I would scratch MSM off the list. It's not good on the highway. 6spd + 4.1 + turbo = stupid.
I would scratch MSM off the list. It's not good on the highway. 6spd + 4.1 + turbo = stupid.
In reply to JohnRW1621:
I THOUGHT I remembered a compartment back there, but I didn't see it on the one just I drove. Flipped the seat forward and all I saw was a solid piece of carpet all the way up... odd.
Did you pick a car yet?
No, I haven't picked one yet. Sunday, Monday and Tuesday I will drive more cars and by mid-week I may make a decision.
I apologize in advance for not reading the whole thread (or even all of the 1st post), but there can only be one answer. The best Econoline van you can get. Get the windowless one and sleep in it. William Least Heat-Moon wrote a great adventure book on this very thing. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Highways
'Blue Highways', 'Travels with Charley', and 'Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance' are all part of the background inspiration for this trip, and I will mostly avoid just blasting directly from one destination to the next by the biggest slab of concrete I can find, but... unfortunately if I did this trip full-on vagabond style I wouldn't finish it by the time I want to starting school next fall! It would be amazing. There might be a book in it. I'm tempted...
Saturn Wagon. SW2 with decent wheel/tire package not too bad to drive. Room to sleep, room for stuff. Nearly 40mpg. Even if you don't plan on sleeping in the car every night, being able to recline for a nap now and then is great. Can't comfortably do that in a Miata/Boxster/Corvette.
Drove five more cars today. None of them would be a bad choice (with one caveat.) This is a fun way to spend a few days. =)
First up was a 2011 Fiesta SES. I wasn't sure there would be much to distinguish it from the '07 Fit I've been driving around to check out cars, but, much as some of us hate to admit it, new cars really are getting better in many ways. The SES is no ST, there is nothing impressive about the power, but it is distinctly less disappointing than the Fit, the handling is nearly as good, and everything else about the car is better (from a road-trip perspective.) Better sound system, aux-in and bluetooth integration, much better mileage, less of a blind-spot. Can't swallow as much cargo, but until we're talking about being able to sleep in the car that really isn't much of an advantage for me. It's an econobox, but an econobox that is a better car in many ways than most of the cars I have owned. I suspect this will be sold before my search is over.
https://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/4696512199.html
Next up was a 6-speed '01 Audi TT Quattro roadster. Very clean looking car, new top w/ glass, two owner, good records. Took a minute to get used to the very tightly spaced gear shift (shifter-wise, not gear ratio-wise,) but once I did I quite enjoyed rowing the gears and as far as road driving goes, I wasn't bothered by the turbo lag although I can see how it would be irritating if you wanted to drive the car all-out on the track. However... on the way back to the guy's house, various electronic items started acting up, and then failing. Finally the car started cutting out over a certain rpm, then died completely. As his wife headed out to meet him and the tow she had called, we did a little trouble-shooting. He had just replaced the battery and my first suspicion was that it had needed some form of blessing in the form of a dealer code to accept that, but in the end I suspect he actually needed a new alternator, not a new battery, in the first place. After it stranded us, he told me he would take $9k (after he got this issue resolved). If this has a complete and reasonable fix, I will still be interested.
https://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/4692399674.html
Third was an '05 Subaru Outback 2.5XT. Also in nice shape with good records (of course Subie wagon clean isn't summer-only roadster clean, but still.) Probably the most practical thing I have looked at for keeping-through-college duty. A nice car. Turbo is fun when it kicks in. But. Slushbox kills most of the fun. =(
http://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/4695195809.html
Fourth, still (mostly) on the practical side of the equation... an '06 Jetta TDI, 5-speed. Has a luxury package I could do without, but won't complain about. This... was a pretty nice balance of practicality and at least moderate fun. For a not-performance-first car, the gearshift was very nice. The TDI makes a very smooth transition between sedate driving and getting up to dance a little when goosed. The most comfortable car I have driven so far that didn't say Porsche on it. (Tied with the sport seats in the E30.) 40-45mpg depending on how you drive it. This would do. This would do nicely. (A wagon version might do even better, but this is available.)
http://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/4660342727.html
Last stop for the day, after Thursday I said I definitely wanted to drive a 5-speed Boxster. Turns out there was one in the same small town where I drove the auto, for the same price. It's a '97, so no IMS issue (also a few less hp, but ah well.) This one was a little cleaner than the auto I drove and the 5-speed was as much fun as I hoped. Being designed in tandem with the 911 instead of on top of a sedan platform (a la the Audi) definitely shows. As with everything I looked at today, it was very clean and with excellent records (also a two-owner car and the two places that have worked on it are both local.) New top and quite a few soft/wet bits. Not nearly as many creature comforts as the Audi, let alone the Jetta, and a howl from both the front tires that sometimes overwhelms even the very nice engine behind you, but nothing actively off-putting. Still fits like a glove.
https://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/4672725743.html
Discovered an additional advantage to a manual transmission today that I had never really considered. Driving the Fit I often find my speedo wandering upward unintentionally where in a manual I can put it in an appropriate gear for the speed I want to be going and the revs will tell me when my foot is getting heavier than I intend.
I'll tell you the Mazdaspeed3 amazed me as a GT car that can boogie. I drove across the country (from SF, CA -> Nashville, so not all the way) in 2 days, the second day me driving 19 hours and I felt fine. Those seats are amazing. We took the slow route home through the mountains and turbos at elevation meant I could easily pass in 6th, 5th if there wasn't much room on the 2 lanes.
Anyways, good gas milage, amazing power, 6 speed manual.
That boxster looks to be in great shape, especially for a 17-18 year-old car. Love the interior.
Find the nicest e36 328i w/sport package you can, or an M3. Fantastic road trip cars, and 27-29 highway mpgs.
Sounds like the Jetta is the one to get. The Outback will always look like you got moms hand me down car. Get the Jetta, take the trip and keep the car through college. Fuel ain't getting any cheaper!
I would rock the ever loving E36M3 outta that Boxster and not look back.
You all are actually just echoes of the voices in my head, aren't you?
I've seen it touched on in here, but I absolutely love the way my E46 sedan eats up highway mileage. It's got a lot more feel than a 5-series of similar vintage, but still has a good bit of creature comforts. I bet you could find a well-maintained 325xi or 330xi if AWD is a concern.
That is, of course, assuming you've ruled out a Miata.
Third full day of test-driving cars. Unlike yesterday there were several cars I walked away from knowing that I did not want them. Still no complete duds though, and a couple of real possibilities.
'08 Mini Cooper S - I was headed to see the next car and I had some time to kill before it would be available. The owner of the Mini wasn't home either, but he offered to ask his wife to pull it out of the garage so that I could see it. Unfortunately, that turned out to be precisely literal. She pulled it out, left it sitting there locked, and when I knocked on the front door, thanked me for 'checking in,' and turned back into the house. Well... it looks awfully clean! http://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/4700319523.html
'06 Mazdaspeed 6, AWD - Not impressed. Well... I am impressed with what the car must have been stock, and what it potentially could be, but not with what it is right now. Current owner bought it six months ago in stock condition and piled a lot of mods (and a lot of black paint) onto it in a rather haphazard fashion, culminating in a blown head gasket. (Yes, I did look for a Mazdaspeed 3, but the only one currently on cl in the Columbus area is long sold.) http://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/4692316034.html
'05 Audi A4 Quattro w/ 3.0L V6 & 6-speed, - Now... now I am impressed. This is the Jetta TDI cranked up to 11. It wouldn't get the mileage of the TDI, and there are more finicky luxury electronics to go wrong (and more likely to, as this wasn't quite as well taken care of as the TDI), but there's a good deal more oomph to this car, plus AWD, and a $3000+ difference in price would certainly feed the V6 for a while. It had started to rain when I headed out to see this car and when I was driving it I managed to throw it sideways while pulling a u-turn in a deserted intersection. It was fun feeling the AWD scramble and grab again. I still haven't driven a 3-series or 5-series car, but this is the first car I've driven that felt like it belonged in Ronin or Transporter. http://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/4699354841.html
'98 (C5) Corvette Convertible, Auto - Impressed, but not entertained. Or maybe the other way around? As a C5 pretty much has to be to be in my price range, this is a rather worn and very 90's car (NOT as nice as it looks in the pictures.) The left bolster on the driver's seat was non-existant thanks to a rather portly original owner. Everything in the cockpit looked and felt like it could have been at home in the early 90's Hondas I drove through high school and college. It was raining harder now, so unfortunately the top had to stay up. Traction control does a great job of putting a lot of power safely to the ground despite the slick pavement, so no screaming launches, but it was still fun feeling it hook up in a more controlled manner. The power is great, but... the disconnect from both the road and what the car was doing... not so much. It does whatever you tell it, but it doesn't tell you what it is doing in return. (Maybe with the traction control turned off it would, but I wasn't going to test that in the rain.) http://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/4695352585.html
'03 Acura CL Type S, 6-speed - Far and away the most fun 'Accord' I have ever driven. But I seem to be getting awfully fond of German precision as this was terribly bland after the Audi. http://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/4700075373.html
'08 Mini Cooper S, Part II - The owner was home now and the rain had passed. Like the Acura (more so perhaps,) this is a great car on its own merits, but it just can't keep up with the TDI for practicality or pretty much any of the less practical cars I've driven for sheer grins. It IS a good mix of fun and practicality in a small car... and a dash of German precision. I'd rather own this than the Acura, but neither excites me.
'05 MSM w/ FM intake and a few other bits - Welp. The answer may yet be the answer. I know how/why the MSM is supposed to be a terrible long-distance highway cruiser. I know. I also know that this thing was everything I always wished my NB was. I know it was far more fun at sub-legal speeds than anything else I have driven. The Mini put a little smile of appreciation on my face. This thing left a giant E36 M3-eating grin. The really, properly fun realms of A4, Boxster, and even TT performance are all extra-legal. http://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/4696790384.html
I think am done driving whatever looks interesting and gets an email/text back. Now I've just got a few specific cars I want to drive before I make my decision (S2000, E36 M3 and a nice non-M E36 or E46 3-series, a closer-to-stock E30, a 5-speed Legacy GT, and perhaps Z4/RSX/350Z/G35/WRX if I have the opportunity...) Oh, and I will be driving a closer-to-stock, Lava Orange MSM tomorrow as well. Hope to make a decision by the end of the week, especially as the owners of a couple of cars I have looked at leave for trips on Friday.
...ahem...
http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/open-classifieds/2005-subaru-legacy-25i-limited-84k-miles-tmca-tota/91541/page1/
Did you think of a 5-speed Mazda6 V6? I really think the 330 route would be good, too
This may be a tad outside your range, but I'd bet you could sell it for the same price when you're done with it:
http://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/4676310271.html
It makes me sick how much those sell for, but they're pretty constant. Might be worth an email.
'98 M3 5-speed, Convertible - By the end of the day yesterday I said I still hadn't driven a 3-series BMW. Now I have driven three of them. And despite the fact that 'manual, convertible E36 M3' was at the top of my list of cars to drive, this was not my favorite of the three. This car has not been abused, but it has been driven nearly 170,000 miles, and most of those were as a daily driver, not a weekend toy or highway cruiser. It is still a solid car and would be a blast on the road trip, but it is definitely a little frayed around the edges. I may yet get a chance to drive an M3 coupe, and I will if I can, but after this I will be less disappointed if that doesn't happen. https://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/4643213119.html
'05 RX-8 - Another very well maintained car (in this case, I consider that an absolute necessity.) The Shinka edition blacked-out look is distinctive from the outside and the white leather interior is a great contrast. The rotary definitely has a different sort of character than anything else I have driven. This car has similar power to the A4 I drove yesterday and the 300i(s) below, yet by comparison it felt like I had to flog this car. Not that it wasn't fun to flog... but I think I would rather flog a Miata, or at least have the option of driving a V or I6 sedately. https://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/4699992517.html
'07 Saturn Sky Red Line - I actually stopped at the dealer two doors down first, but when I looked over their base model Sky their sale guy barely glanced at me as he hustled through the rain. So I moved on. I actually hadn't noticed the 'Red Line' part in this ad, but I'm glad I got the chance to drive this. And that's despite the fact that the interior isn't any better than the Corvette's was (just 10 years newer) and with the top down the cargo space may be less than that of the MR-2 Spyder. I didn't much care about either fact when the turbo on the Ecotec kicked in. Is this faster than the M3??? It FEELS faster. Still, even when they offered a price of just over $10,000, this isn't in the running. https://columbus.craigslist.org/ctd/4675667753.html
'04 330i ZHP, Auto - This car was running on fumes and when I commented on that the dealer griped about all the kids who had drained a full tank wanting to drive the car. I can see why. All blacked out, it does look pretty bad ass when you see it sitting there. Partly because of the lack of fuel, and partly due to the weather and the dealer's attitude, I didn't get to do much more than take it around the block. Even so, it was clearly the best-driving car I have driven with an automatic, barring MAYBE the auto Boxster. Maybe. https://columbus.craigslist.org/ctd/4687045003.html
'04 330i, 6-speed - This was just posted last night and I was the first of several people to arrange to see it. Mileage is a little higher than the ZHP, and that shows slightly in the engine bay, but the interior on this one is in better shape. THIS drove more like what I had expected from the M3. This was the A4 with just a bit more of the big, luxury car feel trimmed out of it. It was perfectly happy to be driven politely, yet 4th gear didn't really become a necessity until past 60mph. 80 in 6th feels like 40. The chassis feels like what it is... a fresher version of the M3. I suspect that I should have handed him the cash I had on hand as a down payment. I have a few cars I am supposed to drive tomorrow, but at the price he is asking this may be gone before I finish doing that. When I got home I sent an email asking if I could take it to be inspected on Thursday if he still has it by then. https://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/4702751539.html
Several of you can start preparing to say "I told you so..." =) But if this gets sold out from under me, I won't be terribly disappointed to have to go buy an MSM as a consolidation prize. (After a look around to see if there are any more 6-speed 330s available.)
re: woody - Sorry, if it were not an automatic, I would be interested, but... this search has reinforced that for me 'fun to drive' means a third pedal and a busy right hand.
re: unevolved - I may send an email. I am tempted. It looks like a beautiful car. But there is no way it is worth more than 2x what this non-ZHP 330i is worth. Even with the salvage title. (Edit: sent an email. Going to go see it anyway.)
Yeah, as sexy as ZHPs look, they're pretty damn expensive. I paid almost $10,000 less for my E46 sedan. Kinda puts it into perspective. Regardless, though, I still think a well-maintained E46 would be a great choice.
'04 BMW 330i ZHP, 6-speed - First car I looked at today is the ZHP that unevolved suggested might be worth my time even though it was listed for nearly $4K over my self-imposed $10K limit. Thanks for the nudge, because it was. The 330i I looked at yesterday may be the 'most car for the money' that I had looked at, but this one is straight up the 'most car.' Not as perfectly clean in the engine bay as some of the weekend toys I've driven, but still meticulously maintained and looking damn fine for 80,000 miles. And just as it ought to, it drives like the 330i with everything cranked up a notch. I offered $12,000 and he countered with $12,500. 25% more than I wanted to spend... but for a hell of a car. It's definitely on the list. (Edit: a number of cars I drove had vanity plates, but this one had my favorite of the lot: MR APEX)
https://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/4676310271.html
'03 BMW Z4, "V6" (see the ad), 5-speed - This guy was difficult to get a solid meeting time/place out of and I almost gave it up as a bad job, but since the Z4 seemed like perhaps the closest thing to a midway point between my two favorites so far (the 330i and the MSM,) I kept pestering. And... yup. BMW I-6 goodness plus solid little convertible plus BMW amenities is a VERY pleasant and fun combination. No idea whether it had the sport package or not, but it was an awful lot of fun to drive regardless. Not as well maintained as the ZHP, but still nice for a bit over 100k miles.
https://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/4687385853.html
'03 BMW 325xi, 5-speed - Well, that's the car I stopped by this dealer to see, but it's not actually the one I drove. The 325xi was on its way out of the lot as I pulled in. I figured someone else was test-driving it, but it turned out that it was headed out to a shop to get a radiator leak addressed and it wouldn't be back for a few days. I had looked around before I walked into the office and there were a few other fun cars on the lot: an Impala SS, a pair of G6s, and, the only manual car I noticed, an Audi TT roadster in a prettier blue color than the silver one I drove, but more miles, less care, and no Quattro. So after telling me that the 325xi was gone, the sales guy started ticking off other cars he had that might work for my road trip: RX-8 (already drove one, didn't really push my buttons,) '97 Mustang convertible (nah, not really interested in pre-'05 pony cars,) blah, blah... After he listed a few more and started tapering off, I re-confirmed that the Mustang was both manual and a convertible. It was. I figured I might as well try one out since they have been recommended to me several times over. He grabbed the keys and I walked out to the car. It looked like a 90's Mustang... plastic bits loose and missing here and there, but nothing important. I opened the door, sat down, started adjusting the seat and mirrors, and... it finally clicked. There was a cobra on the gearshift. He hadn't mentioned the part where this was an SVT Cobra. Suddenly I was far more interested in driving this car. And once I turned the key I was REALLY interested in driving this thing. I've heard a few nice-sounding V-6s (and a nicer flat-6) this week, the BMW I-6s always sound good (ESPECIALLY that S50 swapped into the E30,) and the sound of the turbo'd 4 in the MSM is quite a bit of fun in its hyper-squirrel way. But an angry V-8 is a whole 'nother story. Like the auto ZHP I drove yesterday, this was on fumes and at first we just went around the block. But he could tell I wanted to push it harder and he apparently decided I wasn't just joy-riding, so we stopped to put a bit of gas in the tank and he left the car to me. I did a much bigger loop with a couple of short highway jaunts thrown in. Holy balls. A whole different kind of fun from the precise German cars I have mainly been driving. This thing is like a slavering, overeager pit bull with more strength than it knows what to do with, but damned eager to to play. While I don't know that I really want to know what this would be like in the snow, it seems appropriate to do a tour of the US in an American car, no? (It hasn't unseated the 330i, but to my surprise it IS still on the short list.)
http://www.jackmaxton.com/details.cfm?searchvkid=1772607&v=0.772770474298&cftoken=1d62c90529e7d34f-F2A151F9-C959-B0CE-A86CFC3E82EA0A3B&cfid=280331222
'08 Subaru Outback 5-speed - Listed at over my price range too, but it was the only manual Legacy wagon I could find. Being neither an XT nor a GT it wasn't particularly exciting, but it was all around a very NICE car. Pleasant to drive, no bad habits, and in good shape. When I asked about the price he said 'I've had it for two months, make me an offer.' (Just in case anyone else anywhere near Columbus wants a 5sp Outback wagon. Lovely car, but I won't be buying it.)
https://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/4618051438.html
'06 Infiniti G35 Coupe, 6-speed - Another one I almost didn't bother with, in this case because it was out of the way, but I had time before my last planned stop of the day, so I checked this out. Also in good shape, and a super pleasant car. That's not to say it wasn't more exciting than the Subie, it certainly was... but somehow it still had a certain Japanese blandness to it. I enjoyed driving it more than the RX-8, but I would still take either the A4 or the 330i over this in a heartbeat, in spite of (not because of) the extra doors.
http://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/4686564831.html
(I happened to pass this one on the way to my last stop, it looked to be in similarly good shape and might well be the better deal if I wanted a G35 more than I do - https://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/4647198930.html)
'04 Mazdaspeed Miata - My last stop. Nearly stock (only a K&N) as compared to the lightly modded '05 I drove on Monday. Velocity Red, not the Lava Orange I thought it was (wishful thinking) and without the leather, etc... Felt and sounded like a tighter version of my old NB at low speeds, then became a barrel full of monkeys when goosed. I'm not sure whether I prefer the always-on, slightly snotty attitude of the '05 or the Jeckyll & Hyde of the stock '04. Both entertained me greatly. (Both come with a set of steel wheels with snow tires.)
https://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/4666053189.html
There are a number of cars that I had hoped to drive that I haven't managed to get into:
Mazdaspeed 3 - I DID look for one, but the only one showing up on cl anywhere near the C'bus area is too new and well out of my price range. S2000 - Tried to contact the owners of several of them. Harder to get ahold of than even the M3 owners. I suspect both groups get tired of trying to figure out who is actually serious. RSX - Had a Type S lined up, but it was sold before our timetables matched. WRX - There is one locally I could drive, but I'm pretty certain it would get more attention than it is worth. Maybe after I buy something else fun I'll see if he wants to swap for a drive (same with an S2000 if the opportunity arises.) Legacy GT 5sp Wagon - If I ever see one of these for sale within a reasonable distance I will find an excuse to go drive it. V70R or older turbo-brick - Ah well, someday. NC - The only ones I saw in my price range were auto, which... voids the point of a Miata as far as I am concerned. Guy with the MSM tonight mentioned a friend who stumbled into a manual with 30,000 some odd miles for $16k. That would have been a tempting way to blow my budget.
Despite those, and a few other smaller holes in my net, I am satisfied with what I have seen and what I have to choose from. Unfortunately, my suspicion that the 330i I saw last night would be gone before I had driven everything I wanted to drive was correct. The second guy to see it claimed it. He doesn't pay until tomorrow morning and if that falls through for any reason, I have dibs. But barring that unlikely event, there are still seven cars on my short list that somehow has to become just one. I'll make that a separate comment...
Nice work! You've got some great cars on the list. You really can't go wrong with the BMW's, the 330 would be my choice, its going to be more comfortable than the z4 for a long trip.
I absolutely LOVED the 5-speed Boxster and the S50-swapped E30. If I were looking for a weekend toy instead of a road-trip and potential college car, they would be at the top of the list. Since that's not what I am in the market for, here's what is still on my plate.
2-way tie for 4th:
'06 Jetta TDI sedan, 5-speed - Perhaps a little over-priced, but the most practical thing left under consideration. Not nearly as much fun to drive as, well... anything else on this list, but NOT boring and that's something when you're getting 45mpg. ($10k. Haven't tried to see if I can get him to go lower.)
http://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/4660342727.html
'05 A4 Quattro sedan, 3.0L V6, 6-speed - A fantastically fun car to drive and probably more of a Q-ship than the ZHP (I had no idea ahead of time that in picking an A4 to check out I had picked the beast-mode version,) but it feels... bigger/heavier than the 330i and a bit more passenger-as-opposed-to-driver oriented. Quattro would certainly be nice in Maine and Idaho. ($6,500 - Maybe the most car for the money assuming the $6k non-ZHP 330i is definitely gone. Especially as I suspect there might yet be a little wiggle in that price if I fussed about the cost of fixing the bumper cover.)
http://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/4699354841.html
3rd: '97 SVT Cobra Mustang convertible, 5-speed - A US car for an road trip around the US? The Fiesta was the only other American car that came close to making the short list. I have my doubts about its bad weather manners, I would occasionally feel like an arrogant redneck, and do those seats have any position other than leaned waaaay back? Still... terribly entertaining, comfy, and the mileage isn't much different than pretty much everything on this list aside from the TDI. Oh, and cheaper/easier to fix than anything but perhaps the Miata. ($8500 plus one other downside... the only car where I would pay dealer tax. $9400-ish total. I MIGHT be able to get that down if I point out that that isn't as good a deal as he wanted to paint it, but I hate those conversations.)
http://www.jackmaxton.com/details.cfm?searchvkid=1772607&v=0.772770474298&cftoken=1d62c90529e7d34f-F2A151F9-C959-B0CE-A86CFC3E82EA0A3B&cfid=280331222
3-way tie for 2nd:
'03 Z4 - Can probably spank the MSM's in most performance categories, but (largely because it is so calmly competent) it isn't QUITE as entertaining to drive for me. Still a hoot. And far more in the way of creature comforts. Also sexier (for what that is worth.) $10k OBO. I'd guess he might do $9k.
https://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/4687385853.html
'04 MSM - Stock MSM. It is what it is. I like it. ($8300)
https://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/4666053189.html
'05 MSM - Flyin Miata intake kit, intercooler, and blow-off valve make this one sound just as anti-social as the SVT in its own way. I love the sound of both, but there might be times where I would be a bit embarassed by them. Maybe. If I could stop grinning long enough to give a E36 M3. More miles than the '04, but I do quite like the set of mods on it, and the wear/tear seems pretty similar. Maybe the most important one: an aftermarket cruise kit. ($7500 as is or $7000-ish minus the boost guage and Momo wheel.)
http://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/4696790384.html
1st:
'04 330i sedan, ZHP package, 6-speed - Although a few cars in this search have been more exciting, more flat-out stupid grin-inducing to drive, this is pretty handily the BEST-driving of the lot. And it can certainly be pretty exciting in it's own right. It's just that it's exploring limits that is really fun, and in most cases this car's limits are much farther beyond the speed limit than are the limits of the SVT (in one way) or the Miata (in a different, uhh... safer way.) Just as practical as the Jetta in every way but mileage. Way better looking though (and the Jetta isn't a bad looking car.) If it weren't for the price, the decision would already be made, with just a wistful glance back at the roadsters. ($12,500)
https://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/4676310271.html
If you are in Columbus, shopping BMW's and need a prepurchase inspection, the answer is Best Motor Works over near the airport. The owner is John Best but the #1 mechanic is Anson who is true GRM. Though he is not here on the board as much as the past, he is a true "OG" of GRM.
They do, Mini Cooper too.
You may know Anson from his VW work of nearly 10 years ago:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7NX7usASD8
If you call in and mention you got his name from GRM, it will come as no surprise.
I had my own e30 worked on there a couple of times and have sent countless others there in the past.
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