[flash]

as many of you know, we have been thinking that the M3 has been a waste of a car for us, as we never drive it, and it really was not what we needed

so, we have been trying to figure out what we want instead - we looked at a number of cars (355, 360, DB7, yada yada)

today we went out and drove a new Z4 twin turbo, and a 350slk

the Z4 is nothing short of amazing - the power delivery is stunning - the car is very tight - clearly this is a driver's car - we drove both the manual trans and auto versions - the manual trans car was an animal - very responsive and in sport mode, was a blast to drive - the auto was nearly as fast, and a very quick shifting unit

the 350 is also very nice, incredibly smooth and quiet, and a very civilized 2 seater with plenty of power - it would take some getting used to, as it is much softer in suspension and steering feel, but that makes it a great commuter

while i personally would prefer the manual trans Z4, i think we will be going with the 350 - the use is pure commute, and the softer ride and quieter cabin will make that commute more livable

if i had to buy a 2 seat convertible though, and could not have a 968, i think the Z4 twin turbo would be it

i'll be spending more time with both of them tomorrow, but i'm pretty sure which way we will go

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[PorscheG96]

I'm afraid that if I ever test drove a 335i with sport package that I'd sell the 968...

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[Fox944]

Have you considered any of the 987 cars?

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[ds968]

you're right, for a commute car the 350 is more civilized but : 1) in O.C. they will probably outnumber Z4s by a 4 to 1 ratio and you'll see your car in every parking lot.. that's if you buy it in silver, in other colors the ratio may only be 2 to 1 [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes.gif[/img] and 2) I could be wrong but I believe MBZ does not have nearly the warranty and the free maintenance schedule BMW offers nowadays, though I suppose you can try to negotiate that with the dealer

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[jeff968]

Have you checked out the Audis, A5 and TT?

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[flash]

lol - if i had to choose today between the Z4 and the 968, i'd choose the Z4 in a blink - i still might

defining points in the decision process:

2 seats (no back seats allowed - that's one of the 2 reasons why we want out of the M3)
convertible
fully loaded (heated seats, nav, bluetooth, yada yada)
sporty
quiet with top down for phone calls

not a lot of options out there

hate the tt (car doesn't know which end is front)

hate the boxster

350 is common here for sure, but the Z4 is less comfortable, and for a regular commute from OC to santa monica, comfort is everything

mb does offer a prepaid service plan that we can build into the price of the car - there isn't a lot of regular service on cars anymore anyway, so it isn't nearly as much of a factor as bmw portrays it

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[Cloud9...68]

I absolutely LOVE the SLK. They're actually a pretty rare sight in Austin, and there are few cars on the road that snap my head round as surely as the SLK. The funny thing is, I can't quite put my finger on why, as it's so different from the more raw types of cars I've owned in the past (and I put the 968 in that category as well). A dream scenario for me would be a dedicated track car for, uh, track use, and an SLK for daily/weekend driving. Unfortunately, this would leave the 968 with a for sale sign on it, but the above scenario isn't likely to materialize anytime soon, so the 968 is definitely going to be in my garage for quite awile. Oh, and I like the Z4, too.

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[flash]

well, i think we are going to wait a while - i just can't convince myself to pull the trigger - nobody had the exact one we wanted, whether it was the Z4 or the 350 - so, we would have had to special order one, which would take at least 2 months, and then cost a lot more - each car that was close was lacking something significant that we wanted, and they both seemed like a bit of a compromise, considering that what she really wants is a DB9, and we aren't all that far from doing that

so, we'll just have to stick it out with the M3 for a while longer

no worries

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[ramius665]

Flash, I don't blame you a bit for wanting to get rid of your M3. Personally, I think the car is a bit "confused" about what it's supposed to be. I'm in the market to replace my BMW as well, but instead have to find one that's large enough for two 100# German Shepherds and gets 25+mpg in the city.

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[flash]

yeah - that's exactly how i feel about it - plus, it just doesn't inspire me - nice car and all that, and really nothing i can put my finger on, and certainly we have loaded it with every option under the sun, and it is a convertible with a real 6 speed, yada yada, but still.........

oh well - we can deal with it for a while longer - it's not like it sucks or anything of the sort

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