Retirement vehicle

Ever see this one in your area?

 

Yes it is. 2010 ZR1 for 70k. 25k miles, intake/long tubes/tune.

 

I would probably run the gooseneck up there and pick it up. It's an unproven modified car.
#trustissues

 

Fuck it. Get it now and then you can keep modding as you go and can use it when you finally hit the age.

 

I contacted the seller and he was kind of flat...just to the point and that's it.

 

I'm not sure I could afford that. You know damn well that is 135k dollars.

 

Medicare*

 

Nah that’s on the idiot who’s still alive after shooting up a grocery store here a few years back …and jury selection is just beginning

 

Went on a test drive on the recommendation from a group chat on telegram from the OG members TacomaWorld.

A couple recommended a 2/3 series BMW. Well, some of you know me...shoot for the stars. I haven't been in an M car in...well probably early 2000's. Things have changed.

I did a little research and seen a 2019 M2 Competition M6 for sale and wanted to go check it out. I put on a collared shirt (not kidding) and went to the dealership. Funny, a salesman greeted me and said "you do know we no longer give you a Polo shirt on BMW purchases right?" He caught on right away and we both laughed. Well played.



The salesman owned an M2C with a standard so he knew the in's and outs of these cars. He ran me through everything important for a test drive. And a test drive we went on.

I was not used to the rev matching and finally had to turn it off...but that also takes off all traction controls. Once he realized I could heal toe and row gears he was a little more at ease.

First impressions...the bad:

Seats are tight if you have bigger legs. Not sure if the auto would be a better choice.

-You will most likely get a speeding ticket in this car. More on that later.

-Brakes are very touchy. This car will make you look like driving with three feet is normal and this is the first day. I thought my corvette brakes were touchy.

-Flip flops is not a good idea for this test drive. Polo shirt, designer jeans, and flip flops.

The good:

-Brakes. The brakes are gooooood!!! This is the rear brakes and can only run on 19" wheels.



-Power delivery. So this S55 inline six BMW was plucked from the M4, detuned it a bit to 405 hp/406 tq in a 3450 lb rocket. This car hits hard down low all the way to redline. It's ridiculous. I could not imagine the CS package that gives you 444 hp and 97 lbs lighter.

-Handling. This car is a point and go. The ass end will slide out a bit if you keep the skinny pedal matted coming out of the apex. There are three steering set-points and sport is the sweet spot for this guy. Sport plus is for track days.

-Gearbox is very smooth...which is fortunate since heal/toeing will take some practice with how strong these brakes are.

-Ride is firm but not harsh by any means. If you have ever driven a pre-magnetic ride Z06 this M2 felt good. No suspension adjustments on the M2C.

So far it's just easier to list why I shouldn't buy a car like this. I want to take another M4 Comp or CS for a ride before making any decisions which one goes into the pool of options.

 

I'm good on retirement income.

If I buy a BMW, it will not see inside a dealership in my city. These guys are worse than our Toyota dealerships...and that is saying something.

There is a European car dealership in Denver that does killer warranties for 4500.00. I might do something like that if it goes that route.

I called a guy about a Shelby Mustang yesterday.

 

damn convertibles.

 

That is a great question and a difficult one to answer....but I will give it a go. This might get a bit long.

I have become a little more practical in my older days. 15 years ago I would have already had a two seat rocket...whatever make/model. That was the selfish Chris. I still like taking the family but it isn't a requirement. We have vehicles for that and I'm the only one that likes road trips. My wife wants to get a newer C8 Z06....

Overall requirements:

Insurance/overall operational costs. I will go up to 150 per month on insurance. So far the Z06/mustang are the cheapest at 97.00 per month. The M2 is 116 per month and the M4 is 160 per month (so that is out).
Tire cost. Out of all the cars listed the M2 is the cheapest at around 11-1200 for a set followed by the corvette at around 1600. The newer Mustang GT500 (2020 +) is around 2250+.
Driver satisfaction. I want to have a shit eating grin every time I drive it.



I want a vehicle that has driver input....at different levels. Something that is just a hoot to drive. Take yesterday's test drive. That M2C is a bad ass sports car. That just brought the devil out in Chris.



M cars are pretty reliable if you leave them alone or tune without doing supporting mods. I have friends with over 120K miles and minimal issues that are left alone. Now the people that don't....Bimmerpost is full of those kinds that spend thousands in repairs. The only real mods you need to do on these cars are: aluminum charge pipes


Now for the frustrating part. I really enjoy driving Corvette's. The C6 is my Go To. With the LS7 and LS9 the heads are know to have head and supercharger problems. This sucks after purchasing a 45-100k+ car and taking it home to pull the valve train off (unless it has been done). At a minimum one has to spend 2200.00 and that is doing the work myself. For instance this car has everything I could want. Heads/cam/exhaust/color. To be honest, I would want this car stock, put some heads on it (aftermarket), fix the factory heads and use them as swapping every 30-40K miles. These cars are stupid fast with factory power. I would rather spend money on suspension and tires/fuel/driver skill. It's all about smiles per miles.

This car just dropped to 46000, so I might have to make a decision quick. These jet stream blue cars sell quickly.



This car is mint, makes great power (585 to rear wheels) but it is at the limit for a factory clutch. There goes 5G for a new clutch in short order. Now I could put a factory C7 Z06 clutch in and it would hold (the function would be factory feel) or go aftermarket and have a grabby clutch. Great for racing, not so great for cruising. Still need to drop the torque tube and transmission assembly. I would need to find a shop that specializes in Corvette clutch or you can be rest assured you will be going back into it again rather quickly. Most people don't know the transmission is in the rear of the car on this generation corvette. This looks fun....



Now I have looked at Mustangs and they seem pretty solid. The Shelby 500 in '13-'14 pack a pretty good punch 662 hp/632 tq and only come in a standard transmission. We have all seen the cars and coffee crashes with the Mustangs (usually pre 2016) when they still have a live rear axle. To put it blunt...these whales have a shitload of power but maybe not the best handling car. Fun muscle car.

This one is 60K with 11K miles.



I'll be honest here. If I'm to spend 60K on a older mustang and be total bonkers....I would rather toss in a few more chips and go newer.

This is the cheapest GT500 in the US now with 33K miles for 69K.

 

I have even looked for low mileage Lexus IS F cars. The ones I do find have the stupid red interior.

 

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicle/717638775?clickType=atmobileapp

 

-I'm pretty open with 2/4 door.
-Engine size doesn't matter either. Performance does.
-Standard or dual clutch. I don't want a lazy auto with the exception of a Lexus F car.
-I would prefer RWD. No need to understeer in every spirited corner.
-I am not a brand loyalist. Best vehicle wins.
-I would also like to have port injection over direct injection. Not a deal breaker, but it costs more in maintenance (ie BMW).