Little Rock and surrounding areas
Hey from Indy
Well... it's been 2 months since I got here... and still think it sucks. Think Chicago/Memphis/Detroit with the character of drinking wine out of a Yahtzee cup.
I found myself driving my lowered Z everyday to and from work with people staring at this odd contraption on the pothole laden straight boring commute in freezing rainy weather passing 15-20 year old salt eaten beaters with uninspired drivers.
Owning a daily driven lowered Z up here is like camping in a tuxedo, complete with top hat and cane....
I found myself looking at my $11,500 payoff and realizing I'm due for 60k mi service and more importantly brakes thinking the amount of money involved in servicing, storing, insuring, and purchasing my own $4,000 beater for the winter is really hard to justify just to maintain the distinction of owning my first Z.
About 4 weeks ago I started looking around at my options. I thought it might be best to trade my car off and get into something affordable and capable in the winter... so I drove a Suzuki SX4. It's basically a Mini with 4 doors and AWD... I was as impressed with the Suzuki SX4 (after getting out of my Z) like a Biloxi ***** is impressed with an Asian guy with a gland problem....
BUT... I like the AWD after seeing some pics of guys running that car in a foot of standing snow like it was a jeep. So I started looking at AWD cars...
If you investigate the AWD car segment you will find that basically... every AWD car looks like ****. Unless it's $37,000 or more. VERY disheartening to think that I would be going from an extremely well put together 350z to a stripped down $18,000 Subaru.
I don't remember how I got to this next line of thinking but looking back before my Z I remember considering a limited edition Golf that VW released in 2004 which offered a 250hp VR6 and AWD... they were $33,400 back then... and if anyone really knows, I just HAPPENED to get into my Z at $26,800.. big difference.
So I pulled up carmax (great resource for "at market" pricing) and found a couple of used 2008 models lingering for well... too much money for the mileage.
Then I pulled up vehix and found one listed at the dealership down the street with 7,000 miles and a SUPER price. So just for ***** and grins I went down there Monday and peeped at it... the sticker on the window had $29,472... NOW WAIT! I know what you're thinking... for a Golf right?
Again, this is a 250hp AWD Golf with DSG, leather, cruise, heated seats... fancy headlight wipers...
Well I didn't get to drive it until Tuesday after meeting a very respectful and patient salesguy.. He wasn't aware I was prepared to take my **** home if I felt the slightest discomfort in any negotiation. It drove fine and I did more research and basically sold myself on my own deal. I drew a proverbial line in the sand mentally before I went back to let them look at the Z and gave him a goal to shoot for. I brought a cigar and gatorade and a power bar because I like to wait the dealership out on any deal way past closing... but we managed to come to a workable deal where they payoff my Z, cut $5,000 off the asking price, and get the same financing terms as my Z when it was new..
3 very short hours later I had turned in my Z for a 2008 R32. I like to think of myself as a driver rather than a collector. I like cars, but I love driving... and the make/model culture is just gravy. I have accomplished something pretty great.. by owning my first car, a 1997 Eagle Talon (last year they made them) and then my 2006 350Z, and now my 2008 R32... I will have the distinction of having 60,000 miles of seat time in all varied types of sports cars.. FWD, RWD, and now AWD.
I found myself driving my lowered Z everyday to and from work with people staring at this odd contraption on the pothole laden straight boring commute in freezing rainy weather passing 15-20 year old salt eaten beaters with uninspired drivers.
Owning a daily driven lowered Z up here is like camping in a tuxedo, complete with top hat and cane....
I found myself looking at my $11,500 payoff and realizing I'm due for 60k mi service and more importantly brakes thinking the amount of money involved in servicing, storing, insuring, and purchasing my own $4,000 beater for the winter is really hard to justify just to maintain the distinction of owning my first Z.
About 4 weeks ago I started looking around at my options. I thought it might be best to trade my car off and get into something affordable and capable in the winter... so I drove a Suzuki SX4. It's basically a Mini with 4 doors and AWD... I was as impressed with the Suzuki SX4 (after getting out of my Z) like a Biloxi ***** is impressed with an Asian guy with a gland problem....
BUT... I like the AWD after seeing some pics of guys running that car in a foot of standing snow like it was a jeep. So I started looking at AWD cars...
If you investigate the AWD car segment you will find that basically... every AWD car looks like ****. Unless it's $37,000 or more. VERY disheartening to think that I would be going from an extremely well put together 350z to a stripped down $18,000 Subaru.
I don't remember how I got to this next line of thinking but looking back before my Z I remember considering a limited edition Golf that VW released in 2004 which offered a 250hp VR6 and AWD... they were $33,400 back then... and if anyone really knows, I just HAPPENED to get into my Z at $26,800.. big difference.
So I pulled up carmax (great resource for "at market" pricing) and found a couple of used 2008 models lingering for well... too much money for the mileage.
Then I pulled up vehix and found one listed at the dealership down the street with 7,000 miles and a SUPER price. So just for ***** and grins I went down there Monday and peeped at it... the sticker on the window had $29,472... NOW WAIT! I know what you're thinking... for a Golf right?
Again, this is a 250hp AWD Golf with DSG, leather, cruise, heated seats... fancy headlight wipers...
Well I didn't get to drive it until Tuesday after meeting a very respectful and patient salesguy.. He wasn't aware I was prepared to take my **** home if I felt the slightest discomfort in any negotiation. It drove fine and I did more research and basically sold myself on my own deal. I drew a proverbial line in the sand mentally before I went back to let them look at the Z and gave him a goal to shoot for. I brought a cigar and gatorade and a power bar because I like to wait the dealership out on any deal way past closing... but we managed to come to a workable deal where they payoff my Z, cut $5,000 off the asking price, and get the same financing terms as my Z when it was new..
3 very short hours later I had turned in my Z for a 2008 R32. I like to think of myself as a driver rather than a collector. I like cars, but I love driving... and the make/model culture is just gravy. I have accomplished something pretty great.. by owning my first car, a 1997 Eagle Talon (last year they made them) and then my 2006 350Z, and now my 2008 R32... I will have the distinction of having 60,000 miles of seat time in all varied types of sports cars.. FWD, RWD, and now AWD.
Well... it's been 2 months since I got here... and still think it sucks. Think Chicago/Memphis/Detroit with the character of drinking wine out of a Yahtzee cup.
I found myself driving my lowered Z everyday to and from work with people staring at this odd contraption on the pothole laden straight boring commute in freezing rainy weather passing 15-20 year old salt eaten beaters with uninspired drivers.
Owning a daily driven lowered Z up here is like camping in a tuxedo, complete with top hat and cane....
I found myself looking at my $11,500 payoff and realizing I'm due for 60k mi service and more importantly brakes thinking the amount of money involved in servicing, storing, insuring, and purchasing my own $4,000 beater for the winter is really hard to justify just to maintain the distinction of owning my first Z.
About 4 weeks ago I started looking around at my options. I thought it might be best to trade my car off and get into something affordable and capable in the winter... so I drove a Suzuki SX4. It's basically a Mini with 4 doors and AWD... I was as impressed with the Suzuki SX4 (after getting out of my Z) like a Biloxi ***** is impressed with an Asian guy with a gland problem....
BUT... I like the AWD after seeing some pics of guys running that car in a foot of standing snow like it was a jeep. So I started looking at AWD cars...
If you investigate the AWD car segment you will find that basically... every AWD car looks like ****. Unless it's $37,000 or more. VERY disheartening to think that I would be going from an extremely well put together 350z to a stripped down $18,000 Subaru.
I don't remember how I got to this next line of thinking but looking back before my Z I remember considering a limited edition Golf that VW released in 2004 which offered a 250hp VR6 and AWD... they were $33,400 back then... and if anyone really knows, I just HAPPENED to get into my Z at $26,800.. big difference.
So I pulled up carmax (great resource for "at market" pricing) and found a couple of used 2008 models lingering for well... too much money for the mileage.
Then I pulled up vehix and found one listed at the dealership down the street with 7,000 miles and a SUPER price. So just for ***** and grins I went down there Monday and peeped at it... the sticker on the window had $29,472... NOW WAIT! I know what you're thinking... for a Golf right?
Again, this is a 250hp AWD Golf with DSG, leather, cruise, heated seats... fancy headlight wipers...
Well I didn't get to drive it until Tuesday after meeting a very respectful and patient salesguy.. He wasn't aware I was prepared to take my **** home if I felt the slightest discomfort in any negotiation. It drove fine and I did more research and basically sold myself on my own deal. I drew a proverbial line in the sand mentally before I went back to let them look at the Z and gave him a goal to shoot for. I brought a cigar and gatorade and a power bar because I like to wait the dealership out on any deal way past closing... but we managed to come to a workable deal where they payoff my Z, cut $5,000 off the asking price, and get the same financing terms as my Z when it was new..
3 very short hours later I had turned in my Z for a 2008 R32. I like to think of myself as a driver rather than a collector. I like cars, but I love driving... and the make/model culture is just gravy. I have accomplished something pretty great.. by owning my first car, a 1997 Eagle Talon (last year they made them) and then my 2006 350Z, and now my 2008 R32... I will have the distinction of having 60,000 miles of seat time in all varied types of sports cars.. FWD, RWD, and now AWD.
I found myself driving my lowered Z everyday to and from work with people staring at this odd contraption on the pothole laden straight boring commute in freezing rainy weather passing 15-20 year old salt eaten beaters with uninspired drivers.
Owning a daily driven lowered Z up here is like camping in a tuxedo, complete with top hat and cane....
I found myself looking at my $11,500 payoff and realizing I'm due for 60k mi service and more importantly brakes thinking the amount of money involved in servicing, storing, insuring, and purchasing my own $4,000 beater for the winter is really hard to justify just to maintain the distinction of owning my first Z.
About 4 weeks ago I started looking around at my options. I thought it might be best to trade my car off and get into something affordable and capable in the winter... so I drove a Suzuki SX4. It's basically a Mini with 4 doors and AWD... I was as impressed with the Suzuki SX4 (after getting out of my Z) like a Biloxi ***** is impressed with an Asian guy with a gland problem....
BUT... I like the AWD after seeing some pics of guys running that car in a foot of standing snow like it was a jeep. So I started looking at AWD cars...
If you investigate the AWD car segment you will find that basically... every AWD car looks like ****. Unless it's $37,000 or more. VERY disheartening to think that I would be going from an extremely well put together 350z to a stripped down $18,000 Subaru.
I don't remember how I got to this next line of thinking but looking back before my Z I remember considering a limited edition Golf that VW released in 2004 which offered a 250hp VR6 and AWD... they were $33,400 back then... and if anyone really knows, I just HAPPENED to get into my Z at $26,800.. big difference.
So I pulled up carmax (great resource for "at market" pricing) and found a couple of used 2008 models lingering for well... too much money for the mileage.
Then I pulled up vehix and found one listed at the dealership down the street with 7,000 miles and a SUPER price. So just for ***** and grins I went down there Monday and peeped at it... the sticker on the window had $29,472... NOW WAIT! I know what you're thinking... for a Golf right?
Again, this is a 250hp AWD Golf with DSG, leather, cruise, heated seats... fancy headlight wipers...
Well I didn't get to drive it until Tuesday after meeting a very respectful and patient salesguy.. He wasn't aware I was prepared to take my **** home if I felt the slightest discomfort in any negotiation. It drove fine and I did more research and basically sold myself on my own deal. I drew a proverbial line in the sand mentally before I went back to let them look at the Z and gave him a goal to shoot for. I brought a cigar and gatorade and a power bar because I like to wait the dealership out on any deal way past closing... but we managed to come to a workable deal where they payoff my Z, cut $5,000 off the asking price, and get the same financing terms as my Z when it was new..
3 very short hours later I had turned in my Z for a 2008 R32. I like to think of myself as a driver rather than a collector. I like cars, but I love driving... and the make/model culture is just gravy. I have accomplished something pretty great.. by owning my first car, a 1997 Eagle Talon (last year they made them) and then my 2006 350Z, and now my 2008 R32... I will have the distinction of having 60,000 miles of seat time in all varied types of sports cars.. FWD, RWD, and now AWD.
I know the weather must suck there, hey about Adam and I swing down there and help you put a turbo on that *****....
...anyway I know you will enjoy it....late
Registered User
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 209
Likes: 0
From: Little Rock, Ar/ Houston, Tx
I like the r32's...great autox cars
Anyways Centerville will be on May 9th...its a saturday night. Gates open at 5pm and I usually leave around 10pm. Hopefully that will be better for everyone. Anna is even going to go and race the auto
Anyways Centerville will be on May 9th...its a saturday night. Gates open at 5pm and I usually leave around 10pm. Hopefully that will be better for everyone. Anna is even going to go and race the auto
Thread Starter
Registered User
iTrader: (65)
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 7,538
Likes: 0
From: Arkansas/Nebraska
anyone interested in chipping in on the fender roller for sale? $170 shipped, we then can resell it and reclaim our money. If we get enough people interested it wouldnt be much out of pocket, It wont last long so please let me know.
Thread Starter
Registered User
iTrader: (65)
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 7,538
Likes: 0
From: Arkansas/Nebraska
OMG starting a new job monday, im not going to know what to do waking up at 5am! holy shiet im usually going to bed at that time LOL. My body needs a change though so this should be a welcome change from the vampire hours i've been accustomed to working all these years. I will miss my days off but oh well Oh i cant wait for morining traffic,,,,,, YEAH!!!!!
So besides david who else is doing the centerville thing?
Oh i cant wait for morining traffic,,,,,, YEAH!!!!!So besides david who else is doing the centerville thing?
Thread Starter
Registered User
iTrader: (65)
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 7,538
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From: Arkansas/Nebraska
I pick up my new buddy from jail tomorrow after work:P Got some badass tickets to the pink floyd thingy also for freeeee. It's good to have some hook ups LOL.
for freeeee. It's good to have some hook ups LOL.
