I decided it was time to move on from my 92x due to a variety of reasons (tired of trying to sneak through smog inspections, tired of dealing with hills around SF with not much low down torque, wanting something smaller, wanting to move away from high revving, highly strung boosted motors, haven't really made good use of AWD in years), but I still wanted a lot of the things that the 92x has to offer (unique/somewhat uncommon, good power, cargo space, sporty).

So I picked up what I view as the only car to meet that list of wants, a Z3 coupe:







I'm not big on rarity, but it's kind of cool because this particular car is 1-of-1.  It's the only one in sterling gray, with no sunroof, 5 speed, and black leather.  Pretty neat.     I wish it had a sunroof, but it isn't the end of the world.

In terms of performance, it doesn't have nearly the top end of the EJ207 I had in the Saab, but it makes good power immediately off idle and has enough power throughout the rev range to be fun, the motor is as smooth as can be, it has great brakes and steering feel, it can take relatively gigantic tires with no issue (you can fit 255 width tires in rear and 245 up front with no need for fender rolling), and the car is 17 inches shorter overall, but the wheelbase is only 3 inches shorter.

I bought the car in great shape, but as with any used car purchase, there's always some stuff to deal with and a few things have popped up since I bought it.  I've had two nerve-racking moments since buying it (oil light coming on while driving home in the middle of a monsoon (just needed a bit of oil), car going completely stone dead in a parking lot (just a loose battery cable)), but aside from those things, it's been fantastic.

Here's the new stuff that's been put onto the car so far in the few days I've owned it:

Continental DWS tires
Stewart lifetime water pump
Radiator and expansion tank
Thermostat
Aluminum water pump pulley (replacing the plastic one)
Radiator hoses
Belts
Oil change
Hatch struts (the old ones couldn't hold the hatch up)

The next two things to do have to do with the seats.  There are bushings on the seats that keep the seat from rocking back and forth, but they wear out over time, so the seat will rock under acceleration or braking.  I was given the impression that these were all good before buying, but they're definitely shot.  The seats also come from the factory with the seat bottom too parallel to the ground (as opposed to leaning back slightly). So a common mod is to add some spacers under the front of the seat to angle it back a bit.  I'm hoping to get these things knocked out tomorrow.

After the seats, it needs new transmission and diff fluid, a new valve cover gasket, and to have a few bushings replaced...then after that, I should be all set (knock on wood).

So far, it's been a great next car after the 92x, and it's cool to drive something with such different character.  The thing that makes me most nervous is that the proportions of the car are completely different and you sit in a completely different spot. You're nearly sitting over the rear axle, and the hood is much much longer than it looks from the cockpit.  Parallel parking and pulling into and out of tight spaces is completely different than the 92x.  This will take some time to get used to.

Anyhow, thought I'd share.