An interesting thread from Z3 forum

[AntHarmer]

Apparently the six cylinder Z3 is a far better car than the four. Neither get rave reviews though

[hks_kansei]

Apparently the six cylinder Z3 is a far better car than the four. Neither get rave reviews though

And AIDS is a much better disease than Prostate cancer.
But given the choice I'd prefer neither.

[AntHarmer]

Preaching to the converted


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[hks_kansei]

I'd be OK with a Z3M breadvan.




It's like being HIV positive.
Not ideal, but at least you don't get all the bad parts of the disease.

[Okibi]

I don't mind the Z4, that long bonnet is asking for some massive engine to be shoe horned in.

Glad there were so many positive comments about the MX-5, especially several owners who were wanting to buy their MX-5s back.

I don't know much about the Z3 or Z4, never see any at the track so don't know how they perform.

[AntHarmer]

Would have to be in Estoril Blue for me. Still my favourite BMW colour

[Jeo]

What's a Z3M worth?

[AntHarmer]

Around 40k for a nice example.


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[bruce]

Me like breadvans. Problem is there are none for sale and the last one I saw was around $80K.

[YanMa YatTai]

I think there is not much snobbery on that forum for a few reasons:
- mostly "enthusiasts" could be bothered getting on forums, not badge snobs
- in the UK that car costs peanuts and price differentials between Euro and Jap is not much. In Australia we have an exaggerated Euro snobbery because of the perception that price=quality and we get raped on Euro "prestige" badges, therefore, to the general public they are better cars

I like the Z4. Dont really care much for the Z3. From the reviews I have read it seems the Z4 is also a better car.

Any arguments that BMW has better build quality over Mazda is pretty damn funny. I or my family have owned a host of Honda's, Mazda's and Toyota's with no problems whatsoever. My Mk5 Golf has had the dreaded DSG mechatronic failure, an ABS control unit failure and a PCV valve failure within 4 years of ownership - all well documented common problems. My brother's BMW continues to have all sorts of issues as well - all in a 5 year old car.

[Rocky]

Seemed (mainly) sensible and balanced views from a bunch of genuine sports car enthusiasts.
Like some of them I could easily go MX5/Z4/S2000/Clubman. They all have their strengths and weaknesses.
For me the MX is the best balance of price, looks, performance and quality but if one of those was lots more important than the others it could be a different choice.
(there are jerks on every forum though, aren't there)

[Vat]

But you are correct, there are unfortunately a fair few out there that seem to think they're better than others because they have a BMW/Merc/Audi.

We have a two and half year old C-Class estate (didn't buy new...no chance) and I've been quite surprised at the amount of 'social' baggage people carry with Merc's. Most people have no idea what they actually cost - one guy at work took a shot at me over the cost of it but was quickly shut up when I pointed out that his warspec Hilux and his girlfriend's upspec Mazda3 cost comfortably more than the Benz and my car (the Mirage, and indeed even including the Jaffa) combined.

I had a selection of vehicles that met the criteria I had set out (essentially medium wagons within a certain price bracket that could accommodate a theoretical size box roughly the length, height and width of a road bike - amazing how many 4WD's that eliminates, CX-7 I'm looking at you) basically starting at the Mazda6 (previous model), included the Subaru Liberty GT (early favourite) and ending up at at a new diesel C-Class estate (which if I'm honest was only put in there as an excuse to go and test drive a Merc).

We ended up cutting a good deal on an 'executive dríven' demonstrator. Take away hint is don't test drive the most expensive car first!

The dealer was also by some margin the best we dealt with, and they have continued to be. Servicing has been cheaper than our previous car, a 2005 Subaru Liberty 2.5i wagon.

I'm probably not the traditional target market - you see a few double takes when a fit early 40s guy with a shaved head gets out. The sight of it making its way along the freeway with my elderly Giant mountain bike on the roof mounted bike rack be a marketing niche nightmare, too.

On the flip side, it does look horn in silver on its 18s and it is extremely effective at getting right hand dawdlers out of the way. The Mrs adores it, and since she works damn hard I think she deserves to drive something a bit special.

Sorry for the diversion but thought insight as to how people end up in these cars might be interesting, and that we're not all self-absorbed jerks! Also worth considering the current C-Class has been outselling all mid-sizers in Australia except the Camry (http://www.caradvice.com.au/206786/car-sales-2012-medium-cars-outsell-large/).

That said, if it's a nice night and we just want to head out for a bit of a drive, the Jaffa will be the one heading out. Every time.

[hks_kansei]

We have a two and half year old C-Class estate (didn't buy new...no chance) and I've been quite surprised at the amount of 'social' baggage people carry with Merc's. Most people have no idea what they actually cost - one guy at work took a shot at me over the cost of it but was quickly shut up when I pointed out that his warspec Hilux and his girlfriend's upspec Mazda3 cost comfortably more than the Benz and my car (the Mirage, and indeed even including the Jaffa) combined.

Yep, even MX5s get that.
I;ve had people mention "ooh, you've got an expensive sports car" and you point out "no, it costs about half of what your 18month old Mazda 3 cost) they refuse to believe it.

People link the cost when new with the car forever, mine was $45k new, I paid just under $15k a few years ago, now I'd be lucky to get $8k for it.

[Vat]

People link the cost when new with the car forever, mine was $45k new, I paid just under $15k a few years ago, now I'd be lucky to get $8k for it.

Heh - when the Jaffa made its public debut at a dinner party at a friend's place the husband found out what I'd paid for it (<$6k) and went straight to Gumtree and Carsales to look at MX-5s.

[Blip]

Yep, even MX5s get that.
I;ve had people mention "ooh, you've got an expensive sports car" and you point out "no, it costs about half of what your 18month old Mazda 3 cost) they refuse to believe it.

Yeah, I was at the lights, top down and saw two blokes in a ute looking down (literally) at my car and heard them say "how the f*ck does he afford that?". Drove away with a big grin

Glad this has caused a bit of a discussion.