[ds968]

[quote name='Bulti' timestamp='1413557514' post='163103']

My cure: get a few estrogen shots and have a beer or 10: your emotions will go through the roof!

[/quote]



Not a good solution - I don't remember who said this ( Steve Martin ? ) but I'm going to repeat the statement : " I could never be a woman because I'd spend all day playing with my tits and not get anything else done " Estrogen shots may lead to that.

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[flash]

Roflmao-way too true



No need for emotions - huge waste of time and energy - I get a lot more done without them

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[Chris Vais]

Well if you do take a European delivery, don't be one of these guys I see on videos taken at the "ring" where the guy stuffs a BMW into the guard rail while driving too fast in the rain and believe it or not in snow. Who drives the "ring"in the snow?

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[flash]

lol - not a chance. the wife would be with me. can you imagine how that would go over?



the whole idea of taking the delivery there is moot if it looks like the weather would suck. just not worth it. fun would be the most important thing. we bailed a week early on our honeymoon, because the weather sucked, and we were in italy, which is a lot better than germany or austria could ever be. no way i'm going over there to drive slowly or just get soaked every day.

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[Cloud9...68]

Sounds like a great choice. Just a guess, but I have a suspicion that once you get your new M4, you will lose interest in the 968. As spectacular a machine as you've turned it into, it will feel like a rickety old car after driving the M4.



This may be blasphemy to say on a forum dedicated to a 20-year-old car, but I agree with Bombfactory's statement on another thread when comparing his 335 to his old E36 M3. New cars are just vastly superior to the old ones we hold so near and dear in every conceivable category - they're faster, handle better, are more comfortable, quieter, more reliable, much safer, and get better gas mileage. And they get better each year, while the old ones just get, well, older, and more and more of their replacement parts fall into the dreaded "NLA" bin of death. The only thing the oldsters have going for them is a certain coolness factor, and general nostalgia. Not that those are insignificant, mind you - they can be an important of the car ownership experience for a lot of people, and that's great. And the old cars, even the 968, can make great track cars, because they're relatively light, relatively simple, and aren't typically worth very much, so they're pretty easy to modify. But for a car to live with on the street day in and day out, give me a modern car any day. And feature for feature, the M4 looks like it belongs right at the top of the heap.

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[flash]

very possible. even now, i am not nearly as enamored with the 968 as i used to be. it's a far superior car than it used to be, but it's still 20 years old. i'm not ready to make a decision just yet, but i am definitely thinking about it. what the 968 has going for it, particularly this one, is its uniqueness. it's also 1000lbs lighter and a lot smaller. that makes it more fun to toss around. it's still way too big and heavy for me to consider for a track car though. perhaps i'll go back to a british sports car for a toy. not sure. not worried right now. no rush to make a decision. i don't need to sell the 968.



what i do know for sure is that the 968 will spend almost all of its time tethered to a battery tender and under a car cover. i may drag it out a couple of times a year. that's not all that different though than what has been going on for the last 8 years.



i agree that the M4 is a superior car, and far better suited for day to day use, which is why i am buying it. it's going to be my "camry".

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[ds968]

[quote name='Cloud9...68' timestamp='1413576206' post='163114']

Just a guess, but I have a suspicion that once you get your new M4, you will lose interest in the 968. As spectacular a machine as you've turned it into, it will feel like a rickety old car after driving the M4.

[/quote]

I disagree on this - not all newer cars fit that category; having driven a 2014 Aston Martin DB9 and a 2014 maserati GT ( and let me also mention that these are two are among the most beatuiful cars in my book..) I can tell you that from a pure driving experience I would take the 968 over either one of those, any day, any time, without the slightest second thought, or hesitaion ; completely uninspiring feedback, too much " let the car do the driving for you " there for my taste. However, I also realize there are some new cars which might offer the best of both worlds ; the M4 could very well be one of those, and it serves the purpose Flash is looking for perfectly, but I think our rickety 20 yeard old heaps are still heads and shoulders above 95% of new cars. you

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[blau]

[quote name='Chris Vais' timestamp='1413567224' post='163109']

Well if you do take a European delivery, don't be one of these guys I see on videos taken at the "ring" where the guy stuffs a BMW into the guard rail while driving too fast in the rain and believe it or not in snow. Who drives the "ring"in the snow?

[/quote]



Ask and ye shall receive:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfOEJ-HZ1-Q

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[MCL968]

Had the chance to see up close and personal the new 4 series yesterday.



What a beautiful machine.



I have never been a huge BMW fan. I usually love the idea of the car, but the execution seems to fall short. Mostly in the area of seats and interior creature comforts.



It seems they got it right with the 4 series. Not as big as the 6, not as cramped as the 3. If it has the ability to hold together for the long term, they may have a real winner on their hands.



Congrats Flash! I look forward to hearing what you think about it after you live with it for a while.

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[flash]

me too - i think we are ordering it this weekend.

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[flash]

i meant to mention, it's amazing how a few little things completely change the look of the car. while the 4 series is attractive, the things they did differently on the M4 really vamp it up. the fenders and quarterpanels are wider. the car sits almost 2" lower, the front brake ducts on the fenders are in a different place, and really work with the body lines. the rear apron with the dual exhaust completely changes the look. the front lower area does too. the bump in the hood breaks things up a bit too. all in all, the standard 4 looks good, but the M really stands out. caught my eye from across the showroom, and i was standing next to a 4 at the time.

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[Tahoe968]

high five on the new car!

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[taporite6]

my next car is any other but first to sell this one problem is not much value except in the rebuilt engine with about 5k miles

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[flash]

it is a difficult decision to make. i just went through this on the white car. it is an extremely clean very low mileage car. i was going to supercharge it, redo the classic grey interior in leather, add 12 way heated power seats, install a new zip out rear window top, and install a great stereo system. it would have made for a great car. however, it still would have been a 20 year old car. it would have cost me about $10k to do all of that too. it just didn't seem like a good idea.



i am keeping the blue car for now, but i'm not sure how long even that will stick. it's so hard when these new cars are so well put together. i totally get the uniqueness, and coolness of having something that i built that works so well. i do have 11 years invested in this too, and i've never been one to walk away from something like that easily. so, for now at least, i'm going to hang onto the blue car, but the white one is superfluous. it won't be long before i pull it aside, go through it and prep it for sale (new belts, yada yada). it will make for a great car for somebody else.



should only be a few days away now from ordering the new car. almost have everything in place.

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[Cloud9...68]

Yeah, this old-car-vs.-new-car question is an interesting one. Every time I see a comparison test between an older car and its newer analogue, the new one totally obliterates the old one in every category, even if the old one in the test is in spectacular condition. But I don't have any direct experience, as I've never driven a Boxster, Cayman, 370Z, Corvette, 135i, 235M, or any number of new cars that are in the same general category as the 968. But I have a suspicion that if you could create this "mother of all comparison tests" including these cars, the 968, and a few of its contemporary competitors like the 3rd gen RX7, C4 Corvette, 300ZX, etc. among an impartial group of experienced automotive journalists, you wouldn't see a whole lot of them jump up and say, "Ooh, I'd take the 968 over any of these newer poseurs!" But there's no denying the 968's coolness factor - mine always draws a lot of admiring attention at the track.

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[flash]

don't get me wrong. i still like the 968. i like owning it. i like driving it as a toy. however, having driven newer cars, i can say with confidence that i could never put up with it as a daily driver, no matter what state of preparation. that's from where the decision about the white car arose. it didn't matter what i did, or how much money i spent, it would just never measure up. i have the luxury of being able to keep the blue car. i could even keep the white one. i just can't come up with a reason to do that. if i'm not going to use it, it seems pointless to keep it.



i made the same decision about my motorcycle. as cool as that bike is, and i spent a ton of money going through it from top to bottom, i haven't ridden it more than a half dozen times in the almost 3 years i've owned it. so, i'm selling it.



the blue one will probably go back to being driven once or twice a year. the rest of the time, it will sit on a battery tender, and under a car cover.

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[Chris Vais]

I've been following this post with interest. I will be changing employers in mid November. The new job requires that I commute from Alameda to San Jose three times a week. I've prided myself in the fact that my 968 has always been my daily driver and never a hanger queen. But traveling back and forth to San Jose as I have had to do during the interview process, I come to realize that driving the 968 in stop and go traffic isn't going to get it, but what scares me more is that given the very heavy truck traffic on 880 and the seemingly vast number of SUVs on the roads, I just don't feel safe. Half the time I don't think people even see me out there.



So, time to find something that is entertaining to drive with an automatic trans. We have had very good service from three Audi's so I'm inclined towards an A-4 or A-6 Quattro. We'll see, but the 968 will become a weekend car, at least until I can afford a nice Cayman S.

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[ds968]

Chris, I have the perfect solution : my scenario. :-) :-). The six speed as a weekend toy, and a tiptronic for the daily commute. I was using the MBZ as a daily driver for years and as comfortable and reliable as it is, the word boring best describes the experience. Maybe an Audi (RS )or a BMW ( M ) would be different but given our affinity for our 968s, I think you"ll be really happy with a tip for a daily driver. As long as you find one in good mechanical condition it does not have to necessarily also be in showroom appearance , just nice enough . Besides that 880 corridor , just as you said is full of trucks and you'll have more gravel and pebbles thrown at that car than you can count :- ). I don't think your visibility to the trucks and SUVs will be an issue, maybe it would be if you drove a Lotus . So I would not recommend you rush out and buy that McLaren P1 to use as a daily driver , lol. And the price is right , what else are you going to find that offers the same level of enjoyment for even twice or three times the cost of the 968 ? Even if you add in the NLA parts hassle and the maintenance costs and all of that .. A Cayman S is too new and too nice of a car to subject to that kind of commute torture, IMO.

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[lbpesq]

Chris:



Looking for something entertaining with an automatic to drive to San Jose (the northernmost suburb of L.A.)? I often must venture to the south bay for court, and have to endure the two-hour drive that would take 45 minutes without traffic. On those mornings, I leave the 968 at home. Instead I drive the Highlander with some downloaded podcasts of "Car Talk" and "Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me". Automatic & entertaining. That drive is a chore no matter what you drive.



Bill

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[ds968]

Could not find the ideal thread to post this story so using this one as close enough - in an article called " ten great cars nobody buys " , in the number ten spot was the Porsche Cayman ! Only 3,400 were sold in 2014 . That seems to be a ridiculously low number to me, considering every review one reads about it lauds it as an absolutely great car. What do you guys think, is it an overlooked gem which in ten or twenty years from now will be a much in demand classic Porsche , or is it another red-headed step child similar to the first generation Boxsters, so pretty much a fun car to have but one you couldn't sell for a nickel ..?

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