ksher wrote:What wrong was the Alfa? Reliability? The engine sounds great (if V6) and car looks great too.
I had the diesel for "economy"
The engine wasn't bad, just not as frugal as it should have been.
The car had a few electrical gremlins which kept bugging me but it's main sins were being far too heavy for what it was and driving the wrong wheels
It was just never great at anything in particular other than looking good.
The 8 isn't great on fuel, it's not great on space but it's excellent at what it's meant to be good at. Waft down motorways, be nice and quiet inside, feel very solid, ride isn't wallowy but it isn't rock solid either like too many modern cars. It just is what it is and makes no excuses.
The last few years have made me very much a German car fan, like the other thread about what marques you wouldn't own, I'd not have anything French, I have an unncessary hatred of Vauxhalls, Italian cars don't interest me other than the Pagani's which are nuts and Lambo's which are VW's and still pretty nuts
Japanese cars... meh... I'd love an old American muscle car though, even possibly a modern one...
I was mainly looking at Boxsters but couldn't find one localy or at the right price and this 8 happened to be on the way home so I thought why not have a look. I'd been interested in them but didn't seariously think I'd find one locally that was good enough. This one's condition won me over, it has a nice wad of BMW reciepts and although not perfect (it's a little closer now), it was sensibly priced and in good enough shape to be able to keep on top of the maintanence. As a bonus to the fun of ownership, hopefully if I keep it in good shape it won't depreciate any time soon, certainly not like the Alfa did
The colour is Barbados Green, which would normally worry me because I don't like green cars, but it's a very bluey green and suites the car without aging it badly.
I thought I got a few stares in the Z4, pfft, I get 10 times as many now
Including within 5 minutes of buying the car, at the petrol station, a little boy in his football kit standing staring at it as his dad tried to drag him away