Am I Going Crazy?

C

coupedan

Member
 West Berkshire
So almost 5 years, 85,000 miles - I think it may be time to part with my Zed.
I have a strange feeling of not loving the experience anymore which I never thought would come but I am at a loss of to what to..

My car, a 2006 (56) Coupe Si with 126,000 miles on the clock is pretty much worthless as far as Coupes go (probably get about £6K for it)
Although I have replaced pretty much everything on it that it seen as "Common issues" and "sort after" upgrades.

Now, I have had an eye on an Abarth 595 Competizone over the last few days and I am going to drive one next Thursday.
Completely left field choice to be honest as it couldn't be anymore different from the Zed.
I don't really know what to expect from it, never owned an Italian car and never owned a "warm / Hot mini hatch" but it comes with the following specs:
180HP - (0-60MPH = 6.7s)
1050KG's (ish)
4 Pot Brembo front Calipers with 305mm discs
Switchable Koni suspension all round
Switchable Exhaust
Optional mechanical LSD

If I trade in my Zed I can pick up a fairly newish one on PCP for about £90 per month which seems like a no brainier seeing that it should come with 3 years manufacturers warranty.

I shall await the test drive but until then, has anyone else ever felt like the love for their Zed has been lost?
 
I think this is a mistake, I have driven a 595 and the gearbox is awful. Its a different type of car though, a step back imo.
 
Hi, how about a z4 convertible? It would add another dimension to the zed experience & keep you in the fold :?
Rob
 
Having owned a Fiat sports car for almost 10 years, prior to my Zed, I can say two things.

It will be great fun. :D :thumbsup: :driving:

It will break and frustrate the heck out of you. :oops: :headbang:
 
I know it seems like a strange angle to take but I have heard they are quite fun little cars.

I'm not really too sure on what else to get.. I wouldn't want to go down the Boxster / Cayman route and //M's are way out of my price range now in terms of price and running costs.

Anyone have suggestions?
 
I know what you mean, I only had mine for a year and i do love it but for the kind of driving I do it doesn't seem to work well.. I seem to enjoy blasting in my 23yo mazda mx5 with 130bhp much more and have a lot more fun too :evil: I can see how the 595 is tempting, I'd love to take one for a spin too!

but my money would probably got a mk4/nd mx5 the 1.5 or 2.0 to just trash it around, have fun with a smile on your face.
 
Depends what you want. the new Fiat 124 looks great and has some good wright-ups. 2 series coupe can be a great car as well. the sporty Audi A3 is a cracker, as is the TT.

Think you will find the Abarth a right laugh, but too harsh to use regularly, and pretty small inside. Assuming bits don't keep falling off it it should be fun for a short time!
 
Buckz said:
I know what you mean, I only had mine for a year and i do love it but for the kind of driving I do it doesn't seem to work well.. I seem to enjoy blasting in my 23yo mazda mx5 with 130bhp much more and have a lot more fun too :evil: I can see how the 595 is tempting, I'd love to take one for a spin too!

but my money would probably got a mk4/nd mx5 the 1.5 or 2.0 to just trash it around, have fun with a smile on your face.
Click to expand...

Id swap mine for an MX5 without much hesitation IF i could physically fit inside one and simultaneously operate the pedals. Being tall has its disadvantages.
 
Fiat are s**t. /thread.

Seriously though they are hateful cars, adults cannot sit in the back without their heads hitting the rear window (I'm 5 10). They have a pretty raspy zorst but you can hear the scrawny little engine over them..mpg is sub 30. If an RR hits you, you'll die or be maimed pretty heavily. Boot space is less than the Z4.
Personally for the money I'd by a Z4m or an Alpina rather than dump the car and splash 12k to hire a fiat for a couple of years. Horses for courses though.
 
coupedan said:
So almost 5 years, 85,000 miles - I think it may be time to part with my Zed.
I have a strange feeling of not loving the experience anymore which I never thought would come but I am at a loss of to what to..

My car, a 2006 (56) Coupe Si with 126,000 miles on the clock is pretty much worthless as far as Coupes go (probably get about £6K for it)
Although I have replaced pretty much everything on it that it seen as "Common issues" and "sort after" upgrades.

Now, I have had an eye on an Abarth 595 Competizone over the last few days and I am going to drive one next Thursday.
Completely left field choice to be honest as it couldn't be anymore different from the Zed.
I don't really know what to expect from it, never owned an Italian car and never owned a "warm / Hot mini hatch" but it comes with the following specs:
180HP - (0-60MPH = 6.7s)
1050KG's (ish)
4 Pot Brembo front Calipers with 305mm discs
Switchable Koni suspension all round
Switchable Exhaust
Optional mechanical LSD

If I trade in my Zed I can pick up a fairly newish one on PCP for about £90 per month which seems like a no brainier seeing that it should come with 3 years manufacturers warranty.

I shall await the test drive but until then, has anyone else ever felt like the love for their Zed has been lost?
Click to expand...

You are going to hate it, noisy cabin, loutish, and brash, with the miles you cover I would go down the SLK path, hard top vert and quality build, so quiet cabin but performance when you want it.
 
I think you are going crazy op, if you're bored of the Z then why not. But why not a 370Z or something else in the coupe's league looks and performance wise?
 
Buckz said:
I know what you mean, I only had mine for a year and i do love it but for the kind of driving I do it doesn't seem to work well.. I seem to enjoy blasting in my 23yo mazda mx5 with 130bhp much more and have a lot more fun too :evil: I can see how the 595 is tempting, I'd love to take one for a spin too!

but my money would probably got a mk4/nd mx5 the 1.5 or 2.0 to just trash it around, have fun with a smile on your face.
Click to expand...

That's it.. I have been driving my other halves SEAT Ibiza FR 1.2TSI for the last 2 weeks and I seemed to have more fun driving that than I have when I have just got back in the Zed - OK it felt like wearing your favourite shoes being back, but I feel like these shoes now need changing..

I think there is a lot said for a car that you can be on the limits of at slow speeds.. something enjoyable in that.

Paulr said:
Depends what you want. the new Fiat 124 looks great and has some good wright-ups. 2 series coupe can be a great car as well. the sporty Audi A3 is a cracker, as is the TT.

Think you will find the Abarth a right laugh, but too harsh to use regularly, and pretty small inside. Assuming bits don't keep falling off it it should be fun for a short time!
Click to expand...

2 Series is out of budget, I'm personally not that much of a fan.. would rather an M135i for performance / sound, however I hate the interiors of them.
My friend had an A3 / S3 type thing.. was fast on a straight, lacked any feel in steering and had tendencies to understeer horrifically.
TT's are nice, but you pay a premium for a not that great of a car IMO, typically VAG and far too common.

Monkeydonkeyratmagic said:
Fiat are s**t. /thread.

Seriously though they are hateful cars, adults cannot sit in the back without their heads hitting the rear window (I'm 5 10). They have a pretty raspy zorst but you can hear the scrawny little engine over them..mpg is sub 30. If an RR hits you, you'll die or be maimed pretty heavily. Boot space is less than the Z4.
Personally for the money I'd by a Z4m or an Alpina rather than dump the car and splash 12k to hire a fiat for a couple of years. Horses for courses though.
Click to expand...

You raise a good point.. I used to detest them, but the Abarth versions have always caught my eye, they are a pretty niche thing too (ok to the standard passer-by, it still is a Fiat 500) but for those who know, it's a special little thing (At least the Competizone is)

As said above, I'd love an //M Coupe, but way too over budget.. I'm looking at similar price points or cheaper due to needing to get a house next year.

markalp said:
You are going to hate it, noisy cabin, loutish, and brash, with the miles you cover I would go down the SLK path, hard top vert and quality build, so quiet cabin but performance when you want it.
Click to expand...

To be honest - mileage for me is changing.. I will be getting a train to work in the new year so the car will rarely be used Monday - Friday.
The only SLK I'd entertain is the 45AMG (or is it the 55AMG?)

philbo909 said:
I think you are going crazy op, if you're bored of the Z then why not. But why not a 370Z or something else in the coupe's league looks and performance wise?
Click to expand...

A 370z seems a good choice - rare, sounds nice, looks OK IMO (looks too chubby still, but better than the 350z) but I have a bit of a sour taste with Nissan.. I know a few people with horror stories with regard to them which has kind of put me off.


I think I have the solution to my problems.. work harder or win the lottery and bag me a nice 991.2 GT2RS :? :driving:
 
Fair points. It does all depend in budget. If you want a hot hatch the one to go for imo is the Clio. But not sure on their prices as of late. It was huge money new. You can get the same Fiesta as me for that price you've put up. I'm on 70k now and out 40k of that on in 2 years. Never been in for any warranty work and faults are very rare on them. Tuning market is huge too and the engine are good for 300bhp. S1 is pretty mean to roll about in too but they are as small as a 500 and problematic. If you want a good "coupe" that's near invincible and depreciation proof a single turbo R33 isn't a bad shout.
But I'd still say stick with the Z.
 
Try a fiesta ST...

Honestly you will love it. Got to be one of the best Hot hatches for a very very long time. Grab one in St3 spec, all the toys you can imagine and the way they drive is incredible. They are practical, VERY easy to tune, i adore mine, so cheap to run too... Probably one of the best all rounders ive ever owned.


Or how about a 100k mile ///M??? very cheap and often they seem to have most of the common mile related issues done by then... This could really work and you will LOVe running one of those, proper sports car.
 
In terms of the Fiesta ST's.. 2 of my friends have them both with the Mountune stage 1? (Warrantable one) and I agree, awesome to drive and quick too but because they are so common, I'm not drawn to them as much (I have a thing for rare-ish cars)

A high mileage ///M, ok you have a point in that most things should've been done, but there is always the worry.. what with all of the S54 horrors that you hear about, I currently am not in a financial situation to repair something is it's somewhat catastrophic, so it will be a 50/50 gamble IMO.

I think the Zed has ruined a lot of future car choices for most of us as to get anything that does better, you have to invest a hell of a lot more cash both in terms of buying and running.

I suppose as a reply said above, the Abarth could be fun so a short while.. but definitely not a long termer.
 
Mountune is the biggest waste of money ever on them. Honestly the map is just full cold map 100% of the time. Also note how on their graph the standard car achieved 5% more power than actually possible. Complete frauds. Air intake is made from 50ps worth of material. Mine is all Revo+Forge and destroys any Mountune Fiesta (proven) and returns according to the past 1754 miles...42.2 MPG. If you want a Rare one. Get the poverty spec ST1. I have only ever seen one of those bad boys :D partly because they gave out ST2s at launch for the same price and the style pack was free at the time.
Agree about the common part though. Especially in blue. Cosworth innit! Black ones are very rare. Mines white, was only red and white at launch. Blue and orange had huge waits on them and iirc black didn't come out until later on in the year.
Best thing about them as anyone will say. Them seats. Seats that on the after market would cost over 2k a pop each.
 
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