my other post was too long. help me decide to purchase this car or go to another make/model. Thank you.
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Feb. 6, 2011 7:41 p.m. raydog New Reader
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Feb. 6, 2011 7:46 p.m. raydog New Reader
owners or mechanics reply only to this post. "personal opinions" of "what I read somewhere" don't say much different from what I have read online. Unless you know a person that has one or own one yourself, please don't reply. Thank you again for all your help, Ray.
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Feb. 6, 2011 10:12 p.m. Dav New Reader
My Mom has one. I have autox'd and street driven it.
Overall, a fun car. To be honest, I think that it drives "bigger" than some cars that are actually larger due to poorer sight-lines and the fact that dash feels like its too long.
The cars with the sport suspension ride pretty stiff for a stock car. It initially has some lag and then the turbo puts out some good torque.
It went into limp once at about 24K miles due to a VVT issue.
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Feb. 7, 2011 6:09 a.m. Dashpot New Reader
I have an '07 bought new, now with with 70K on it. It's a great car. On the plus side - quick & snappy, really good handling and lots of grip. I think the ergonomics and steering/shifter/clutch feel is right on. It's the most rigid chassis I've ever owned too. Downside - It has the intermittant cold start timing chain slap. That's annoying, but not the big deal whiny owners make it out to be. I had the VANOS solenoid (VVT issue mentioned above) replaced under warranty, as well as a thermostat housing. Only one repair out of warranty - another thermostat housing. Again, I think it's a neat car.
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Feb. 17, 2011 4:52 p.m. raydog New Reader
is that all you got people? I thought this was supposed to be one of the greatest small sports cars of all time. I know there are more owners out there to chime in on this issue.
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Feb. 17, 2011 7:08 p.m. mad_machine SuperDork
you only asked for mechanics and owners..
and no, one of the greatest sports cars of all time is the Miata.. it is always the answer
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Feb. 17, 2011 8:00 p.m. Datsun1500 Dork
OK,
I have an 02 and an 09. I have owned both since new. They are one of the most fun cars to drive and most owners love them. When they break, they are BMW prices, but I have not had any issues with mine that I would not expect with other cars. Maintain them and they will last a long time with no issues. I know people that have good luck with Hyundais and I know people that can kill a Toyota so it really comes down to how you treat it.
It seems to be one of those cars that when people like them, they get one eventually. I would bet if you get something else now, you will get one a MINI in a few years because you will be driving around thinking "I should have got one"
One other thing to consider is if you don't load them up with sunroofs, automatics, cruise, etc. a new one can be fairly close to a used one in price. A brand new one stickers for $23,700 with no packages, how much are the used 07's?
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Feb. 17, 2011 8:31 p.m. bastomatic Dork
I was shopping these recently, and I can second the "buy a new one" comment. The 2 decent 07 S models I drove were $16k with 51k miles loaded up with everything including LSD and 2 sets of tires, and $17k with 20k miles. Not great prices for a car that was $23k 4 or 5 years ago.
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Feb. 17, 2011 8:34 p.m. TRoglodyte Reader
I have driven both extensively, minis are one of the greatest small sports cars of all time. MINIS are ok.
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Feb. 17, 2011 11:04 p.m. GlennS Dork
I have an 09 S. 29k miles. Only option i have on it is blue tooth.
I like the car, its fun, and when i look at it i go "yep, thats pretty sweet"
Ive had 2 warranty issues so far
The water pump had to be replaced as it had a slow leak
The timing chain tensioner had a catostrophic failure leading to all of the engines oil exiting the vehicle through the passenger side wheel well. My first indication anything was wrong was the "no oil pressure you idiot" light coming on.
The engine survived as i killed it as soon as the light came on. The chain and the tensioner had to be replaced.
Im kinda scared to own the car out of warranty at this point which is a shame cause i really really like it.
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April 7, 2011 4:51 p.m. raydog New Reader
sorry I haven't thank you guys yet. I work in Surgery and business has been very good. I am going to hold out this year to purchase a tow vehicle and travel trailer. The S model is the only one I am interested in, and more are comming on the used market now. If you have any more stories or insight, I would love to read them.
