Aron9000

Been thinking about this for a while, I want something really fun to drive, convertible, 2 seats, great handling, manual transmission.

Budget is cash, $5000 to $10000 dollars.

Cars I ruled out:

C5 Corvette, too expensive for a nice one.
C4 Corvette, too old, not reliable, feels like a POS with the ****ty interior, squeaks/rattles.
4th gen Trans Am/Camaro. Plus is the very healthy LS1 V8, chassis is a bit disappointing though, feels/drives like a huge car.
Ford Mustang, hate that car from 1994 to 2004. Seats, driving position, V8 engine that would get stomped by a V6 Accord just took it out of consideration. I do love the styling of the 1994-1998 cars though, they did look the business and have held up over time IMO.
Porsche Boxter, way too expensive to service, lots of problems, I can't work on it myself due the the engine being mounted behind the rear seats and under a steel bulkhead.

So here I am at two cars.

Things I love about the BMW.

The styling, man its very vulgar, love the flared wheel arches, car looks like a huge veiny ****, similar motif to the 90's Dodge Viper IMO.
Inline six BMW motor sounds the business, makes good power, lots of low end torque, get the bigger displacement 2.8 or 3.0 models and its actually a fast car, 0-60 in about 6 seconds, maybe less with the later model cars with the 3.0 liter engine and manual. Main thing is that its quick, but not so damn fast like newer cars, you actually can put your foot to the floor through the first two gears and not go to jail.

The handling is also superb. Very direct, heavy steering which I like, it gives a good feel of the road. Still its a notch down from what the Miata offers in terms of flick-ability/light weight.

Bad side of the BMW Z3

Maintenance and reliability. This is what really scares me about this car. Electrical problems, plastic water pump and plastic radiators that crack. That inline six engine is very sensitive to overheating issues, aka water pump craps out, you warp the head and blow a head gasket. If anybody has owned a 6 cylinder BMW from this era, chime in on reliability/cost of ownership

The NB, 2nd gen Mazda Miata

The chassis/suspension. The handling is simply superb. I've never driven another car that had this sort of direct steering and handling. Granted there are other cars(like those Corvettes) that had more ultimate grip, but the steering was so numb that I didn't know what was going on.

Light weight, once again that goes back to the chassis/suspension/handling. 2300lbs, vs the 2700lbs of the Z3.

Reliability. These cars are just simply rock solid reliable. Normal maintenance is pretty damn cheap. Lots of aftermarket parts as well, and they are pretty cheap as well.

Build quality, I feel like the Miata is better built than the Z3, interior parts don't fall off or flake paint on the Miata.

Shifter/clutch is nicer on the Miata IMO.

Cons for the Miata

All that light weight comes at a price, it doesn't have the sound deadening like the Z3 or that more planted feel when you are doing 80, 90, 100+mph.

Once again, refinement, it isn't up to the scale of the BMW

Power, yeah the Miata is slow with 140hp. But then again that is part of its charm, you can drive this car with your foot flat to the floor without breaking the speed limit.


So what would you buy????? I love the Miata for its basic simplicity, but damn there is a 2002 BMW Z3, 40,000 miles, 3.0 liter inline six, 5 speed manual, $10,000 asking price, looks super mint in the pictures, always garage kept, dealer serviced with receipts, I mean a real cream puff.

I know I've hated on BMW before, but mainly on their newer cars. Late 90's/early 00's BMW was pretty damn special IMO.

mmarshall

I know that 2002 Z3 would be a temptation, at least in the short run. But, IMO, the Miata would be a far safer purchase, especially if you plan to keep it for some time.

Miatas, though, can be difficult for tall people. Bitkahuna, at 6' 3", said he had no problem with his, but, at 6' 2", and heavy, I find them marginal at best, though the newer ones are slightly less-cramped than older ones.

Also, with a Miata, try and stay on smooth roads. The suspension is designed for corner-carving (which it excels at)...not ride-comfort. And the relatively short gearing provides a lot of engine noise, even in top gear.

PsykotiK

get a honda s2000.. one of the best cars i've ever owned

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

That's another great alternative, though might be hard to find a decent one that hasn't been abused or less than $10,000 per OP's budget.

riredale

I flew down to CA from Oregon last year to help my sister for a week while she underwent carpal-tunnel surgery. Drove her BMW Z3 around for the week, including a weekend trip from Malibu to Santa Barbara and back.

I thought the styling was gorgeous. The steering, however, freaked me out; I felt that if I just moved the wheel one millimeter the car would respond aggressively. So full-time steering attention, which was fatiguing. Sister is a senior law partner and so money is not much of an issue for her, but I got the feeling she had a LOT of work done while she owned that car.

Never driven a Miata, but I love the look also, and it's Japanese, meaning it will be reliable and inexpensive to maintain.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

That's a true BMW with that hydraulic steering vs new electrical.

tex2670

What about Honda S2000?

EDIT--I see that was suggested already. Personally, the BMW does nothing for me, so I would lean toward the Mazda. But I have always loved the S2000.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

i'd get the nc miata and not the nb. a bit more room, much nicer interior, a bit more refined all around, and still an absolutely blast to drive.

MattyG

My instinct would guide me to a Miata because of the Bimmer's used vehicle money pit rep, but then again the internet is not always right on some stuff. The regular Z3 gets great raves from its owners but you have to be extremely careful here with maintenance records and what's been done and what hasn't been done.

I would keep in mind that often a BMW like that gets sold when its owner gets tired of the relentless maintenance/fixes so you need to keep in mind mileage, maintenance schedule/records. A Z3M with the maintenance done would be a good candidate if you have a good bank balance or you like wrenching on your cars.

Otherwise a Mazdaspeed Miata is a great candidate. That one gets a horsepower boost while still keeping the flickable lightweight handling nature.

RNM GS3

rai

Aron9000

I'd love an S2000, but for my $10,000 budget I'm getting something with a salvage title/beat to pieces/ton of miles/wore out type of car. Those things have gotten pricey in the past 5 years for the type of car I'm looking for. Condition is VERY important to me, you can get a BMW Z3 or Miata that would rank a #2 on the auction condition scale for under $10k, that type of S2000 is anywhere from 18-28k at current asking prices. I just don't have the cash right now and I'm not taking out a loan on something I drive maybe 50-200 miles a week and only when the weather is nice.

I've thought about a Z3M, but then again the price is a bit steeper. Plus the US received the ****ty 240hp motor vs the 320hp inline six the Euro spec ones had. A 3.0 liter Z3 is down just 12hp and makes more torque, and its a more reliable engine/overall package vs the Z3M. I know BMW isn't the most reliable car, but this is a good chassis, before they became really complicated, and its a straight six, which is the most reliable BMW engine(their V8 and V12 engines are huge unreliable money pits, regardless of year IMO).

Still thinking the NB Miata is the best bet, because I can get a really nice one for under my budget and still have a couple grand leftover for mods. I know somebody said NC Miata, but I hate the styling of the early cars and they are heavier.

natman

I've owned both an NB and an NC and every one of these points is right on. The NC also has a much torquier engine and still handles great. No problem getting a nice one for under $10K.

Aron9000

I just DO NOT LIKE the styling of the NC Miata. It being a bit more refined is hogwash IMO, if I wanted a refined car I'd buy a Lexus LS430. The interior being nicer, disagree. Its much easier/looks a lot better to fit a modern aftermarket touch screen double DIN headunit into the NB dash than it is to fit the same headunit into that wonky shaped dash of the NC. Much easier to intergrate modern technology into the NB car vs the NC car with its much more stylized dash.

516IS

iTrader: (12)

I say, save your money, and keep saving until you can afford an S2000, they are appreciating in prices as good and well kept examples are harder to come by. That's the only car that puts a big smile on my face when I take her out for a spin. Neither one of these 2 you are looking at are appealing to me.