Which car? help!
 

Alright guys, I need some help for a friend. His dad presently has a 1987 Porsche 944 Turbo.

http://www.dimmer.net/hosted/944central/photos/t3.jpg

He loves it, but he's cursed it for being a "maintenance bitch". The other day my friend and his dad went and test drove 4 cars.

2001 BMW M3 (The only used car of the bunch.)

http://www.autointell.com/news-2000-...tible-2001.jpg


Nissan 350z

http://www.in.gr/auto/news/images/bi...rtible_715.jpg


MINI Cooper S

http://www.velocityphotos.com/images...oopers4901.jpg


BMW Z4

http://www.racing.com/bmw-z4-0729.jpg


What would you guys choose among these? If you didn't get the idea, he wants a convertible. He included the MINI because apparently next year's S's will be convertibles, so I'm told. After the test drives, he's leaning towards the Z4. Now, before all you M3 enthusiasts get on him about that, he said that while M3s are desirable, the used one they drove had 20k hard miles on it and it didn't feel very good. Especially compared to the Z4, which both father and son enjoyed.
Thoughts?

personally I'd say M3 at first glance, but since he'd rather have new, I'd say Z4. Thats just my opinion. I'm sure Cynthetiq will be in here soon pushin for the Mini

Well, the M3 is an awesome machine....but it seems hes ruled that out for the most part. I think the Z is kinda ugly, but the convertible looks better...still ugly. It is a capable performer, but its in a much cheaper class than the BMW's. It would probably be my choice. The Mini...ahh...a lot of people love it. I dont. I find it uncomfortable to ride in and i think its kinda ugly. The Z4....kinda goofy looking, a little overpriced, but still a very nice car. I think he ought to choose it, since price doesn't seem to be an issue.

surprisingly, i didn't realize that the 350Z and the Z4 (the 2.5i) were about the same price... but if i was getting the Z4, i would probably want the 3.0i, which steps you up about $10k over the 350Z (~$34k vs. ~$44k)

performance-wise, you need the 3.0 to stack up against the 350Z

while the 350Z has 287bhp and 274 lb/ft and the Z4 only has 225bhp and 214 lb/ft, the Z4 is about 300 lbs lighter.

0-60: 350Z-5.7 Z4-6.0
1/4 mile: 350Z-14.3 Z4-14.6
skidpad: 350Z-.86g Z4-.91g

fuel economy is about the same, except the 350Z has a 20gal tank against the Z4's 17gal.

braking is fairly similar.

one thing for the 350Z: 6-speed manual instead of 5
one thing for the Z4: over twice the trunk space

i personally would save myself the 10grand and get the 350Z, but when it all comes down to it, it's really just a matter of personal taste.

I didn't realize the trunk was so much bigger on the Z4...keep the interesting facts coming...and btw, the Z4 would be the 3.0i

Personally, I'd go for the M3. I'm not a fan of the looks of the 350Z or the Z4 - but that's just me. However, since you seem to have ruled it out, then I'd say the 350Z is probably best.

If I were getting one, I'd throw down the extra money and get a Z4. They're all nice cars, but I wouldn't fit in a mini, I've heard that the 350Z is less than impressive performance-wise, and you said the M3 didn't feel good. If I was going to get the new Z, I'd wait a couple of years until the twin turbo package is offered.

M3 all the way.........well it depends on the year. The first batch of the E46's have huge engine problems.

Pragma, why take the 350Z over the Z4?

Z4

personally a convertible mini is my choice, but since it is the first year its out, i'd lean toward the Z4. Overall good style and if it continues the Z3 legacy its fun as hell to toss around.

Z4 all the way baby, ever drive a 6 speed, I'd take it any day over the others, although the mini is quite tempting. I'll have to keep an eye out for pics of the convertible mini

Does ANYONE have pictures of the convertible MINI? Where's Cynthetiq! We need back up!!

http://www.auto123.com/ArtImages/9119/01.jpg

http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/1...3/023600-E.jpg

350z because it's just that hot!

Tech thanks for the pics, that looks pretty good.
I just got the latest Sports Car International and they gave the Z4 a pretty crappy review, saying the paddle shifters were extremely slow when going from N to 1 or to R, and the computer had some problems deciding when to drop to 1 or stay in 2. The manual Z4 is a mediocre sports car with an excellent engine and gearbox."It said the SMG gearbox was "sluggish and unresponsine" and that both the SMG and the Z4 itself are "obviously in need of further development."
The article ends: "If you really must have a German sports car with no clutch pedal, here are three words of advice: Porsche Boxster Tiptronic."
:hmm:

those are great pics of the convertible mini...

i've seen the tops of the mini, i'm not sold on the design, but the tonneau on the boot, makes the tailgae drop down like the originial classic mini convertible. I saw an original classic convertible while in London... hot car

they won't be out until the 2005 mondel year.

IMHO I love the z3 it's my dream car after renting one in Vegas a couple years ago, now the MINI comes close in performance, and i'm sure that the S would have been balls to the wall the same as the z3. I am no sold on the z4 even though I've not driven it. I've been told that it's much more of a driver than a sports car like the z3 was considered.

what about an S2000? that has great performance for the $$$.

I would say the Z4. The Nissan guys seem to always come up a little short on the 3series converts. They either have to drop the performance to maintain tortional rigidity (300zx) or add weight (350z). If he has the $$ the Z4 is pretty hot.

of the 4 choices, the Z4 has the best looks (to my eyes anyway)

obviously, the M3 is the performance choice


now, if there were just some way to combine the two.


I'd get the 3.0l Z4 with a manual gearbox and start looking into performance mods.