For myself and like many other members on the boards, the Z is nothing more than a "please" vehicle used with only purpose of putting a grin on our faces when we need it.

The Z gets used once on the weekend for a spirited drive when the weather is nice only and cruise on some fun roads for maybe an hour.

I just wish I had more time to have fun with this car and drive it the way it should be driven! It begs to be beaten on an autocross track!!

 

So do it

 

Exactly ^^^

 

Cool.

 

With my job mon-fri having a long commute that eats up alot of my time. All I have is the weekend in between plans the wifey has set up for us.

How do I go autocross? Do I have to be part of an organization? Have a special liscence? Annual fees? Closest track to me is PBIR.

 

you should try using your z as an off-road vehicle. i hear it's the next big thing

 

^^^

 

So drive it to work? I drive mine everyday because that's what I bought the car to do, not to sit in the garage.

 

Do not risk it. The car may get dirty!

 

I understand what you are saying. However, I just look at the dollars and cents a bit too much I guess.

I was using the Z as my DD when I lived 5 miles from work. Then I bought a condo for dirt cheap 40miles from work and that commute got old real quick. Tires, premium gas, excessive wear on interior, paint, 20+k miles a year, etc. Now an 07 with 45k miles.

I then bought a CLEAN 2003 dodge neon with 17k miles on it as a commuter and keep the wear off the Z. Original plan was to pay off the Z and keep it on the side as a toy and eventually go TT. The Neon is awesome as a commuter and all is going as plan, but I am just having a difficult time pulling the trigger on TT with how volatile and uncertain the economic future is. Would be crazy to drop $15k on it right now. Just figured I would enjoy it with the full bolt-ons, but now I realize I barely get to enjoy it at all.

 

The only time I've ever DD'ed my Z was the year that I lived in downtown Denver. And even then, it sat for a month without seeing daylight. So, I feel you.

I don't like my toys to wear.

Bonus points: My car has not moved in 7 months.

 

yeah man I understand if your going to be putting over 100 miles on it a day then there going to rack up fast, I drive mine everyday and store it in the winter, I bought it in June 2008 brand new and I only have 30,000 KM's on it, So Ive been averaging about 15,000 a year and I don't drive my car from november to april. So you can tell how much I drive my car I love it.

 

I don't believe in that, I buy my toys to use them, when they get worn down, you get a new one, if you can afford to do that of course

 

I don't want a new one, I want the one I've got.

 

how do u know u havnt used it

 

As someone who had a Neon I can safely say that you have been inhaling too many noxious chemicals which have destroyed your higher brain functions if you would actually put such a statement in print. :P

I didnt last 6 months with the Neon, it was literally that bad, even as just a work commuter. Maybe FLA is very different than NJ, but I feared for my life getting on the NJ Turnpike every morning in that thing. It does get decent gas mileage, at the expense of almost everything else. If I had to say one positive thing about the Neon (gun to my head of course): the A/C was cold.

Get a Mazda3 or something with a little more life to keep rigor from setting in - it wont cure the cravings, but it will stave them off between romps in the Z.

A 2003 Neon is racing up on end-of-life quicker than you may realize.

 

I agree with what you are saying. You bought a nice toy, then use it and enjoy it. But on the other side of the token this is the thought process that got the economy in the shape it is now. "Forget taking care of the nice things you have and let them last, just keep buying and selling and losing thousand and thousand at a time". Just because you can "afford" it, does not make it a wise decision. I think financial security should be the priority instead of having whats new, I rather be able to sleep peaceful at night knowing my bills are secure, instead of slowly seeing the end come from afar.

 

haha I knew somebody would bust my ballz for this one. I can honestly say that over the past year+, roughly 30k miles, this neon has not given me one problem. Just changed the tires, give it oil changes. I even get it waxed regularly. Its not a "nice" car by any means, but it stays clean inside and out and gets me to where I need to go. I also know that you give 5 different people 5 different of the same cars and you will have 5 different stories and opinions, so I do beleive you might have had some nightmares with a Neon, as I am sure many of other people have.

I have been fighting off the urge to trade in the neon since it only has 45k miles on it now, but I came to an agreement with myself that at 100k miles (if it lasts that long) I will upgrade the neon while keeping the Z. Just need to find something used, that wont take a big hit with depreciation and can handle 20+k miles a year.

 

Shrug, that's a little too deep for me. I dont DD my car because I'm in love with the car, not with having the car.

Some have wives, some have **** buddies

 

zzzz