Why are the options for my perfect car so limited?

[owequitit]

Regular H22 Accords are more like mid 15 sec cars

My dad's M45 is prob marginally faster than an E39 540iA, and that was definitely noticeably faster than my second CB which was no regular H22 Accord. Plus more importantly, for what I think Deev is looking for, a big V8 hooked up to an auto box in a big cushy sedan would perfectly complement the Fit. The M3 is an awesome car, and is a bit more luxurious than even an SE CB7. But it's still a stiffly sprung, somewhat loud stick shift sports sedan/coupe. While I'm not sure it's running Deev already has the fun car in the CB. I would go completely left and get something luxurious. It will make a huge difference.

Plus, worst comes to worst there are some dirt cheap 540i 6 speeds out there. There is one by me at a dealer w/a warranty for about 7K.

There have been more than 1 that have shown them to be faster than that, but I am not going to sit here and argue about it.

The 540i is a mid 14 second car with an auto, and even if the CB is a low 15 the difference isn't that appreciably huge. Case in point. "Low 15 second" Si vs current (05-09) Mustang GT with Exhaust. Yes, it was a manual. Yes, he was trying. Those are roughly low 14 second to high 13 second cars by the same measure that put the BMW in the mid 14's and the Civic in the low 15's. He had about a car on me by 80MPH. Not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things.

I don't honestly believe your CB was all that healthy, but that is just me based on what I have seen. Some of the stories you told make me highly suspect of that "not a regular H22 crap." Case in point, Ray's second H22 CB with cams and all kinds of other crap that was NO faster than his STOCK CB, and was most likely in fact quite a bit slower. People just assume that they slap all kinds of shit on there, so it MUST be faster, or it FEELS faster, so they assume that a stock one is slower etc. I watched the shit Ray's kept up with/pulled on and I have seen the crap mine kept up with. I have no doubt that a car like the 540i would pull in the top end, but by then you would be at highly illegal speeds.

[93EXaesthetic]

lexus is your best bet.. reliability, little bit of luxury, and rwd

[mayberry]

What kind of price range would an IS300 w/ a manual trans. be in?

[deevergote]

IS300s still hover in the 10k area, even with high mileage. Manuals are difficult to find.

[Gemini]

IS300s still hover in the 10k area, even with high mileage. Manuals are difficult to find.

Really? Ive seen several go for less than that in the past 10 months. My brother was looking for one prior to buying his lincoln Navi and he found a couple stick shift for under $10k but he went with a truck instead(deciding factory was his size - 6'4" 250 lbs )

[deevergote]

Maybe they've dropped significantly. I was having a hard time finding even an auto model under 12k back when I was shopping for what ended up being the GTP. Same with WRXs (which I wouldn't buy now)

[StinkinLincoln]

Deff I'f I had the money I would try to find a nice Used BMW M3....

[gloryaccordy]

There have been more than 1 that have shown them to be faster than that, but I am not going to sit here and argue about it.

The 540i is a mid 14 second car with an auto, and even if the CB is a low 15 the difference isn't that appreciably huge. Case in point. "Low 15 second" Si vs current (05-09) Mustang GT with Exhaust. Yes, it was a manual. Yes, he was trying. Those are roughly low 14 second to high 13 second cars by the same measure that put the BMW in the mid 14's and the Civic in the low 15's. He had about a car on me by 80MPH. Not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things.

I don't honestly believe your CB was all that healthy, but that is just me based on what I have seen. Some of the stories you told make me highly suspect of that "not a regular H22 crap." Case in point, Ray's second H22 CB with cams and all kinds of other crap that was NO faster than his STOCK CB, and was most likely in fact quite a bit slower. People just assume that they slap all kinds of shit on there, so it MUST be faster, or it FEELS faster, so they assume that a stock one is slower etc. I watched the shit Ray's kept up with/pulled on and I have seen the crap mine kept up with. I have no doubt that a car like the 540i would pull in the top end, but by then you would be at highly illegal speeds.

Races, IMO, are much less indicative of a car's raw performance than one's own experience of a car behind the wheel. Say what you want about the Stang, but at the end of the day the only stuff I like to go by is hard #'s and what I have control over. I have friends who threw exhausts/suspensions/brakes on automatic 3.5 Altimas and gave random NSXs the business on the highway. Does that mean the NSX is slower, or that the NSX driver can't drive, even if he was 'trying' (which we know he or she was)? There's no way to tell. That said I have ridden in various H22 powered cars, and despite the issues that car had, when it was running well it was a league ahead the average H22 Accord. I gave my friend w/an S2000 a legitimate scare.

All of this is irrelevant in the context of this thread though. Bottom line is, Deev, like Scott said, while an E39 is a somewhat big car, physics don't lie. The 6 cylinder version has a near 50/50 weight balance and the V8 is close. Compared to any 4 banger Honda (spare maybe a 7th gen Accord EX-L) the Bimmer is opulent. And if the weight is really an issue, keep in mind new super performance sedans like the E90 M3 and C63 AMG all weigh well in excess of 3600#, and are still legitimate brutal hard nosed performers. A car like the 540i Sport is so special in that you can have some of that brutality and visceral feel when you want it, but when you are just tooling around you are in a mini 740i. It's a win win IMO, more so than an M3 that gives away a little more civility than necessary for performance you hardly ever get to use, and has the interior space of a Tercel.

[deevergote]

I've been seriously considering the 540 now... and honestly, there are far fewer 540s on the road than their are 330s! I like that. That was one problem that I had with any 3 series. Yes, they're nice. Yes, they perform well. But every yuppie has one!

Of course, am I going to wish I had the M5 if I get a 540? Maybe it WOULD be wise to just suck it up and save a little longer. An M5 would be pretty damn cool... and with an extra what, 110hp over the 540? Not to mention, the M5 MIGHT have been babied a bit more. Most people don't buy such a car just to have it. They buy it to treasure it.

[ilovemycb7]

540 would be an amazing car. But reliability is not there.

I see this question pop up semi often on my e30 forum and I just read post after post about how you should be prepared for maintenance. Cooling system goes bad. Hard to work on motors. Apparently the straight 6 versions are quite a bit more reliable and cost effective. Still nice to drive as well.

I'd steer away from an e36 m3. Out of your price range for one in good shape. Some with an e39 really... e36 m3s in perfect shape are like 15k it seems.

My favorite option would be the 540i but for reliability issues I'd suggest a 528i.

Oh and m5... crazy expensive to get parts for. And really rare...

I still think a 330i would be a good car for ya. But in that case you could probably ditch the accord since the 330i would be more fun to drive and more comfortable.

[deevergote]

The Accord still has a place in my heart... and it's both easy and cheap to work on!


You're probably right about the M5. I've seen quite a few around, though. I even showed one to Dean a little while ago that was like $9000! Really high miles, but looked pampered. Still, if it breaks... yeah.

Ugh... this is driving me nuts!

Perhaps I'm really just not ready for a BMW... Anything I can afford will probably be more of a headache than it's worth... or I'll be paying a lot of money for an old car that's in perfect shape... and I won't be happy with an old car, knowing how much more powerful and luxurious the newer ones are!

This is why I made this post. I can talk myself into something stupid... you guys do a good job of talking me OUT of something stupid!




Perhaps a Miata wouldn't be a bad choice... the luxury and prestige aren't there, but the fun factor is, and it's still a "nice" car.

[gloryaccordy]

*pops up on Deev's shoulder in an all red velour suit sans tail*

Deev cmon man.

I dont know ur exact schedule but you drive like 50K miles a year in your work car (the Fit).

Plus you have the CB too.

It's not like an issue with the 3rd car would leave you high and dry for long.

E30 man makes a good point that I didn't know about... I thought all BMW motors in the 5s were bulletproof. PERSONALLY, the 540i will def. be more beastly, but to a large degree I prefer the sound of the M52 inline 6:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPecF...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdRTB...om=PL&index=17

The V8s are fast but IMO they're not the best V8s out there plus they have issues. BMW's been makin I6's for centuries; the V8 in the 540i is essentially their first one.

In any case if you have the savings and all that fuck it man go for it, you only live once. *dissapears*

[deevergote]

I don't want to get myself into another situation like I had with the GTP. Granted, I won't be driving this new car for work. EVER. This will be a one or two day drive... Dates, driving around to relax, holiday trips to my mom's, stuff like that. Whatever I get, I'll probably invest in a custom cover for it, and it'll stay in my carport unless I'm doing work on one of the other cars that requires a roof. Part of the fun of this car is going to be keeping it in fantastic shape (yes, I know... I'm looking for a car that costs $8000...)

[gloryaccordy]

I don't want to get myself into another situation like I had with the GTP. Granted, I won't be driving this new car for work. EVER. This will be a one or two day drive... Dates, driving around to relax, holiday trips to my mom's, stuff like that. Whatever I get, I'll probably invest in a custom cover for it, and it'll stay in my carport unless I'm doing work on one of the other cars that requires a roof. Part of the fun of this car is going to be keeping it in fantastic shape (yes, I know... I'm looking for a car that costs $8000...)

[deevergote]

Too blangin for me... I want it to look stock!


I talked to my friend, and he made a point... I'm better off saving to get into grad school ASAP, rather than wasting money on a third car... I mean fourth car...