Jetpilot Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 This is a really cool forum and the people on here are waaaay more chill than on most owners clubs. However coming on here talking about street racing and refering to people as "son" isn't going to get you off to the best of starts with everyone. Its a good forum, but i do find it quite "intense" compared to some of others i have been on, there is a lot of big brother paranoia on here regarding insurance companies/police having access to posts etc, if anyone thinks insurance companies and police have time to trawl through car forums to catch offenders i would say you have watched enemy of the state way too many times. A lot of other forums have a dedicated "kills" section for such very topics and before you make suggestions about such forums or more specifically the integrity of the cars/owners, we are not talking saxos or corsas, but other equal performance cars And before any flammage commences i am not condoning street racing or reckless and dangerous driving at any stretch of the imagination, but i am sure we all have enjoyed a little spirited driving on occasion, which can be completely within any given speed limits time and a place etc 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg tl Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 E36 M3 EVO 3.2 actually pretty heavy, same if not more as the Z 3.2 figures are 321bhp although nearly none ever made that figure more like 3305-31bhp and the 3.0 was 286bhp Completely different delivery to the Z all up top. A nice and chassis I prefer the 3.0. Mine felt much torquier than the 3.2 i had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 They're clearly fine pieces of engineering, but I just can't really get excited about BMWs, M or otherwise. To be honest, ive never been one for bmw`s either until I bought my bmw 123d coupe 18 months ago. The difference in quality between that and any other cars ive had (incl other German makes) is like night & day. Makes my 350z feel like a rusty old transit van in comparison. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rock_Steady Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 i'll never forget how Jeremy Clarkson summed up German cars and, this rang true for me. " long on engineering and short on passion ". I just can't get a boner over a BMW. Nice cars and really nice to drive, just lack some kind of vim and vigour for me. Don't feel special driving one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbyheinz Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 These are cars for 30-40 year old chavs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OV53 Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 M3s are for helmets Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alfie Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 Its all self preference, if we all liked the same cars then how boring would this world be. M3's and 350z's are 2 very different cars which have equal amount of good qualities as they do bad.. Power wise i know what i would choose.. but on the other hand.. styling and spec it would have to go to the other 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spatt Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 Dont you think the more cars out there the better.. and the second hand market is so vast.. and the cost of buying these 'poster' cars so low.. everyone can at least try to own a piece of that now.. you couldn't buy a car years ago with 70000miles on it in the past(unless you where expecting to rebuild it) but you can buy 350z, skyline, 911, AMG, Msport, evo, subaru, rs ect.. for fractions of what they cost new. The pickings are rich! Im 26 and never thought id be driving the car I do now 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stutopia Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Its all self preference, if we all liked the same cars then how boring would this world be. M3's and 350z's are 2 very different cars which have equal amount of good qualities as they do bad.. Power wise i know what i would choose.. but on the other hand.. styling and spec it would have to go to the other Totally true. I didn't mean to be down on BMW, I love engineering and they've certainly got it, just not that x factor for me. Having said that, I saw a Z4 M tear up the track at Croft last year and it was astonishing, so maybe one day... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabbitstew Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Its all self preference, if we all liked the same cars then how boring would this world be. M3's and 350z's are 2 very different cars which have equal amount of good qualities as they do bad.. Power wise i know what i would choose.. but on the other hand.. styling and spec it would have to go to the other I think its very much down to each particular car and as you say individuals personal preference. When I was looking for my zed I started off actually looking at E46 M3`s. I then saw a 350z Roadster in the corner of a garage and that was it, my search for a zed started then & there and I actually bought a 313 HR Roadster the following day. For me, looking for a big engined 2 seater RWD sports car, it was a toss up between a Porsche Boxster, a Z4 or Z4M and the 313HR. There was really very little between the Z4M and the 313HR performance wise. Looking on autotrader they were both as rare as each other, with only a handful of them for sale within 100 miles of my house, but on the other hand there were literally thousands of Z4`s and boxsters for sale. Again, for me personally, I found the BMW wasnt as much fun to drive as the zed, it lacked a certain something. I prefered the styling of the zed - the Z4/Z4M looked too angular. I also prefered the rarity of the 313HR and indeed any zed in my area where I live. People wouldnt give the Z4 or boxster a second glance, but the zed on the other hand made people stop and stare. I also preferred the actual driving experience of the zed. Sure, the build quality is shocking compared to german cars. I was amazed at how rusty my zed was underneath after just 20k miles and 4 years old - it looked like some 30 year old Austin Mini, and things tend to rattle and feel plasticy/tacky compared to a bmw or even a VW. But does that make it better or worse? Again, its all down to personal preference..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rock_Steady Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Its all self preference, if we all liked the same cars then how boring would this world be. M3's and 350z's are 2 very different cars which have equal amount of good qualities as they do bad.. Power wise i know what i would choose.. but on the other hand.. styling and spec it would have to go to the other Totally true. I didn't mean to be down on BMW, I love engineering and they've certainly got it, just not that x factor for me. Having said that, I saw a Z4 M tear up the track at Croft last year and it was astonishing, so maybe one day... If I had to choose any BMW it would be a z4-M hardtop. for me that is a stunning car. I forgot about the z4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 I'll sacrifice most things for the driving experience. Build quality, comfort, styling, cost, all up for compromise. A decent drive isn't. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliveBoy Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 I'll sacrifice most things for the driving experience. Build quality, comfort, styling, cost, all up for compromise. A decent drive isn't. I'd agree with this, except for cost Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 I wasn't necessarily referring to spending more: Put it this way, you may have a budget of £10K, but I'd move down a grade in car to get the experience I'm after. Say, from maybe a 350Z to a mk1 MX5. Not on the same league performance-wise, nor comforts nor looks, but you may consider the cheaper car to be the better drive so that's what you go for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliveBoy Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Ah ok, that's a very fair point, then yes I agree. I also find driving position is quite high up the list for me, I'm not massively tall, but I'm taller than a lot of people and find it difficult in some cars to get comfy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetpilot Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 I wasn't necessarily referring to spending more: Put it this way, you may have a budget of £10K, but I'd move down a grade in car to get the experience I'm after. Say, from maybe a 350Z to a mk1 MX5. Not on the same league performance-wise, nor comforts nor looks, but you may consider the cheaper car to be the better drive so that's what you go for. Good call, but the driving experience or better drive is going to be very specific to each individual and cant see anyone looking for a 350z/m3 for example is going to have a mx5 on their radar as they are worlds apart. If i was to buy a car for best driving experience it would be some form of Caterham (reasonable budget) but i couldnt justify owning one for any other reason, my toy/weekend car needs to do many things so its which boxes need ticking and in which order. I reckon most calls will fall into certain brackets and therefore have a natural group of rivals when your looking to buy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Good call, but the driving experience or better drive is going to be very specific to each individual and cant see anyone looking for a 350z/m3 for example is going to have a mx5 on their radar as they are worlds apart. You'd be surprised. On my list last time around were a Clio 182, DC5, E92 M3, GT-R and the 911. Okay, so I ended up buying the most expensive one anyway, but honestly they were all considered. This time round when the 911 goes I'm torn between an RX8, a 350Z, and an M6. It's looking likely that the RX8 will win, despite being the cheapest and technically most inferior car. But yeah, I do tend to agree with you that most people go up the chain when buying cars, they rarely come back down. I'd love a Caterham as well, but like you say they're just too impractical to do the other weekend things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dynamic Turtle Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 If it's any consolation to the E36 M3 owner, on my last visit to the ring (november) sabine schmidt was blasting her...E36 M3 around. If it's good enough for her it's good enough for us! My friends and I will likely be getting a track modified 3.2 for giggles next month to save busting our daily drivers (a GT3 and Exige S lol). They're a performance bargain IMHO and whilst undeniably chavvy they're the pinnacle of retro-chic in Nurburg (along with air cooled pork). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetpilot Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 If it's any consolation to the E36 M3 owner, on my last visit to the ring (november) sabine schmidt was blasting her...E36 M3 around. If it's good enough for her it's good enough for us! My friends and I will likely be getting a track modified 3.2 for giggles next month to save busting our daily drivers (a GT3 and Exige S lol). They're a performance bargain IMHO and whilst undeniably chavvy they're the pinnacle of retro-chic in Nurburg (along with air cooled pork). A buddy of mine laps the ring quicker in his track prepared e36 than he did in his r35 gtr, of course there is a lot of do i want to stuff my new gtr into a barrier going on, but reality, he has openly admitted he was just too scared of the power of the gtr and found the e36 way more manageable 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Yeah, lower power stuff is a lot of fun on track as you can really wring its neck without worrying too much about overcoming grip at silly speeds. That said, I'd love to track a GT-R just to see what one is really capable of, but I suspect the 'Ring is not the place for that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliveBoy Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Yeah, lower power stuff is a lot of fun on track as you can really wring its neck without worrying too much about overcoming grip at silly speeds. That said, I'd love to track a GT-R just to see what one is really capable of, but I suspect the 'Ring is not the place for that! I don't think the ring is really the place to learn what any car can do for the first time 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 This is also true Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetpilot Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Yeah, lower power stuff is a lot of fun on track as you can really wring its neck without worrying too much about overcoming grip at silly speeds. That said, I'd love to track a GT-R just to see what one is really capable of, but I suspect the 'Ring is not the place for that! I cant quite get my head around how a 1700kg car can be so quick and able on track! A buddy of mine is a uk national tarmac rally champion (read: he can drive, lol), his car has 200bhp and weighs as much as a packet of peanuts and is designed to be fast around a circuit, on a open day at Combe he could not loose a guy in a std gtr on road tyres, lap times around 1.18 or below, seriously quick pace and then he drive home in his heated leather seats with a stereo on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dynamic Turtle Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 That's the Japanese and their robot cars for you... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docwra Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Ekona's right, I had loads more fun in the missus MR2 Roadster at Anglesey than I did in my Zed, Ive also just said to someone in my office that I wouldnt swap my GTI-6 for a 10K Golf GTI. Driving experience > everything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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