so... keep the BRZ + supercharger (cosworth), coilovers (ohlins), brakes (ap racing) (basically spend around $15k more) or trade it in for the a very basic (sub $60k) Alfa romeo 4c? Other options i thought of were the boxster spyder or an NSX... is it obvious I want a mid-engined car? lol. I guess what I don't want is, dropping a whole bunch of cash in the BRZ only to find out I want something else. After having driven my friend`s 91 NSX, I`m never quite satisfied with the steering feel/seating position in the BRZ. the only merit the BRZ has is that, for less than $40k (after all the money I spend) I can have a car that weighs close to 2800lbs or less, with at least 280 crank hp AND lots of comfort features like HID headlights, keyless entry/start, heated seats, yada yada.
i love the NSX. i borrowed a '98 type 0 for a few months and I loved it. I drove it to Miami (straight no stops) and back a few times and ride was comfortable with no back pains whatsoever. Good trunk space for being a 2-seater but no A/C and no rear seat was a big turn off. You can buy a 94 US model for $15K with 60,000 miles give or take.
If you're not comfortable in a car, why would you spend more money on it? Go test drive some stuff and find that comfort zone. I'll say, please don't shoot, but I drove the 2015 Mustang GT Premium on Saturday and found it hard to walk away. I'm looking for a new car now, also. You need to find that comfort zone so you can drive the car for 5+ without regret. I'm leaning toward an M3 (E90) that's lightly used over the Mustang. But I'm looking RWD AND power, so no BRZ for me.
If you buy a mustang... you'll be in STU with us... :wavey: Buy a car you love. If you dont love it anymore... you shouldnt spend money on it.
If you are thinking 5+ years get the Mustang. The M3 is NOT a cheap car to maintain and it will cost you dearly if you ever need to fix anything.
I went and sat in the Alfa and also found a bit more about "the pricing". the stealership`s excuse is that there`s only getting 1500 units, so the launch edition (first 500) is going to be $100k, and the base model will "start" at $75k I know the whole point of this car is to be lightweight and basic, but I can also get a used Audi R8 at that price for crying out loud... oh and the seat was at it`s lowest position (can be adjusted manually at the stealership) and my 6'1" body just didnt fit in it... with a helmet i`m definitely not going to fit... leg room is excellent but my sight line is at half the windshield and half the roof which makes me feel super claustrophobic. but despite all that, if it really was around $60k out the door, it would still be a reasonable price. but at $75k without bi-xenons and $100k for the full shebang... I`ll keep the BRZ and the cosworth supercharger, and the Ohlins coilovers, and the AP brake kit, etc.
I disagree on the maintenance. Cost is just as much as every other car. Only expensive parts are ecm/pcm, bcm units etc. Aftermarket parts on the other hand is a different story. Id go with an m3 over all the original choices. I had a E36, E46, and E39. Loved my E36 out of them all. I test drove every single other model and chassis while i was a tech for United BMW. You can not go wrong.
Getting that car for that price was a pipe dream to begin with. Good luck on finding a NSX much less one in the right price range that is worth buying. Numbers are going down and value is going up. I have been watching those cars for over a decade. As usual...you sound like you have more questions than action. Drive your car and enjoy it. Wait until you are really making a serious amount of money before you start looking in the exotic range.
You guys are cray cray if you think maintaining a European car is the same as maintaining a Domestic/Japanese car.
You know this when the dealership has to order your part from germany because they are out of stock. Reason why i got the sti and not an m5.
this is also why I own a BRZ, but the 4C at the advertised $55k MSRP with warranty sounded almost like a bargain. after I get all the parts I want for the BRZ, the total cost of the car + parts will be over $40k, so then, the Alfa at $55k would`ve been worth it for the extra $10k, (and maintaining a forced induction via aftermarket car wont be cheap either), but sadly I found out it is in fact just another exotic car that is at least $75k and I havent even found out about how much the insurance will be, which I`m willing to bet, it`s gonna be expensive as hell. but it`s always fun to think of possible options
If you're ever worried you can't afford to fix any said car, you probably should be looking elsewhere anyway. There's a few low mileage 09-11 Ms on the market in the ATL now. I found an 09 with 20k on the odometer (manuel). I'll let you know how my cost of ownership goes
Sorry, but I speak as if you maintain it yourself. I see an Audi in your profile pic. I also used to be a tech there. I quit because I hated doing warranty work. That killed my paycheck doing everything for almost free. Parts are not expensive if you know how to shop. World Pac is one of my big German suppliers. They were recently bought out by Advance Auto Parts so dont be surprised by their parts popping up there. I can name more places too. Not everything has to be bought from the dealer. Theres a lot of other places I can put out but you need accounts with them.
Look up an alternator for a Honda Accord and then look up one for an A4 in the same year. I can almost guarantee the Accord Alternator will be cheaper from WorldPac. Also, last I checked you had to be a business to buy from WorldPac. Also, you pretty much just hit the nail on the head yourself....all the warranty work paid nothing for you. What happens when said warranty expires? You still have all of these problems. Even if fixing yourself you still have to buy said part. I have owned pretty much everything under the sun. The most reliable and easiest/cheapest car to maintain was my Mazda MPV. Why? Because most of the parts on the car came from various ford vehicles. Pretty sad when you can get brand new rotors for about the same as having your old ones turned. Every single European car I have owned has been expensive....and that is me working on them if it wasnt under warranty. I mean come on....you have to use their special European approved oil? Add another $20 to your oil change. A Mann oil filter is still $10 wherever you buy it from. I can get a Honda filer for $4.25.
It's an '09 Interlagos Blue Metallic, 4-Door M3 with 20,114 miles on her. The hard drive has Los Lonely Boys in it, so that's promising. This isn't mine, but that's pretty much it. I have Light Gray seats, not black.
Oh my! The wife wants one of those in the worst way. Right now she has the E36 M3 vert but she wants 4 doors back & wants newer model. I CANNOT afford it! That car is beautiful.