1 week till I get my Z

[nmulax]

I'm so pumped; on Saturday (the 23rd) I pick up my '07 Z4 M Coupe. What better way to get acquainted and enjoy your new Z then a road-trip home.

My buddy and I are flying to Houston that morning, getting the car, and starting the 16 hour drive back. Probably stop in El Paso on Saturday night, and get to Phoenix Sunday afternoon.
Still debating if we do the practical leisurely road-trip stopping for food and sleep; or if we do a red-bull and beef jerky fueled sprint home, sleeping while the other drives.

Packing up my:
- iPod and aux cable
- V1
- dual power-outlet splitter (so I can run the V1 and charge the iPod at the same time)
- maps (as backup, since the car has Nav, and so does my Blackberry)
- camera (for the car, the drive, and any hilarity that ensues)

We're making a stop at Home Depot hitting the road to painter's-tape the front end.

Anything I'm forgetting?

[561design]

I don't think you'll be able to actually sleep comfortably in the car. You do these kinda trips rarely. Stop off and have some fun. Ha, park the car by as many land marks as possible and make a journal out of it or something.

[nmulax]

Good point - I forgot the seats don't exactly recline like in my 3er.

Not sure what kind of landmarks are between Houston and Phoenix… just a lot of dirt and rocks. But I'll have the digital camera, so I'll make sure to document the whole weekend.

I already ordered the stubby antenna off ebay (hopefully I'll have it to install prior to the drive back).
Is the ZHP knob the shift-knob of choice for the Z? I'm debating ordering it from Tischer for the drive back.

[sales@ESSTuning]

Redbull

[03BeastCharmer]

Which dealer in Houston are you getting it from? I see a lot of flat I-10 freeway slab in your future.

[KevinC]

Red Bull & beef jerky is the way to go, but leave a window down as that combo can and will produce weapons-grade flatulence. Keep Rolaids nearby too as it can also cause one helluva gut bomb.

Rather than go the ugly tape route, why get clear bra applied before you pick up? Trust me, you will absolutely need it in Phx anyways.

[nmulax]

I'm debating the clear bra.
Have it on my E90 and yeah it protects from the minor stones, but the big ones will still tear the plastic. The M won't be my daily driver anyways; so I'm thinking the cost will be a wash between the bra now, or a respray of the front in a few years.

[nmulax]

Originally Posted by 03BeastCharmer

Which dealer in Houston are you getting it from? I see a lot of flat I-10 freeway slab in your future.

Garlyn Shelton BMW in Bryan/College Station.
Yeah, the drive on I-10 (which is 99% of the trip) is going to be boring.

[Dammmittt]

Originally Posted by nmulax

I'm debating the clear bra.
Have it on my E90 and yeah it protects from the minor stones, but the big ones will still tear the plastic. The M won't be my daily driver anyways; so I'm thinking the cost will be a wash between the bra now, or a respray of the front in a few years.

You think that the paint will work better than the bra? If you paint it in a few years, it may not exactly match the rest of the car...

[sales@ESSTuning]

Originally Posted by nmulax

I'm debating the clear bra.
Have it on my E90 and yeah it protects from the minor stones, but the big ones will still tear the plastic. The M won't be my daily driver anyways; so I'm thinking the cost will be a wash between the bra now, or a respray of the front in a few years.

I have a guy here in Scottsdale that can take care of you if you decide to do it and he has very nice pricing. I had my front painted twice before I decided to get it cleared. This is a easy choice due to the soft paint BMW uses.

[nmulax]

So I'm freaking out a bit; debating if buying the M is the right thing to do.

Read this thread on E90post for the details.

I'd appreciate everyone's thoughts.

[nOLd]

Dont forget to bring icey hot or salonpas patch for back spasm :-)

[KevinC]

This is a tough one to run past other people.. too many details we don't know, such as your income, savings, do you own a home (and that can be good or very bad in Phoenix right now), etc. Posting in this or the E90 forum will also get you some bias in the replies.

All that said, I'll give it my best shot anyways. I did the same thing a year ago.. traded in my E90 for $31k (I wasn't upside down as you are, it netted me about $5k in trade value as I'd put $13k down when I bought it), and bought a new M Coupe for just under $50k - a great deal at the time, but a lousy deal at the end of '07. I definitely took a beating on the E90, and the whole thing basically made no financial sense. But.. my income is over $150k, I'm single, debt-free, and own 2 homes.. so this is really my only extravagance and I can easily afford it. Doesn't make it smart, but it ain't causing any financial crisis in my life, not by a longshot. Would I do it again? Probably not, even though I love the M Coupe. It's just financial silliness, whether or not I can afford it.

If you're in similar financial situation, then I'd say go for it. Your price on the M Coupe is a great deal, you'll have maintenance paid for for a long time (given that you're not going to need to high-mile it with the Civic now handling many of your miles). But if you're not in a super-comfortable and secure financial position, then I say bail on the Coupe idea altogether, and consider selling the E90 for full retail value and live with the Civic for a while until financial pastures are greener and blowing crazy coin on cars is more sane.

Good luck, I don't envy the position you're in! You should have thought this through more carefully before committing to the point you're at right now. But it's not too late to make a sane decision.

[mazzawi]

get your depost back
sell the civic
there is nothing wrong with driving an E90 as DD, you have lots of miles on it, more miles won't matter much.

work / save as if you did buy the M Roadster

invest all you can save in an Income generating asset, like a REIT (reinvesting the income) until it can pay for a new car lease on its own.
That way you've bought yourself a new car every 3 years for the rest of your life.

[thekurgan]

Originally Posted by nmulax

So I'm freaking out a bit; debating if buying the M is the right thing to do.

Read this thread on E90post for the details.

I'd appreciate everyone's thoughts.

I don't think the value of any S54 Z4M or e46M3 will go down when the new N54 based Z is released. The S54 is one of the worlds best designed engines on and off the track. I have the N54 in my E90, with Dinan Stage 2 and it's a kick in the pants, but nothing beats natural aspiration for reliability and heat control and heat is one thing that the N54 is not going to see a lot of track time without major cooling mods whereas the current Z4MC runs quite nicely.

[KevinC]

Originally Posted by thekurgan

... but nothing beats natural aspiration for reliability and heat control and heat is one thing that the N54 is not going to see a lot of track time without major cooling mods whereas the current Z4MC runs quite nicely.

Not a trivial point for anyone living here in the Phoenix area.. where we have about 30 days a year over 110 and a buttload more over 100. I'd be very apprehensive about owning an N54 here.

[03BeastCharmer]

So what was the decision?

[Crimson92]

congrats i get mine in 2 weeks...its on a train right now

[thekurgan]

Originally Posted by Crimson92

congrats i get mine in 2 weeks...its on a train right now

I'm in the same train ... LM08801

[Crimson92]

Originally Posted by thekurgan

I'm in the same train ... LM08801

how did you find out what train its on, i forgot to ask my SA


which one is yours, i know of three heading this way

[nmulax]

Originally Posted by 03BeastCharmer

So what was the decision?

I did it…I bought the M.


Wasn't till Thursday night that I made the final decision - very long discussion with my gf about our finances and goals/priorities. (she is absolutely amazing and supportive of the purchase)
When I got to the dealer and saw it there, I knew I made the right decision.

I'll be posting pics and a little write-up about how the weekend went as soon as I have some time.

[sales@ESSTuning]

Originally Posted by nmulax

I did it…I bought the M.


Wasn't till Thursday night that I made the final decision - very long discussion with my gf about our finances and goals/priorities. (she is absolutely amazing and supportive of the purchase)
When I got to the dealer and saw it there, I knew I made the right decision.

I'll be posting pics and a little write-up about how the weekend went as soon as I have some time.

Nice I will have to meet up with you some time and check it out.