list goes on. Have no desire to own one.

3/27/2012 1:43:39 PM

Quote :

"Have no desire to own one."

but really just cant own one.

3/27/2012 2:16:26 PM

yes, that too

3/27/2012 4:42:42 PM

Quote :

"and as soon as it breaks, and it will break, i'll blow it up with dynamite"

is there a sports car that wouldn't break?

3/27/2012 7:36:44 PM

surely there are other cars in this bracket/niche I can look at

3/27/2012 8:08:03 PM

Quote :

"big boat in term of SIZE"

Shorter than a 911...

3/27/2012 11:27:00 PM

997 is like 93" wheel base
C6 is 106"

that's over a foot of difference.

3/27/2012 11:47:29 PM

Quote :

"big boat in term of SIZE. horrble visibility. have you driven one?"

you probably think because i'm quoting you i'm going to be a douche in some manner....

but i completely agree... i don't know if it's the size or the driving position or what.

I realize that z06s are fantastic bargans and great track cars but if not at or near the limit on a high speed track with little to no hair-pins the thing feels like a friggin barge

basically i agree with 1in1.0

3/28/2012 12:03:54 AM

^i only drove regular C6, so i can't speak for Z06, but assume it would be just faster and lighter version of C6? for me it was the car clumsiness. seat was not supportive, steering felt too disconnected and i had no clue where car corners were pointing during turning? i did like brakes, power and grip. it's a great car, just not for everyone.

3/28/2012 2:40:26 AM

Quote :

"seat was not supportive, steering felt too disconnected"

These seem like the big common gripes and they do detract from the car. He should still check it out though.

Also what does wheelbase have to do with the overall length of the car, which is usually what people refer to when they're talking about...how big the car is.

3/28/2012 8:39:35 AM

^do i really need to explain to you why a car with 1 foot longer wheelbase would make the car feel like a boat when you are turning or changing directions?

3/28/2012 12:47:50 PM

so your argument is pretty meaningless. how bout more cars to look at

3/28/2012 1:44:22 PM

Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG
Viper GTS
BMW Z4 M Coupe

3/28/2012 2:59:04 PM

ya know, I looked at the z4m but it's heavy as fuck, almost as heavy as my 540. I was appalled. it appears that the c63 doesn't come in anything other than an automatic, so out of the running. and a viper.. for real? not interested in that garbage. keep em coming though.

3/28/2012 3:18:26 PM

Yeah I mean you already listed the obvious choices as well as the ones I would go for, so there's not a lot left, lol.

Also, the M Coupe weighs like 3230lbs...I mean its not that heavy. And it is downright lightweight compared to the current Z4

[Edited on March 28, 2012 at 3:40 PM. Reason : d]

3/28/2012 3:37:22 PM

hmm, I must have looked up the wrong car. I got something like 3480lbs back. I will look back into a z4m then

3/28/2012 4:58:29 PM

CTS-V? Those were/are available with a manual, right?

3/28/2012 5:27:21 PM

oh, yeah I'm looking for one, meant to put it right after c6 z06. very difficult to come by used

3/28/2012 6:06:19 PM

they didn't have a manual until last year, did they?

3/28/2012 6:16:07 PM

maybe that's why they're hard to find
I know the LS1/LS2 variant had a 6spd option. the new ones might not

3/28/2012 6:36:55 PM

get a honda 2000 with a spoon engine and motec system exhaust

3/28/2012 6:49:05 PM

what sort of features are you looking for in an e90 335 that you can't find?

3/28/2012 7:30:13 PM

I want a sedan in white or gray with saddle/cinnamon leather (would settle for tan in a white car, dove gray in a gray car), nav, bluetooth, 6spd, mtech body kit, and not those horrendous wheels that come by default on most sedans. the maybe 2 I've found with those options generally cost the same as an m3, making them not worthwhile. I'd also want a CPO warranty with a 335

[Edited on March 28, 2012 at 8:23 PM. Reason : hell, i'd take those options in a plain old 330 or 328 if the price was right <15k]

3/28/2012 8:13:35 PM

I'm pretty sure the newer model CTS-V has been available with the 6sp manual since it's inception.

Quote :

"hmm, I must have looked up the wrong car. I got something like 3480lbs back. I will look back into a z4m then "

Good deal. Fair warning though: they're rare as hell.

3/28/2012 11:29:24 PM

2009 cts-v, supercharged 556 hp


http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?endYear=2011&zip=27606&keywords=cts-v&photosOnly=true&listingType=used&engineCode=8+Cylinder&keywordsfyc=cts-v&transmissionCode=MAN&maxPrice=45000&modelCode1=CTS&sortBy=derivedpriceASC&makeCode1=CAD&startYear=2007&searchRadius=500&minPrice=12000&listingId=304611516&Log=0






a few 2007's not too far away

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/searchresults.xhtml?zip=27606&endYear=2011&keywords=cts-v&photosOnly=true&listingType=used&engineCode=8+Cylinder&transmissionCode=MAN&maxPrice=45000&modelCode1=CTS&sortBy=derivedpriceASC&makeCode1=CAD&startYear=2007&numRecords=25&searchRadius=500&minPrice=12000&Log=0

3/29/2012 2:18:38 AM

yeah, I'd wanted one with the new supercharged motor but that's a lotta loot, even outside the 42k range. the personal value just isn't there to me at that price point like it would be with say a gt-r

3/29/2012 3:53:11 AM