Ekona

I miss Le Mans

Disconnect the throttle switch in the footwell and see what happens.

Z4 isn't even close when it comes to handling. Might as well put a TT in there if we're just playing the numbers game and ignoring what makes a decent handling car.

They do make a lovely noise though Certainly a much riskier route than the Zed, and I'd definitely rather take the Zed over a TVR too.

Heaven forbid I should correct something that was wrong. What on earth was I thinking?

I'd use it, no probs. I've got existing clay that's been opened for about that long that I still use. It's still in good nick as it's never done a seriously dirty car, so I've no fear of it adding other scratches.

The whole point of the comparison is that the three cars chosen are what people are comparing the GT86 to on many a forum. Every time we, as car nuts, go shopping for a new car we always have the choice between a used bargain or something brand new, so it's a perfectly fair comparison. Your examples miss the point as they're an incredibly capable executive saloon, an all-round 4-seater superstar, and a bonkers 4WD mentalist. None of them are 2-seater sports coupes, and believe me when I say the two seats in the back of the 86 are purely to tick a box, much like they are on the Evora. You would never get a person in them if someone is in the seat ahead. Not sure how the R35 compares in those terms though, but the turbocharged engine and 4WD trickery push it out of the direct rival option IMHO. All three cars in this video are perfectly usable every day, what I believe Chris was aiming at is which one is the most fun to drive.

So buy one that's only done 30K for £30K. It's a fairer comparison that way too

He has a 997.1 C4S, that's got 355 bhp (more likely a bit over, Porkers always make more than standard figures).

It does on a desktop, not on mobile. Worked first time on my PC, didn't on my iPad.

What time? Can't be arsed to sit through 4 and a half minutes of that.

Kinda what I was thinking. Lose the rear seats, remove the silly intake pipe noise (easy to do, I found the correct pipe under the bonnet ), sort the sat nav out and I'd have one.

I use the latter, and without hockey pucks too. I don't trust the ratchet ones, too much to go wrong. The simpler the better really when it comes to things like this.

I drove the GT86 again today. Some more thoughts on it: It's better to drive than I remembered. Being chucked the keys sans salesman automatically makes it better, but being able to take a few more liberties with the VSC off really opens the car up. It's actually far more capable of being lively than I was brave enough to try before, and when the missus is moaning at you in your ear you know you're doing it correctly. The balance and flow is pretty damn good if I'm honest, and I may have been too harsh in my previous words. In fact, I'd go as far to say it was one of the most fun drives I've had in recent memory. If you're proper brave with the throttle, then you can dial in as many degrees as the road allows and hold it there. It's a serious delight. I gelled a lot more with the gearbox too this time, and it's almost identical to the other half's Impreza. On the other side, the interior is much worse than I recall. The plastics on the door near the A-pillar look like they've already seen 40K worth of miles, in a car that's barely seen 1400. That is atrocious, and the gutless engine still doesn't give you any impetus to rag it hard except the knowledge that the car will plod along if you don't. The standard audio is worse than the one in my Transit, and there's either far too much middle at low volumes or it's too bright and bassy when you crank it up. That's after playing with the equalizer, too. The more I drove it, the more I liked it. It's a car for a proper driver, for someone just like me, but the state it's available in now simply isn't acceptable. If it was sub-£20K then it would be a bargain, or in base-tuner form like they get in Japland for £14K then you wouldn't worry about a bit of crap trim or a rubbish stereo. As it stands, for £28K it's simply far too expensive for what it is. When even the other half, who although drives a 330bhp Impreza STi doesn't particularly like fast cars, says that it's too slow and she wouldn't want one, you have to wonder if the party trick of the car is going to be missed by the vast majority of people. The vast majority who Toyota would like to sell the car to.

wash your mouth out your dirty man! Its a beautiful sounding engine! It's really not, especially stock. Not in comparison to the grumbly roar of the M97 in the OPs 911. It's not bad at all, it's just not as good. Both are excellent in the grand scheme of things. Worse than 15mpg??? Unless your on a track I don't think anyone would be seeing less than 15mpg in a zed. Most are well into the mid to high 20 mpg's. Mine was at 24mpg over a full 12 months......... My bad, I didn't see where he wrote 15mpg It'll be the same then, as 15mpg on a 997 is a car that's being used properly, and if you use the 350Z in the same fashion the fuel economy will be at those levels, if not a tad lower. I am indeed, I get around everywhere, no-one can ever get shot of me! 0-60 isn't a reasonable comparison really as Tain says, because it's when you get moving that the extra shove really comes into play. Look at the 30-100 times for both cars and there will be a significant difference, and the 911 will keep pulling where the Zed has stopped. I had 140mph out of my Zed at the back straight of the Ring and it simply stopped pulling, but my 911 will see 170mph and still be tugging onwards. Again, I'm not trying to wee on fried potatoes here, as the Zed is more than enough for the roads in the UK. It's more that to try and say that the performance is roughly the same simply isn't true. 2nd on a 309HR is still quick, it's just not as mind-bendingly quick as the 997. It will definitely pin you back in your seat though, and more importantly put a smile on your face. If anything it's a more rev-happy engine than the M97, which makes it seem quicker than it actually is.

Rather that than the Scirocco R, good shout

Why didn't you put it in the windscreen? I'd love to see the look on their faces when the paperwork of you contesting it comes through!

Servicing a 986 will be the same cost as a Zed at the indies. Tbh if any one expects to be able to buy a premium car and for it to cost peanuts if something goes wrong, they're feuding themselves. Present company excepted, of course.

I went the other way, from Zed to 997.2 C2S. Before I start, I will say that I love the Zed and would have another one tomorrow, so this is all in comparison to a car that costs more than twice as much: The Zed feels a heavy car. The 911 is practically the same weight, especially the 4S models, but they hide their weight very well having it all out the back. A 911 can be an incredibly precise tool, but a 350 is a far more blunt instrument and you'll never hide the mass over the nose. The steering is very weighty and turn in is rarely what you'd consider sharp in comparison. The engine is far from characterful, although the 309 HR is much better than an early car as you can really wring its neck and it will respond. A good exhaust is a must-have on a Zed, it really is. If you focus on the suspension side of things you can get a Zed to handle as a sports car should, and IMHO this is a better direction than chasing bhp. The caveat of the paragraph above still applies. There are no terminal issues with the Zed in the same way the M97 has the bores/IMS worries, so no fear there. Servicing costs are a little lower, budget about £300 per year, but fuel will be worse. Brakes and tyres are very similar, expect to pay the same as what you are now. It won't be much cheaper overall than the 911, which ironically makes the Porker a bargain in that aspect. The seating position is worse in the Zed so longer cruises aren't as easily eaten up, and the blunt front end can make placing the nose down a country lane awkward compared to the 911. The interior is a much worse place to be, but at least it's easy to sort out the ICE in the Zed compared with trying to do anything with the PCM2! And despite all that, it's still the only car I'd consider dropping down to from the 911. Aside from the running costs, it fulfills every one of your criteria perfectly and I can guarantee it's a car you'll learn to appreciate in a whole different way to your current beast.

They're sh*t. Just buy a 911 if you want a proper Porsche. As for specs, you'd want the following: Boroscope inspection to check for scored bores Everything else is down to personal taste. If it's got the standard nav avoid as it's awful, junk the system and put something aftermarket in. Sports seats are very good, I wouldn't want the non-sport versions. A decent exhaust would be lovely but not exactly hard to fit yourself. I'm not entirely up on my 996/986 specs but a lot of it will be just colours, trim and wheels, so pick a decent one oyu like rather than getting bogged down in what options it has or hasn't got. Do a lot of research into IMS issues and be aware of what you're getting into, as a £7K car can end up with a £5K bill very easily. See the documentation (and prevention measures) on the Hartech website.

I love Chris Harris and his videos, but even I disagreed with the outcome of this one. He's right about the 370Z though, but I don't think that's such a bad thing. There's very, very few times you can go 10/10ths anywhere these days, the argument that you shouldn't do so on the roads notwithstanding. That's pretty much what the car was designed for, and it does it very well. Interesting on his comments about the seat position being off, I was quite impressed with how much better than the 350 it was when I sat in Colin's. The 370 is too heavy, but we all know that and the 350 was the same. We know the 370 sounds anaemic when pushed on as stock, that's why we all slap new exhausts on them. Putting it next to the 86 shows just how good looking the 370 is too, so no shame there. Given that the Cayman S was on the PSS9 suspension, I'm even more surprised that Harris chose the 86. That is a seriously good set of dampers and springs there, much better than the PASM setup Porsche offer on the car, so his comments are of the highest praise. I still think you'd be mad to take the 86 over a used Cayman at the RRP of the Toyota.

*Plumbers The description is accurate though

It's spam, 100%. Link in the post? Appalling Engrish? MEGASPAMZORZ

But is the new 3 series convertible more "common" than vectras, astras, mondeos, clios and all the other cheap main stream cars out there? Sure, theres a lot of bmw`s on the road now, but im pretty sure i see more non 3 series convertibles than i do 3 series convertibles. I see what your saying, but if you think there are probably an equal-ish number of mondeo`s, vectras, astra`s, focus`s, bmw 3 series, etc. etc. on the road, the fact that (for example), less Peugeot 307`s break down than say a Clio is probably a fair comparison. Depends on whether the owners of those cars can be arsed to do a questionnaire for Which? or not. You must see more non-3 series convertibles than 3 series convertibles, because I can't believe for one second that all the 3SC in the country number more than the combined mass of Audi, Ford, Vauxhall, Peugeot etc droptops combined I see what you're trying to say, but the 3-series is the single biggest seller in the UK now and has been for some years. The fact a car with a complicated convertible roof mechanism is off the road for repairs for longer than the saloon/coupe equivalent should be of no surprise to anyone. Also if the 107 is super-reliable then the Aygo and C1 should be in the exact same spot, seeing as how they're the same car made in the same factory. It's little things like that that make me rubbish any of these surveys, as they're just too limited in scope.