Hey guys, I've been a lurker for a long time, but I've finally decided to create an account. A little history about myself, I've been a fan of cars ever since I saw The Fast and the Furious in middle school. Laugh all you want, but I thought those cars were the coolest things ever, and ever since then I've been into cars. Don't worry, thankfully I've realized those were riced out cars and my taste have matured greatly since middle school, but I have to pay respect to what got me into cars. So I've owned a bunch of cars since being able to drive, I'll give a short history of them.
1989 Camry - First car, it was turd brown and probably the ugliest thing ever, but it got me to school and back and of course having a car in high school was super awesome.
1991 Mazda Miata - Probably the coolest car, and the one I've had the most fun in. This is the one I learned how to drive stick on, and it was great. Top down, handled on rails, and not fast enough to get you into any serious trouble without really trying to be stupid. To date my favorite car, and the one I think back on the most.
2004 330Ci ZHP 6SPD - Great car, although it wasn't very practical, and once I transferred from a community college to a university I sold it because I couldn't justify the monthly payments.
2000 - S2000 - I'd say my "coolest" car. It was Grand Prix White with Red interior. Immaculate condition. I had more fun in the Miata because I was scared to push this car as I read tons about people crashing the early models. It was awesome to cruise around in though. Towards the end I wasn't driving it as much because it got horrible gas mileage and wasn't practical at all. I had a beater 1997 Maxima that I was driving at the time was well. I ended up selling it to pay down some college loans since at the time I wasn't really making too much money, and I couldn't justify having it as a weekend car.
I've had beaters in between, those are just my most notable cars. Jump to present time...
So I've been working my butt off and was finally able to pull the trigger on a BMW 335is with the DCT transmission a few months ago. I've always wanted a 335 ever since it came out. Perfect blend of luxury and sport. It's an awesome car, comfortable enough to be a daily, but when you want to have some fun it'll definitely make you smile with those lightning fast shifts, and the amazing 335is exhaust. The problem is... I don't feel it's special enough to be a weekend car which is what I'm using it for.
My job requires me to drive 100-200 miles a day, so I have a beater that I drive M-F. At the end of the week, I want to drive something special, something I can look forward to driving and taking out for a spin. I've thought about it and have narrowed down the list to a few cars.
NSX - Been one of my favorites since middle school. Exotic looks, very rare, 5 speed manual, and mid engined. I've been checking prices here and there for a few years and it seems like the last few years prices have really skyrocketed. 1991 NSXs with 100k miles are going for 30-35k when they could've been had in the mid 20s in the late 2000s I feel. I've never driven one, nor have I ever rode in one, but everything that I read about them is awesome. The only downsides is that it is a 25 year old car car with 270hp and theres a lot newer/faster cars out there for the money. BUT I know it's not all about speed, there's other factors to a car which is why the NSX is high on my list... but that thought is in the back of my mind
Cayman S / Boxster S - Mid engine, RWD, 6 speed manual. Looks decent, but not bad ass like the NSX. From the reviews it's a great drive as well. Still very expensive, but I feel like 35k would get me into one. I'd LOVE to have the current generation model, but unfortunately those are 50k+ and way out of my budget.
M3 - V8 RWD and comfortable when you want it to be. I feel like it's a great choice but it's just so common. I see them everywhere, multiple times a day on my commute so the special factor kind of loses its appeal. Most people would think it's just a regular car if they weren't into cars.
Anyways sorry if I'm kind of jumping around in my thoughts. I guess what I'm asking is, how would you guys compare these cars? What other cars should I look at? I know this is an NSX forum so there maybe bias but how have you enjoyed your ownership? Any thoughts and opinions would be greatly appreciated.
LASTLY, I know this is a long shot, but would anyone in the SoCal area be willing to let me drive there car around the block? Or maybe just a ride shotgun in one? It would make my day, and hopefully give me a better perspective of what I'd be getting into if I'm dropping this much money. Again, it's a lot to ask, so I totally understand if there's no takers.
Thanks for reading everyone!
1989 Camry - First car, it was turd brown and probably the ugliest thing ever, but it got me to school and back and of course having a car in high school was super awesome.
1991 Mazda Miata - Probably the coolest car, and the one I've had the most fun in. This is the one I learned how to drive stick on, and it was great. Top down, handled on rails, and not fast enough to get you into any serious trouble without really trying to be stupid. To date my favorite car, and the one I think back on the most.
2004 330Ci ZHP 6SPD - Great car, although it wasn't very practical, and once I transferred from a community college to a university I sold it because I couldn't justify the monthly payments.
2000 - S2000 - I'd say my "coolest" car. It was Grand Prix White with Red interior. Immaculate condition. I had more fun in the Miata because I was scared to push this car as I read tons about people crashing the early models. It was awesome to cruise around in though. Towards the end I wasn't driving it as much because it got horrible gas mileage and wasn't practical at all. I had a beater 1997 Maxima that I was driving at the time was well. I ended up selling it to pay down some college loans since at the time I wasn't really making too much money, and I couldn't justify having it as a weekend car.
I've had beaters in between, those are just my most notable cars. Jump to present time...
So I've been working my butt off and was finally able to pull the trigger on a BMW 335is with the DCT transmission a few months ago. I've always wanted a 335 ever since it came out. Perfect blend of luxury and sport. It's an awesome car, comfortable enough to be a daily, but when you want to have some fun it'll definitely make you smile with those lightning fast shifts, and the amazing 335is exhaust. The problem is... I don't feel it's special enough to be a weekend car which is what I'm using it for.
My job requires me to drive 100-200 miles a day, so I have a beater that I drive M-F. At the end of the week, I want to drive something special, something I can look forward to driving and taking out for a spin. I've thought about it and have narrowed down the list to a few cars.
NSX - Been one of my favorites since middle school. Exotic looks, very rare, 5 speed manual, and mid engined. I've been checking prices here and there for a few years and it seems like the last few years prices have really skyrocketed. 1991 NSXs with 100k miles are going for 30-35k when they could've been had in the mid 20s in the late 2000s I feel. I've never driven one, nor have I ever rode in one, but everything that I read about them is awesome. The only downsides is that it is a 25 year old car car with 270hp and theres a lot newer/faster cars out there for the money. BUT I know it's not all about speed, there's other factors to a car which is why the NSX is high on my list... but that thought is in the back of my mind
Cayman S / Boxster S - Mid engine, RWD, 6 speed manual. Looks decent, but not bad ass like the NSX. From the reviews it's a great drive as well. Still very expensive, but I feel like 35k would get me into one. I'd LOVE to have the current generation model, but unfortunately those are 50k+ and way out of my budget.
M3 - V8 RWD and comfortable when you want it to be. I feel like it's a great choice but it's just so common. I see them everywhere, multiple times a day on my commute so the special factor kind of loses its appeal. Most people would think it's just a regular car if they weren't into cars.
Anyways sorry if I'm kind of jumping around in my thoughts. I guess what I'm asking is, how would you guys compare these cars? What other cars should I look at? I know this is an NSX forum so there maybe bias but how have you enjoyed your ownership? Any thoughts and opinions would be greatly appreciated.
LASTLY, I know this is a long shot, but would anyone in the SoCal area be willing to let me drive there car around the block? Or maybe just a ride shotgun in one? It would make my day, and hopefully give me a better perspective of what I'd be getting into if I'm dropping this much money. Again, it's a lot to ask, so I totally understand if there's no takers.
Thanks for reading everyone!
